One Piece: Holy Light Swordmaster

"So, you're saying you'll be in closed training for the next year?"

Wright crunched noisily on senbei crackers—"borrowed" from Garp, who had, in turn, swiped them from Fleet Admiral Sengoku. "C'mon, Rosinante, have some senbei! Let me tell you, this is Sengoku's prized stash. I wouldn't share it with just anyone!"

Seated across from Wright on the sofa, Rosinante looked helplessly at the younger man gorging on the rare senbei, fully aware they'd been pilfered by Garp from his own father. He couldn't even muster the energy to retort.

"…You eat it. I've had plenty of that flavor," Rosinante finally said after holding back for a while. Then, unable to resist, he sighed, "You've been with Vice Admiral Garp for only two months, and you've already mastered his 'essence'?"

"Rosinante, you don't understand." Wright gazed mournfully out the office window. This was Garp's office in Marine Headquarters—a quiet and spacious place with a decent view. Yet, in Wright's eyes, anything related to Garp carried a peculiar sting.

A deep, soul-crushing sting.

"Do you notice any changes in me over these past two months?" Wright asked, sighing deeply.

"You seem… bulkier? And your aura feels stronger?" Rosinante ventured, his expression turning odd as a realization struck him.

"Wrong. I'm more haggard."

"Prolonged mental stress can lead to physical exhaustion," Wright explained with mock seriousness. "It causes symptoms like loss of appetite, lethargy, incoherence, reluctance to get out of bed, and irregular bathroom habits—"

Rosinante's eye twitched violently. Loss of appetite? Lethargy? The man before him was devouring senbei, babbling nonstop, and clearly not missing meals.

"Brother, I'm not eating senbei. I'm eating my sorrows…" Wright lamented, crunching another bite.

"These past two months have been hell. You were off in secret training, so you wouldn't know—but trust me, the whole Headquarters does."

"Every single day, I've been beaten senseless by that old geezer Garp for eight hours on average. It's pure abuse!"

"Do you know how famous I've become here? From Fleet Admiral Kong down to the newest recruits—who doesn't know about Garp's new punching bag of a major?!"

"Ah, my dignity, my image, my grace, my future…"

"All ruined by that crazy old man! Completely ruined!"

As Wright spiraled into a rage-filled rant, Rosinante couldn't help but feel a twinge of schadenfreude. With a slight smile, he remarked, "Sometimes, having a strong healing ability can be a curse, huh?"

Even Rosinante felt awkward about the situation. His own father, Sengoku, was outwardly dignified, serious, and wise, but in reality, he was just as much of a clown as Garp. If Garp had been tormenting Wright so thoroughly these past two months, it was only possible with Sengoku's tacit approval—or worse, his active participation.

After all, both Garp and Sengoku had taken a liking to Wright ever since he joined the Marines. First, they had Zephyr personally mentor him. Now, it was Garp's turn. The more Rosinante thought about it, the more it seemed like his father's handiwork.

Ahem. Better keep that to myself.

"So, Wright…" Rosinante awkwardly steered the conversation back. "I only suggested meeting somewhere to talk. Why did you bring me to Garp's office?"

"And… isn't Garp here?"

"..."

Wright glanced at him with a strange expression. "Tch, don't you know where Garp loves to go? This office is spacious and quiet, perfect for a serious conversation."

"Besides, Garp left this morning after discovering his senbei stash was… gone. Trust me, he won't be back before the day's over. If it weren't for your issue, I wouldn't even set foot in this painful place…"

Rosinante facepalmed. He could already hear his father's enraged bellow in his mind: "Damn you, Garp! That was my favorite flavor!"

Wright's demeanor shifted as he guessed the reason for Rosinante's visit. Lightening the mood with a few jokes, he soon grew serious. "So, Rosinante, what's troubling you so much that you'd come to me?"

"It's that mission you must complete, isn't it?"

"…You always see right through me." Rosinante smiled bitterly. "I just finished my training, and Smoker is out on a mission with Admiral Kuzan. I had no one else to turn to but you."

"Wright, you're the best among us—whether it's combat skills or strategy. So, I need to ask you something."

"If you uphold justice, but your closest family member is someone unspeakably evil, and you lack the strength to stop them outright, how would you prevent their madness?"

"…" Wright gazed steadily at Rosinante. "No matter how evil or powerful a person may be, they're still just one person. If their ambitions are grand, they'll need to build a force to achieve them. That's the true threat—a powerful leader of a nefarious organization."

"As someone close to them, your only advantage is the trust and leniency they might extend to you. You may be the only light in their darkness, the one restraint on their madness."

"But if you betray them or die…" Wright's gaze shifted to the table as he took another bite of senbei. "They might lose all restraint, destroy everything around them, and then self-destruct."

"In my opinion, there are two solutions."

"First, grow overwhelmingly strong and confront them head-on. Beat them down, show them that might makes right, and make it clear—if they want to wreak havoc, they'll have to get past you first."

"Second, undermine their foundation. Sabotage their forces, infiltrate their ranks, assassinate their lieutenants, and cripple their organization from within. Once their support crumbles, a single individual won't pose much of a threat on this vast sea."

"If it were you, you'd obviously choose the first option." Rosinante smiled, a hint of resolution in his eyes. "You have the ability, potential, and the character to back it up."

"And you'd choose the second," Wright said flatly, eyeing Rosinante as he lit a cigarette.

A spark quickly caught on Rosinante's shoulder.

"Cut it out! You're too much of a klutz to be a spy!" Wright shouted as he rushed to put out the small fire on Rosinante's shirt.

After the chaos subsided, Rosinante stood to leave. "Thank you for helping me decide, Wright."

"I didn't help with anything! Don't twist my words!" Wright rolled his eyes, watching Rosinante head for the door.

"…Don't die." 

"…I'm just going into closed training for a year. Don't miss me too much~"

"Get out. Right now!"

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