Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
The Marine Academy, known as the cradle of future admirals, was led at this time by its chief instructor — the former Admiral known as "Black Arm" Zephyr.
During his years teaching at the academy, Zephyr had trained a long list of outstanding officers now active on the front lines of the Navy, including Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan.
Today, however, the chief instructor found himself dealing with a troublesome old friend.
"Hahahaha!"
"Zephyr, I'll leave this kid in your care!"
"The Roger Pirates have entered the New World, so I don't have time to babysit. I'm handing him over to you."
"Here — this is some new tea I brought back from the East Blue. Go on, bring out some crackers and let's try it!"
Inside Zephyr's office, the chief instructor had been drafting the next day's training schedule when the door burst open without so much as a knock. Garp strode in, a red-haired boy in tow, greeting him loudly.
Zephyr turned in his chair just in time to see Garp resting one hand on the boy's shoulder while holding a tiny packet of tea in the other.
His eyes lingered on the tea.
It really was just a tiny packet.
"How would I have crackers in my office? I'm not a child."
Setting his pen down, Zephyr folded his arms and smiled faintly as he turned to face Garp. His gaze shifted to the red-haired boy beside him.
"Huh?!"
"Hahaha! No problem, I brought my own. Go make the tea."
Garp shoved the tea into the boy's hands, then pulled out a bag of crackers from his coat and tossed a handful into his mouth.
The boy standing beside him was none other than Yoriichi Tsugikuni.
Ever since Garp knocked him out on Dragon's Roar Island, Yoriichi Tsugikuni had effectively become Garp's "trophy." When he woke up, he was already aboard Garp's ship, leaving the island behind.
During the Marines' investigation, Yoriichi Tsugikuni's temporary cave shelter was discovered, and Garp naturally filled in the blanks about his background.
In his mind, Yoriichi Tsugikuni was a genius boy who had grown up alone in the wilderness and awakened incredible power after witnessing the cruelty of pirates.
Other suspicious details — such as his swordsmanship and finely crafted blade — were simply ignored.
There were countless people with family traditions on the seas, and prodigies were hardly rare. Garp had seen it all before.
Most importantly, Garp had personally witnessed Yoriichi Tsugikuni wipe out an entire pirate crew with a total bounty of eleven million berries.
In the East Blue, still relatively peaceful in this era before the Great Age of Pirates truly took hold, crews with bounties like that were not common.
That day, half the sky had been painted red with flames.
The sword technique Yoriichi Tsugikuni displayed while cutting through the pirates — the sight of that boy like a demon on the battlefield — left a deep impression on Garp.
Even more importantly, this prodigious youth did not reject the idea of joining the Navy.
That mattered.
And Yoriichi Tsugikuni himself didn't hold a grudge over being knocked out. Compared to the opportunities Garp could offer, that slight humiliation was insignificant.
He was an adult at heart. His standards for judging things were no longer based on simple likes and dislikes — though he still found Garp's methods a little irritating.
Holding the tea, Yoriichi Tsugikuni shot Garp a helpless glance before looking toward Zephyr.
Since Garp intended to recommend him to the Navy, Yoriichi Tsugikuni had long since let go of any resentment. After spending time together these past few days, he had grown somewhat familiar with Garp and didn't mind doing small errands.
Still, this was Zephyr's office, and Yoriichi Tsugikuni knew better than to act without manners.
"The hot water's over there."
Seeing Yoriichi Tsugikuni glance at him, Zephyr smiled and pointed toward a tea table beside the desk. As Yoriichi Tsugikuni walked past, Zephyr examined him carefully from head to toe before asking Garp,
"This is the boy you brought back from the East Blue?"
The Dragon's Roar Island incident had caused a major stir within the Navy. Although the news was suppressed publicly, the internal impact was enormous — an entire unit wiped out.
The pirate crew's bounty had only been eleven million berries because it hadn't been updated in time. Had it been revised, their total bounty would have easily exceeded one hundred million.
Officially, it was Garp who eliminated the pirates responsible. But among the upper ranks, a few knew the truth — the one who actually wiped them out was the red-haired boy standing here.
Zephyr was one of those insiders. Fleet Admiral Kong had already informed him the previous night.
"Yeah, that's the kid," Garp replied.
"His name's Yoriichi Tsugikuni."
"Come on, kid. Say hello to your future teacher — Admiral Zephyr!"
As Garp introduced them, he beckoned. Yoriichi Tsugikuni had already finished preparing the tea and now carried a tray over.
He placed two cups on the desk, then straightened and introduced himself.
"Hello, Instructor Zephyr. My name is Yoriichi Tsugikuni. I look forward to learning from you."
He wore a standard Marine trainee uniform, a long sword at his waist. His posture was straight, his face handsome, the flame-shaped birthmark standing out clearly.
Zephyr rested one hand on his cup and tapped the desk lightly with the other, as if deep in thought.
Seeing this, Garp raised an eyebrow and barked,
"Hey, kid, louder! I can't hear you!"
"How are you gonna command a ship talking like that?!"
Yoriichi Tsugikuni turned his head, not because of the volume but because the line sounded oddly familiar — for a moment, he felt like he'd heard it somewhere online.
"Instructor Zephyr, my name is Yoriichi Tsugikuni."
This time his voice rang out more clearly.
Zephyr seemed to come to a decision. He nodded slightly and took a sip of tea.
"Alright!"
"Zephyr, I'm leaving him to you."
"Kid, when I get back, we'll test your endurance again. Don't disappoint me!"
"Zephyr, I've got things to do. I'm off."
"Oh, that tea and the crackers are my thanks."
With that, Garp tossed the half-empty bag of crackers onto the desk, grabbed his cup, and walked out.
"…."
Zephyr stared at the half bag of crackers, the tiny packet of tea, and the now-missing cup from his tea set. Veins bulged on his forehead.
After a long moment, he turned back to Yoriichi Tsugikuni, his expression softening.
"From today onward, you are my disciple."
"And from today onward, you are officially part of the Navy."
"I don't care what you did before or what your past was like. Now that you've joined the Navy and become my student…"
"Your goal is to become an outstanding Marine officer."
"How old are you this year?"
Zephyr asked as he studied Yoriichi Tsugikuni's youthful face, momentarily lost in thought.
"About… thirteen, I think."
For some reason, Yoriichi Tsugikuni only had a vague sense of his age.
"I see."
Zephyr nodded and continued,
"You're still too young to enter the Marine Academy."
"The trainees there are mature elites selected from across the seas."
"And the Navy has no intention of sending children like you into battle."
Yoriichi Tsugikuni showed a hint of surprise. From Garp and Zephyr's earlier conversation, he knew they were aware of his abilities.
Not to boast, but after observing officers these past few days, he believed that without considering Haki or Devil Fruit powers, he was already stronger than many so-called Marine elites.
Yet Zephyr was saying he couldn't enter the academy — simply because of his age?
"Don't look so surprised."
"No matter how strong you are, you're still a child."
"Until you come of age, stay by my side. I'll train you personally."
"From today onward, you are my disciple, Yoriichi."