Chapter 39: If Justice Must Have an Incarnation, Then I Can Only Take the Role!

It was Ortoren's first time seeing the legendary wonder known as the Red Line. Crimson cliffs rose from the seafloor, breaking through the ocean's surface, stretching endlessly upward until they vanished into the clouds.

"How tall is the Red Line, anyway?" Ortoren suddenly asked Garp beside him.

Garp clearly had no idea. He rubbed his chin and said, "Not sure. Never asked. But it's gotta be at least a few thousand meters high, right?"

"If we're comparing it to Fish-Man Island, wouldn't that make it around ten thousand meters?" Ortoren asked again.

"Hahahaha! That might be true, but ten thousand meters would put us in the White-White Sea already. That's considered Skypiea territory. I've never seen anything like that from Mary Geoise, so it definitely isn't that high," Garp said with a laugh.

The White Sea was the first layer of sea clouds, about 7,000 meters above sea level. Reaching the White Sea already counted as reaching the sky, but to truly enter Skypiea, one had to ascend another 3,000 meters to reach the White-White Sea.

Birka, where the Goro Goro no Mi was once located, was in the White-White Sea.

...

After the dog-headed warship docked in the harbor of Mariejois, Ortoren asked, "So are we getting off now? Heading over to the other side for a transfer?"

He had at least some general knowledge and rumors about the Red Line and Mariejois.

But Garp shook his head. "No need. Marines, along with certain World Government branches, don't have to disembark. We can sail directly over the Red Line and reach the first half of the Grand Line or the other seas."

"What? Sail over it? What, is there some hidden waterway?" Ortoren asked in shock.

After all, one of the grand pipe dreams in the world of pirates had always been building a tunnel through the Red Line.

If such a tunnel ever existed, it'd benefit the entire world.

But that would go against the World Government's monopoly on trade routes, so naturally, no one had ever dared to attempt such a project.

As far as Ortoren knew, there were only two ways to cross the Red Line.

The first: travel to Fish-Man Island and dive 10,000 meters beneath the sea—an extremely risky route.

The second: pay a hefty toll, dock your ship on one side of the Grand Line, and then transport people and cargo overland across the Red Line, where you'd board a new ship on the other side.

In short, it was like switching buses at a terminal.

But now, Garp was telling him that Marine warships didn't need to do that?

Seeing Ortoren's surprise, Garp chuckled and explained,

"Unless there's an urgent mission, we usually don't transfer. That's because both sides of the Red Line have Marine bases with warships on standby, ready to deploy. Using those is much faster than having a ship physically cross the Red Line. But in most cases, when there's no emergency, we use a winch cable system to haul ships over the Red Line. After all, our military budget isn't endless—we can't afford to build a bunch of extra warships and just leave them sitting around."

Right as Garp finished speaking, Ortoren spotted several Giants walking out from the Marine port. Each carried a massive steel cable, moving with practiced ease as they fastened the cables onto the warship.

Within minutes, the setup was complete. The lead Giant, who seemed to have a good relationship with Garp, grinned and called out, "Vice Admiral Garp! Next year, I might be your equal!"

"Bwahahaha! Well, maybe I'll be in a good enough mood next year to become an Admiral myself!" Garp replied with a hearty laugh.

"Huh? Then the Fleet Admiral better reward me!" the Giant's eyes lit up.

If Garp agreed to become an Admiral because of his influence, the Fleet Admiral would definitely owe him credit.

After a bit more banter, the Giants left. Not long after, Ortoren noticed the once-slack cables beginning to tighten. Bit by bit, the massive ship was lifted from the water, and within minutes, it was fully suspended in the air.

"Those guys are Marine reservists from the Giant Race," Garp explained with a grin. "They usually come here for some basic training, to get familiar with our Navy regulations, and help out with heavy labor. Once they've got the rules down and pass the exam, they can head straight to Marineford for duty—and they're granted the rank of Vice Admiral right away. That big guy probably thinks he'll 'graduate' next year, which is why he said all that."

