The Roger Pirates and the Sky-Pirates had been clashing at sea for several days. As two of the most prominent crews on the seas, their battle naturally caught the attention of the Navy and other great pirates. By the third day, countless pirate ships had gathered around the edges of the battlefield—after all, it wasn't every day one got to witness such a spectacle.
"Is that kid a crew member on Roger's ship? He's got potential—surviving that long out there!"
At the edge of the battlefield, aboard a navy vessel marked with a dog-head emblem, a muscular middle-aged man lounged casually, picking his nose with one hand while munching on a pack of rice crackers with the other.
Although the warship wasn't particularly large, no pirate ships dared approach within five kilometers of it. Every pirate knew just how terrifying that seemingly goofy, nose-picking man really was.
"Oh crap—why the hell is that mad dog Garp here too?! Helmsman! Turn the ship around, fast! That guy's fists are no joke!"
Several prominent pirates from the second tier of combatants immediately ordered their crews to retreat. Being targeted by Garp didn't just mean death—it meant being skinned alive, if not worse. Just look at "Golden" Roger—his title before becoming Pirate King. All he did was glance at Garp in a crowd once.
And what followed? Garp chased him across the world for over a decade. Rumor had it Roger was so broke he couldn't even afford new clothes. A pirate life like his was truly one of a kind.
Standing on the warship, Garp didn't concern himself with the other pirates. His gaze was fixed solely on his beloved Roger. Well, and now—on Chronos, the boy standing beside Rayleigh, whose blade had gone dull from battle, yet whose eyes had never wavered.
"Vice Admiral Garp, that kid's full name is Marshall D. Chronos. He joined the Roger Pirates four years ago as an apprentice. He's from a small village in the South Blue, and he's twelve years old this year..."
Beside Garp, a dark-skinned officer with a giant afro, wearing round sunglasses and a navy bandana, reported from a stack of intelligence documents.
Had Chronos been there, he would've been shocked. Some of the details were so long forgotten he barely remembered them himself. And yet, the Navy still had it all on record. Their intelligence network was terrifyingly thorough.
"Who's that red-haired kid over there? He looks pretty gutsy too."
When it came to his beloved rival Roger, Garp took great interest in anything related to him—perhaps even more than he ever did for his own wife.
He'd only just discovered a promising new recruit, and already Roger's ship was full of young talent (excluding that red-nosed brat pretending to be dead on the ground).
"Captain! Bad news—Garp's coming this way!"
Jabba, who had been swinging two axes in battle, spotted the familiar dog-headed warship through his dark sunglasses and quickly called out to Roger, who had been brawling with Golden Lion Shiki for days.
"What? Shiki, we'll pick this up another time! Everyone, scatter! Let's move!"
Roger, halfway through his Divine Departure attack, abruptly sheathed his cutlass "Ace," and leapt back onto the Oro Jackson. In an instant, the entire Roger Pirates crew sprang into action. Under their seamless coordination, the ship quickly pulled away from the battlefield.
From the way they moved, it was clear they'd rehearsed this many times before.
"Captain, why are we running? We're not even afraid of Shiki. Why be scared of a mere vice admiral?"
The newly joined Buggy the Clown, a master of avoiding effort during battle but first to boast afterward, couldn't understand the urgency. Garp had been busy training new recruits these past two years, so Buggy had never experienced the relentless, world-spanning chase that had left the crew starving and exhausted.
"Hahaha! We're pirates—he's the Navy. Running from the Navy is the most natural thing in the world, isn't it?"
Roger took a swig of cheap barley wine and tried to look carefree in front of Buggy. But deep down, he was frustrated. It wasn't his fault he was so damn charming. First Shiki, now Garp…
"Vice Admiral Garp, what should we do now? Should we capture those pirates?"
The afro-headed officer looked at Garp with admiration. He'd been drafted into the Navy two years ago after Garp caught him—then just a bounty enforcer—showing signs of a Logia-type ability. Since then, Garp had become like a guiding light to him.
Even the infamous "Golden" Roger ran like a terrified mouse the moment he spotted Garp…
"Roger! Don't run! This time, I'm sending you straight to Impel Down!"
Realizing Roger had fled again, Garp ignored all the other pirates, including Golden Lion. All he saw was Roger. Shiki? Who's that? Never heard of him.
"Damn it, that old bastard Garp really has no shame. Boys, charge! Even if we have to throw lives at him, we're exhausting him today!"
Sometimes, pirates really were a contradictory bunch. They were terrified when Garp arrived—but once he ignored them, they felt insulted. He wasn't causing them trouble, sure—but wasn't that even worse?
Did Garp think they weren't worth his time?
Dozens of pirates with bounties over 100 million surrounded Garp's warship. This wasn't the era of Straw Hat Luffy, where just anyone could claim a billion bounty. These were real killers—survivors of bloody battlefields!
Unfortunately, they were up against Garp, the pinnacle of strength…
And on that warship… was also a future Admiral.
"Ice Time: Pheasant Beak!"
Seeing his captain unwilling to fight, the afro-headed officer leapt into action. It was the perfect opportunity to rack up merit. His fellow Logia users, Akainu and Kizaru, had already become vice admirals—he couldn't fall behind!
A giant ice pheasant soared from his right arm, blasting through a dozen pirates and instantly freezing them into dazzling ice sculptures.
"Shit! Garp's got a Logia user on his ship—run!"
The remaining pirates gasped in horror. That kind of power—devastating, effortless!
Among the three types of Devil Fruits, aside from the extremely rare Mythical Zoans, Logias were the most coveted. Zoans and Paramecias might show up in the black market if you had the right money and contacts. But Logias?
Either you were destined… or you'd never get one in your life.
Take Aokiji, for example—he just happened to stop by a fruit stand while delivering goods for his old boss, got thirsty, bought a fruit, and boom—he became the Ice-Ice Fruit user. And not long after…
Garp dragged him aboard the Navy warship.