Ohara's Remnant

Twin Cape is so called because of the two lighthouses flanking the entrance to the Grand Line.

The lighthouses stand on slightly lower Red Line land. While "lower" is relative, they're still quite high for the Death Star Ship. However, there are rope ladders leading up to them.

The ship dropped anchor beside the cliff face. Sage and his crew landed on the lower land and climbed the ladders.

A rectangular house sits below the lighthouse. A long chair sits by the entrance. An old man in a floral shirt, his head looking like a blooming flower, was putting away a nearby umbrella. He turned his head as they approached, his gaze meeting Sage's.

Then, silence. Renetia raised an eyebrow, holding the old man's gaze for a long moment before blurting out, "Birdman?"

The old man's pupils constricted. He stared intently at Renetia, his eyes filled with solemnity and killing intent. The intensity made Renetia tense, her hand instinctively going to the small hammer at her back.

"I'm not Birdman. I'm just an old man."

The old man finally spoke. "That's just decoration on my head."

"Who asked you?!" Renetia rolled her eyes, shouting.

"Alright, alright."

Sage ruffled Renetia's pink hair, then turned to the old man. "You're the Twin Cape lighthouse keeper, right? I have a question..."

"Before you ask, shouldn't you introduce yourselves?"

The old man interrupted Sage. "It's only polite."

Sage twitched his lips. "Fine, I'm..."

"Norton Sage. I've seen your bounty notice. Seventy million berries in the East Blue is quite high." The old man cut him off again.

A vein throbbed in Sage's temple. He rolled up his sleeves, furious. "You're asking for a beating!"

"Of course I'll die."

The old man raised a hand, stopping Sage from advancing. The solemnity and gravity in his eyes stunned everyone.

"I..." He pointed at himself, then continued.

"It's you!" The pirates behind them all went wide-eyed, shouting in unison.

Renetia angrily pulled out her hammer, her fingers lengthening and enlarging the handle as she raised it to strike, but Marika and Lily stopped her.

Sage beckoned to Paru, who trotted over, offering a cigar with both hands. He then diligently lit a match, waiting for the cigar to ignite.

Sage took a deep drag, exhaling a plume of smoke before speaking. "Old man, you..."

"My name is Kuro."

"Ah?!" Sage was taken aback.

"Kurokas. Seventy-one years old, Gemini, blood type AB, favorite food is grilled giant squid." The old man continued.

"Sage, why are you so surprised?" Renetia asked, puzzled.

"I don't know. It's a strange feeling. Oh well, it doesn't matter."

Sage shook his head, almost laughing. He looked at Kurokas. "Old man, you're not afraid of dying, are you?"

"A man of the sea never fears death. I'm seventy-one, I haven't much time left."

Kurokas put away his umbrella and sat on the bench. "So, what brings a man like you to a lowly lighthouse keeper like myself? And you seem injured. Need treatment? I have some herbs good for recovery."

"Doctor?"

Sage paused again. Doctor, lighthouse keeper, and the "It's you!"

He suddenly realized. "Roger's crewman."

"Roger?"

Those behind him were equally stunned.

"Gol D. Roger?" Marika opened her usually smiling eyes.

"The Pirate King?" Lily was dumbfounded.

Akin and Aru's eyes lit up.

"Gol D. Roger, young lady."

Kurokas glanced at Marika, his expression unchanged. "These days, pirates even collect decades-old information? But I'm just an old man now. Being a crewman was a long time ago."

"That doesn't matter."

Sage approached him, extending a hand. "Since you're the Pirate King's crewman, you must have a Log Pose to Raftel. Give it to me. Don't make me take it by force."

Though he wasn't interested in becoming Pirate King that way, Sage believed in the existence of the "One Piece."

Why not take readily available treasure?

"I don't have such a thing. If I did, I wouldn't be a lighthouse keeper. The government would have a bounty on my head."

Kurokas shook his head. "I was Roger's crewman, but just the ship's doctor. I have no strength, no bounty."

"Huh? Does Raftel really exist?" Renetia exclaimed. "I thought it was a legend. Sage, he's just a strange old man. Will he really have that Log Pose?"

"Ah..."

Sage pondered. "I feel like anyone with Kuro and Cass in their name should have it..."

"My name is Kurokas, not Kuro and Cass."

Kurokas scanned them. "You don't seem to have a Log Pose either. Sailing the Grand Line without one is impossible. Incidentally, I gave mine to another pirate from the East Blue a few days ago. You seem to have been given bounties around the same time."

"The Straw Hat Kid?"

