One Piece: General Blue

A few minutes later, in the Naval Headquarters cafeteria.

Law and Grus sat at the table, their hair standing on end like messy bird nests. Drake, sporting a black eye, winced as he held his bruised cheek. Smoker, meanwhile, was enduring a lecture from Chef Denoh, his square face prominently marked with a large slipper print.

Dashiqi stared at them with her mouth slightly agape, completely dumbfounded. Hibari, on the other hand, had her shoulders trembling as she tried to suppress her laughter.

Rorschach sat across from them at the long table, grinning ear to ear, feeling a sense of satisfaction.

These idiots actually tried to ambush me.

Even teaming up! If not for his astonishing progress in Armament Haki and rapid reflexes—enhanced by Law's spatial abilities—Drake and Smoker might have succeeded in catching him off guard today.

"Kid, how the hell did you train? You didn't even transform, and your strength is ridiculous! Damn it, I'm a Headquarters Rear Admiral now, and I still can't take down a mere Colonel!" Drake complained, his tone filled with resentment as he muttered nonstop.

"You want to learn? I could teach you," Rorschach offered, raising a hand as a spark of electricity crackled at his fingertip.

At the sight of the spark, Law and Grus both shivered and instinctively scooted further away from Rorschach. Hibari's face turned red as she quickly averted her gaze and leaned against Dashiqi.

Drake, seeing the electric current on Rorschach's hand, suddenly remembered the fear he felt aboard the submarine back then. Panicked, he waved his hands in refusal.

"I was joking! Just joking! I mean, come on, I'm just an Ancient Zoan. How could I possibly compete with a Mythical Zoan rarer than Logia? Hahaha! Eat, everyone! Try this mochi cream cake I specially brought back from Totto Land in the New World."

He reached down to grab several boxes from beside his feet, opening them and placing them on the table.

The boxes were filled with an array of desserts. As soon as they were opened, the aroma of cream, chocolate, and cheese filled the cafeteria, making the air seem sweet and fragrant.

"Totto Land's desserts are renowned worldwide as the best!"

Hibari was quick, snatching up two cream puffs. She handed one to Dashiqi and eagerly bit into the other.

"Mm~! So sweet! It's the taste of pure happiness," she said, her eyes squinting into crescent moons as a blissful expression appeared on her face.

"Is it really that good?" Rorschach raised an eyebrow, grabbing a large slice of cake that resembled a pizza. He took a bite.

"Mm?"

The moment the cake touched his tongue, his pupils contracted sharply.

Delicious.

An indescribable explosion of flavor burst across his taste buds, like a culinary bomb detonating in his mouth.

The sweetness, warmth, tenderness, and crispy texture all hit him at once, overwhelming his senses.

Though it was just a seemingly simple dessert, a wave of emotion surged within him.

"I feel like crying. Is this what they mean by 'so good it makes you cry'?" Rorschach couldn't resist grabbing more desserts, stuffing them into his mouth and chewing enthusiastically.

"Heh, of course! What did you expect from the desserts of Totto Land?" Drake boasted, seeing everyone's eyes light up as they ate.

"When it comes to desserts, Totto Land of the New World is unquestionably number one!"

"Totto Land? Isn't that the territory of the only female among the Four Emperors, Big Mom Charlotte Linlin?" Dashiqi asked, adjusting her glasses and nibbling on her cream puff like a little hamster.

"Exactly! Big Mom! The strongest woman in the world, nicknamed the Iron Balloon—Charlotte Linlin! She's the supreme queen ruling over Totto Land's 35 islands," Drake said, his tone filled with reverence.

"Isn't the strongest woman supposed to be the Pirate Empress? I heard she's the most beautiful woman, too," Grus mumbled under his breath, raising his hand.

"Idiot! One's a Warlord of the Sea, and the other's an Emperor ruling the New World. Isn't it obvious who's stronger?" Law said as he adjusted his spotted hat back onto his head, smoothing out his ruffled hair, before grabbing a tart to taste.

"Big Mom, the strongest woman in the world? How strong is she?" Hibari asked, her eyes sparkling with curiosity and admiration. "Is she stronger than Uncle Borsalino or Grandpa Garp?"

"Uh… that's hard to say," Drake admitted, scratching his head.

Hibari's gaze shifted to Luo Xia, who was busy wolfing down desserts, his appetite clearly whetted by the sweets.

"What about Brother Luo Xia? Is she stronger than him?" she asked innocently.

