On the calm sea, a group of survivors clung to wooden planks, their eyes filled with despair.
Swish!
A yellow flash streaked across the sky.
The next moment, a wretched-looking middle-aged man in a yellow-striped suit and a justice cloak appeared, standing effortlessly on one of the floating boards.
"Oh my, are these the Golden Lion's crew?" Kizaru asked lazily.
"M-Marine Admiral Kizaru?!!!"
The survivors' eyes widened in shock.
For a moment, they didn't know whether to feel relieved that they had been saved—or fearful that they were about to be arrested.
But one thing was certain—at least they wouldn't die here.
Kizaru casually raised a black Den Den Mushi and spoke into it.
"Moshi moshi, this is Kizaru. I've found a group of survivors—most likely Golden Lion's crew. His ship has already sunk to the bottom of the sea. Hm? Moshi moshi?"
He frowned slightly.
"Strange… is this thing broken?"
At that moment, his pocket started buzzing with a different Den Den Mushi.
Only then did Kizaru realize his mistake, and he slowly pulled it out.
"Ahhh… This is Kizaru."
The snail's face morphed into that of a bearded, cigar-smoking man.
"Moshi moshi, this is Vice Admiral Hina."
"Huh? Hina? Not Smoker?"
"Smoker is busy in Loguetown. We're preparing to intercept Straw Hat Luffy. Do you have any new orders?"
Kizaru let out a long sigh.
"Perfect timing. There are some of Golden Lion's men here—send someone to pick them up before they die in the water."
"Understood."
"As for Loguetown, do your best to stop Straw Hat Luffy. I'll get there as soon as possible."
Then, Kizaru's tone grew a little more serious.
"Don't underestimate him. He's the guy who fought Mihawk—and defeated Golden Lion."
There was a moment of silence before Hina responded.
"Understood. We'll be prepared, Admiral Kizaru."
After hanging up, Kizaru rubbed his temple with a helpless expression.
"Man, this job is a pain…!"
He had just rushed non-stop from Marineford to the East Blue—exhausted—and yet Sengoku didn't even promise him a bonus!
And now, the Golden Lion had escaped, and Straw Hat Luffy was even more troublesome.
If I catch him, Garp will hold a grudge. If I don't, Sengoku will chew me out. What a nightmare.
Kizaru shrugged dramatically.
"Honestly, this should've been Akainu's job! That guy's so hard-headed—even Garp doesn't scare him!"
"Me? I'm just here to… take it easy."
His lips curled into a lazy smirk.
"At worst, I'll just get scolded. No big deal."
And with that, he vanished into a golden streak of light—disappearing once more.
At this moment, the Merry sailed forward steadily.
On the deck, Zango was training hard, practicing Shave (Soru). His feet were numb, yet he didn't dare to stop—not under the watchful eye of his demon instructor, Carl.
It was strange.
After eating the Hypnosis Fruit, he had clearly reached the second echelon of the Straw Hat crew. So why was he working so hard?
But Carl had made one thing very clear—
A strong body is the foundation of all power.
No matter how strong a Devil Fruit was, its potential depended on the user's physical strength.
And if he ever encountered someone with strong willpower—someone immune to his hypnosis—what would he do then?
If he wasn't strong enough to fight or escape, he'd be finished.
So he had no choice but to master Shave (Soru).
And while he was at it, he had to learn Moonwalk (Geppo), too—unless he wanted to end up drowning in the sea.
Carl's minimum requirement was mastering at least two Marine Six Styles.
But, of course, he encouraged everyone to learn them all.
Jango wasn't the only one suffering.
Usopp and Nami had failed to escape training, and even the ship's "coolie pets," Richie and Moomoo, hadn't been spared.
But the most miserable ones?
Zoro and Sanji.
Sanji, in addition to cooking every day, had to wear brutally heavy iron ankle weights while kicking steel plates.
And on top of that? He also had to learn Marine Six Styles.
The worst part?
Sanji was willing.
Carl had somehow gotten Nami's measurements and used them as bait to push Sanji to his limits.
Sanji had no choice—he was all in.
Then there was Zoro—a true madman.
Ruthless to his enemies—and even more ruthless to himself.
Carl had warned him about overloading his body with excessive weights.
But Zoro?
He refused to hold back.
His goal was simple—
Awaken Armament Haki as soon as possible.
"Devil Fruits can change your fate—but Haki decides your life."
Carl's words had become a famous saying among the crew.
Luffy and Carl both relied on Devil Fruits and Haki to become world-class powerhouses.
But Zoro?
He didn't have a Devil Fruit.
So if he wanted to keep up, he had to master Haki fast.
Carl had no choice but to push him.
Every day, Zoro's training intensity doubled.
His sword swings increased. He had to cut through iron and steel in higher quantities. He wore heavy weights on his hands and feet. He sparred daily with Carl or Luffy. He endured beatings infused with Armament Haki.
Yet, through it all—
Zoro never complained.
Not even once.
A true warrior.
Seeing Zoro's determination, everyone felt convinced.
No one dared to complain about their own grueling training anymore.
Instead, they could only grit their teeth and push forward.
Fortunately, Carl had a well-balanced schedule.
Although training was intense, it didn't completely take over their days.
They still had leisure time, allowing them to enjoy the journey of sailing.
And when storms hit, training was automatically suspended.
Carl never forced them to train during those moments.
Even though everyone grumbled about Carl being a "devil instructor", they understood his intentions.
The Grand Line wasn't called the "graveyard of pirates" for nothing.
If they wanted to survive, they needed strength.
It wasn't just about relying on Luffy—he had his own battles to fight.
He couldn't protect them all the time.
Carl had only one goal—
To make everyone stronger.
So, even though it was exhausting, they still followed Carl's training plan without complaint.
During a break, Carl asked, "Nami, how far are we from Loguetown?"
Nami, who had the entire route memorized, answered without hesitation, "We'll arrive tomorrow morning."
Carl nodded. "In that case, cancel today's training and tomorrow's morning exercises. Everyone, rest up and prepare for battle."
Zoro, mid-swing, suddenly paused.
"Mr. Carl, is Marine waiting for us in Loguetown?"
He wasn't stupid—with all the chaos they'd caused in East Blue, there was no way Marine would just ignore them.
Especially after defeating Golden Lion, word had definitely spread across the sea.
Marine would have to act aggressively against the Straw Hat Crew to maintain their reputation.
Carl calmly nodded.
"Yeah, I contacted Mr. Garp earlier. He said Admiral Kizaru will be there."
Everyone: …
Wasn't Garp supposed to be a Marine hero?
Why did he feel so unreliable?!
But more importantly—
Marine had actually sent a full-fledged Admiral after them.
That alone showed just how seriously they were taking the Straw Hats now.
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