Chapter 8: "The Star of West Blue," Garon
On the glittering surface of the West Blue, Garon stepped back onto the deck of the warship.
"Warrant Officer Garon!"
The moment he landed, the Marine soldiers on deck snapped to attention, raising their hands in a crisp, uniform salute. Their eyes were a mixture of awe and idolization.
"Good work, everyone." Garon casually tossed Hawke's corpse to a nearby ratings mate. The soldier scrambled to catch it, but upon seeing the twisted, gold-toothed face, he sucked in a sharp breath.
"This... This is 'Gold-Tooth' Hawke?! The infamous 23,000,000 Beri pirate who's been making a name for himself!"
Once they clearly saw the pirate Garon had brought back, a stir went through the deck.
After all, this wasn't the Great Pirate Era that Roger would later ignite. A pirate with a bounty over 20 million Beri was no small fry in the four Blues.
"Just what you'd expect from the 'Pirate Hunter'! This has to be the sixteenth one this year, right?"
"I heard he was only fourteen last year when he made Sergeant, and this year he got an exceptional promotion to Warrant Officer..."
Amidst the whispers, Garon silently pulled off his blood-stained white gloves. He was used to the soldiers' zealotry.
For the past year, the West Blue branch, desperate to salvage its tarnished reputation, had deliberately molded him into a "Marine Supernova."
After all, the aura of a Logia user, combined with a track record of single-handedly annihilating pirate crews, was more than enough to make the lower-ranking soldiers blindly idolize him.
Still not enough. Garon glanced at Hawke's body.
This kind of fodder might be a somebody in the four Blues, but in the New World... he wouldn't even be qualified to swab the decks.
"I need a major accomplishment..."
"Warrant Officer!" Just then, a soldier ran up, handing over a stack of papers. "These are the newspaper clippings you asked me to organize."
"Thanks," Garon said with a smile. The Marine just shook his head excitedly, as if serving the "Star of the West Blue" was the greatest honor he could imagine.
[New World Erupts in Large-Scale Conflict Again]
['Whitebeard' Edward Newgate sinks three World Government warships. 'Golden Lion' Shiki occupies six islands...]
Garon took the file, his gaze sweeping over the dense casualty numbers printed below the headlines.
The remnants of the Rocks Pirates were spreading like wildfire.
After that man's death, the monsters who served under him, far from disappearing, had each carved out their own territories, turning the entire New World upside down.
And the main forces of Marine Headquarters were currently run ragged just trying to contain these true sovereigns of the sea.
"I can't waste any more time..." Garon clenched the documents. Fine, vibrational tremors seeped from between his knuckles.
"Warrant Officer?" a comms officer cautiously interrupted, holding a file. "Commander Asahi said the intel you've been waiting for is here..."
"It's here?" Garon's expression lit up. "Looks like I'll be able to get promoted to HQ very soon."
"Wh-What?! Warrant Officer Garon, you're going to..."
"The pirates in West Blue aren't even worth my time anymore." He lifted his gaze to the distant horizon. "If I want to catch the tide of this new era... I have to go to the eye of the storm."
The Marines on the ship opened their mouths, but in the end, they just swallowed hard. That was Marine Headquarters he was talking about!
Who wouldn't dream of going there? Everyone knew that someone from HQ, even if they were three ranks lower, was still leagues above anyone from a branch base.
Seeing the soldiers staring at each other in stunned silence, Garon said no more. With Eight Desolations on his back, he turned and walked toward the ship's cabin.
The afterglow of the sunset dyed the port of West Blue's 133rd Branch a deep red. The sea breeze, carrying its salt-laced air, brushed across the docks.
Garon's warship slowly pulled in. The hull bumped against the wooden pier with a dull thud.
The new recruits at the port were already standing in formation, their somber expressions failing to hide their undisguised excitement. Their "Pirate Hunter," Warrant Officer Garon, had returned in triumph once again.
And at the very front of the formation, a slightly overweight, beaming Asahi was rubbing his hands together, his eyes narrowed into slits.
Branch Commander Asahi of the 133rd. This was the same man who, just one year ago, had been hoping Garon was a greenhorn he could trick so he could collect his death benefit.
Now, he was like a sycophant greeting a dignitary, his back bent so low it nearly touched the ground.
"Warrant Officer Garon! Welcome back, sir! You've worked hard!" Asahi's voice was an octave higher than usual, so fawning it made one's skin crawl.
He trotted forward to greet him. Having put on weight in the last year, the fat on his face jiggled with every step.
"I've already had hot water and a hot meal prepared! Please, rest first! These trivial matters can be handled by the men!"
Garon walked slowly down the gangplank, his iconic white-bandaged black blade slung across his back.
"You are, at least, a Branch Commander..." He glanced at Asahi, his lip twitching.
Ever since he had "revealed" his Sky-Tremor Fruit ability in front of the branch members a year ago, this commander, who used to barely give him the time of day, had completely changed his tune.
"Oh, come now! These new recruits all joined the Marines just to get a glimpse of you! As the Branch Commander, I have to satisfy their curiosity a little~"
"There's no need for such a grand reception," Garon said flatly, neither showing disgust nor accepting the flattery. "I just completed my duty."
"Oh, you're too humble, sir!" Asahi rubbed his hands, his smile growing even brighter. "Did you know? Nowadays, pirates in West Blue piss their pants in fear just hearing the name 'Garon'! The reputation of our 133rd Branch rests entirely on your shoulders!"
As he spoke, his gaze unconsciously drifted toward the warship's deck. Several Marines were carrying a corpse down the gangplank. The corpse's mouth still held a gold grill, glinting dully in the sunset.
"Th-This is... 'Gold-Tooth' Hawke?!" Asahi's eyes went wide, his voice becoming shrill. "The 23,000,000 Beri pirate! Heavens! You've broken another record!"
The surrounding soldiers also began to stir, their whispers rising:
"This is the 16th pirate crew Warrant Officer Garon has finished this year, right?"
"I heard last month he single-handedly took down the 'Blood-Axe Pirates' hideout... and their bounty was 16 million!"
"Duh! He's a Logia user! How many monsters like that are in the entire West Blue?"
Garon paid no mind to the surrounding chatter.
He strode toward the branch building. Asahi immediately trotted to keep up, for all the world like a fawning lapdog.
"Warrant Officer, you see..." Asahi lowered his voice, the fat on his face squeezed together.
"You said in the report there was intel. The intel..." As soon as they entered the office, Garon got straight to the point.
"You can rest assured when I handle things." Asahi went straight to his desk and slapped a wanted poster down on it.
"The thing you've been waiting for..." Asahi smiled slightly. "This one's a rare catch! He ran all the way back here from the Grand Line. His strength is nothing to scoff at."
"Ran back from the Grand Line, huh..." Garon smiled, looking at the photo on the poster.
[Blood-Spear Pirates. Captain: "Blood-Spear" Logote. Bounty: 69,000,000 Beri!]