The Boing Archipelago.
Located in the first half of the Grand Line, it consisted of nine islands shaped like blooming flowers.
But calling them "islands" wasn't technically accurate. In truth, each one was a massive carnivorous plant—its scientific name: Baron of the Stomach—floating upon the sea.
They were simply so enormous that they had become indistinguishable from islands.
The archipelago was home to all manner of strange and wondrous plants unique to the world of One Piece.
Some of these plants could even grow fully prepared foods—meats, noodles, and even desserts—no cooking required.
And compared to normal food, these "grown foods" contained far denser energy.
To put it simply: one catty of meat from here held the same energy as five catties of meat from the outside world.
Even more bizarre was their effect on the human body.
People who ate them did not become full—instead, the more they ate, the hungrier they became.
Even without mastering the art of Life Return, anyone could eat without limit here, never worrying about digestion.
Of course, the inevitable consequence was weight gain, sluggish movements, and slowing reflexes.
And when that moment came…
that was when the Baron of the Stomach would reveal its true fangs.
On the day Yoriichi returned from the West Blue to Marineford, Zephyr immediately brought him to meet the current Fleet Admiral—Kong.
Kong didn't say much. He simply offered a few words like "You have talent," "Work hard," and "The future belongs to your generation."
He was not nearly as difficult to speak to as Yoriichi had expected.
But once the brief meeting was over, Kong kept Zephyr behind to speak with him privately.
When Zephyr finally emerged from the Fleet Admiral's office, his expression was dark and heavy.
But by the time he walked back to Yoriichi's side, he had already smoothed over every trace of emotion, revealing nothing.
After their audience with Kong, Yoriichi once again stayed at Zephyr's home. For several days straight, he didn't step outside, spending every waking moment in the dojo training Haki and sharpening his swordsmanship.
Although, truthfully… such training had little effect on him anymore.
During this time, Sengoku's adopted son, Rosinante, from next door, came to visit Yoriichi several times.
His goal was simply to play with someone his own age.
Instead, every single time, Yoriichi pulled him into training sword techniques. "Training" was generous—in reality, it was one-sided instruction.
After two days, Rosinante was already traumatized.
He had clearly realized the cruel truth: with his talent and his current ability, even if he trained for a hundred years, he could never catch up to Yoriichi.
Once that reality settled in, Rosinante immediately gave up. No matter what Yoriichi said, he refused to even lift a bamboo sword.
Facing such a stubborn lump of laziness, Yoriichi could only sigh helplessly and stop forcing the matter.
Everyone makes their choices.
And everyone must eventually pay the price for those choices.
Perhaps on the day Rosinante is forced to face the cost of his "sloth," he'll finally feel some regret.
On the third day of Yoriichi's stay in Marineford—
Just as dawn broke, Zephyr woke him abruptly. With only a few changes of clothes and his weapons, Yoriichi was rushed toward the main harbor.
Late autumn in Marineford had fully settled; the morning air was sharp and cold.
A pale mist clung to the island as the sun struggled to rise.
Standing at the pier, staring at the dog-headed warship raising anchor, Yoriichi felt a strange tension in the air.
The timing was wrong.
The departure was rushed.
Something wasn't right.
"Yoriichi! Hurry aboard!"
Zephyr placed a hand on his shoulder and pressed a Den Den Mushi into his palm.
"Take this. Call me regularly—whether something happens or not."
"The Boing Archipelago is dangerous. Be careful."
"If you feel anything wrong with your body, contact me immediately. I will send someone for you."
Before he boarded, Zephyr pulled him close, gripping his shoulder firmly as he spoke in a solemn tone.
Yoriichi nodded earnestly.
"Don't worry, Teacher Zephyr. I will be cautious."
Zephyr slapped him hard on the shoulder.
"This training… will probably take a long time."
"Do NOT relax. On the Boing Archipelago, relaxation gets you killed."
"I'll send people every month to evaluate your progress. When I believe your strength has grown enough—I will bring you back."
"Yoriichi… don't disappoint me."
After speaking, Zephyr gestured toward the warship.
Yoriichi understood, nodded, and launched himself aboard using Moonwalk.
Sen Goku—no, Garp, standing on the deck, saw Yoriichi board and immediately shouted the order to depart. Within minutes, the warship vanished into the thick morning mist.
Zephyr watched it until the last outline faded, and only then did a faint smile appear on his face.
"Zephyr… so you still chose to do this."
"With Yoriichi's talent, if we train him well, he'll become an incredible force for the Marines."
"So why… why send him out again and again before he's even developed a sense of belonging to the organization?"
A tall figure stepped out of the fog behind him.
Zephyr didn't turn. He simply kept gazing at the empty sea, smiling slightly.
"Only the sea can forge the greatest Marines."
"You know it. I know it. And Garp knows it best."
"So why lock a gifted youth inside headquarters?"
"As for belonging? That's irrelevant."
"That boy… he has his own understanding of justice.
That's enough."
Zephyr finally turned and walked deeper into Marineford. Passing the tall man—Fleet Admiral Kong—he stopped, raised his head, and smiled brightly.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, if I've violated your orders, I'll accept whatever punishment you give."
Then he walked away, the "Justice" cape fluttering behind him until his figure disappeared into the mist.
"Punishment… huh?"
Kong muttered under his breath.
"All of you… are damn troublesome."
Between Zephyr and Garp, he truly had no way of being too harsh.
Their contributions to the Marines were simply too great.
And even in the future—
when Zephyr eventually abandoned the Marines—
the organization took no action until he attempted to destroy the world.
As for Garp… protecting the Pirate King's son, having a revolutionary as his son and a future Yonko as his grandson… yet still serving as a Vice Admiral, even commanding SWORD?
That alone explained his special status.
On the warship, Yoriichi stood at the stern, staring silently back toward the harbor.
He had already realized something: Zephyr was hiding something from him—something serious—and it was directly related to him.
He couldn't help but worry.
"Oi, kid. Take this."
Garp appeared behind him without warning, tossing him a small booklet.
"And when we get there, don't eat anything stupid."
Yoriichi instinctively caught the booklet and opened it.
It was a Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.
"Don't worry about Zephyr. That guy won't fall so easily!"
"Never expected a brat like you to catch Kong's eye not once, but TWICE. Looks like he's really interested in you!"
Yoriichi's expression tightened. He had guessed the truth:
If Zephyr hadn't sent him out today…
Yoriichi probably wouldn't have been allowed to leave Marineford at all.
"Train hard, Yoriichi. Don't betray Zephyr's expectations."
Garp grinned.
"Heh heh heh… when the chance comes, I'll show you what real monsters look like in this world!"
(End of Chapter)
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