A dog-headed Navy warship surged across the vast blue sea.

Ritter glanced at his freshly reinstated bounty and teased Roger beside him.

"Captain, the World Government says we stumbled onto some grand secret and are going to bring chaos to the world again. So they've put the bounty back on our heads. Looks like we're about to see Garp again. Kinda nostalgic, don't you think?"

"RO—GER—!"

Garp stood at the bow of the warship, fists clenched so tightly they cracked.

"This time, you're not getting away!"

On the deck of the Oro Jackson, Roger dug into his nose.

"Kuhahaha! Garp, long time no see! We just got our new bounty posters and you're already here? Aren't you tired?"

Ritter chimed in, "Exactly, Uncle Garp, take care of yourself. Isn't this a bit early to be clocking in?"

Just then, a tall young man stepped out from behind Garp.

"Vice Admiral Garp, please let me handle this."

It was Kuzan an enthusiastic nineteen-year-old fresh out of the Navy Training Camp.

He hadn't become Admiral Aokiji yet, but his wild curly hair and sharp, eagle-like eyes already made an impression.

One hand in his pocket, he pointed at the Roger Pirates with the other.

"That guy over there, shrouded in blood mist..."

"Let's have a one-on-one."

Ritter was leaning lazily against the mast, sipping from a bottle. He raised an eyebrow.

"Oh? Pretty bold for a Navy rookie."

Kuzan's voice rang out, full of conviction.

"Kuzan! Nineteen years old! Graduate of the Navy Training Camp! I'm here to uphold justice across the seas—!"

Shanks and Buggy squeezed up to the railing, excited.

"Go, Ritter-nii! Beat him up!"

Ritter sighed and handed his bottle to Buggy.

"Hold this for me."

He leapt off the ship, blood mist coalescing under his feet into makeshift stepping stones. He crossed the sea in a few slow, deliberate strides before landing lightly on the Navy warship's deck.

Stylish as hell.

Could he have flown over directly? Of course.

But this kind of slow walk that's the vibe.

Didn't villains in stories always take their sweet time walking up to the hero when they could've finished them off instantly?

After all, in a few minutes, this kid might be calling him "senpai."

Hehe. Not bad.

"You've got guts, kid," Ritter tilted his head. "But you know there's a fine line between bravery and stupidity."

Heh second round of acting cool.

Seriously, what other isekai protagonist gets to pull this kind of stuff in front of a future Admiral?

"Shave!"

Kuzan vanished in an instant, reappearing behind Ritter with a sweeping roundhouse kick!

Bam!

Ritter blocked it one-handed. Blood mist wrapped itself around Kuzan's leg like a living thing.

"Within Kowa range, Kuzan-san. Rokushiki, huh? Not bad."

Ritter replied in full Yellow Monkey voice.

Kuzan flipped backward off the block and pushed off the deck.

"Moonwalk! Don't get cocky!"

He launched into the air, then dove like a falcon.

"Finger Gun Tenfold Strike!"

Ritter didn't dodge. His chest turned into mist, and all ten strikes pierced through nothing.

"What the—?!"

"My turn."

Ritter's form flickered.

Next thing Kuzan knew, he'd taken a knee strike full-force to the gut.

Guh!

Kuzan went flying but managed to twist midair and land steadily on his feet.

Garp chomped on a rice cracker nearby.

"Kuzan! Use Haki!"

Kuzan's arms turned jet black with Armament Haki as he charged in again.

Ritter finally got serious.

"Ara ara, within Kowa range... Kukusan, didn't expect you to know Haki already."

CLANG—!

The metallic clash shook the entire ship, making the Marines clutch their ears.

They were locked in a dead heat, until Kuzan suddenly shifted tactics.

"Tempest Kick!"

A sharp air-blade zipped past Ritter's cheek, leaving a shallow cut or so it seemed.

Ritter's image flickered and vanished.

"Just kidding. That was a hallucination."

The blood mist surged, morphing into a storm of razor-sharp spikes from every direction.

"Iron Body!"

Kuzan hardened his skin with Tekkai. Sparks flew as the mist-blades clashed against his body.

At that moment—

"You two!" Garp suddenly stepped into the fight, slamming his fist between them. "If you're gonna brawl, take it to a deserted island! My ship's not your playground!"

