"How did you know?" Bogard's voice carried a rare hint of hesitation.
"Intuition." Tatsuki pointed to his head, his smile pure and harmless.
"Perhaps brushing shoulders with death has made me a bit more sensitive to the flow of this sea."
That statement was full of pretentiousness.
Bogard gave him a deep look, didn't press further, and just threw the coat over, reverting to his cold tone. "Then hurry up. Admiral Sengoku is waiting on the deck. Welcome back to headquarters, hero."
Tatsuki caught the coat of justice, draped it over his shoulders, and stepped off the bed barefoot.
He stretched, a series of crisp, dense popping sounds coming from all his joints. Every muscle swelled slightly beneath the coat, full of explosive, aesthetic strength.
[Violation Points: 340,200]
Spending nearly 600,000 points had bought him a brand new self, one who had truly stepped into the realm of the strong.
Thick HP, high defense, possessing advanced Haki, paired with the world-destroying Storm-Storm Fruit.
Now, he finally had the real capital to walk sideways across this sea.
Tatsuki flexed his wrists, his gaze looking past Bogard's shoulder towards the deep corridor outside.
Through the porthole at the end of the corridor, the massive gate symbolizing the World Government's highest authority had already come into view.
The arc at the corner of his lips turned playful.
"Let's go, Bogard-san. We shouldn't keep my dear friends waiting."
—
Marineford, the Gates of Justice slowly opened.
From the massive ocean current vortex, Sengoku's flagship surged forth like a triumphant steel behemoth, cleaving through the waves.
The crescent-shaped harbor was already packed to the brim.
Under the sun, the formation of thousands of elite Marines was a vast expanse of white.
"Here it comes! Admiral Sengoku's warship!"
"Is that Tatsuki on board?"
"I heard he's only nineteen. When I was nineteen, I was still polishing my commanding officer's boots at the East Blue branch."
The buzz of discussion swelled like a heatwave.
At the very front of the crowd, three figures stood side by side. Their auras were completely different, yet each was equally tall and impossible to ignore.
"So scary."
Borsalino pursed his lips, adjusted his amber sunglasses, his tone carrying his signature sarcasm.
"Just goes out for a training exercise and ends up crippling Golden Lion Shiki... How did Tatsuki manage that? It makes me look like I haven't been putting in any effort."
"You never put in any effort to begin with, Borsalino."
Kuzan scratched his head of messy curls, his gaze complex as he looked towards the warship. "But... this is too much. The gap in talent between people is deeper than an ocean trench. What a hassle."
"Hmph!"
A cold snort cut off the two who were about to continue complaining.
Sakazuki crossed his arms, the shadow from his cap obscuring his expression. Only his eyes remained, fixed unwaveringly on the approaching bow of the ship.
His fists clenched audibly inside his leather gloves, the skin on his arms faintly glowing with a dark, molten red hue.
Jealousy? No.
It was the excitement of finding a worthy opponent, and... an intense anxiety over his own still insufficient strength.
"Tatsuki..."
Sakazuki muttered to himself, the corners of his tense lips twisting into a ferocious grin.
'Only like this are you qualified to shoulder 'Absolute Justice' alongside me.'
As the warship docked and the gangplank was lowered, Sengoku and Garp stepped out first. The appearance of these two instantly silenced the noisy port.
But immediately after, everyone's gaze passed over them, focusing on the young figure slowly descending.
Tatsuki wasn't wearing a standard uniform. He simply wore a slightly oversized coat of justice, bare-chested, boldly displaying a physique of supremely honed muscle. Under the sunlight, those well-defined muscles radiated an explosive sense of power.
His steps were steady, each one seeming to land on the heartbeat of the crowd.
He showed not a hint of stage fright. Instead, he carried a casual, relaxed air. Halfway down the gangplank, he even raised his hand with great nonchalance and waved to the fervent Marines below.
This gesture instantly ignited the entire scene.
"Tatsuki waved this way!"
"Oh my god! He's smiling at me! Look at those muscles... I'm going to faint!"
"Is this the man who defeated Golden Lion Shiki? That confidence... I'm dead!"
A group of usually valiant female Marines couldn't help but scream, their eyes burning with fanaticism.
Tatsuki descended the gangplank, ignoring the surrounding clamor, and walked directly up to the "Monster Trio."
"Yo, you three."
Tatsuki grinned, looking at his classmates with their varied expressions. "What's wrong? Don't recognize me after a few days? Sakazuki, why does your face still look so sour?"
"Shut up."
Sakazuki replied coldly, but the next second, his large hand slammed heavily onto Tatsuki's shoulder.
"Glad you're not dead."
Though only four short words, the recognition in his tone carried more weight than any praise.
"Tatsuki."
Borsalino leaned in, his face—often hard to read as loyal or treacherous—now filled with curiosity, "How much treasure was on Shiki's fleet? Did you bring us any souvenirs?"
"Get lost. What treasure? Nothing but a ship full of pirate corpses."
Tatsuki waved dismissively, then subtly lowered his voice to a volume only the four of them could hear.
"However, I did manage to snag a couple of bottles of good wine. The usual spot tonight?"
Kuzan's eyes instantly lit up, all his laziness vanishing. "Now that's more like it."
Borsalino adjusted his glasses, a lewd grin spreading across his face. "Oh. That's just too corrupt. I like it."
Even Sakazuki, though he snorted, didn't refuse.
Just then, a messenger soldier ran up, panting. Upon seeing Tatsuki, he immediately snapped to attention and saluted.
"Report! Tatsuki-sama!"
The messenger's address had unconsciously shifted to an honorific.
"Fleet Admiral Kong has ordered you to report to his office immediately."
(End of Chapter)
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