Chapter 7: East Blue's Finale

East Blue, G62 Branch, Year 1511.

Morning light filtered through the blinds, casting a glow over the simple yet solemn office.

On the desk, neatly stacked reports from patrols across various seas bore strikingly clear stamps.

[Pirates Annihilated]

[Black Market Cleansed]

[No New Rising Forces Recorded]

The air carried a faint scent of ink mingled with the salty scent of the sea breeze.

Behind the desk, Guts sat in his uniform, his cape casually draped over the back of his chair, as he reviewed the final batch of regional wrap-up reports.

The door creaked open.

Puck strode in, his uniform immaculate and his steps steady, though a barely contained excitement flickered across his face.

"Report, Boss!"

He raised an envelope stamped with the highest-level red seal from headquarters, his voice tinged with suppressed enthusiasm.

"Another summons from HQ—"

"This time, it bears Admiral Sakazuki's personal signature!"

At this, Guts paused slightly.

Slowly lifting his gaze, a complex and profound light flickered in his dark eyes.

He smiled faintly, the expression cold yet carrying a trace of familial warmth.

"Uncle Sakazuki himself summoned me?"

His fingers tapped lightly on the desk, producing a crisp echo.

After a brief silence, he closed the final East Blue report, stood and shrugged on his uniform jacket, adjusting the cuffs with a flick of his wrist.

His gaze was calm as a lake, yet beneath it smoldered a fire as intense as an undersea volcano.

"...Fine."

He walked slowly to the window, gazing at the tranquil, wave-less surface of the East Blue under the morning sun.

Sails dotted the horizon as fishing boats crisscrossed the waters.

This once lawless sea, teeming with pirates and filth, had finally been scrubbed clean.

"Staying still is boring anyway."

"The East Blue... is indeed just about cleared."

Guts lowered his head, pensively brushing his fingers over an old notebook tucked in the corner of his desk.

A thought crossed his mind, and he frowned slightly, an involuntary name surfacing in his heart—one that left him somewhat exasperated.

Buggy.

That guy, who had once flaunted the title of pirate in the East Blue, had somehow slipped through his fingers like an eel during the cleanup.

"Years of thorough purging... and even after sweeping every last island, I still haven't found him."

Guts narrowed his eyes, his lips curling into a mocking smirk.

"...Conqueror's Haki? Or just sheer dumb luck?"

He scoffed softly and shook his head.

"But running for now... doesn't mean running forever."

With a slight shake of his head, he reined in his thoughts.

Turning back, he issued a calm order.

"Reply to HQ."

"Give me two more months to tie up loose ends."

"After that, we move."

Puck straightened his back and gave a firm nod.

As he reached the door, he couldn't resist turning back, asking bluntly.

"So, Boss, where are we headed these two months?"

Guts arched a brow slightly, the corners of his lips lifting into a razor-thin smile.

"Where?"

His tone was leisurely, yet it carried an unshakable resolve.

"Skypiea."

Puck blinked. "Skypiea?!"

Guts clasped his hands behind his back, his gaze sharp as a blade.

"There's a 'god' there with considerable potential."

"—It's time to bring that power under the banner of our justice."

A breeze swept through the spacious office, rustling the Marine flag on the desk.

As the last batch of extermination reports were filed away and Puck took his leave, Guts remained alone in the empty office.

The next moment—Ding.

The interface of the Absolute Justice System silently unfolded in his mind, accompanied by a familiar, low-pitched chime.

[Host Judgment Statistics]

Pirates Eliminated: 4,444

Black Market Bases Destroyed: 144

Corrupt Forces Purged: 44

Key Nodes Suppressed: East Blue Fully Cleansed (Completion 99.9%)

[Total Judgement Points]: (Historical Peak Accumulation)

Personal Attribute Panel:

Base Physicality: Super A-Class (Reinforcement Limit)

Armament Haki: Advanced Mastery (Can harden entire body)

Observation Haki: Advanced Mastery (Senses killing intent 6 seconds in advance)

Conqueror's Haki: Initial Awakening (Can briefly intimidate weaker wills)

Air Air Fruit Development: 100% (Limit Reached·Awakening Pending)

Fruit Awakening: Deepens with combat, potential for natural breakthrough under extreme conditions.

Guts lowered his gaze to the panel, fingertips lightly tapping the desk.

Fruit abilities.

Haki mastery.

His growth speed had long since far surpassed the standard Marine training curve.

Yet he wasn't in a hurry to use his remaining Judgement Points for further enhancement.

Because…

He chuckled softly, swiping to another section of the interface.

[Judgement Exchange]

Exchange Item:

Rare Item [Human Limit-Breaking Serum-Marine Edition (One-time Use)]

Effect:

Breaks conventional human limits.

Allows Armament Haki to grow without upper bounds through tempering.

Unlocks full physical potential, adapting to future high-intensity combat environments.

Confirm Use? —[Confirm]!

*****

East Blue·G62 Branch-Training Ground, Late Night.

