Chapter 3: Justice, House Arrest, and a Baby

"Star Map."

Imu summoned the golden finger that he had brought with him when he transmigrated to this world.

Yes, a golden finger. These days, if you're a transmigrator—especially into a high-risk world like One Piece—how could you possibly survive without a cheat?

That said, he honestly felt like his current identity, status, strength, wealth, and even lifespan were already cheat-level on their own.

Compared to those poor transmigrators who ended up as slaves, pirates, or commoners—

His start could only be described as god-tier. Pure luck. Peak RNG.

Even if, judging by the original storyline, he'd likely be overthrown and eliminated in twenty-four years…

As Imu silently called out to it—

A magnificent spiral galaxy suddenly appeared before his eyes, a virtual projection that floated midair. Every star twinkled brilliantly.

At the same time—

A line of text quietly waited for his response in the lower-left corner of the display:

[A random small-scale Dimensional Gate can be activated]

Over the past few days, he had more or less learned everything he could about this so-called cheat.

He had read the built-in manual over and over again.

After all, this might one day become the very thing he'd have to rely on for survival.

But… he was wrong.

Very wrong.

Not because the cheat was useless—

But because, for now, it just didn't help with his current situation.

According to the manual, this wasn't a system or game-like interface.

It was a starmap—a record of every galaxy, star, planet, and moon in the omniverse. Continuously updating in real-time. Incredibly advanced.

It came with one additional feature: something called a 'Dimensional Gate'.

Once per year, the starmap would randomly activate a small gate leading to another planet.

Roughly three meters tall and two meters wide—not exactly small, but not huge either.

According to the manual, the target planet might not necessarily have intelligent life, but it was guaranteed to be solid and stable. So no risk of stepping into some strange gas cloud.

Once a Dimensional Gate was activated—

The precise location of the target planet would also be highlighted on the starmap.

Which meant that, theoretically, if Imu had the tech, he could fly a spaceship there himself.

Sure, that might sound dumb at first. Why use a spaceship when you've got instant teleportation?

But—what if it worked the other way around?

If he ever reached another planet via spaceship—

Then that planet would also be marked on the starmap, and the gate to it would automatically unlock.

That meant he could instantly return to Starfish World (the Planet from the One Piece Series) or instantly travel to any other planet with an active gate.

Now that... sounded a lot more useful, didn't it?

Still—

Right now, neither the starmap nor the gate had any real value for his current situation.

Before dealing with external threats, he had to stabilize his internal affairs.

He hadn't even secured control over this planet, let alone cleaned it up. Not to mention the looming crisis twenty-four years down the line.

Why did he even think about the vast, unknown universe that lay beyond?

In the end, neither the starmap nor the Dimensional Gate could really help with what came next.

At least… not yet.

"Maybe, if one day I'm really pushed into a corner, the starmap and the gate could become my last resort."

With that thought, Imu felt a bit more at ease.

Given his terrifying power and countless abilities—

As long as the planet wasn't a complete death trap, surviving would be no big deal.

"Since I've got an escape plan in place… it's time to clean up this world properly!"

...

Marineford.

Wrapped completely in a black cloak, Rouge walked with her head lowered, expressionless, step by step through the layers of stone buildings.

The flat concrete beneath her feet was hard—frigidly so.

Around her, a dozen female Marine officers surrounded her closely.

Each of them wore the immaculate, billowing coat of justice.

The overwhelming presence they radiated made the male soldiers on either side of the path straighten their backs and salute as they passed.

Not long ago, as Rouge had just stepped off the warship, she had been handed over by Admiral Sengoku to the female Vice Admiral currently leading the group.

Roger, meanwhile, was detained on another warship.

After the massive Gates of Justice swung open, he was escorted away in a different direction—led by none other than the Marine hero, Garp.

Rouge knew where they were going—Impel Down, the legendary, terrifying underwater prison.

Her eyes had lingered on them for a long time.

Now, she lifted her gaze slightly and looked toward the woman known as Tsuru.

She appeared to be in her forties or fifties. There were visible wrinkles around her eyes…

But her deep blue hair showed not a single strand of gray, and at two meters tall, her build still looked rather normal—at least by Marine standards.

