Six months of field-grade officer training have passed, and I'm officially a Marine Major.
It took me nine years. Nine years of blood, sweat, and five-ton maces. Meanwhile, the "Monster Trio" are already Rear Admirals. I mean, sure, they're walking strategic weapons with Logia powers, but still... it stings just a little.
I was leaning against a railing in Marineford, lost in thought about how far I'd come since waking up in this world, when a familiar, lazy voice drifted over.
"Oh? If it isn't the Senpai. Why the long face? You look like you're staring into another world."
I didn't even have to look. "The Ice Monster strikes again."
"Come on, Major General Kuzan, what business does a high-and-mighty Rear Admiral have with a common Major like me?"
"You're so cynical," Kuzan sighed, sipping a bottle of milk. "You just made Major yourself. And I told you, you joined before me, so you're the Senpai. Age doesn't matter; we learned under the same teacher."
"Yeah, yeah. Shouldn't you be working? I'm off duty today."
"I was just escorting some pirates when I saw you. What are you doing hanging around Headquarters on your day off?"
I lifted my bag. "Going to Sakazuki's place. I have some business with his wife."
Kuzan whistled. "The Magma Monster's wife, huh? She's a real beauty. A bit too good for him, if you ask me."
Sakazuki actually has a wife—Sakura. She's kind, beautiful, and a fantastic cook. I met her when I had to drag a drunk Sakazuki home a few times, and we hit it off.
"It's not like that! I'm going to learn how to cook!" I barked. "I'm tired of eating rations and charcoal."
"Ah, right. You're terrible in the kitchen. Though those scrambled eggs you made once weren't half bad."
"That was a rolled omelet, you jerk! Forget it, I'm going!"
The Incident
I ran into Sakura-san on the way. She was glowing, as usual.
"Krieg-san! You're early. Shall we make some spicy snacks today? I know Sakazuki loves them with his sake."
"Actually," I said, leaning in. "He's been eating raw chili peppers with his rice lately. Just thought you should know."
Sakura-san's smile turned a little sharp. "Oh? Is that so? We'll have a little chat about his health later, then."
We were walking and chatting when the peace of the residential district was shattered.
"OUT OF THE WAY!" "GET BACK! HE HAS A GUN!"
A man came sprinting toward us, eyes wild, waving a pistol.
"Sakura-san! Get behind me!" I yelled, stepping forward to intercept.
The man fired. I didn't even blink; I knew I could catch the bullet or tank it with Tekkai. I reached out to crush his wrist—
"KYAAA!"
A scream. The sound of someone hitting the pavement.
I froze. I spun around. Sakura-san was on the ground, clutching her side.
I felt a cold shiver run down my spine. I kicked the gunman so hard he went through a brick wall, then screamed for a medical team.
"GET A MEDIC! NOW! AND A STRETCHER!"
I dropped to my knees, tearing into my bag for my first-aid kit. I'd always carried one, a habit from my years of solo training.
The bullet had hit her near the waist. I did what I could—sanitizing the wound, applying pressure—my hands shaking. I was right there. I was right there, and I let her get hurt.
"KRIEG!" "SENPAI!"
Sakazuki and Kuzan arrived, their faces pale.
The Aftermath: Marine Hospital
"I'm sorry, Sakazuki... I was right there, and I let him fire."
Sakura-san was alive, but the news wasn't good. The bullet had damaged her spine. The doctors weren't sure if she'd ever walk again.
"It's not your fault," Sakazuki growled, but his voice was hollow. "It was me... I was the one who was soft."
Apparently, the gunman was a pirate they had just captured. He had begged Sakazuki for mercy, crying about his family.
Sakazuki, influenced by our talks about how not all pirates are monsters, had loosened his restraints slightly. The pirate had taken the chance, used a junior Marine as a shield, stole a gun, and fled.
"Mercy is a mistake," Sakazuki whispered. His right hand was clenched so tight it was beginning to smoke, the floor tiles beneath him beginning to melt. "I thought... I thought I could be different. But Evil must be eradicated. There is no other way."
"Sakazuki-san, please... not in the hospital," Kuzan said quietly.
From that day on, Sakazuki changed. He returned to the "Red Dog" of old, but colder. Crueler.
He spent every waking hour on his ship, sinking every pirate vessel he came across. Kuzan, Borsalino, and I followed suit, driven by a grim determination. The air in the Marines became heavy, suffocating.
The End of the Beginning
A few months later, the news hit the world like a thunderclap.
"PIRATE KING GOLD ROGER CAPTURED!"
The Marines celebrated. The Headquarters was filled with cheers of "The era of pirates is over!" They thought that by executing the man at the top, the madness would end.
But I stood on the docks, looking out at the horizon, and I knew better.
It's not ending. It's just starting.
Roger didn't get caught. He surrendered. And he's about to say words that will set the world on fire.
The world thinks it's the end of a nightmare. I know it's the birth of a storm.
Marine Commander "Dull Bear" Krieg (Age 20).
The Great Pirate Era is about to begin.