Just then, heavy footsteps sounded outside the cabin door.
Even before seeing the person, that iconic loud voice was already making the door panel vibrate.
"Kyahahahaha! I told you the kid had nine lives! Getting knocked out by Roger's Haki is nothing! I used to get slashed by that bastard all the time back in the day!"
Tatsuki's eyes sharpened, instantly switching modes.
Greed and ecstasy were perfectly concealed within a second. Replacing them was a face full of feigned weakness and pallor, yet with eyes still shining with unwavering determination.
Oscar Mode, ON!
Bam!
The cabin door was shoved open roughly.
Garp's towering figure almost blocked the entire doorway, with the stern-faced, round-glasses-wearing Sengoku following behind him.
"Kyahahaha! You're finally awake, kid!"
Thump!
Garp rushed to the bedside in three strides, his large hand slapping down on Tatsuki's shoulder.
"Cough! Ahem..."
Tatsuki felt his newly healed bones were almost rattled apart again, his face instantly turning pale from the pain.
"Vice Admiral Garp..."
"Well done!" Garp grinned broadly, his face full of undisguised pride.
"Worthy of being one of my men! You actually managed to crack Shiki's skull open! Kyahahahaha!"
"Garp! He's still a patient!"
Sengoku scolded with a frown, walking to the bedside to look down at Tatsuki, scrutinizing him.
Tatsuki struggled, seemingly trying to get out of bed to salute. "Admiral Sengoku, Vice Admiral Garp, this subordinate..."
"Stay down."
Sengoku reached out, pressing his shoulder. The force was gentle yet brooked no argument.
This future Fleet Admiral's face now showed a rare trace of gentleness, and even a bit of barely concealed appreciation.
"I've heard everything from Bogard. To stop Shiki, you didn't hesitate to drain your life force to trigger a natural disaster. To defend the Marines' justice, you even dared to attack Roger."
Sengoku took a deep breath, seeming to feel fortunate that the Marines could produce such a person.
"Tatsuki, you did very well. Truly very well. Shiki's capture will be the Marines' greatest victory in nearly twenty years. The World Government is giving it high priority. Fleet Admiral Kong himself has personally inquired about your condition."
Tatsuki timely put on an "overwhelmed by such favor" expression, his eyes shining with "pure" light.
"This is merely my duty. It's just a pity... I let Roger escape. That is my incompetence."
"Kyahahaha! If you managed to take down both Shiki and Roger on your first voyage, what would us old guys be needed for?" Garp laughed heartily, slapping the edge of Tatsuki's bed.
"Don't be too greedy, kid. What you did this time is enough to make this entire sea piss its pants."
Sengoku nodded and adjusted his glasses, a glint of light flashing across the lenses.
"Tatsuki, given that your achievements are excessively monumental, Headquarters has decided to promote you exceptionally."
"Also..."
Sengoku lowered his voice, his tone becoming meaningful.
"Over at the World Government, someone is very interested in your abilities. Especially that power of yours to manipulate the weather. You should prepare yourself mentally."
World Government?
Tatsuki sneered inwardly.
It seemed he had indeed played too big this time, entering the sightlines of those Celestial Dragon lapdogs.
But... wasn't this exactly what he wanted?
The higher the position, the more advanced the sources of disciplinary breaches he could access. If he could infiltrate Mary Geoise and give the Celestial Dragons a taste of "righteous backstabbing"...
Just imagining that scene made Tatsuki feel the 800,000 points he had just calmed down about start to stir again.
"Yes! Understood, sir!"
Tatsuki answered with a face full of righteousness, his voice firm and powerful.
"Please rest assured, Admiral Sengoku! No matter where I am, no matter who I face, the justice in my heart will never waver in the slightest!"
"Good! Well said!"
Garp was moved to the point of tears, vigorously patting Tatsuki's leg.
"Truly worthy of someone I took a liking to! Sengoku, after we get back, I'm treating this kid to three days and three nights of senbei!"
A vein throbbed on Sengoku's forehead.
"Get out!"
—
Sengoku's warship was cleaving through the waves, sailing towards the heart of justice.
At the same time, countless News Coos flapped their wings, scattering the latest newspapers across every sea route.
Countless pairs of eyes widened in shock the moment they unfolded the papers.
The front-page headline, bold and crimson red, seemed ready to tear through the paper itself:
"BIG NEWS! The Battle of Edd War Concludes! The Flying Admiral Severely Wounded and Captured!!"
"A Marine Supernova Emerges! The Monster Who Controls Natural Disasters — 'Child of the Storm' Tatsuki!"
Accompanying the article was an intensely impactful photograph.
Within a pitch-black, world-ending storm, a young man in tattered Marine uniform floated in the air, one hand directing the tempest, the other commanding colossal waves.
Beneath his feet lay countless warship wreckages and a burning ocean.
In the bottom right corner, a close-up was thoughtfully included: Shiki with a ship's rudder embedded in his head, his face covered in blood and despair.
Morgans personally took up the pen, crafting Tatsuki into the perfect hero: far-sighted, exceptionally courageous, and willing to risk everything to uphold justice.
He had "single-handedly" charged into the battlefield, toying with the legendary pirate Shiki as he pleased.
Even Roger's desperate escape was attributed to the immense pressure brought by the "Child of the Storm".
The New World, a certain stretch of sea.
On the giant whale ship, the "Moby Dick," the atmosphere was as boisterous and lively as ever.
"Pops! Look at today's news!"
A young blonde boy with a pineapple-shaped hairstyle ran hurriedly across the deck, waving a newspaper in his hand.
"Gurararara... Is there any news more interesting than my booze?"
From the massive main seat, Edward Newgate's voice rumbled, making the deck vibrate.
He was at his peak, his body mountain-like. He held a bowl the size of a bathtub, and his long, golden hair cascaded over his shoulders, vibrant and eye-catching.
"It's about Shiki! He's been captured by the Marines!" Marco handed over the newspaper.
"Oh?"
Whitebeard set down his wine bowl and took the thin sheet of paper.
When he saw the photo of Shiki's wretched state, he paused for a moment, then burst into thunderous laughter.
"Gurarararara! That idiot Shiki! I told him long ago you can't conquer this sea relying on that scrap metal! To be reduced to such a state by a Marine brat, how utterly disgraceful!"
He laughed, but his gaze fell on the close-up of the "Child of the Storm" beside it.
"Tatsuki, is it?"
Whitebeard muttered the name quietly, his eyes briefly lingering on the newspaper's descriptions: "Awakened Conqueror's Haki," "controls super storms," and similar phrases.
He threw back his head and took a large gulp of strong liquor, a bold, wild grin curling at the corner of his mouth.
"That Garp... he actually hid such an impressive brat!"
"Gurararara, this era is getting more and more interesting!"