"Forget it, dinner's on me tonight. How about we go out and grab a bite?"
Rorschach pulled a few crumpled Beli bills from his pocket and gestured toward the tavern door.
Jonathan glanced at the few "hundred-Beli" bills in Rorschach's hand and opened his mouth, but ultimately didn't say anything.
A short while later—
Outside the tavern, at a roadside stall:
"Gentlemen, here's the ramen you ordered. Enjoy!"
Jonathan Barnett stared at the steaming bowl of ramen placed in front of him, and finally couldn't hold back his complaint.
"Hey hey, kid, are you serious? You made us lose hundreds of thousands of Beli, and now you're treating us to 100-Beli-a-bowl ramen?!"
"You guys were the ones who wanted to gamble. You've never heard the saying 'Ten gambles, ten losses'? At your age, you should know better. Are you eating it or not? If not, I will."
Rorschach reached out, pretending to grab Jonathan's bowl, only for Issho to smilingly raise a hand and stop him.
Issho stepped in to defuse the tension, "The young man's right. Gambling really is a sure way to lose. Best to stay away from it altogether. And this ramen isn't bad at all—quite satisfying. Jonathan, give it a try. Eating delicacies every day can get dull too."
Slurp slurp.
Under the flickering gas lamps, steam rose from the stall. The street was lively, with pedestrians coming and going.
The two old men and the young one sat side by side, slurping their ramen quietly.
And as they ate, they all started to smile.
"Hahaha, this is amusing—really amusing. Kid, you're not some nobody, are you? You're young, but the aura you give off… like a wild beast."
Jonathan sucked up the last strand of noodle, raised his bowl, and drained the soup to the last drop before looking over at Rorschach with a grin.
"Before asking others, how about introducing yourself first? If anything, you two are the real beasts. You almost scared me off the island," Rorschach looked up—first at the aged, wiry-faced Jonathan, then at Issho who was still slurping down the last of his noodles.
His own bowl wasn't finished yet. He was slowly savoring the cheap ramen from the roadside stall.
He rarely ate this slowly.
The flavor wasn't exactly gourmet, but it had something hearty—a down-to-earth warmth that rich foods often lacked.
The ingredients were simple too.
Just coarse noodles and a few green veggie leaves.
No wonder it only cost 100 Beli a bowl.
About the same price as a newspaper.
"Hmph, playing dumb, huh? You sneaky little brat. You've already been entangled with my granddaughter, and you're telling me you don't know who her grandpa is?"
"Who's entangled with her? Don't go making stuff up. You'll ruin her chances of getting married!"
Rorschach couldn't be bothered with the 195cm tall, nagging old man. He turned to Issho, who had just finished his noodles.
"You must be Issho-san, right?"
Issho looked up, smiling. The motion tugged at the scar over his eyes, making the smile seem slightly eerie.
"You know of me? Haha, thank you for the ramen, young man."
"Of course. A powerful lone wolf like you, Issho-san, may not have made a name for yourself on the seas...But true strength is always watched closely—by every major force.Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself yet.Nice to meet you, Issho-san. I'm Rorschach, a Rear Admiral of the Marine Headquarters.How about joining the Marines?I can put in a good word for you—straight to Admiral level."
Rorschach rubbed his hands together. His bright blue eyes reflected the streetlight, his face full of hope.
And he wasn't lying.
The Marine Headquarters did have some files on Issho.
Just like he said:
Real power is hard to hide.
Even if someone tried to live low-key, blend in with the crowd every day, it wouldn't matter.
Because in this world, things like Observation Haki exist—sensing life force over wide areas.
For someone like Issho, his presence shone like the moon to those with strong Observation Haki. Impossible to conceal.
Unless he was someone like Shanks, who had mastered the advanced technique "Observation Killing."
"Oi oi, kid, are you kidding me? You're inviting someone into the Marines right after meeting them? Issho is my hard-earned guest, you know!Even I haven't gotten around to inviting him into the Bounty Hunter Guild, and here you are jumping the gun!"
Jonathan glared at Rorschach, clearly annoyed.
"So you're a Marine, huh? My apologies."
Issho reached out and shook hands with Rorschach. Then he picked up his nearby cane and smiled, shaking his head.
"I'm glad you'd want me in the Marines, but unfortunately, I don't have such plans at the moment.Maybe one day, if I change my mind and decide I want to pursue justice as a Marine…I'll be troubling you for that referral."
