Chapter 113 - 113: Progress~

Words : 1295 Updated : Sep 17th, 2025

What seemed like the start of a conflict between Rear Admiral Amusa Boone's unit and Yoriichi Tsugikuni was extinguished almost instantly by Yoriichi himself. Even though Yoriichi had reprimanded Boone's subordinate right in front of him, the Rear Admiral could only smile awkwardly in response. He didn't dare say anything too harsh, let alone start a real confrontation. Truthfully, Amusa Boone had only approached Yoriichi's group because he was curious about which unit had managed to arrive at Lodestar Island ahead of his own. But after that little incident, Boone didn't have the face to stick around. He quickly ordered his men to carry off the Marine Yoriichi had knocked out and left in a hurry. Once they were gone, Yoriichi simply resumed his work as if nothing had happened. Earlier, when Shanks had seen the arrogant behavior of those G-5 Marines, he'd mocked Yoriichi and the entire Marine institution. But after witnessing Yoriichi's actions firsthand, Shanks went completely quiet, like a bird tucking in its wings. In that moment, Shanks realized something. Maybe the idea that only pirates are truly free was a bit too narrow. What he truly saw was this: It's not that pirates are free. It's that the strong are free. Whether pirate or Marine, strength was what determined true freedom. The clash between Amusa Boone and Yoriichi turned out to be just a minor episode. Over the next month, after Aokiji's team arrived at Lodestar Island, more and more units from Marine Headquarters began to show up. At the island's port, Navy warships painted in signature green now filled every available dock. With the growing number of Marines gathering on the island, space became an issue. The first-arriving teams began expanding the port themselves to accommodate the influx. Meanwhile, Aokiji had become increasingly busy. He was often pulled into meetings, likely to coordinate strategy for upcoming operations. Regarding Shanks and Buggy, Aokiji had only informed Fleet Admiral Sengoku. He hadn't mentioned their presence to anyone else. During this time, Yoriichi didn't remain idle. He continued leading his men in helping the locals rebuild their damaged homes. Once that was completed, he issued an order restricting how often his crew could come ashore. Unless absolutely necessary for resupply, they were not allowed to disembark. Yoriichi's intent was to minimize the Marines' impact on the everyday lives of civilians. Then, one month after Aokiji's arrival, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's fleet finally docked at Lodestar Island. Accompanying him were Vice Admiral Garp, Vice Admiral Tsuru, and several other high-ranking officers from Marine Headquarters. With the arrival of so many top officers, the atmosphere on the island grew heavier, as though a storm was quietly brewing. That very night, Sengoku summoned all officers of Captain rank and above to convene aboard his flagship for a high-level meeting. Even though Yoriichi was only a Captain, he too was summoned by Sengoku himself. It was May. A cool night breeze drifted across the port. Nearly thirty Navy vessels of various sizes were now docked at Lodestar Island. Among them, one ship towered above the rest. Over 100 meters in length, it was the clear centerpiece of the fleet. Though it was night, the port blazed with lights. Every ship had Marines patrolling its deck, and searchlights swept across the docks and waters, scanning for anything unusual. Yoriichi and Aokiji disembarked from their own ship and boarded Sengoku's flagship together. Along the way, they encountered many Marine officers. Aokiji, having spent years in the Navy, greeted familiar faces left and right. Sengoku's flagship was the largest warship in the entire Navy, equipped with the most advanced wartime technology. All the cannons aboard were integrated with automated systems, requiring no manual operation at all. The entire vessel was built from a special alloy native to the One Piece world. Its defenses were top-tier. Standard cannon fire wouldn't even scratch its armor. As Yoriichi took in the warship's enormous size, he turned to Aokiji and muttered in amazement: "This thing is insane. From a distance, it just looked big, but now that I'm on it, the difference between this and a regular ship is like night and day." "Hey, Aokiji. When are you gonna swap out your junky old boat? Even if it's smaller than this, at least upgrade the tech." He crouched down and tapped on the deck with his knuckles. The sound was so solid there was barely an echo. This level of craftsmanship put Aokiji's modified wooden sailing ship to shame. Aokiji scratched his head and chuckled. "This ship's a masterpiece from the Navy's chief scientist, Dr. Vegapunk." "Most of the tech used to build it is still experimental." "There's only one ship like this, Unit 0. It's made entirely of metal and fitted with the most advanced weapons and propulsion systems." "I'm just a Rear Admiral. I'm lucky to have a ship at all." There was a note of longing in Aokiji's voice. After all, what man wouldn't want something big, tough, and powerful? Compared to this beast, Aokiji's own vessel wouldn't stand a chance, not even in a retreat scenario. If he had the option, Aokiji wouldn't hesitate to upgrade. "That's a shame," Yoriichi said wistfully. "I wonder if there's any chance I could get Dr. Vegapunk to build a custom ship for me in the future." "Full metal armor, of course. And laser cannons too." "High-speed propulsion, maybe up to 60 knots." "Would be great to include an aerial combat unit, so I'd have backup when dealing with enemies like the Golden Lion." "Oh, and maybe a submarine squadron too. The one I saw back on East U Island was kinda cool." As Yoriichi followed Aokiji toward the meeting room, he rambled on about his dream ship. Aokiji's eyelid twitched as he listened. He had no idea why Yoriichi was suddenly talking nonsense. "Laser cannons? Full metal armor?" "Hahahahahaha!" Suddenly, a hearty laugh echoed behind them. They turned and saw Garp and Sengoku walking over. Apparently, Garp had overheard Yoriichi's fantasy and couldn't help but laugh uproariously. He approached Yoriichi and clapped a massive hand on his shoulder. "Kid, at your pace, you'll probably make Admiral in less than ten years." "When that day comes, everything you just dreamed of, you'll have it." "You've done an outstanding job this time. Who would've thought even the Golden Lion would fall to you and Aokiji? Hahaha!" "Well done. As expected from a Marine I've 'painstakingly' trained!" Garp kept slapping Yoriichi on the back, his grin wide and proud. "You? Trained him?" A voice cut in dryly. "That kid was trained by Zephyr, not you." Sengoku rolled his eyes at Garp, then turned to Yoriichi with a look of admiration. "Yoriichi, this strategy meeting concerning the Roger Pirates is for officers of Rear Admiral rank and above only." "You're not here because of any special exception." "You're here because you've earned it." He placed a hand on Yoriichi's arm and smiled. "In recognition of your outstanding service in maintaining peace across the seas, Headquarters has decided to promote you to Rear Admiral." "Before the strategy meeting begins, we'll be holding your promotion and medal ceremony. Be ready." ///////////////////////// Support me by adding this fic into your library! 100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter For Advance Chapters, please visit and consider joining me on P(a)treon! p(a)treon.com/Lnee 1-2+ Chapters daily on P(a)treon, will go up depends on the powerstone extra chapters.

Chapter 113 - 113: Progress~

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