One Piece: General Blue

The sky stretches wide for birds to fly, and the sea opens vast for fish to leap.

This perfectly described Rorschach's feelings at the moment.

Starting today, he would lead a 200-man battleship from Marineford, the headquarters of the Navy, into the Grand Line to begin his patrol mission.

Ordinarily, for a mid-level officer of his rank as a Marine Captain from Headquarters, a mere 200-strong crew was a bit meager.

However, since Rorschach had just graduated from the recruit camp and lacked any commanding experience in combat, and given that he was patrolling the seas rather than stationed at a Marine branch, Sengoku had only approved 200 personnel for his crew.

The battleship was the largest model, a 50-meter three-masted ship powered by steam engines fueled by coal.

The hull was equipped with seastone plating at the bottom, allowing it to navigate the Calm Belt freely.

Thirty-six heavy iron cannons lined its sides, and the bow carried a massive artillery piece comparable to coastal defense cannons.

The battleship was armed to the teeth, resembling a sea king beast sailing the ocean with menacing grandeur.

For ordinary pirate ships, this level of firepower was overwhelming. Rorschach and his crew wouldn't even need to act themselves; the trained gunners onboard could easily sink enemy ships.

"Stop stalling, Luo! You know there's no escaping this!"

At the inner harbor of Marineford, Rorschach, dressed in his pristine white Captain's uniform with the Justice cape billowing behind him, smiled as he inspected the neatly assembled crew before him.

Among them were seasoned Marine officers, fresh-faced recruits, and even a few familiar faces.

Lwa, Bepo, Penguin, Shachi—and then...

"Hibari? What are you doing here?"

Rorschach was baffled to see a petite figure step out of the crowd and briskly jog up to him, standing proudly with her signature Gentle Blooming Flower Gun slung over her back.

The short-haired, radiant female Marine was none other than Hibari.

"Of course, I'm here to set sail with you, Brother Rorschach! I'm graduating from recruit camp too. Granny Tsuru gave me a graduation task to chart the major navigational routes of the Grand Line."

Hibari smiled, her lips pursed with excitement, her face beaming with barely contained joy.

But seeing her radiant smile only gave Rorschach a headache.

"What's wrong? Brother Rorschach, don't you want me on your ship?"

Hibari's lips quivered, and her big, bright eyes glistened with unshed tears, making Rorschach's expression stiffen.

Who taught her this trick?

"It's not that I don't want you..." Rorschach groaned inwardly.

It's that I can't!

She was Akainu's daughter, after all!

If anything happened to her while she was under his command, who could bear the responsibility?

If a tragedy like what happened to Teacher Zephyr years ago were to occur again, how would he face Uncle Sakazuki?

Though few knew about Hibari's connection to Akainu, Rorschach didn't want to take any chances. If a powerful rogue with nothing to lose tried to kidnap her to coerce the Navy, what then?

Furthermore, his ship was an all-male crew. A single girl living onboard would inevitably cause discomfort.

For both personal and professional reasons, Rorschach didn't want her accompanying him on this dangerous mission.

This wasn't just any graduation assessment. The difficulty was sky-high, setting an unprecedented challenge.

His task wasn't merely to patrol the Grand Line.

Zephyr's mission for him was to eliminate pirates in Paradise and capture a total bounty worth six billion berries!

Yes.

Six billion berries.

When Rorschach first heard the mission, he was utterly stunned.

He still remembered the sympathetic looks on Smoker and Drake's faces when they heard Zephyr's voice over the Den Den Mushi in the mess hall.

According to Zephyr, Luo Xia's training had drawn from Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr, Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji.

Each had assigned him a task equivalent to a one-billion-berry bounty—a perfectly reasonable graduation assessment.

They didn't even factor in Granny Tsuru or the other Vice Admirals!

Reasonable? More like insane!

Even in the New World, capturing pirates with a total bounty of six billion berries would ensure a promotion to Vice Admiral.

Whether it involved taking down six Yonko Commanders or thousands of pirates with million-berry bounties, it was a monumental task.

In Paradise, however, such bounties were exceedingly rare.

Even if they existed, higher bounties signified stronger pirates. Rorschach didn't consider himself invincible.

Not only was he far from the level of top-tier powerhouses, but he also had to contend with bizarre Devil Fruit abilities, racial talents, and peculiar technologies.

For instance, being touched by Sugar from Doflamingo's crew.

Or AIN's abilities.

Or the luck-based powers on Tesoro's ship.

He was too young to handle such risks!

With a head full of chaotic thoughts, Rorschach scanned the plaza nervously.

Finally, he spotted a tall, burly man with purple hair and a mechanical arm approaching.

Rorschach breathed a sigh of relief and darted over.

"Teacher Zephyr, you're finally here!"

Blocking Hibari's view, Rorschach whispered urgently to Zephyr, "Hibari says she wants to sail with me. Please send her back, Teacher Zephyr!"

"Send her back? Why would I?" Zephyr smirked, his teasing tone unmistakable. "You've been hanging around Sakazuki's house so much, and now you're trying to run after reaping the benefits? Even if I agreed, Sakazuki wouldn't!"

Hearing Zephyr's banter, Rorschach's face fell into despair.

"Teacher Zephyr, this is a matter of life and death! Please don't joke about this."

"How is it unsuitable? You're the ship's captain, and having a childhood friend as your warm-bed adjutant is perfectly normal."

Zephyr chuckled.