Seeing Ortoren still staring at the cable system, Garp continued, "There are Giant comrades stationed at the Marine base on top of the Red Line too. They've got winches up there. When the upper and lower winches rotate together, they tighten the cables and haul the ship across the Red Line to the Marine port on the other side—just like we're doing now."

"This really opened my eyes," Ortoren said with genuine amazement.

There was no doubt about it—Marines, as a government institution, enjoyed a level of infrastructure and resources that pirates could never dream of.

A pirate might never experience something like this in his entire life. But as a Marine, you could have your ship lifted over the Red Line without ever risking the treacherous dive down to Fish-Man Island.

After all, for seasoned fighters—especially Devil Fruit users—having an accident at the bottom of the ocean meant certain death. But an accident in midair? That wasn't nearly as bad.

While long-term flight abilities were rare—only five were globally recognized twenty years ago—short-term hovering or controlled landings? Almost everyone knew a trick or two.

If you were doing a transfer, according to Garp, you'd just need to take two bubble elevators. It was quick. But hauling a ship over by winch like this? That took over three hours before Garp's dog-headed warship finally splashed down into the waters of Paradise—the first half of the Grand Line.

...

The distance between Mary Geoise and Marine Headquarters at Marineford wasn't far. With a warship's speed, they could reach it in under an hour. The Marines even had a dedicated direct route for this.

While Garp's ship was sailing through that route, they frequently passed Marine escort fleets on patrol. According to Garp, these fleets were there to ensure absolute safety and unimpeded passage between Marineford and Mary Geoise.

And even though the full journey took about an hour, by the thirty-minute mark, they could already see the towering silhouette of Marineford on the horizon from the warship's deck.

They could even make out the giant fortress at the center of the island—famously known as the "Fortress of Justice"—with the massive kanji for "Justice" emblazoned on its rear. According to Ortoren's knowledge, the front of the fortress bore the kanji for "Marines."

Ortoren had only been to two major headquarters in his life—Big Mom's base in Totto Land on Whole Cake Island, and now, Marineford.

But no matter how you looked at it, Marineford's presence and aura completely dwarfed that of Whole Cake Island. Even from a distance, its commanding pressure radiated outward, spreading from Marineford like an invisible force over the surrounding open sea.

"Is this the dominance that the Marines have built up over 800 years?" Ortoren stared at the massive, awe-inspiring island, overwhelmed.

At that moment, he finally began to understand what Doflamingo had meant in the original story when he spoke of the Marines.

Who truly rules these seas? The Yonkō, who dominate the New World? The Shichibukai, one of the Three Great Powers? Or the Revolutionary Army, rising with unstoppable momentum?

None of them.

In this vast ocean, the only force that could rightfully call itself the true ruler of the seas was the Marines—those who had wielded violence in the name of justice and kept the entire world in check for over eight centuries.

Many powers had risen as enemies of the Marines across the centuries. Yet only the Marines had never fallen. That, in itself, was the clearest and simplest proof.

Only the Marines had the right to call themselves "the rulers of the sea."
Even the wild and unyielding Shiki had never dared to go that far—at most, he'd called himself the "Pirate Overlord."

...

"What's wrong? Overwhelmed by the sheer force of our Marine presence?" Garp asked with a chuckle as he watched Ortoren fall silent.

"Yes!" Ortoren's eyes gleamed. "If I could become a Marine Admiral—or even a Fleet Admiral—wouldn't that mean I'd be standing at the very top of this island?"

"Bwahahaha! You haven't even officially joined the Marines yet, and you're already dreaming that big?" Garp laughed and gave him a hearty slap on the shoulder. But then his expression turned firm.

"Standing at the top of this island has nothing to do with being an Admiral or a Fleet Admiral. The one who truly stands there... is Justice."

"Justice?" Ortoren rubbed his chin, then grinned.

"You're right, Garp-san! It should be Justice!"

But... if justice must have an incarnation, then I'll be the one to embody it!