March, Sea Calendar 1499.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In the office of the Great Staff Officer, Vice Admiral Tsuru, a Marine put a list on her desk. He was very respectful.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, this is the final list for the new term of the Elite Training Camp. Please look at it."
Tsuru nodded. She picked up the list and read it very fast. On the list were Marine geniuses. They were chosen from the Four Seas and the Grand Line.
"Smoker... the one Kuzan recommended. He has a Logia power. He is very talented, but he is a complete rebel."
She kept reading the list. She saw many names she knew and understood the situation.
After she finished looking at the list, she put it down gently. Her finger tapped the desk while she thought about something.
After a long time, she remembered something. She picked up her pen. At the very end of the Elite Camp list, she added one more name. She wrote it carefully.
Loguetown Marine Branch, Aiden.
"That should do it." She gave the list back to the Marine.
Then, she picked up the Den Den Mushi on her desk. She called a number she had not called for a while.
Bulu-bulu-bulu...
Kacha.
The call connected. The Den Den Mushi's eyes became thin like half-moons. Its face showed lines like an old man's face. Its mouth opened into a very big grin. A small beard grew from its chin. It looked exactly like Garp's beard.
From the other side, a loud voice spoke: "Oh? Tsuru. Why are you calling me?"
"Garp," Tsuru said. Her voice was much more relaxed. "Are you still enjoying your luxury in the East Blue?"
"Hahaha, of course!" The Den Den Mushi copied Garp's loud laughter. "The rice crackers here are much better than the ones at Headquarters!" While he talked, a crunching sound came from the other end.
They talked for a short time. Then, Tsuru talked about the main point.
"Since you are in the East Blue, do me a favor. Pick someone up from Loguetown."
"Hmm? Who? Is this person important enough for the Great Staff Officer to ask me herself?"
"You should remember him—the Marine who executed Roger," Tsuru said in a calm voice. "Aiden."
On the other side of the call, Garp stopped laughing suddenly.
The Den Den Mushi was quiet for a long time.
A few seconds later, Garp spoke again.
"Fine."
...
East Blue, the sea near Loguetown.
A small fishing boat moved slowly with the waves on the calm sea.
Roger's death did not end the era. Instead, his last words started the chaotic "Great Pirate Era"!
Many people with dreams and goals went to the sea from all over the world.
Loguetown was the "starting point" for the Grand Line. It was at the front of this big wave. Every day, many new pirate crews came here to start their journey. But many were arrested and died here.
Aiden was the only executioner in Loguetown. His work was busier than ever before.
During these six months, Aiden had done so many executions that he almost felt nothing.
Today was the first time in nine months that Aiden had a full day off.
In that moment, he narrowed his eyes a little bit.
At the edge of his vision, he saw a small black dot. it was slowly coming closer.
It was a pirate ship with a pirate flag.
Aiden's Peak level Observation Haki suddenly grew!
His world became quiet instantly.
He felt the wind speed and the humidity. He felt the waves move. He even felt how the dust moved in the air in one single moment.
On that pirate ship several kilometers away, the heartbeat of every pirate sounded like a loud drum in his ear.
In his mind, the whole ship became clear and transparent.
He thought about it, and his power acted like a lens. It zoomed in instantly. It went through the deck and looked into the captain's room.
A man with many scars on his face was stepping on a table. He held a bottle of alcohol high and laughed like a crazy person. He had a very large scar on his thick arm that looked like a centipede.
"Target... locked."
Aiden slowly reached down to his feet. He picked up the black, excellent grade gun.
He did not even stand up. He stayed in his fishing position. He just raised his arm and pulled the trigger toward the ship.
Bang.
It was a soft sound. It was hard to hear across the big ocean.
In the captain's room several kilometers away, the crazy laughter stopped suddenly.
A pirate looked back in fear. He saw the captain. The captain had a small bloody hole in his forehead. Before the smile could leave the man's face, he fell backward.
[Judgment Successful!]
[Prisoner: "Whip-Scar" Gall]
[Overall Grade: B8]
[Status: Executed]
[Sin Index: 530]
[Execution Participation: 100%]
[Obtained Sin Points: 530]
[Selectable Rewards]: (5 options available)
Aiden could hear the chaos on the pirate ship perfectly from far away.
He stood up and packed away his fishing rod.
The pirate ship had no leader. It was moving like a fly without a head. When it floated closer, Aiden put his hand on the handle of his sword.
Vrrr—!
The blade came out of the cover.
He swung the sword forward.
A blue energy wave, one hundred meters long, came out like a half-moon. It was very strong. It crossed the distance of thousands of meters very fast. It went through the middle of the pirate ship!
In the next second, many pirates screamed. There was a big explosion. The entire pirate ship was cut into two pieces from the middle!
In his mind, many "Judgment Successful" messages appeared on the screen.
Aiden calmly put his blade back. It was a simple task for him.
They were all weak B-rank and C-rank pirates. Aiden did not look at the rewards. He chose [Physical Improvement] for all of them. A few weak warm feelings entered his body and quickly disappeared.
If he had not looked for it carefully, he would not even be sure if he had become stronger.
"As expected..."
Aiden sighed in his heart.
"Since my body reached the Advanced level, the power from weak pirates is lower and lower."
"To take another step and reach the Top level, I think I will have to judge some truly famous pirates."
With that thought, Aiden opened his status screen to check his progress.
Name: Aiden
Age: 16
Rank: Sergeant
[Physical Level]: Advanced
[Talent]: Voice of All Things
[Skills]: Swordsmanship (Top-tier), Marksmanship (Top-tier), Stealth (Advanced), Fighting Techniques (Advanced), Cooking (Advanced), Navigation (Advanced)
[Haki]: Observation (Peak), Armament (Top-tier)
[Points]: 150,597
[Equipment]: Great Grade Blade x1, Excellent Grade Firearm x1, Storage Ring
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