The One Piece

At the port, soldiers scurried about like swarms of ants, overwhelmed with confusion and disarray, searching for the missing Peter. They examined every corner, searched every inch of the anchored ships, rummaging through every nook and cranny, even checking supply lockers and worn-out sails.

It was as if they expected to find Peter wedged between the old wood planks or hiding in food crates.

Soldier after soldier whispered among themselves, slapping their hands on their hips in frustration, until one of them shouted:

"Did anyone think to check under the floorboards?"

Another exclaimed:

"Or maybe he swam away like a fish!"

One of their comrades burst into mocking laughter, but a solemn silence soon fell—they were in real trouble.

With each passing moment, their despair deepened, as if the ground had swallowed Peter whole, leaving no trace behind. It was as if Peter had been a mere illusion, disappearing without a single clue to his whereabouts, vanishing into thin air, as the saying goes.

In the tense atmosphere of the meeting hall in Marijoa Castle, the Five Elders, the Gorosei, gathered under the shadowed ceiling, surrounded by an air of mysterious reverence, to make a decision unprecedented for generations.

With stern eyes and tightly shut mouths, they exchanged looks that reflected their resolution. They had officially declared Peter to be outside the circle of the "Celestial Dragons."

But that wasn't all. To cover up the incident and protect their reputations, they fabricated heinous crimes against Peter. The official story was that this so-called pirate had infiltrated Marijoa and carried out deadly attacks, including the murder of a Celestial Dragon and an innocent slave, Santiago, in what the report described as a "horrific" incident.

Once the decision was made, news spread through global newspapers like wildfire, accompanied by a blurred image of Peter taken from afar and posters accusing him of being

"the savage pirate who dared to infiltrate the world's holiest site and commit heinous crimes."

Newspapers carried headlines like "Bold Pirate Attacks the Heart of Marijoa!" and "Celestial Dragon Killed in His Own Lair!"

With cunning malice, the Gorosei ensured Peter's noble Celestial Dragon heritage remained hidden. Instead, they branded him as a "dangerous pirate," allowing them to keep the incident shrouded and avoid any embarrassing questions.

The goal was clear: to transform Peter from a figure of notable status into a public enemy, from a symbol of rebellion to a mere fugitive criminal.

Then, the Gorosei issued decisive orders to the Navy commanders, instructing them to place a massive bounty on Peter's head, aiming to lure every bounty hunter in the seas. After deliberation, they settled on an enormous amount of 300 million Beli, a sum large enough to attract the attention of both pirates and the Navy alike.

Peter stood in a hidden corner of the ship, holding the newspaper in his hand, his eyes scanning the heavy words filling the front page. There, beneath a bold headline about the "mysterious attack on Marijoa," was the bounty poster beside the article.

300 million Beli! He looked at his blurred image, the indistinct features, and wondered:

"How on earth did all of this happen?"

He never anticipated that his arrival in this world would lead to such a resounding chaos, all due to

"that stupid system,"

which had thrown him into this labyrinth! Taking a deep breath, he smiled sarcastically, wondering what exactly this system wanted from him.

On the other side of the ship, some soldiers gathered around a newspaper discussing the attack.

One pointed at Peter's blurry image and said, "Look at him, this lunatic sneaked into the Celestial Dragons' stronghold as if he was entering a small shop!"

Another, amazed, replied, "Who is this man? And why would he risk his life to go there?"

A third added, "He must be brave… or maybe just a fool?"

At that moment, they heard the sound of heavy footsteps approaching, and soon Vice Admiral Garp joined them, his thunderous laugh filling the ship. He took the newspaper from one of the soldiers, looked at the poster with his eyes gleaming with excitement, and burst out laughing as usual, throwing his head back and shaking his fist as he laughed,

"Ha ha ha ha! Who is this brat who dared to challenge the World Government? He must be crazy! Ha ha ha!"

The soldiers looked at him in astonishment, wondering if Garp's curiosity was admiration or mere mockery. But they knew that his booming laughter concealed, deep down, a particular respect for those who possessed extraordinary courage.

Peter stepped out of the shadows where he had been hiding and walked with steady, confident steps toward the group of soldiers gathered around Garp, who were shocked to see him standing before them without permission, especially since they considered him just a newly recruited soldier.

One of the commanders spoke to him sternly, "What are you doing here? Get back to your work immediately!" But Peter didn't move a step. Instead, he raised his hand, removed his hat, faced Garp directly, and said in a voice filled with determination, "I am the one the newspapers are talking about… I am the brat who snuck into Marijoa."

A sudden silence fell, as if the wind had stopped. The soldiers' faces were filled with shock. They looked at the newspaper, then back at Peter, examining him with a new awe, their mouths practically dropping to the floor in astonishment.

This ordinary young man who worked beside them was the same person with a massive bounty on his head, the one who had caused chaos in the Celestial Dragons' lair? There was no doubt it was him… the newspaper image might have been unclear, but it was close enough for them to realize the shocking truth.

Garp, uncharacteristically, didn't smile or laugh but simply stared at Peter in silence. Garp's gaze held a strange expression, a mix of curiosity and respect, his eyes locked on him as if seeking an answer in the young man's face.

Peter continued speaking, telling Garp everything about his escape from Marijoa, the fabricated murder charge, and even the 300 million Beli bounty on his head. He withheld no details. The soldiers, still stunned, couldn't grasp that the man standing before them had undergone such adventures.

When Peter finished, he looked directly at Garp with a plea in his eyes and said, "Please, let me stay on your ship until we reach the nearest island. I'll leave immediately and won't cause any trouble."

Garp sat heavily in his chair, his hand on his chin, appearing deeply absorbed in Peter's words.

Peter, feeling a hint of confidence, nearly told Garp he had been one of the Celestial Dragons, but he held back at the last moment, glancing at the soldiers around him and realizing this wasn't the right time. So he remained silent, keeping the rest of the truth to himself.

After listening carefully and patiently, Garp finally spoke with a casual tone, "You can stay here as long as you don't cause any trouble… I know you're not a pirate, and though I hate piracy, I sometimes find myself disliking the World Government just as much."

Later, after the ship was empty and they had a chance to talk privately, Peter decided to reveal his greatest secret to Garp—his true identity. In a quiet voice, he told him that he was actually one of the Celestial Dragons residing in Marijoa, and that it was the system that had placed him in this strange situation. As Peter had anticipated, Garp was understanding and showed neither disgust nor surprise.

He simply looked at Peter with a thoughtful expression and smiled with a faint, wry grin, saying, "Whatever the case, the world is full of people shackled by power… and I'm glad you're no longer one of them.

I won't see you as a pirate anymore, nor as a Celestial Dragon. You're just here as a member of my crew, as long as you don't cause any trouble."

"You can stay here if you want, and if you decide to leave, no one will stop you—you're free to do as you please."

This exchange between them gave Peter a sense of peace he hadn't expected. To him, Garp was not just a captain, but a man of noble spirit he might not find anywhere else in the world.

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