Chapter 82 — Beyond the Realm of Kings
Ever since Tachibana Kyūjō decapitated Big Mom, his name had soared like the midday sun—shining brilliantly across the Marine ranks and echoing through the world.
Even among the older, high-ranking officers of the Navy, those far senior in age and service, an unspoken submission was slowly taking root. In the end, this was the pirate era… and in such a world, absolute strength was the one true law.
And Tachibana Kyūjō possessed that strength in overwhelming abundance.
At this point, even the World Economy News published by Morgans began referring to him as the strongest man in this new era. The bird-like news tycoon even penned a glowing headline:
"Legendary Vice Admiral — The Azure Dragon! A man who has transcended logic and monsters alike!"
"He is the heartbreak of modern swordsmen, yet the ultimate pride of generations to come!"
"He is the world's greatest swordsman as of now! And perhaps one day... even the title of 'Strongest Man Alive,' once held by Edward Newgate, shall be his!"
— — —
Shimotsuki Village, East Blue
At that very moment, Shimotsuki Kōshirō gently lowered the newspaper in his hands. A warm smile spread across his face as he looked out toward the training grounds.
There, under the dappled sunlight, two young children were crossing wooden swords—Zoro and Kuina.
He whispered to himself with quiet pride.
"How beautiful..."
"Kuina has become a strong, graceful girl."
"And Zoro..."
"Hmm. Even if that boy gets lost just walking home, he's still a promising seed."
The torch had been passed.
And at last... his disciple, Tachibana Kyūjō, had surpassed even the myth of their ancestral bloodline:
Shimotsuki Ryuma, the legendary Dragon-Slaying Swordsman!
— — —
With the spread of the news, Kyūjō once again stirred the world into a frenzy—gaining more fans and followers by the day. Even within the Navy, ripples of chaos surged through the ranks.
Some extremists even proposed an absurd idea:
"Promote Vice Admiral Tachibana Kyūjō directly to Vice Fleet Admiral—skip the Admiral rank altogether!"
This, naturally, drove Sakazuki—Admiral Akainu—absolutely insane.
"Vice Fleet Admiral!? Since when the hell do we have a rank like that in the Navy!?"
If this kept up, would the other Admirals—himself included—ever get a shot at becoming Fleet Admiral?
Were they seriously planning to leapfrog Kyūjō all the way to the top once Sengoku retired!?
This was mutiny! A coup! A blatant power grab!
Akainu growled in frustration.
"If this keeps up, we might as well rename the damn Navy to the 'Sen Family Navy!'"
"Screw the World Government. Just call us SenKyū already!"
(Yeah… he was really losing it.)
On the other hand, Aokiji and Kizaru seemed unbothered—especially Kizaru, the laziest of them all, who only cared about clocking in, clocking out, and collecting paychecks.
"As long as my salary comes on time, I don't care who's boss," Kizaru hummed.
Of course, most of these outlandish suggestions came from the junior and mid-level officers—those with passion but little power to actually change command structure.
But to everyone's surprise, Kyūjō himself responded with measured wisdom.
"I have no interest in titles or authority," he said.
"I'm still too young, and I'm not qualified to carry such a heavy burden."
That single statement was enough to calm the storm—for a while.
— — —
But then… Fleet Admiral Sengoku dropped the ultimate bombshell.
He bypassed all tradition and announced, unilaterally:
"From this day forth, Tachibana Kyūjō shall be promoted to Admiral."
Boom.
Just like that, the "only three Admirals" rule was shattered.
Thus, the world was introduced to a new official title:
Admiral Azure Dragon
(Seiryū... but Azure Dragon sounds cooler, right?)
The World Government, of course, refused to acknowledge it.
But Sengoku had already made the announcement publicly. And considering the Marines had just taken down two Yonko and killed one of them, the Government had no real excuse to reverse it.
They could only record Sengoku's "violation" in their little black book—and wait for the day he finally retired.
As for Kyūjō?
Saint Figarland Garling offered this suggestion:
"Let the chains of law and justice bind him, just as they did Garp. Don't provoke him. Let time be the one to wear him down."
— — —
When Kyūjō first heard the news of his promotion, he was stationed at Marine Base G-11, deep in the New World.
His mission remained unchanged: oversee the remnants of Totto Land.
Only now, the enemy had shifted.
No longer Big Mom.
But Red-Haired Shanks.