The night was deep, the training field empty save for the howling sea wind.

Guts stood at the edge, clad in his Marine uniform, cape billowing in the night breeze.

In his hand was a small silver vial, its surface glinting faintly under the moonlight.

Not far away, Puck—bare-chested and drenched in sweat—was relentlessly striking a training post with hardened fists.

Thud! Thud! Thud!

Each punch landed with the muffled, heavy impact of Armament Haki.

Sweat dripped from his hairline, trailing down his jaw.

Guts watched silently for a moment before stepping forward and casually tossing the vial towards him.

"Catch."

Snap!

Puck reacted instantly, catching it firmly. He glanced at the bottle, then up at Guts.

Eyebrow quirking as he grinned.

"What ... is this?"

Guts didn't answer.

He simply stood with hands behind his back, gaze as calm as the midnight sea, and uttered a single word.

"Drink."

Puck didn't ask anymore.

Without hesitation.

Without doubt.

He twisted the cap off, tilted his head back and downed it in one go.

Instantly—an explosion of fire erupted within his veins!

Boom—!

His blood boiled, muscle fibers vibrating, every cell in his body roaring to life!

Puck dropped to one knee, teeth clenched, body trembling faintly.

Sweat and blood mingled, steaming from his skin like vapor!

And Guts—Simply watched.

Expression unreadable, fingers tightening slightly.

He knew the process would be agonizing.

But he also knew—Puck would endure.

Because they were comrades who had fought side by side to reach this point.

And because…

Puck was never one to be doubted.

"Hold on a little longer." Guts whispered, his voice filled with unshakable conviction.

Puck gritted his teeth, his fists smashing into the ground with such force that dark streams of domineering energy erupted from his knuckles.

....

Several minutes later.

Puck slowly rose to his feet, his eyes bloodshot yet burning with an unprecedented fervor.

He clenched his fist, feeling the endless torrent of power surging within him!

"This power is...!" Puck murmured in awe.

Guts approached, patting his shoulder with a voice that was indifferent yet carried a brotherly tone.

"Remember."

"This—is your qualification for the path ahead."

Puck took a deep breath, then suddenly grinned, his eyes gleaming with the sharpness of a wolf.

"Understood, boss!"

The wind swept across the silent training grounds.

Two figures stood beneath the starlight, their bond as unyielding as steel.

The East Blue arc had come to an end.

And the storm of the new world—was quietly brewing!

*****

Meanwhile · South Blue · Unnamed Waters

Waves churned violently as torrential rain poured down.

A tattered little pirate ship, barely holding together against the crashing waves, struggled desperately in the storm.

The mast was crooked, the sails torn and the deck patched all over.

Onboard, Buggy, dressed in his flamboyant clown outfit, clung to the mast for dear life, swaying wildly in the wind as he cursed.

"Damn it! This godforsaken weather! What kind of hellhole is this?!"

His face was pale, like a colorful salted fish dangling from a pole.

Beside him, a few exhausted crew members trembled, clutching the broken railing as they retched and whimpered.

"Captain... weren't we... doing just fine in the East Blue?"

"Wasn't the East Blue the gentlest, safest place?! Why did we have to come all the way to the South Blue?!"

Buggy gnashed his teeth, his red nose twitching uncontrollably, his voice laced with suppressed frustration and instinctive fear.

"...I don't know why, but I just felt—"

He swallowed hard, glancing towards the direction of the East Blue, his eyelids twitching uncontrollably.

His body shivered.

"...like if I showed my face in the East Blue even for a second, some monster would punch me into smithereens!!!"

The crew members stared in disbelief at him.

"???"

"What kind of insane reason was that?!!"

"What the hell happened in the East Blue?! Even our great Captain Buggy is scared shitless?!"

Buggy kicked the ship's railing furiously, his face flushing red.

"You don't understand a damn thing!!!"

"I'm a born child of destiny, a top-tier Conqueror's Haki-wielding clown with unparalleled instincts!!!"

"My gut feelings are never wrong!!!"

No sooner had he spoken than a bolt of lightning struck the sea right beside the ship, sending a massive geyser of water into the air and nearly capsizing the vessel.

The crew screamed while covering their heads.

"AAAAAHHH!!! CAPTAIN!!! STOP JINXING US!!!"

In the raging storm, Buggy clung to the mast desperately, drenched and utterly miserable.

The tiny, battered ship drifted away like a fallen leaf in the turbulent South Blue waves.

As if fleeing the roar of some terrifying beast of fate.

Yet Buggy remained oblivious—

It was precisely because of a certain monster in the East Blue, who had swept everything clean, that he, who could have lived peacefully in obscurity, was forced to flee to the South Blue by instinct—avoiding the East Blue's era of justice, where even the air reeked of Death!

Those waters were no longer a place for clowns to laze around.

The East Blue had changed.

It had become a terrifying wasteland where even Buggy the 'Luck' dared not linger for long.