Lily said, "The pirate with a thirty-million berry bounty."

Marika asked, "No extra Log Poses... will you get more? Old man, how long would it take to get another one?"

"I don't know. Maybe a month, maybe half a year."

Kurokas shook his head. "Without a Log Pose, I don't recommend you sail."

"We can't avoid sailing."

Lily looked up at the sky. It was clear, yet she closed her eyes slightly, sensing an unseen wind ruffling her golden, wavy hair.

"Sage, a strong wind is coming."

"Let's go!"

Sage gritted his teeth, dropping his half-smoked cigar. He turned and left.

Without a Log Pose, there was no point staying. And he trusted Lily's judgment.

A highly theoretical navigator might lack practical experience, but not ability. Lily, having gained extensive practical experience in the East Blue, proved her theories correct.

"Huh? Even a strong wind is fine. My ship is battle-tested!" Renetia was still confused.

But she quickly understood why Sage left so decisively.

As they stepped onto the deck, the wind suddenly intensified, becoming a gale capable of raising huge waves.

Crash!! A wave rose beneath the Death Star Ship, creating a tsunami-like surge that lifted the ship. The violent wind pressed down, throwing everyone on deck to the ground and tilting the ship dangerously.

Even the pirates in the engine room couldn't adjust for this. They could only control the ship's speed, not the tilting caused by the wind and waves.

"What the heck?!"

Renetia's eyes widened, her hands pressed against the deck, veins bulging on her neck.

"My ship won't sink under these conditions! That's cheating!"

Crackle! Electric Flowers surged from her palms into the ship, providing power to right the tilting vessel. The ship righted itself.

The wave pushed the Death Star Ship forward, and the gale propelled it further, far from Twin Cape. Without sails or engine power, the wind and waves carried the ship away at high speed.

Strangely, the violent wind and waves stopped abruptly at Twin Cape, like hitting an invisible barrier. Only a light spray of seawater reached the land.

"Coo! Coo!"

A news bird even landed on Twin Cape unharmed.

"It's like they were targeted..."

Kurokas watched the ship disappear, dropping a coin into the box hanging on the news bird's chest. He shook his head. "Strange people..."

He took out a newspaper, unfolded it, and his pupils constricted.

"Why is it so high? Destroying a section of the Bridge Kingdom's bridge and robbing Log Town? It shouldn't be this high."

He pursed his lips, sighing. "The sea is always so lively..."

...

Navy Headquarters.

In an office with a plaque reading "Justice that Reigns Supreme,"

Garp took a bite of senbei, chewing and laughing. "Hahahaha! Should we cover this up?"

"Garp!!"

From behind the desk, a man with long, braided beard and round glasses stood up angrily. "It's all your fault! If you'd caught him in Bridge Kingdom, none of this would have happened!"

"Zhan Guo, you can't blame this old man. He escaped, I didn't let him go, hahaha!" Garp laughed uproariously.

"Shut up! You always do inexplicable things. 鹤 and I have cleaned up after you countless times! It takes a lot of effort!"

Zhan Guo glared at Garp, snatching his bag of senbei and pouring it into his mouth.

"Ah! My senbei!" Garp cried out.

"Hmph!"

Zhan Guo tossed the empty bag. "Now even Zefa can't catch him. He has asthma, but it also means he's getting more difficult! He destroyed Bridge Kingdom and robbed Log Town. The nobles' complaints are piling up here, and we can't recover the stolen goods."

Bang! He slammed his fist on the table. "We have to cover up the fact that you and Zefa couldn't catch him. But destroying four kingdoms alone shows his threat level is beyond a rookie pirate. Raising his bounty this high is unavoidable. We must eliminate him before he enters the Grand Line!"

On the table, a bounty notice lay where his hand had struck.

It was still Sage's laughing face amidst the ruins and fire, but the bounty amount below read: "Two hundred and seventy million? Even if you and Zefa didn't catch him, that's high for a rookie pirate, hahaha!"

Garp glanced at it and laughed again.

"No, escaping after fighting you and Zefa is only one reason. We found information about Norton Sage in the East Blue..."

Zhan Guo's expression turned serious. He said slowly, "He's a remnant of Ohara."

Total word count: over 16,000 words, equivalent to eight chapters. I apologize for the delayed update.

There are two thousand words left, aiming for an update at midnight.

I'll try to have a burst of updates later, and maintain three updates daily. Updates will be unstable for the next few days, but I'll guarantee three chapters. Things should stabilize in a few days.

I can't guarantee extra chapters for donations right now, I'll discuss that later.

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