With three entire Marine dormitory blocks bizarrely wiped out in one go, the news swept through Marineford like wildfire.
Tens of thousands of Marines—
All mysteriously taken out.
An incident at that scale was never going to stay quiet.
"I went over earlier," one Marine whispered to a small group in the courtyard. "You should've seen the scene. It was brutal."
"Every floor was the same—Marines just lying all over the place, totally unconscious."
"It was creepy."
"Over ten thousand Marines… all knocked out at once."
"What could even do that?"
Talk like that echoed through every street, corridor, and mess hall.
The ones who'd seen it with their own eyes told the story again and again, each retelling a little more dramatic, a little more exaggerated—but the core never changed:
Three buildings.
Everyone inside.
Down in an instant.
Soon enough—
The report reached Sengoku's desk.
He listened, brows furrowed, and after thinking it over for a few moments, he already had a suspect in mind.
"…Was it that brat Kai?" he muttered.
"Who else could knock out that many Marines with a single burst of Conqueror's Haki?"
"What on earth is that kid doing?"
He couldn't figure it out.
After asking Tsuru for the detailed breakdown, Sengoku finally understood how it had happened.
And he really, really wanted to yell at Zephyr.
You want to test the kid's strength? Fine.
But who told you to ask a monster like that to unleash his Conqueror's Haki?
And right next to the dorms, at that?
Now look.
The mess was beyond anything a quick sweep could handle.
Marineford would be buzzing about this for days, maybe weeks.
And at the center of it all—
Was a four-year-old.
"…Still, though," Sengoku exhaled, rubbing his forehead, "that brat's Conqueror's Haki is way too terrifying."
"He's only had it for, what, not even two months?"
"And it's already that strong?"
He almost doubted his life choices.
He'd spent decades honing his Haki to reach the level it sat at now.
Meanwhile, that brat Kai—
Barely two months in—
Was almost catching up.
The more he thought about it, the more Sengoku felt physically unwell.
"…What a monster," he muttered at last, a strange mix of frustration and admiration in his tone.
His thoughts drifted back to the time Golden Lion Shiki had stormed Marineford.
Back then, the damage to the buildings had been horrendous.
But actual Marine casualties?
Absolutely nothing like what they were dealing with today.
And this time…
It wasn't a legendary pirate.
It was just one kid.
A child.
A four-year-old.
Elsewhere—
In a quiet residential block of Marineford.
Kuzan was enjoying a blissful midday nap.
He was sprawled out on a couch, a thin blanket over his head, savoring the cool breeze drifting through the open window.
Until the noisy roar of gossip outside jolted him awake.
"…What now…" he mumbled, tugging the blanket down, hair a complete mess. "What did that kid Kai do this time?"
"Why's the whole of Marineford sounding like it's been turned upside down?"
Still half-asleep, he shuffled out the door, grabbed the nearest Marine by the collar, and demanded an explanation.
A few moments later—
He was staring blankly.
"…Huh?"
"That brat already…"
"Wiped out tens of thousands of Marines without even noticing?"
"Is he crazy?"
Once he finally pieced together the whole story, Kuzan could only cover his face and sigh.
He silently mourned for his teacher.
Zephyr-sensei… you really did this to yourself…
You knew the kid was a monster.
And you still insisted on treating him like a normal prodigy?
Of course it ended in disaster.
You underestimated the wrong person.
You had it coming.
As the story continued to spread—
More and more details trickled out and fused into the rumor mill.
Eventually, the "truth"—more or less—surfaced for the rank-and-file Marines:
The one who wiped out all three dorms—
Was a four-year-old.
Garp's grandson.
The same kid who'd already made waves for awakening Conqueror's Haki at four.
"W-wait, what?!"
"A four-year-old brat wiped out over ten thousand Marines?"
"That can't be real!"
"What kind of monster is that?!"
"A four-year-old… and he knocked out thousands of people?"
"Just what kind of power do you need to pull that off?"