Meanwhile, Rorschach was on the verge of tears.

What kind of teacher says such things to his student?

If Uncle Sakazuki heard this, Rorschach would be dead for sure.

A Magma Dog Through the Chest Warning!

Seeing Rorschach's distressed expression, Zephyr laughed for a long time before finally stopping. Waving his hand dismissively, he said, "Alright, if the little girl insists on following, let her. You just need to put in more effort to protect her. After all, do you even know whose daughter she is?"

"She's Sakazuki's daughter, definitely not a delicate one."

"Although her strength isn't quite at your monstrous level, in the Elite Training Camp, she's second only to Lwa."

"Don't underestimate her, kid."

Hearing this from Zephyr, even though Rorschach was reluctant, he had no choice but to accept it with a resigned sigh.

Standing before Zephyr, who was now barely taller than himself, Rorschach noticed the complex emotions in Zephyr's gaze.

It seemed like Zephyr had many things he wanted to say to Rorschach.

Yet, at the same time, there wasn't much he needed to explain.

Rorschach was one of the most unique Navy soldiers Zephyr had ever trained.

This uniqueness wasn't just due to his young age.

After the incident a few years ago, Zephyr hadn't planned to take up the position of instructor at headquarters.

The daily training in the Elite Training Camp had been left to officers of the headquarters, with Zephyr occasionally stepping in to provide guidance when available.

The only reason he returned to the instructor role was because of this young boy who stood before him, still looking remarkably fresh and inexperienced.

It all began after Sakazuki returned from the North Sea and had a brief conversation with Zephyr.

"Old man, I want you to teach someone for me."

"Who?"

"Someone who's experienced darkness but hasn't been corrupted by the world."

"Do they have potential?"

"A future commander."

"Alright."

And so, Zephyr waited at Marineford.

After a year, Kuzan finally brought Rorschach back.

The boy indeed shone brightly upon his debut, proving himself to be the exceptional talent Sakazuki had described.

But Zephyr didn't just look at talent when training students.

He was different from Garp, who was all about brute force.

Zephyr's teaching focused on gradually instilling the concept of justice into his disciples during everyday training.

He didn't just want to train warriors skilled in brute force.

He wanted to raise leaders who carried the spirit of justice, capable of guiding the Navy and leading it toward the future.

He aimed to create a new "Hero of the Navy."

It was a lofty goal, and Zephyr knew it.

No one was perfect.

In his many years as an instructor, 90% of the Navy's officers and generals had been his students.

Yet few truly matched the vision he had for his ideal disciple.

Some lacked the talent and strength.

Others adhered too rigidly to justice, seeing only destruction.

Some simply gave up halfway.

Kuzan had been promising in the past, but his passion eventually cooled.

Garp's son, Dragon, had the qualities of a true commander, but unfortunately...

"Zephyr-sensei, are you alright?"

Noticing that Zephyr had been standing still for a while, Rorschach waved a hand in front of him.

Clink.

The heavy mechanical arm suddenly closed, grabbing Rorschach's hand tightly.

"Ah... Seastone…"

Rorschach's knees buckled, almost making him kneel.

"Heh, got careless again, didn't you? This mechanical arm of mine is laced with Seastone, specifically to deal with ability users."

Zephyr released his grip and tossed Rorschach aside.

"Listen up, kid!"

"The dangers of the sea are everywhere—natural disasters, human schemes, countless challenges!"

"But as a strong Navy soldier, you must actively face these trials. Only by enduring enough storms can you solidify your sense of justice!"

"I'm entrusting these young warriors to you. Don't let me down, don't betray your sense of justice. Now go! Complete your final test."

"Justice will prevail!"

"As you wish, Zephyr-sensei!"

Rorschach took a deep breath, his eyes slightly red, and stood up straight, saluting.

"Justice will prevail!"

"Justice will prevail!"

The collective roar of 200 Navy soldiers echoed through Marineford.

"Board the ships! Set sail!"

Rorschach raised his right hand high.

"Comrades! Follow me to achieve glory and eradicate pirates!"

"To achieve glory! Eradicate pirates!"

The soldiers, full of fervor, grabbed their supplies and quickly boarded the warship.

From afar, at the coastal artillery base, Drake and Smoker stood with arms crossed, watching the bustling scene.

"Heh, kid, good luck out there!" Drake shouted loudly.

Leaping onto the ship, Rorschach turned back with a grin, waving. "The same to you, Captain Drake! And you too, Commander Smoker!"

"Drop by the East Blue if you get a chance," Smoker muttered, lighting a cigar.

"Six billion... I can already foresee the relentless struggles ahead," Luo sighed, leaning on the ship's railing with a gloomy expression.

Bepo and Penguin huddled together, crying.

"Captain... we want to go back to the North Blue and be doctors…"

"Ha! Too late! Once you're on my ship, there's no turning back!"

Rorschach laughed, waving his hand. A sudden gust of wind filled the sails, propelling the massive warship forward even without power, its speed increasing rapidly as it sailed into the open sea.

The boy leapt to the bow of the ship, waving vigorously toward the purple-haired old man on the dock.

"Zephyr-sensei! Take care of yourself! I'll bring you wine when I return!"

"Take care of yourself too! Be more tactful and less reckless! The world out there isn't like the Navy Headquarters!"

Watching the emerald-green warship cutting through the waves and disappearing into the horizon, Zephyr wiped the corner of his eye.

"The wind is picking up."

(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"