One Piece: From Marine to Legend

"My family has shed blood for the World Government and made numerous contributions to the Marines Headquarters!" 

Storm snapped back to reality, ignoring the identity of the man in front of him as he spoke directly. 

"What did I do wrong to be expelled from the headquarters just like that?" 

Storm had mixed feelings about the Marines. He neither loved nor hated it. To him, being a marine was just a job. And if it was just work, he didn't mind. But being dismissed without reason? Now, that is foul!

"You did nothing wrong," Aokiji said, scratching his messy afro. 

"And you weren't expelled—you submitted your resignation." 

Storm looked at Aokiji in disbelief. 

'Does this guy even hear himself?' 

Was there any real difference between being fired and submitting a resignation? 

'So what? Since I "resigned," the Marine doesn't have to pay me severance? Does the World Government even have labor laws?' 

Aokiji seemed to catch on to Storm's reaction and let out a sigh. 

"Did Mr. Zephyr not tell you the reason?" 

Lowering his head and rubbing his temple, Aokiji exhaled, a wave of white cold air escaping around him. 

"Ah, really… he was the one who recommended you for this, and yet—" 

Zephyr's recommendation? 

Storm raised the letter in his hand. 

"Zephyr-sensei just wrote me a recommendation letter. He said that Admiral Kuzan would explain everything." 

"Ara ara…" Aokiji muttered his usual catchphrase. 

"They're always dumping work on me. What a pain." 

Storm resisted the urge to roll his eyes. 

'Isn't that your own fault?' 

He wasn't interested in the power struggle between two Marine admirals. 

Without another word, he stepped forward, placed the letter of recommendation in front of Aokiji, and then quickly stepped back, standing at attention. 

Aokiji cast him a glance before opening the letter and reading through it. 

Storm had no idea what Zephyr had written, but he noticed something— 

The white mist of cold air surrounding Aokiji was intensifying. 

The temperature in the admiral's office plummeted. 

Storm could even see his own breath turning into mist. 

"Recruit!" 

Aokiji's voice suddenly cut through the cold air as he lifted his gaze, staring at Storm with an ice-cold expression. 

"You once publicly insulted the Celestial Dragons as pigs during boot camp?" 

His voice was sharp, and his expression was like frozen steel— 

Well, except for the ridiculous green plaid sleep mask on his forehead. 

Ignoring that, he looked intimidating. 

"First of all, it wasn't public," Storm corrected, raising an eyebrow. 

"It was during a private conversation."

"Second, that wasn't an insult. It was an objective description."

"And third, I never said the Celestial Dragons are pigs. I said they're scum worse than pigs."

Storm knew plenty of Marines who had insulted the Celestial Dragons before. 

Take Monkey D. Garp, for example. 

That old man could openly mock the Celestial Dragons even in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. 

But so what? 

He was Garp. 

A Marine Hero. 

His son was the leader of the Revolutionary Army, and his grandson was about to become a great pirate. 

Who cared if he insulted the Celestial Dragons? 

The World Government certainly didn't. 

But Storm? He was just a rookie. 

And his immediate superior had overheard him. 

Storm sighed internally. 

'Great. Now my career is on the line…' 

'What if Aokiji exiles me to the East Blue branch or something?' 

'That would be…' 

'Actually, that'd be amazing.' 

The office's atmosphere grew colder and colder. The icy air was so thick it felt suffocating— 

But then, all at once, the frost melted. 

Aokiji burst into laughter. 

"Hahahaha!" 

"Recruit! I finally understand why Mr. Zephyr recommended you for SWORD!" 

"You're interesting!" 

SWORD? 

Storm's eyes narrowed. 

The Marine Headquarters' secret special unit— SWORD? 

He quickly pieced the information together. 

Zephyr's letter wasn't just a recommendation. 

He had sent Storm here specifically to join SWORD. 

"By the way, Recruit—no? I'll just call you Storm." 

Aokiji brushed ice crystals off his sleeve and straightened. 

"Do you know about SWORD?" 

Storm shook his head. 

"Not much." 

Aokiji leaned back, arms crossed. 

"It's a classified special unit established by the Marine Headquarters. Strategically, it holds the same level of importance as the SSG under Dr. Vegapunk. 

"In simple terms, every member of SWORD is a Marine who has officially resigned. The mission of SWORD is to fight all pirates—including the Four Emperors."

"Unlike standard Marines, SWORD operates independently. It follows no orders but its own. It's a true guerrilla force." 

Storm stayed quiet, processing the information. 

He already knew some of this. 

But what did surprise him was the fact that SWORD's importance was comparable to the SSG— 

The Special Science Group, Vegapunk's personal military think tank. 

SSG was responsible for the creation of the Pacifista, Seraphim, and countless other cutting-edge advancements. 

It was a powerhouse that single-handedly advanced the Marine's military might. 

And yet, SWORD was considered equal to that? 

'Wait…' 

'Aokiji knows all this about SWORD. That means… he's in charge?' 

'Like how Kizaru leads the Marine's science division?' 

Storm's gaze sharpened. 

When Aokiji was no longer in the Marines. He had left and become one of Blackbeard's Titanic Captains. 

If Aokiji had been SWORD's highest commander… 

Then did that mean— 

'He's an undercover agent?' 

A flurry of thoughts rushed through Storm's mind, but before he could ask, Aokiji spoke again. 

"Storm, Mr. Zephyr spoke highly of you in his letter. He believes you're perfect for SWORD." 

Aokiji listed off Zephyr's assessment. 

"Self-disciplined, hardworking, doesn't blindly trust authority, and has his own view of justice." 

There was one more thing Aokiji didn't mention. 

Storm had an absolutely clean family background. 

Three generations of his family had served in the Marines. 

Even among the elite, few had such a record. 

And for SWORD, where secrecy was paramount, purity of background was critical. 

Aokiji met Storm's gaze. 

"Recruit Storm." 

"Are you willing to join SWORD?" 

Storm stayed calm, not answering immediately. 

Joining SWORD had both pros and cons. 

Regular Marines only had to follow orders. 

But a SWORD agent had freedom. 

Which meant making choices. 

"Before I answer," Storm said, "I have some questions." 

Aokiji nodded. 

"Go ahead." 

Storm's first question was direct. 

"SWORD is classified. How high is its confidentiality level?" 

"In the Marine, only the Fleet Admiral and Admirals know the full member list." 

"What about the World Government?" 

Aokiji's expression turned subtle. 

"The Government doesn't know SWORD exists." 

Storm's eyes widened. 

'Seriously? Not even the Government?' 

Aokiji wasn't done. 

"Storm, I'll be honest." 

"If you join SWORD, you can act freely… but if things go wrong, the Marine will abandon you without hesitation." 

Storm smirked. 

"One last question." 

"If I join, does my salary go up?" 

Aokiji grinned. 

"Of course. SWORD has the best benefits in the Marine!" 

Storm saluted. 

He had boarded the SWORD ship. 

And his first mission? 

"Your task is simple." 

"Go deep into the New World…" 

"And infiltrate the Four Emperors!" 

Storm tilted his head. 

"Me?" He pointed at himself. 

"You want me to deal with the Four Emperors?"