Most importantly, there was no overwhelming aura about her. Instead, she gave off a calm, gentle presence.

Roger had mentioned her once or twice before. She was known as a principled and righteous Marine—Vice Admiral Tsuru.

That gave Rouge a small sense of relief.

Still, what weighed most heavily on her heart was not the Marines themselves, but rather… how the World Government would treat the child growing inside her.

After all, this was the bloodline of the Pirate King.

As for her own life—truth be told—she didn't care all that much.

Under the watchful eyes of many male Marines, the group of female officers finally arrived at a gate on the western side of the base.

At the entrance stood female guards on both sides.

Inside, she could clearly see several small buildings and a wide training field.

Rouge followed Tsuru through the gates and soon realized—this was a facility exclusively for female soldiers.

"This is far enough. You can return to your duties. I'll handle things from here."

Vice Admiral Tsuru came to a stop and addressed the officers escorting them.

"Yes, Vice Admiral!"

The women responded without hesitation and quickly dispersed in small groups.

Tsuru then turned to Rouge with a warm smile. "Come on, I'll show you your room."

Rouge remained silent.

Tsuru didn't mind. She simply turned and walked on, and Rouge followed quietly behind.

It wasn't long before the two of them arrived at a simple, modest little courtyard.

Tsuru led her into one of the rooms.

"This is my home. From now on, you'll be living here with me. No one will come in without permission, and there are always female doctors on duty in the compound. You can feel at ease."

As Tsuru spoke, Rouge took a moment to look around.

Golden sunlight filtered in through the glass windows. The furnishings were few but complete—a bed, a table, a wardrobe. There was even a separate bathroom with both dry and wet areas.

Everything looked neat and tidy. The air carried a faint scent of flowers.

"But there are some rules you'll need to follow," Tsuru added. "For now, don't leave this courtyard without permission."

"In a few days, you'll be allowed to walk around the compound, but only with someone accompanying you."

"That's the limit. Under no circumstances can you leave the women's quarters."

Rouge nodded. Then, lifting the black hood from her head, she asked softly, "What does the World Government plan to do with my child?"

Tsuru caught the worry and unease in Rouge's eyes and gave a gentle, motherly smile.

"Fleet Admiral Kong has ordered that you be placed under house arrest within the women's compound. Your child will remain here with you until they turn six."

"After that, just like all the other children on the island, they'll attend the Navy Primary School. One visit home every seven days, plus two long holidays each year—thirty days each."

"When they turn twelve, they'll enroll in the Navy Headquarters Academy. Four years later, their performance will determine their rank, and they'll officially become a full-fledged Marine."

Vice Admiral Tsuru calmly laid out what the future would look like for the child in Rouge's womb.

At the same time, it was her way of reassuring her: Don't worry. Everything will be fine. Your child will grow up safe and sound.

"He'll become a Marine?" Rouge stared at Tsuru in disbelief. "Roger's child can become a Marine?!"

"Heh. That's the information I received. But you got one thing wrong."

Tsuru sighed softly, her emotions complex.

When she'd first heard from Fleet Admiral Kong about the World Government's plans for Rouge and her child, her shock had been indescribable.

Even the voice and tone coming through the Den-Den Mushi on the other end had made it obvious—Fleet Admiral Kong himself was just as stunned.

"What do you mean?"

Rouge tensed immediately.

Tsuru continued, "Your child won't be allowed to carry either your surname or Roger's. And you absolutely must never tell him who his father was. You need to remember that."

"According to the orders from the World Government, if it's discovered that your child knows the truth about his lineage before the ban is lifted—and especially if he shows hostility toward the World Government or the Marines—then he will be arrested. Possibly even executed."

Rouge fell silent.

Tsuru didn't press her, simply watching quietly, waiting for her reply.

"I understand. From now on, this child… will be nameless," Rouge whispered, gently caressing her still-flat belly.

She knew this was already the best outcome she could hope for.

That the World Government would treat her with this much leniency was far beyond anything she'd imagined.

"Mhm. As long as you've come to terms with it, that's good. Oh—by the way, I have a younger sister. Her name's Gion. She stops by to visit me sometimes. I'll introduce you when she comes."

"Alright."