"Mr. Garp, he's just a pirate. Do you really need to keep your promise to him?"
"Yes! Garp-san, if you let this guy go, he'll definitely cause trouble in the future."
The Marines murmured among themselves, all agreeing that there was no need to honor an agreement with a pirate and that Kaizen should be arrested.
"That's enough. As a man, if you don't keep your promise, you're worse than the lowest scoundrel." Garp scoffed at their argument.
Kaizen raised his feet and slowly walked toward the bow of the ship.
The sailors had been watching Kaizen, and as soon as he moved, they raised their guns simultaneously.
"Garp-san, please give the order!"
The sailors had their fingers on the triggers, ready to fire at any moment.
"If you shoot today, you'll disgrace me, so don't ever stay by my side."
Garp sat cross-legged on the deck, a determined expression on his face.
The sailors reluctantly put down their guns. They knew well that Garp-san was serious. If they disobeyed his order, the consequences would be severe.
However, as Kaizen jumped off the bow, a gunshot rang out.
Everyone looked shocked.
"Hey! Why did you shoot? Now explain this to Garp-san."
The sailors rushed to a companion who stood with his gun raised, realizing the seriousness of the situation.
"What's your name?" Garp looked up, glaring at the sailor who fired with a murderous look.
"Vergo." The sailor lowered his gun and answered Garp expressionlessly.
"From now on, you're no longer under my command!" Garp shouted angrily.
"Yes, Garp-san." Vergo replied, showing no emotion on his rigid face, like a Shinigami.
...
The sea was calm, with no wind.
Kaizen lay on his boat. Seven hours had passed since he had faced Garp's three iron fist punches alone.
The wound on his back went from numbness to tingling, then back to numbness.
His arm, injured from blocking Garp's iron fist, couldn't move for a while.
As they say, misfortunes never come singly.
Kaizen looked at the sky, a self-deprecating smile forming on his lips.
This was the result of his insistence on being strong and independent.
He thought the sailors would obey Garp's orders and not shoot, so he was unprepared. In the end, he overestimated them.
"It hurts..." Kaizen turned over, feeling intense pain.
He had removed the bullet from his body, but the wound was untreated. If left exposed, the risk of infection was high, and death could be painful.
"Damn it, am I going to die here?"
Kaizen whispered cynically.
"Tch, I've already died once, so what's there to fear? Maybe I'll go back in time after death this time."
Even in such a dire situation, he couldn't help but tease himself with a smile.
It was almost five o'clock, and the sun was still strong. Given the season, it would be a while before night fell.
If he could find an island or ship before nightfall, he might be saved.
However, soon after, instead of salvation, he encountered a rare waterspout in this sea region.
The weather changed in an instant, and the sunset disappeared behind the clouds.
Black clouds, like the rough breath of a giant, rolled out furiously, suffocatingly strong.
The sea also trembled, and countless fish leaped from the water—a spectacular scene.
Kaizen didn't know what was about to happen, but he could predict it wouldn't be good.
Suddenly, the sea tilted violently, as if an invisible force was stirring the waters.
Kaizen's boat was easily caught in the whirlpool, like a fish on a chopping board.
Soon, a massive waterspout appeared, reaching into the sky.
In the end, Kaizen disappeared completely, not even having time to utter a final word.
On the other side, on the island closest to the waterspout.
The wind and sunshine were still beautiful here, and the sunset was breathtaking.
The world is so divided. Some have storms, others have sunny days. Disasters and happiness coexist, never interfering with one another.
This island, like all others, was calm and peaceful.
There was a small town with simple residents. The men fished, and the women maintained the households.
Harmony described this typical island life.
The only difference was a boy of about ten years old. In the future, he would be called a god.
His name was Enel.
On this day, he went to the beach to collect shells as usual, picking them up until his pockets were full.
Before he could fill his pockets, he found a man lying on the shore.
Enel took a closer look and saw a shocking wound on the man's back.
"Wow, that's scary." He had never seen anyone injured like this before and was shocked.
Then, he squatted down, examined the man, and tentatively poked his shoulder.
Nothing happened.
"Are you asleep?" Enel, a teenager, had no concept of death.
"But you can't sleep here!" Enel murmured, feeling shy about making requests.
The unconscious man couldn't hear him.
Seeing no response, Enel decided to act. He tried several times to lift the man onto his shoulders with great effort.
His thin frame dragged the man forward, stopping every few steps.
The dim yellow light burned on the horizon, and the remaining sunset stretched their silhouettes long into the distance.
Today, his pockets weren't filled with shells.