"Of course she is! How could I possibly compare to monsters like that?" Rorschach chuckled, reaching out to ruffle the little girl's head playfully.

"Big Mom is on the level of a Navy Admiral, a top-tier force in the world. Being an Emperor of the Sea isn't just a title." He turned to Hibari with a smile.

"Hibari, who says women can't become the strongest in the world? With hard work, anything is possible."

"Look at the Empress of Totto Land, the Pirate Empress, Grandma Tsuru, and Vice Admiral Gion—they're all top-tier female powerhouses!"

Dashiqi's eyes lit up behind her glasses. Vice Admiral Gion, the renowned female swordsman of the Naval Headquarters, had always been her idol.

"Then... is the Pirate Empress really the most beautiful woman in the world?"

Hibari murmured softly.

"Who knows? Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Everyone has a different definition of what they find beautiful. Haven't people also said that the Mermaid Princess from Fish-Man Island is the most beautiful woman in the world?"

Luo Xia shrugged and continued eating.

"Brother Luo Xia, who do you think is the most beautiful woman?"

Hibari pursed her lips, looking at him with anticipation.

"I've never met the Pirate Empress or the Mermaid Princess. But..."

Rorschach chuckled and glanced at the straightforward girl. "Maybe when Hibari grows up, she'll be even more beautiful than them."

"Huh? N-no way... How could I compare to the legendary Mermaid Princess or the Pirate Empress?"

Hibari's cheeks turned bright red, and she quickly hid behind Dashiqi.

Drake smirked and teased, "Hey, hey, look at you, kid. Flirting with girls at such a young age—you're going to be a real heartbreaker when you grow up."

"Better than being an unwanted dinosaur," Rorschach retorted.

"What's wrong with dinosaurs? They're tough and resilient—"

"Resilient to a whipping, you mean?"

"What nonsense are you spouting?"

"Whoa, are you blushing?"

Amid the banter, everyone settled at the table, enjoying their food while sharing stories of their recent experiences.

Though only six months had passed, their progress was evident.

Drake had achieved significant feats in the New World, earning a rapid promotion to Rear Admiral and greatly improving his strength. Smoker, stationed as the commander of Loguetown in the East Blue, had captured many pirates with bounties of tens of millions of berries. This time, it seemed he had returned to Headquarters for a promotion to Headquarters Captain.

"By the way, Smoker, has the East Blue seen any notable pirates recently?"

Rorschach suddenly asked.

It was now the Year 1517 of the Sea Circle Calendar—that person should have already set sail, right?

Smoker thought for a moment, furrowing his brows.

"There's no notable pirate activity in the East Blue. Vice Admiral Garp has been stationed there for the past six months. If there were any strong pirates, he'd have dealt with them already. I haven't encountered anyone particularly challenging."

"I see," Rorschach nodded.

"You're quite interested in the East Blue?" Smoker asked curiously.

"Yeah, a bit," Rorschach replied openly. "Everyone calls the East Blue the weakest sea, but it produced figures like Vice Admiral Garp and Pirate King Roger."

"True," Smoker agreed. "The East Blue may seem peaceful, but it had its moments of glory. Maybe it's called the weakest sea now because Vice Admiral Garp keeps going home to clean it up every now and then."

"I'll be heading back there soon. I heard you're about to graduate from the recruit training camp. If you visit the East Blue, I'll take you to the famous Baratie sea restaurant."

"I'll definitely visit if I get the chance," Rorschach said with a smile.

He genuinely wanted to see the East Blue.

However, more than the East Blue, he missed the North Blue, Branch 177, and Hongye Village.

Brrrring... Brrrring...

As they ate, the Den Den Mushi in Hibari's arms began to ring.

Hibari answered, and Zefa's voice came through.

"Little Hibari, is Luo Xia with you? Hand him the Den Den Mushi."

"It's Grandpa Zefa's Den Den Mushi."

Hibari, cheeks puffed out from eating, handed the device over.

As soon as Luo Xia picked it up, he was greeted by Zefa's booming voice, accompanied by a spray of spittle from the Den Den Mushi.

"You brat! You're already a Headquarters Captain and still refuse to carry a Den Den Mushi! I've been calling forever with no answer!"

"Listen up—your graduation assessment mission has been assigned. The test location is in the first half of the Grand Line."

"The mission objective is..."

(End of Chapter)

────────────────────────────────────

"If you're interested, please support me in my other novel [Naruto: Starting with Tsunade-san]."

"Power stones if you like them"

"If you want an early access join my patreon:- patreon.com/BaDwYGaMeR"