"Issho-san, you're too kind. Rorschach is always at your service.By the way, do you have a Den Den Mushi? Where do you live?I'll find a time to visit—and I can give you my contact info…"
Rorschach tightly held Issho's hand, practically beaming.
This was a big deal.
A future Marine Admiral!
If he could bring Issho into the Marines a few years early, he might just shift the entire balance of the world.
"Hey hey! Enough already, kid!"
Late at night, at the port of Queen Spring City.
Under the flickering gas lamps, the three of them sat on the ground. The salty sea breeze blew in from the ocean, making the waves crash against the docks.
"You stingy brat. Can't even buy some drinks for the old men. Are all Marines these days this cheap?"
Jonathan set down a basket of alcohol he'd been carrying, handed one bottle to Issho, and tossed another to Rorschach.
He grabbed one for himself, flicked off the cork with his thumb, and took a long swig—downing half the bottle before letting out a content sigh. Then he leaned back against the lamp post and looked at Rorschach.
"Now tell me, kid. What was so important you had to drag us all the way out here? You can't let an old man rest at night?"
Rorschach caught the bottle, uncorked it, and took a sniff.
Strong smell.
Another hard liquor.
He took a sip and thought it over.
Hmm... Not as good as sherry.
The taste was average—just heavy on the alcohol, with a weird hint of rye bread.
"I asked you a question, brat. Kind of rude not to answer," Jonathan grumbled. He was feeling a bit slighted, though he couldn't explain why—he just got the sense Rorschach had a grudge against him.
Rorschach clinked bottles with Issho before reining in his grin. He looked at the laid-back old man leaning against the lamppost.
"Jonathan Barnett. King of Hunters. The man who killed the great pirate Captain John?"
"Heh, so you do know my name?"
Jonathan grinned widely.
But Rorschach's smile faded.
"Before meeting you, I did admire the man who killed Captain John. But now that I've met you…"
"It feels a bit overrated."
"…What did you say?" Jonathan Barnett blinked in surprise.
Even Issho, mid-sip, paused.
"Your Bounty Hunter Guild," Rorschach said, looking toward the brightly lit Queen Spring City,"…is rotten to the core."
Jonathan furrowed his brows, gripped the bottle in his hand, and stared at Rorschach in silence.
"I haven't interacted much with the low-level bounty hunters, so I won't make blanket judgments, but…"
"But judging by the few high-ranking members of your Bounty Hunter Guild that I've encountered… not a single one is worthy of respect."
Rorschach's voice was calm, as if he were stating something trivial.
"Those so-called Six-Star Bounty Hunters, every last one of them, are nothing but scoundrels.
William Hanks, the Lightbulb Man, coveted what belonged to others and betrayed the guild with the slightest temptation.
Ichiro Mori, the Zipper Man, hoarded large amounts of Blast Rock and attempted to detonate it in the bustling city of Water 7.
Andre the Turtle Man, another one blinded by greed.
Vice President Gulliver betrayed the profession of bounty hunting itself, trying to establish a dangerous assassin guild—he too holds Blast Rock in his hands…"
Rorschach looked expressionlessly at the silent Jonathan, his words sharp as blades.
"With subordinates this rotten, and you—the so-called King of Hunters—sitting here slacking off… I have to wonder…
Did you really kill Captain John? If you truly were the kind of hero capable of cutting down a great pirate, how did you let such a grand organization fall to ruin?"
"Kid, you've got some nerve. Even your Marine Headquarters' Sengoku wouldn't dare speak to me like that." Jonathan's expression turned cold as he downed the bottle of fine liquor, tossing it into the dark sea.
A cold smile curled on his lips. "Saying my Bounty Hunter Guild is rotten to the core, huh… heh, what about your Marines? Are you really upholding justice and peace in this world? Or are you just cleaning up after a bunch of bloated pigs, laying your lives on the line for the executioners that harvest the world?"
Rorschach was silent. He tilted his head back and finished his bottle of liquor too, placing it gently on the ground in front of him.
Then he slowly stood up. "At least, the Marines haven't completely rotted through. The new recruits who join still burn with passion for justice. At least the vast majority of Marine soldiers are still risking their lives to fight the pirates of the world."
Gripping the black war halberd in his hand, his eyelids drooped slightly, his voice cold:
"President Jonathan, I'm here today to inform you…
If the Bounty Hunter Guild cannot resolve its own internal problems, then the Marines will intervene.
