One Piece: Holy Light Swordmaster

"…"

The atmosphere on the training grounds was nothing short of bizarre. Wright lay twitching on the ground, his thoughts of justice slowly overwhelmed by the searing pain coursing through his body.

"Pain… Pain… Pain…!"

Who am I? Where am I? What just happened?

Oh right, I'm Wright! A Marine Headquarters Major!

And that crazy old man Garp just sucker-punched me?!

This is the Marine Headquarters! The training grounds of the elite camp! Up there, we've got a Fleet Admiral, two Admirals, and a bunch of Vice Admirals watching! How could Garp do this? How dare he do this?!

Then again… when has that old geezer ever cared about "daring" to do anything?!

What just happened?!

And why is that crazy old man laughing? He's so smug! This is completely unacceptable! I swear, I'm going to—

"Uh… Vice Admiral Garp… uh, hello, sir! Hahaha…"

Struggling to his feet, Wright managed to cast two bursts of Holy Light to heal himself back to full strength. Plastering a smile across his face, he stammered, "Uh… how could I not answer you, sir, right? I was just… just too… too excited! Yes, that's it! Too excited to react!"

"Everything you said—I agree to all of it! Absolutely! Hahaha…"

"…"

Hmph, survival instincts, huh? Two can play that game!

"Oh? You said it yourself, Wright, kid!" Garp picked his nose with his pinky finger, then turned to Sengoku and called out, "Hey, Sengoku! You heard that, right? The kid agreed to come with me! Don't you go assigning him to anyone else!"

"…?"

What?! Go with Garp?! Join his command?! No way! My goal is to serve under Kuzan! Fleet Admiral Sengoku, please don't agree to this!

"…Garp, you idiot!" Sengoku glared at Garp angrily. "Get back here this instant! What kind of example are you setting for the younger generation?!"

"And as for Wright… are you sure he agreed willingly?"

"Didn't he?" Garp turned back to Wright, blowing on his fist.

"…Uh, reporting to Fleet Admiral Sengoku… I… I did agree! Voluntarily!"

Voluntarily?! If that's true, I'll eat my Justice cloak!

Sengoku pinched the bridge of his nose. "Fine, fine, it's settled then…"

Turning to the Fleet Admiral sitting beside him, Sengoku added, "Kong, I apologize for the spectacle. Garp is a constant headache—I'll deal with him later."

"No harm done, no harm done!" Fleet Admiral Kong laughed heartily. "I'm just here to observe. Assignments are your responsibility. With Garp watching over such lively recruits, I'm sure they're in good hands! Hahaha!"

In Garp's hands? That's what worries me the most!

Sengoku thought for a moment before announcing, "There are three Devil Fruit users in this cohort. Garp, you've already claimed one. The other two will be assigned elsewhere."

"Smoker and Rosinante, you're aware of the ideologies of the Vice Admirals. Do you have any preferences?"

"Reporting to Fleet Admiral Sengoku! I'd like to join Vice Admiral Kuzan's command!" Smoker replied decisively, his prior rapport with Kuzan influencing his choice.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku… I have a different request. I'd like to speak with you privately," Rosinante said, his tone calm but resolute.

"…"

Sengoku studied Rosinante's determined expression for a long moment before nodding. "Very well. We'll discuss your matter later."

"With the Devil Fruit users assigned, the remaining seven elite recruits will now state their preferences, one by one."

…

As the other recruits were paired with the Vice Admirals whose philosophies aligned with their own, Wright huddled glumly with Smoker and Rosinante.

"Sigh, I originally wanted to join Kuzan for the freedom… Now I'm stuck with Garp, and he's definitely going to beat me to a pulp!" Wright lamented.

"Then why agree to it?" Smoker asked, puzzled, though secretly relieved—if Wright had gone to Kuzan, Sengoku might've assigned him to someone else.

Rolling his eyes at Smoker, Wright grumbled, "If I hadn't agreed, do you think Garp wouldn't have just crippled me on the spot?"

"You could just heal yourself, right? A few broken bones aren't the end of the world."

"…"

Smoker, you're really pushing it today. Is it because the top brass are watching, and you're not smoking your cigars? Has your brain short-circuited? Should I give you a friendly slash to remind you who you're dealing with?

Sensing the increasingly dangerous look in Wright's eyes, Smoker wisely changed the topic. "Rosinante, what about you? Why didn't you pick a Vice Admiral?"

Silent until now, Rosinante instinctively reached for a cigarette, only to shiver and hastily put it away under Sengoku's sharp, smoldering glare from the observation platform.

Unaware he'd already attracted the attention of a certain big boss, Smoker absently patted the cigars in his pocket, resisting the urge to light one. He turned back to Rosinante.

Rosinante sighed deeply. "I have a mission I must complete. There's something only I can do… and I have to do it."

"Oh?" Smoker started to probe further, but Wright raised a hand to stop him.

"Smoker, everyone's got their secrets, right? Leave it be."

"Go for it, Rosinante," Wright added with a grin. "But don't forget to develop your Devil Fruit ability. If you really push it to its limits… who knows? You might achieve what you're aiming for."

"And if things get tough, call us. We've got your back!"

…

The graduation ceremony concluded, and the recruits—now officially Marines—bade farewell to Chief Instructor Zephyr before departing with their new commanding officers.

Rosinante followed Sengoku to his office for a private conversation, while Garp didn't seize the chance to pester Sengoku for tea and snacks. Instead, he stared blankly at the backs of Sengoku and Rosinante as they left.

"…"

No one else noticed, but Wright had figured it out.

Rosinante wasn't just anyone—he was Sengoku's adopted son. Sengoku, who never had a family, treated Rosinante as his own flesh and blood.

And Rosinante's full name was Donquixote Rosinante—a descendant of the Twenty Kings, a former Celestial Dragon, and the second son of Donquixote Homing, the younger brother of Donquixote Doflamingo, the future Warlord of the Sea!

Rosinante's kind and gentle nature stood in stark contrast to the pure malice of his brother Doflamingo, the very embodiment of light versus darkness.

Years ago, Rosinante had witnessed his brother kill their father. Now, he was preparing to confront his increasingly unhinged brother and stop him at all costs.

This mission… was fraught with peril.

But Garp… Garp couldn't possibly know about this, right? Even Sengoku wasn't aware yet!

So why was Garp acting this way?

The normally jovial old man seemed strangely melancholic. But before Wright could think further—

"Wright, kid!"

"?!"

Garp snapped out of his trance, his grin returning as he walked toward Wright. "Stop staring at those two. It's been a while since we've sparred. Come, let's have a match!"

"Crazy old man, wait—"

Before Wright could protest, Garp dragged him to the high-level training field reserved for officers. Judging by his enthusiasm, Wright had no chance of avoiding a thorough beating.

What's with you, Garp? Are you letting something slip without realizing it? And why am I the one you're dragging into this?!

Garp's son leaving to forge his own path is no reason to vent your frustrations on me!

I can't beat you, but just wait—one day, I'll beat your grandson instead! 

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