Yoriichi Tsugikuni was the sort of person who, from time to time, would feel a mysterious surge of purpose deep within his heart.
He'd been standing on the seaside cliff for a long while, gathering his thoughts, when suddenly, a patch of white appeared on the distant ocean.
Moments later, a mast rose into view above the waves, and not long after, a flag embroidered with a seagull design unfurled before Yoriichi's eyes.
A massive dark-blue warship with the shape of a dog's head at its prow was cutting swiftly through the waters, heading directly for the small island where Yoriichi stood.
"MARINE."
"The Navy, huh?"
"And that figurehead… is that Garp's ship?!"
Just like those righteous heroes in every movie who always arrive late, the Navy's warship finally appeared, only after the terrible tragedy had already taken place.
After a while, the warship drew closer.
Yoriichi, who'd been about to leave, paused instead and stared out over the sea.
"Yare yare…"
"They really went too far this time."
"To think someone like that would appear in the East Blue."
On the sea, Vice Admiral Garp's ship sped toward Ryujin Island. Even though they were still several hundred meters offshore, Garp already noticed the red-haired youth standing atop the sea cliff. He unfurled his Observation Haki, the invisible aura sweeping toward Yoriichi's location.
"I won't allow scum like this to disrupt the peace of the East Blue!"
Speaking these words, Garp loosened the tie around his neck. Then, gripping his white coat of justice with one hand, he tore it from his shoulders. He bent his knees slightly and, in the next instant, leapt high into the air. Although the island lay hundreds of meters away, Garp hurled himself toward Ryujin Island in a single bound.
"Vice Admiral Garp!" cried the adjutant behind him.
But Garp ignored the shout completely. In the blink of an eye, he became nothing more than a tiny black speck racing across the sky toward the cliff.
"What's coming this way?!"
Yoriichi sensed something in the air and tilted his head upward, staring into the sky.
Overhead, that black speck zoomed toward the cliff at incredible speed. In an instant, Yoriichi could see the person's face clearly. Although his memories of this world were a bit hazy, the moment he saw the man's features, he recognized him at once.
"It's Garp!"
"And he's still middle-aged?!"
Garp's full head of black hair caught Yoriichi slightly off guard. But the next second, Garp, still airborne, suddenly pulled back his fist, charging it with immense power. Crackling arcs of dark lightning erupted around his arm, filling the sky with a thunderous roar.
A moment earlier, Yoriichi's face had been marked by surprise. But seeing Garp's stance now, his expression hardened. In a flash, he flung aside his scabbard and drew his long blade. At the same time, he called out quickly, "I'm just a civilian, not a pirate."
Though Yoriichi's voice wasn't loud, Garp, suspended in midair, clearly heard his shout. Yet, on his rugged face, a wide grin spread.
In a split second, Garp closed the gap between them. His fist, wreathed in supreme Haki, drove forward, aiming directly at Yoriichi.
Faced with the attack, Yoriichi reacted instantly. He inhaled sharply, and his sword blazed with fierce, swirling flames as he lunged forward in a powerful thrust.
Breath of the Sun – Seventh Form – Solar Radiance Thrust!
Garp didn't dodge or flinch. His fist, wrapped in crackling black lightning, slammed straight into the tip of Yoriichi's sword. In that instant, an enormous force rushed through the blade and crashed into Yoriichi's body.
The next second, Yoriichi felt his strength give way, unable to hold his stance. The tip of his blade skewed aside, leaving his guard wide open.
His strength was nowhere near a match for Garp's.
Garp's overwhelming power shattered Yoriichi's defense. The vice admiral's colossal, rock-like fist crashed directly into Yoriichi's chest. For a moment, Yoriichi's breath caught in his throat. Darkness closed in on his vision, and he lost consciousness in an instant.
THUD!!
Yoriichi slammed into the ground under Garp's punch and blacked out completely.
Garp gazed down at Yoriichi's prone form and strode closer.
"A kid wearing animal skins… and barefoot, too."