Ritter emerged from the mist, rubbing the growing bump on his head.

"Come on, Uncle Garp, we've been fighting all this time, and none of it compares to your punch."

Thunk!

A massive lump appeared on Ritter's head.

"Brat! Show some respect when speaking to your elders!"

But Kuzan wasn't backing down.

"Blood Tide: Bind."

Swish!

Blood mist shot up from the deck, wrapping tightly around Kuzan's limbs like living ropes.

Kuzan's pupils shrank.

"What the—?!"

He tried to "Shave" out, but the strength in his body drained rapidly. Even Haki couldn't fully resist it.

Garp furrowed his brow.

"Oi, oi... this might be bad…"

Ritter leaned against the mast, still rubbing his head. With a casual snap of his fingers—

"Sink."

BOOM!

Kuzan was slammed into the deck by the mist with bone-cracking force. The wooden planks split beneath him.

He struggled to rise—but couldn't even twitch a finger.

Ritter tilted his head.

"Still want to keep going?"

Kuzan grit his teeth, veins bulging on his forehead, but not a sound came out.

Finally, Garp stepped forward, clearly done watching.

"That's enough. Bullying rookies what's the fun in that?"

He smashed the blood mist apart with a punch and lifted Kuzan by the collar.

Kuzan had lost his earlier arrogance.

"Ritter-senpai… I've heard you're a master swordsman. Please, teach me."

Ritter stared at the now-humble Kuzan.

He kind of missed that fiery, defiant version.

Could you go back to being cocky, please?

See? Those isekai protagonists who arrive early never get to experience the joy of being called "senpai."

If he ended up on Luffy's ship, he'd probably get chased all across the ocean.

Back on the Navy warship, Kuzan now stood with a standard-issue sword in hand, eyes blazing as he stared at Ritter.

Ritter had a sudden realization.

This passionate rookie might actually be more of a hassle than the sleepy, indifferent version.

He raised an eyebrow and lazily drew his greatsword, Black Tide, from the mist. The tip scraped across the deck.

"You sure about this?"

Kuzan lunged first with "Shave," his blade aimed straight at Ritter's throat.

Clang!

Ritter swatted him away with a single one-handed swing of the massive sword—like a baseball bat.

"See ya!"

Kuzan spun through the air three and a half times before crash!—he slammed face-first into the mast.

Ritter smoothed back his hair with a grin.

"Score."

Forum thread: 'What kind of power level does it take to knock future Admiral Aokiji into a triple aerial somersault?'

To Ritter, time had lost all meaning.

When you're older than someone, you rob their bottle as a baby, beat them up as a teen, and when they're dead, you dance on their grave.

Hack—hack… Kuzan spat out splinters.

"That sword… how heavy is it?!"

Ritter slung the greatsword over his shoulder.

"Not too bad. Around a ton or so, give or take."

Not that heavy by raw numbers, but in terms of weapon weight? Definitely heavy class.

Garp snorted.

"Kuzan, I told you not to play strength games with monsters."

Refusing to back down, Kuzan launched himself skyward with Moonwalk, blade blurring into afterimages.

"Swallow Reversal!"

Ritter sighed and suddenly vanished.

"Where'd he go?!"

Kuzan froze.

Bonk!

Ritter reappeared behind him, lightly tapping him on the back of the head with the flat of his sword.

Thud!

Kuzan faceplanted into the deck.

From above, Ritter commented,

"Where was your Observation Haki? All that Rokushiki training for nothing?"

Bruised and battered, Kuzan charged again—this time with full-body Armament Haki.

Ritter's eyes lit up.

"Now that's more like it."

Then he—

Stabbed his greatsword into the deck and pulled a butter knife he'd stolen from Rayleigh's kitchen.

"Here. I'll give you three free hits. Sorry, this is the smallest weapon I've got."

...

Ritter's face was solemn like a seasoned mentor about to test his junior.

He waited quietly while Kuzan centered his breathing, preparing to unleash everything he had.

And the moment Kuzan closed his eyes—

Thwack.

Ritter appeared behind him, grinning mischievously, holding a black club.

"C'mon kid. I'm a pirate. What, never been smacked with a blunt object before?"

Kuzan: "You bast—!"

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