"I heard it was Conqueror's Haki."
"Conqueror's Haki?! A four-year-old has Conqueror's Haki?!"
"Oh my god…"
Marineford was in uproar.
Not just the foot soldiers.
Even the higher-ups received detailed reports.
They knew more than the ordinary Marines.
They knew the culprit wasn't just some random genius—
He was Garp's grandson.
Kai.
The name passed from mouth to mouth.
Again and again.
It spread through every office and war room.
"This explains it…"
"A four-year-old with Conqueror's Haki. Of course he's related to Garp."
"With that bloodline…"
"Yeah, that makes sense."
"What a terrifying existence."
"Four years old, and he already has Conqueror's Haki… I doubt there's a second case like this in the entire history of the sea."
"Not just Marine history. World history."
Even seasoned Headquarters officers found themselves paying attention.
One of them—
Was a stern-faced Vice Admiral with a Justice coat draped over his shoulders.
Sakazuki.
The "Red Dog."
He quietly read through the report, eyes narrowing slightly.
"Four years old… and already has Conqueror's Haki," he murmured.
"A remarkable existence, indeed."
"And Garp's grandson, no less."
"With talent like that, plus Garp's protection…"
"If he doesn't die young, that brat will someday become one of the top powers on the sea."
"Among the future pillars of the Marines, he'll definitely have a place."
It was a rare moment of outright praise from Sakazuki.
For Kai—
He felt genuine interest.
If possible, he wouldn't mind meeting the kid.
Building a connection early with a future powerhouse was never a bad investment.
Unfortunately…
He knew that was likely impossible.
"With Garp's personality," Sakazuki thought, "he'll never let me get too close to his grandson."
"We don't exactly see eye to eye."
"He wouldn't even trust me with his dog."
He shook his head.
It was a pity.
But some lines just couldn't be crossed.
Still—
Sakazuki's resolve remained unshaken.
His sense of justice was absolute.
Even if others disagreed.
Even if Garp hated him for it.
Someone had to make the hard calls.
If that meant being the 'villain' in other people's eyes?
So be it.
"If Garp finds out I tried to make contact with his grandson…" he thought wryly, "…he might literally kill me."
And even he—
Didn't have the confidence to eat a direct punch from Garp and walk away smiling.
On the other side of the base—
In a sunny corner along a quiet path—
A lean, somewhat sleazy-looking man lay on a reclining chair, sunglasses on, drink in hand.
He was sunbathing lazily.
The picture of relaxation.
"Oi, oi…" he muttered when the rumors reached him. "You're telling me kids these days…"
"Are that scary?"
"Four years old and already has Conqueror's Haki? That's terrifying, you know…"
The man clicked his tongue, equal parts amused and impressed.
This was Borsalino.
Headquarters Vice Admiral.
Codename: "Kizaru."
He crossed one leg over the other, the corners of his lips curling in a lazy smile.
"And on top of that…"
"This little monster…"
"Is Garp's grandson."
"How outrageous~"
He let out a long, drawn-out sigh.
When he heard that three dormitories' worth of Marines had gone down instantly, even he couldn't help feeling a sort of secondhand respect.
"From what I hear…"
"Over twenty thousand Marines were knocked flat?"
"In that case…"
"This Kai's control over Conqueror's Haki isn't just 'entry level'."
"At minimum, he's reached the 'stepping through the door' stage—maybe even beyond."
"At four years old…"
"To bring Conqueror's to that level…"
"How frightening."
Kizaru narrowed his eyes behind his sunglasses.
"The kid is a full-fledged little monster."
"Truly worthy…"
"Of being Garp's grandson."
"His bloodline really is horrifying~"
That day—
As the news about Kai surged through every corner of Marineford, no one remained unaware.
From the lowest-ranked recruit—
To the highest seats of power.
They all knew the same name.
Kai.
And so—
The name Kai finally rang out across the entirety of Marine Headquarters.
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