On the night before the Marineford ship arrived, the diary's monthly counter finally unlocked.
Soren had just finished the last of the preparation checks when the book grew warm under his hand. A new line of script appeared on the previously locked page.
[Monthly Roll available. Rolling…]
His eyes lit up as he stared at the book.
'Gatcha Gods above. Grant me Ryujin Jakka! Make me the Ten-Tails Jinchurike! Give me the Saiyan Bloodline! I'll even settle for Rocks-level Haki!!'
A moment later the result wrote itself in clean dark letters.
[Reward obtained: Swordsmanship Upgrade Card] [Effect: Permanently raises the user's current swordsmanship level by one full tier.] [Current level detected: Iron-cutting] [Skill upgraded to Sword Sense]
[Sword Sense: An advanced level of Swordsmanship. The sword becomes an extension of the user itself. An user with Sword Sense will always have 100% compatibility with all types of swords they can wield.]
Soren stared at the page for several seconds.
Then he laughed under his breath, quiet and disbelieving.
"Of course. Those f*cking losers don't exist."
He pressed his palm to the card's image. A sharp, clean sensation ran from his hand up his arm and settled into the muscles along his shoulders and forearms. There was a sudden clarity in how his body understood the edge of a blade.
He stood, drew the practice sword he kept near the desk, and made a single slow cut through the air. A faint edge glowed from his sword but Soren instinctively suppressed the overflowing energy.
The difference was immediate. The path of the blade felt tighter. The imaginary resistance of iron was no longer the upper limit.
Soren sheathed the sword and sat back down, a toothy grin etched on his face.
The ship from Marineford entered the main harbor under clear skies.
Soren stood on the primary dock in full uniform, hands clasped behind his back. The harbor master and two militia captains waited a few steps behind him. Everything on the pier was orderly. Crates stacked cleanly. Ropes coiled. The local crew moved with quiet efficiency.
He watched the vessel slow and settle against the fenders.
Garp was the first one visible at the railing. He leaned out, shaded his eyes with one hand, and let out a loud laugh that carried across the water.
"BWAHAHAHA! Look at this place. The docks are clean, there is no shouting, and no one is running around like headless chickens. I like it already!"
Tokikake appeared beside him, coat fluttering just enough to look deliberate. He scanned the harbor, then the town beyond, and gave a satisfied nod.
"Scenic and peaceful. I could get used to this kind of assignment."
Gion stood a little apart from them, eyes moving steadily across the docks, the buildings, the militia formation, and finally settling on Soren. Bogard remained half a step behind Garp, silent as always.
The gangplank lowered. Soren stepped forward and saluted.
"Vice Admiral Garp, Vice Admiral Gion, Vice Admiral Tokikake, Vice Admiral Boagard. I am Commodore Ashen D. Soren. Welcome to Sema Archipelago."
Garp stomped down first, already grinning. He clapped a heavy hand on Soren's shoulder hard enough to make the boards creak.
"So you are the one keeping this place quiet! Good work, brat. Most islands this size send me reports full of excuses. Yours just send numbers."
"Thank you, Vice Admiral."
Tokikake followed, offering a polished smile. "Commodore Soren. I have heard only good things about the efficiency here. I look forward to seeing if the rumors match reality."
Gion stepped onto the dock last. Her gaze stayed on Soren a moment longer than polite.
"Commodore Soren. We will be conducting a formal supervision and review. I expect full cooperation."
"You will have it."
Bogard gave the smallest of nods and said nothing.
Soren gestured toward the waiting path. "I have arranged quarters near the administrative building. The walk is short. If you prefer to begin the review immediately I can adjust."
Garp waved a hand. "Quarters first. I want to see if the food is as good as the docks look. BWAHAHAHA!"
They started walking. Garp talked the entire way, commenting on the clean streets, the lack of tension in the civilians, and how the militia stood without the usual stiffness of men trying too hard to impress. Tokikake added his own observations, mostly about the architecture and the surprisingly refined atmosphere for an East Blue post. Gion asked only a few precise questions about harbor traffic and recent incident rates. Soren answered each one directly and without extra detail.
Bogard watched everything and spoke zero words.
When they reached the guest quarters Soren stopped at the entrance.
"The rooms are ready. Evening meal will be served in two hours if that suits you. I will remain available for any questions."
Garp already had a senbei in hand from somewhere. "Good. I like a host who does not hover."
Tokikake gave a small flourish of his coat. "I will hold you to the quality of the local cuisine."
Gion simply nodded. "We will begin the formal review tomorrow morning."
Soren returned the nod, exchanged a few final practical details with the harbor master, and left them to settle.
Only when he was back inside his own residence with the door closed did he let out a long breath. He sat at the desk, opened the diary, and started writing immediately.
[Day thirty one.]
[They are here.]
[Garp came down the gangplank like he owned the ocean and nearly dislocated my shoulder by way of greeting. Loud. Carefree. Exactly as advertised. He already likes the docks. I am choosing to take that as a good sign and not the calm before he decides to test the structural integrity of my pier with his fists.]
[Tokikake looked around like he was judging a resort. Arrogant, a little theatrical, but he has not been an asshole about it yet. I will count that as a temporary victory.]
[Gion is the one doing the real looking. She barely spoke, but I could feel her measuring everything. The docks. The militia. Me. She is trying to see through the surface already. I expected that. Still unpleasant to sit under.]
[Bogard said nothing. He just stood there like a silent shadow with a justice coat. I respect the commitment to the bit.]
[Tomorrow the real review starts. Tonight I eat, sleep, and try not to invent new problems in my head.]
[Also, Garp already found senbei. My tactical snack plan is working. Small wins.]
Soren closed the book and stared at the cover for a moment.
Outside, the harbor lights reflected on the water. The visitors were here. The systems were running. All that remained was to keep them running while four very different sets of eyes watched.