After ten days at sea, Tsugikuni Yoriichi left the West Blue and returned to Marineford, becoming the very first to complete his "internship."
Instructor Victor returned with him as well. With the West Blue situation mostly wrapped up, Victor had far fewer responsibilities and simply returned alongside Yoriichi. As for the remaining paperwork and loose ends—those were naturally dumped on Kuzan.
That kid… no one knew what lit a fire under him, but he'd somehow turned into a complete workaholic.
Kyros did not return to Headquarters with Yoriichi. The only one summoned back was Yoriichi himself. Kyros remained in the West Blue to continue his internship, acting as Kuzan's new adjutant and helping handle regional affairs.
Until a new full-time colonel was appointed to oversee the 133rd Branch, all West Blue affairs would be temporarily handled by Kuzan and Kyros. At this point, it was clear neither of them would be leaving the Kingdom of Mia anytime soon.
When Yoriichi returned to Headquarters, he finally learned something surprising—
he was the first Marine Academy student to finish his internship.
Every other academy student was still out in the field.
All internships were supposed to last three full months.
Only he had returned in just over one.
"Zephyr-sensei… if everyone else is still interning, why did only I get brought back so early?"
"To be honest, I don't feel like I learned much during this trip."
Walking with Zephyr toward his dormitory, Yoriichi finally voiced his doubt. He didn't particularly miss the Mia Kingdom—he simply knew there had to be a reason for his early summons.
"You weren't brought back early because I wanted it."
"It was Fleet Admiral Kong's decision."
"Get some rest once we're back—then I'll take you to meet him."
Zephyr glanced sideways at Yoriichi, who seemed to have grown a little taller again, and spoke with a heavy tone.
Yes—Yoriichi's return had not been Zephyr's idea alone.
Fleet Admiral Steelbone Kong was the true driving force behind it.
The commotion Yoriichi stirred up in the West Blue had been impossible to hide from Kong. Zephyr and Sengoku's attempts to quietly cover for him were also no secret to the fleet admiral.
He simply chose not to intervene—until the moment the West Blue situation stabilized. Now that it had, he immediately reached out and called Yoriichi back.
The reason was simple:
Kong also believed in Yoriichi's potential and wanted him shaped into an excellent Marine.
But the moment he saw the report on what Yoriichi had done at the 133rd Branch, Kong saw Garp's shadow in every line.
To most people, Hero Garp was an outstanding Marine.
But in Kong's eyes, Garp was merely a powerful Marine—not an excellent one.
The difference was subtle, hard to express, but very real.
Kong didn't want Yoriichi to become another Garp.
He didn't want a second willful, uncontrollable force of chaos in uniform.
One Garp was already more than enough.
So to prevent Yoriichi from growing into "another Garp," Kong wanted him kept at Headquarters—educated, stabilized, and, most importantly, taught proper discipline.
"Fleet Admiral Kong wants to see me?"
"I'm just a cadet with a major's rank at most… why would someone like him want to meet me?"
Yoriichi frowned, clearly puzzled.
"He probably wants you to stay at Headquarters for a while and study properly."
"After you left for your internship, he's hinted—many, many times—that you're too young, your power still has a long way to grow, your knowledge is lacking, and your judgment is still immature."
"He doesn't want you sailing out again—not until you're at least sixteen."
"I brushed him off before, of course. How can someone call themselves a Marine if they don't grow on the sea?"
"But the scene you caused in the West Blue… even with Sengoku and me backing you up, that sort of trick fools only the others—not the fleet admiral."
"He'll definitely use this to impose some restrictions."
"When you meet him—whatever he says, whatever he decides—just agree."
"I've already arranged the next step for you anyway. Garp will take you there."
Zephyr finished by clapping Yoriichi's back firmly, a wide grin on his face, as if encouraging him not to overthink it.
From Zephyr's explanation, Yoriichi quickly grasped Kong's intentions.
It was simple:
A talented youth should be kept in Headquarters first—let him grow, let him bond with the institution—then send him out.
But in those same words, Yoriichi also caught something else:
Zephyr had arranged a "next destination" for him?
"A destination?"
"Zephyr-sensei… what do you mean?"
Yoriichi blinked, genuinely confused.
"Your strength is already impressive. You're still far from the top monsters of this sea, of course—but without doubt, the Four Blues can no longer offer you proper training."
"You've mastered the Six Powers and both types of Haki beautifully."
"For someone like you, what you need now is constant physical training—refine your swordsmanship, strengthen your Haki."
"In the end, you're still a twelve-year-old kid. No matter how hard you train, your growth does have limits—because your body's limits determine your potential."
Yoriichi nodded. He understood exactly what Zephyr meant.
All strength—whether from Haki, physique, or even Zoan fruits—ultimately boiled down to speed and power.
But humans, even in this world, had biological limits.
Haki and Life Return existed to push beyond those limits—one to draw out more power from the body, the other to reshape the body itself.
"So you're saying… once my Haki reaches a certain level, my rate of growth will stagnate? Because physical growth can't be forced?"
Yoriichi lowered his gaze, thinking deeply.
"Yes, but not entirely."
"The purpose of Life Return is to help you continuously break through physical limits. The stronger your body, the more Haki it can handle."
"Three days from now, Garp will take you to Boin Archipelago."
"There, you'll grow at incredible speed."
"Eat without stopping. Train without stopping. That extreme environment will forge an extreme physique. The Life Return technique you've learned—on that island, it will bloom to its fullest."
"You're twelve. The Boin Archipelago will ignite every bit of your physical potential, accelerating your growth—forcing you to break limit after limit."
Zephyr gave Yoriichi's shoulder another firm slap, his smile full of confidence.
He had planned this for a long time—researching, analyzing, even personally scouting the island. The environment there satisfied him completely.
"Boin Archipelago?"
"That name feels familiar… where have I heard it before?"
Yoriichi muttered, though he couldn't quite place the memory.
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