"That Conqueror's Haki just now must have only awakened recently. It's scattered and unfocused. He's still a rookie."
"His swordsmanship's pretty sharp, though. He's definitely not a local from Ryugin Island."
"Claims he's a civilian, huh? Puhaha!"
"With how fast he drew that sword, there's no way he's just a regular civilian!"
As he looked Yoriichi up and down, Garp recalled the youth's earlier words and couldn't help laughing. Though Garp suspected Yoriichi might be the culprit behind the tragedy on the island, he hadn't dealt a killing blow. Deep down, he'd held back considerably, leaving Yoriichi merely unconscious rather than dead.
Walking up to Yoriichi, Garp grabbed a fistful of the youth's animal hide clothing and hoisted him off the ground like he weighed nothing. He slung Yoriichi over one broad shoulder, picked up the long sword from where it had fallen, and began striding toward the devastated town in the distance.
With Yoriichi slung across his shoulder, Garp made his way through the ruins. After a quick investigation of the area, he arrived back at the battlefield he'd seen earlier.
Standing amidst the carnage, Garp's expression darkened as he surveyed the scene.
He inspected the fatal wounds on the fallen Marines one by one. His face eased slightly as he finished his examination, then he glanced at the unconscious Yoriichi on his shoulder and began walking back toward the seaside cliff.
By this time, Garp's warship had fully reached Ryugin Island. The Marines on board were gathering along the cliff edge, forming up in ranks. The adjutant, Bogard, spotted Garp returning with what looked like a "wild man in animal skins" slung over his shoulder and blinked in surprise. He hurried over.
"Vice Admiral Garp!"
"Who… who is this? And what happened to him?"
Without even looking at Bogard, Garp casually tossed Yoriichi into his arms, then threw the sword after him. Bogard instinctively caught both the red-haired youth and the long blade, staring at Garp with wide-eyed confusion, waiting for an explanation.
"Take this kid and his sword back to the ship."
"The battlefield's over there. The E-23 unit looks to have been completely wiped out. Gather our fallen comrades' bodies and send them home for burial."
"Have people conduct a thorough search of the town, and sweep the entire island. See if there are any survivors."
"If you find anything, report to me immediately."
Bogard straightened and saluted crisply at Garp's orders. But as he lowered his gaze to the unconscious red-haired youth in his arms, curiosity got the better of him. He couldn't help asking:
"Vice Admiral Garp, who exactly is this young man?"
"That Conqueror's Haki just now… was it from him?"
Garp didn't bother hiding the truth. Digging at his nose with his pinky, he answered offhandedly:
"Oh, him? You could say he's a survivor."
"And you guessed right. That Conqueror's Haki just now was probably his doing."
"Most likely, he awakened it by accident."
"Anyway, get moving."
"There's a pirate crew bold enough to stir up trouble in the East Blue. Now that I've run into them, there's no way I'm letting them get away!"
As he spoke, Garp clenched his fist, joints cracking audibly. The Marines, galvanized by his command, swiftly began carrying out his orders.
Despite being Monkey D. Luffy's grandfather, Garp's subordinates were nothing if not capable. Before long, the Marines fanned out across the island to begin a thorough search.
In the year 1497 of the Sea Circle Calendar…
The East Blue was rocked by an unprecedented atrocity. The E-23 Marine unit, consisting of several hundred officers and men, was entirely wiped out while attempting to suppress a pirate crew on Ryujin Island. Simultaneously, several thousand islanders were slaughtered, with all the women and children abducted.
On his way back to Marineford from a visit home, Vice Admiral Garp "happened upon" this same pirate crew and struck them with overwhelming force.
In that battle, towering flames inexplicably erupted over the sea, casting half the sky in a crimson glow.
In the aftermath, all the women and children abducted from Ryujin Island were rescued and returned safely.
When Vice Admiral Garp's warship finally sailed back into Marineford, there was one significant difference from when he had first set out.
Among the ranks of his crew was now a red-haired youth.