Chapter 322: Yakos’s Purpose!
The eting dragged on until evening before it finally ca to an end.
Most of it was spent listening to that so-called Secretary-General Wendis spout nonsense. Bureaucratic jargon, empty platitudes, and veiled commands—he talked for hours without saying anything useful.
Midway through the eting, Garp stood up and declared, "Gotta use the bathroom." He never ca back.
No one questioned it. Garp wasn’t the kind of man who’d waste ti listening to governnt flunkies blowing hot air.
Now, outside the eting hall, a small group had gathered.
Garp, Sengoku, and Tsuru stood together under the quiet twilight. Admiral Fujitora—Issho—soon joined them.
"Admiral Issho," Garp said, munching on senbei, "weren’t you given a mission just now? What, not planning to follow through?"
"No," Issho said with his usual calm. "The task of wiping out the Seven Warlords of the Sea... that’ll be handled by others."
Garp raised a brow, crunching loudly. "Why’s that?"
Issho gave a gentle smile.
"Tell , why were the Seven Warlords created in the first place?"
His voice was light, but the question cut deep.
"Because we feared their power," Sengoku answered after a pause. "To fight them directly would cost us too much."
"True," Issho nodded. "But I recall you were the one most firmly against the Shichibukai system, Admiral. You called it the Navy’s greatest stain."
Tsuru narrowed her eyes, curious. "So why decline to be part of their removal now?"
Issho lowered his head slightly, his expression unreadable behind the blindfold.
"Let ask you instead—do you know much about pirates?"
"Of course," Garp scoffed. "I spent my life chasing ’em."
"No... I an the Dragon Hunter Pirates."
At the ntion of that na, the group fell silent.
The Dragon Hunter Pirates weren’t part of the Seven Warlords, though they had two forr Shichibukai on board. Still, their rise wasn’t backed by the system—they carved their own path.
Given how the World Governnt had backed off after their invasion of Mary Geoise, it was clear they had made a reluctant compromise with the Dragon Hunters.
The truth was harsh: neither the Navy nor the World Governnt could afford another clash with them. Not now.
As much as it embarrassed the higher-ups, stability took priority. And the Dragon Hunters were too powerful to provoke lightly.
On the seas, justice and evil were rely labels. What mattered was strength. That’s how the Four Emperors survived while countless weaker pirates were crushed under the banner of "justice."
It was a rotten system—and Sengoku had long grown tired of it.
Issho exhaled slowly. "What that man—Ryuunosuke—is doing... may change the sea itself."
A rare smile crossed his face.
"To be honest, part of ... wants to board his ship. See what kind of justice he’s building."
No one responded. But none of them judged him either.
Issho’s words were bold, perhaps even treasonous by old standards—but not untrue.
Whatever ca next... it was out of their hands.
---
anwhile, in the East Blue...
The Ship of the Gods was on the move.
But this voyage wasn’t to cross the Red Line or scale Reverse Mountain. No, they had only one target in mind—Yakos.
The old Vice Admiral had been making repeated attacks on mbers of the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
It had nothing to do with any orders from above. He was acting on his own.
Which ant one thing.
He was fair ga.
The ship sliced through the waves and arrived at the outskirts of Rogue Town. Nearby, dozens of scattered, uninhabited islands dotted the sea. These small, desolate landmasses were often used by pirates as temporary hideouts.
"He’s here," Ryuunosuke murmured, standing at the prow.
A powerful aura had just entered his sensory range.
Strong—yes. But not overwhelming. It was the kind of strength that would’ve shaken the seas a few decades ago... but not anymore.
"A warship on the horizon," Najenda reported, her voice calm but alert.
From the deck, a raspy voice echoed across the water.
"So you’ve finally co, Dragon Hunter Pirates..."
A gray warship drifted into view, and atop it stood a tall, weathered man with a coat fluttering behind him. His presence was heavy—his haki, oppressive.
"Vice Admiral Yakos of the Marine Branch," Ryuunosuke greeted plainly. "Care to explain why you’ve been attacking mbers of my crew?"
Yakos looked just as ancient as Garp—two lions from the sa era. n who once chased the Pirate King across the seas. By now, he should’ve been basking in retirent... not picking fights with pirates half his age.
The old man grinned through his wrinkles.
"Because I can’t beat your main crew!"
Ryuunosuke blinked.
Even Najenda froze.
"What?" Uvogin muttered, utterly confused.
The crew exchanged glances, unsure if Yakos was joking or had finally gone senile.
"I an it!" Yakos shouted. "I knew I couldn’t take on your core team, so I went after the easier ones to get your attention!"
The bluntness was... baffling.
And then, without warning, Yakos made his real intention clear.
"I want to join the Dragon Hunter Pirates!"
Silence.
Total silence.
Even the waves seed to pause.
"You what?" Ryuunosuke asked, blinking in disbelief.
"You heard ."
Ryuunosuke stared at the man. This was soone who once stood at the top of the Navy’s ranks during Roger’s ti—soone who’d fought beside Garp, perhaps even shared battlefields with legends.
And now he wanted to switch sides?
"Explain," Ryuunosuke said at last. His tone didn’t shift—not warm, not hostile. Just cautious.
Yakos didn’t hesitate.
"The Navy today... is rotting from the inside out."
"The World Governnt no longer represents the justice I once swore to uphold."
"I can’t beat you, Ryuunosuke. That’s a fact. So I’d rather join you... and if soday, the Dragon Hunter Pirates stray down a dark path, I’ll be there to stop it."
His eyes glead—not with ambition, but conviction.
Ryuunosuke narrowed his gaze. The logic was bold... but not entirely unreasonable.
Yet allowing a forr Vice Admiral to join was no small matter. The Dragon Hunter Pirates had already been recognized by the system—any new addition would shift their dynamic and possibly alert the World Governnt.
Besides, what good would an old man bring?
"I refuse," Ryuunosuke said coldly.
"You bring no value to my crew."
His voice was like steel.
"And one more thing—if you attack any more of my people, I’ll personally send you to the depths."
He turned to leave, done with the conversation.
But Yakos wasn’t finished.
"I know things about Gol D. Roger’s final voyage—about Raftel. I know where so of his forr crewmates are."
Ryuunosuke paused.
Now that... was a different matter.
Most of Roger’s crew were still alive, scattered across the world. n like Rayleigh, Jabba, Irvin... and of course, Douglas Bullet—who carried the eternal pose to Raftel itself.
Information like that wasn’t sothing to ignore.
Slowly, a faint spark of interest glinted in Ryuunosuke’s eyes.
"Raftel, huh...?"
Now that was worth listening to.
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