Oddly enough, Shanks never saw Kyūjō as a threat. In fact… he kept calling him via Den Den Mushi just to invite him for drinks.
— — —
Year 1517 — Sea Calendar
A year after Kyūjō became Admiral, the gears of fate began to turn once more.
A young man with an orange cowboy hat and bright yellow shirt set sail from Windmill Village.
His name—Portgas D. Ace.
Standing on the bow of his tiny ship, he waved to the child on shore.
"See you, Luffy!"
"I'm heading out first! Hahaha! Make sure you get stronger too!"
Luffy, hands on hips, shouted back with fiery defiance:
"Ace! I'm setting sail in three years!"
"By then, I'll be way stronger than you!"
"And I'm gonna beat the Marine bastard who cut off Shanks's arm!!!"
— — —
Up in the sky, hidden and unnoticed, Tachibana Kyūjō suddenly sneezed twice.
> "Wait… the bastard Marine Luffy's talking about…"
"That's me, huh?"
He rubbed his nose with a wry smile.
Honestly, the whole Shanks' arm thing in East Blue?
"Not my fault! I just… helped stage the whole heroic rescue plan."
He watched in silence as the boy with a dream set sail.
A new era was beginning.
— — —
But why was Kyūjō here?
Two reasons.
First—he somehow ended up with the Mera Mera no Mi (Flame-Flame Fruit).
Of course, he had no intention of eating it. He hadn't even touched the Goro Goro no Mi (Rumble-Rumble Fruit) yet. Why waste his stomach on a dog-tier fruit like this?
But Ace?
Ace was a perfect match.
Sure, the kid wasn't that strong when he died later on… but the compatibility between him and fire was insane.
In just three years, he made it all the way to Whitebeard's Second Division Commander—using just this fruit!
And don't forget—Akainu was already in his fifties when he killed Ace.
If Ace had lived to fifty?
Absolute monster.
Also, the idea that the Magma Fruit was stronger than the Flame Fruit?
Kyūjō scoffed.
"Fire is a primal element. Lava is just a messy byproduct."
To him, the flame had way more untapped potential. It all depended on the user.
— — —
Second reason?
He had hit his limit.
At twenty-nine years old—not even thirty—Tachibana Kyūjō had surpassed the peak of human strength.
His Thunder Breathing Ver. 3.0 no longer improved his body. His Kenbunshoku Haki had awakened an "Infinity" ability, and his Busoshoku Haki could harden his body like Garp or Zephyr.
With peak-level of all three Haki types, a legendary black blade of the 12 Supreme Grade, and combat techniques like Kenbun-Goroshi 2.0 (Observation Killing), he was untouchable.
Even Akainu would fall in a single strike if he used his full power.
The only man who might've rivaled him… was Garp in his prime.
But today's Garp?
"Just an old grandpa on borrowed time. LOL."
Now he stood at the summit.
The only direction left… was down.
Eventually, his Haki might regress. His body would age. Time would come for him too.
And then… what if he had to face Imu?
He didn't even know what Imu was. And worst of all?
"There's not even a backstory. Damn it, Oda! You lazy mangaka!"
(Yes. He's breaking the fourth wall again.)
— — —
Kyūjō wasn't one to pick fights for no reason.
But philosophically, morally, and spiritually... he and the Celestial Dragons were natural enemies.
For now, there was no open conflict.
But what about the future?
What if the World Government gave him an order that clashed with his beliefs?
Would he obey?
"I'd rather die than be a Tenryubito's lapdog."
"Reincarnating sounds better than living in disgrace."
Maybe… just maybe… now was the best time to strike. While he was still at his peak.
— — —
But first… there was one last thing to do.
Kyūjō suddenly appeared on Ace's boat.
Ace flinched, wide-eyed.
Before he could react, Kyūjō shrugged—and shoved the Devil Fruit straight into Ace's mouth.
Then, without a word, he dropped a book titled:
"Mera Mera no Mi — Complete User Guide"
… and vanished.
Ace gagged, hacking violently.
"W-WHAT THE HELL DID I JUST EAT?!"
A moment later, he noticed the book.
He picked it up with trembling fingers and glared at the sky.
"WHO THE HELL JUST FORCED ME TO EAT THAT FRUIT!? YOU LUNATIC!!!"
(Oh yeah... he can't read yet.)
So he still had no idea what just went into his stomach.
— — —
Author's Note:
The One Piece Arc is almost over.
Next up… we enter the Naruto Arc.
Get ready.
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