From this day forward, the Bounty Hunter Guild as a power will no longer be allowed to exist on the seas.
Bounty hunters can still exist—but they cannot band together to form a pirate-like organization."
"Heh… You've got guts, kid. Who gave you the courage to say you'll dissolve the guild I founded? That punk Sengoku? Back when I was cutting down pirates at sea, he was still eating dirt at HQ!"
Jonathan Barnett stood up, hands brushing his waist.
The belt wrapped around his waist was suddenly drawn, unfurling into two gleaming long blades.
"Your next words will be: 'Words are meaningless—power decides who's right.'"
Rorschach raised the war halberd in his hand.
"Kid! Words are meaningless—power decides who's right! If you want me to dissolve this guild, show me your strength!"
Jonathan gripped his dual blades, stepped forward, and charged, slashing with both blades. Under the streetlight, two arcs of gleaming light flashed like lightning.
"Dual Blade Style! Swallowtail Slash!"
"Swish!"
The twin slashes crossed left and right like the tail of a diving swallow, intersecting like scissors, aiming for Rorschach's neck.
Rorschach spun his war halberd, muscles on his right arm bulging as he swung it horizontally toward the incoming Jonathan!
"Boom!"
The air in front of him erupted like a chaotic ocean current, surging outward in every direction.
The harbor of Queen of Spring City was instantly swept by a wild gust.
Ships docked in the bay rocked and clashed against each other, producing deep, echoing thuds.
"What?!"
Jonathan's eyes twitched. It felt like a thousand cannonballs had exploded at once beside him.
A torrential shockwave blasted toward him, crushing his body.
Too fast!Too strong!
In his panic, he could only cross his blades to block.
"Clang!"
A crack of thunder shattered the night.
Jonathan's dual blades buzzed violently in his hands. His scrawny body was like a baseball struck by a bat—sent flying by the swing of Rorschach's war halberd.
"Aww, can't we all just drink in peace?" Hibari scratched his head with a wry smile.
"Sorry, Mr. Hibari, but the split in the Bounty Hunter Guild threatens the safety of many across the seas. The Marines must step in."
Rorschach gave a slightly apologetic smile.
He pulled out a Den Den Mushi from his coat and handed it to Hibari. "Please take care of this for me, Mr. Hibari."
Then, he leapt into the air, wind swirling around his body. In an instant, he was soaring after the airborne Jonathan.
Hibari put down his wine bottle and sighed. His tall figure also lifted off, chasing after Rorschach, both disappearing into the darkness.
"What kind of monstrous strength is this?! Kid, are you even human?!"
Over a thousand meters out at sea, Jonathan finally stopped himself midair, using Geppo to float. He stared at the rapidly approaching Rorschach with disbelief.
"Don't make excuses for your weakness, Mr. Jonathan."
Rorschach gripped the heavy Heavenly Dragon Halberd in both hands, lifting it high overhead. His muscles exploded with power as he swung it downward in a simple, direct chop at the distant Jonathan.
"Boom!"
Layer after layer of air exploded. Waves of terrifying pressure surged forward, crashing toward the twitching Jonathan.
"Paper Draw Body!"
Jonathan's thin frame suddenly became weightless and was swept aside by the oncoming force.
The colossal shockwave rumbled past him and slammed into the ocean below.
"BOOM!"
A massive explosion tore through the sea for hundreds of meters. Tons of seawater erupted into the sky.
A deep trench was carved into the sea surface. Several unlucky small Sea Kings were torn apart by the impact.
"My, oh my… The strength of this Marine kid is truly beastlike," Hibari murmured from far above, floating quietly in the sky.
"Stop pretending, Mr. Jonathan. Show me your true strength."
Rorschach pointed his Heavenly Dragon Halberd at the man hundreds of meters away.
"As you wish, Commodore Rorschach."
Jonathan gripped his twin blades. His frail body slowly filled out.
Withered muscles grew full and firm. Wrinkles on his face smoothed out.
A darkness deeper than night surged from his body, coating his skin and blades in a glossy black hue, blending with the night.
"Saving the strength of youth to use in old age… That's the secret of the Diōken. As it happens, I studied it a bit myself."
He grinned. Now in his youthful form, an overwhelming aura radiated from his body, brewing with unimaginable power.
"Swish!"
His figure blurred and vanished.
In the next instant—
Jonathan appeared before Rorschach, twin blades crossing in a downward strike.
"Dual Blade Style! Void Sever Slash!"
(End of Chapter)
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