One Piece: Who made him the Pirate King!

"My ancestors bled for the World Government and achieved merits for Naval Headquarters!" 

Storm snapped back to his senses and, without concern for the person's rank before him, directly questioned: 

"What did I do wrong to be dismissed from Headquarters just like that?" 

When it came to the Navy, Storm didn't exactly have strong feelings either way. 

After all, this world was a mess no matter how you looked at it. 

To Storm, being a "Marine" was nothing more than an identity—a job. 

And as far as jobs went… 

Sure, he wasn't particularly enthusiastic, but getting fired out of the blue? What the hell? 

"You didn't do anything wrong," Aokiji said, scratching his messy, afro-like hair. 

"Also, you weren't dismissed. You submitted your resignation." 

Do you even hear yourself right now? 

Storm stared at Aokiji, baffled. 

What's the difference between being dismissed and handing in a resignation? 

Does this mean if I "voluntarily" resign, Headquarters can avoid severance pay? 

Wait—does the World Government even have labor laws? 

Seeing Storm's reaction, Aokiji finally seemed to realize something. 

"Wait, don't tell me Zephyr-sensei didn't explain this to you?" 

Aokiji rubbed his forehead in exasperation, cold mist emanating from his body. 

"Ahhh, seriously, this is typical of him. He's the one who recommended you for this…" 

Zephyr's recommendation?

Storm glanced at the letter in his hand and raised it as if to signal. 

"Zephyr-sensei just gave me a recommendation letter and said Admiral Kuzan would explain everything." 

"Ahhh…" 

Aokiji let out his signature sigh again. 

"Always dumping extra work on me. Such a hassle!" 

Excuse me, isn't that your problem? 

Storm grumbled inwardly. 

He had no intention of getting involved in any "disputes" between two generations of admirals. 

Without saying a word, he stepped forward, placed the recommendation letter on Aokiji's desk, and promptly returned to his position, standing still. 

Aokiji glanced at Storm, opened the letter, and skimmed through it in seconds. 

Storm had no idea what Zephyr had written in that recommendation letter. 

He only noticed that the cold mist surrounding Aokiji grew thicker and thicker. 

The temperature in the admiral's office plummeted as a result. 

Storm could practically see the white frost of his own breath in the air. 

"Recruit!" 

Aokiji suddenly raised his head and barked at Storm. 

"Did you really insult the Celestial Dragons by calling them pigs during training camp?" 

Aokiji's gaze was as icy as frozen tundra as he questioned him. 

If you ignored the ugly green plaid eye mask he wore on his forehead, he actually looked pretty intimidating. 

"First off, it wasn't public; it was in a private conversation," Storm admitted with a smirk, owning up to his past "offense." 

"Secondly, that wasn't an insult—it was an objective statement. 

"And lastly, I didn't call the Celestial Dragons 'pigs.' I said they were 'trash not even worthy of being pigs.'" 

There was no shortage of Marines who insulted the Celestial Dragons. 

Take Monkey D. Garp, for instance. 

That old man could openly insult the Celestial Dragons, even in Mary Geoise. 

And what happened? 

Nothing. 

Because he's Garp! 

The Navy Hero, whose son is the leader of the Revolutionary Army, and whose grandson is on his way to becoming the Pirate King. 

Insulting the Celestial Dragons? The World Government didn't even care! 

But Storm? He was just a rookie Marine. 

To insult the Celestial Dragons and get caught by his superior? 

Storm sighed internally. 

Oh, great. Career suicide. 

Aokiji wouldn't exile me to some distant branch in the Four Blues, would he? 

If that happened, well… 

That'd actually be amazing! 

Aokiji's expression grew increasingly stern, and the frost in the office seemed ready to freeze everything solid. 

But then, all at once, it melted away like spring thawing the snow. 

"Puhahahaha!" 

Aokiji suddenly burst into loud laughter. 

"Recruit! Now I understand why Zephyr-sensei recommended you for the SWORD Unit! 

"You're hilarious!"

SWORD Unit? 

The Navy's secret special operations force—the Blade Unit? 

Storm caught a key piece of information in Aokiji's words. 

He quickly pieced together the puzzle from what he already knew— 

Zephyr sent him to Aokiji specifically to recommend him for the SWORD Unit? 

"Alright, recruit—no, Vongola? Or should I just call you Storm?" 

Aokiji wiped away icy tears from laughing too hard and returned to a serious tone. 

"Do you know about the SWORD Unit?" 

Storm nodded inwardly—he knew a little. But he played dumb and shook his head. 

"The SWORD Unit, also known as the Blade Unit," Aokiji explained, 

"is a classified special operations force established by Headquarters. Strategically, it's on par with Dr. Vegapunk's SSG. 

"Members of the Blade Unit are, simply put, Marines who have officially resigned. 

"The mission of the Blade Unit is to fight pirates—including the Pirate Emperors. 

"Other than that, the Blade Unit is not required to follow any orders. 

"This is a guerrilla force that acts with total freedom." 

Aokiji finished explaining and went silent, giving Storm time to digest the information. 

To be honest, what Aokiji described wasn't much different from the intel Storm already had. 

What surprised him, though, was that the Blade Unit's strategic importance rivaled that of the SSG! 

The SSG—short for "Special Science Group"—might not sound familiar, but it packed a massive punch. 

Peacekeepers, laser guns, bubble shields, green blood, Seraphim… 

Every groundbreaking invention from the Navy's science division came from the SSG. 

They were practically the backbone of the Navy's technological might! 

And yet, the Blade Unit was considered their equal? 

Then again… 

The way Aokiji described the Blade Unit so thoroughly— 

Could this mean he was the unit's top commander? 

Like how Kizaru oversaw the Navy's science division? 

But if Aokiji became the Blade Unit's leader… 

And then later left the Navy to join the Blackbeard Pirates as their 10th Captain… 

Could it be that Aokiji is actually… undercover? 

A flurry of thoughts raced through Storm's mind. 

At that moment, Aokiji continued speaking. 

"Storm, Zephyr-sensei gave you high praise in his letter. He said your personality is a perfect fit for the Blade Unit." 

He paused and casually listed a few points from the letter. 

"Disciplined, diligent, skeptical of authority, and someone who upholds their own sense of justice." 

There was one more thing Aokiji didn't mention: 

Storm had an unblemished family background. 

For three generations, Storm's family had all been Marines. 

Even in Headquarters, talented and capable Marines from families loyal to the Navy were rare. 

The Blade Unit's secretive nature demanded absolute purity in its members' identities. 

Storm's clean background perfectly ensured that purity. 

Aokiji fixed his gaze on Storm and issued an invitation: 

"Recruit Vongola Storm, would you like to join the SWORD Unit and become a member of this classified force?" 

Storm remained calm, not answering immediately. 

Joining the Blade Unit had both pros and cons for him. 

Everyone knew the righteous Marines only needed to follow orders and act as the World Government's lackeys. 

But a rogue force like the Blade Unit? They had to consider a lot more. 

"Before I answer that…" Storm paused before asking, 

"I have a few questions I need answered." 

Aokiji nodded. "Go ahead." 

Storm's first question: 

"How high is the confidentiality level of the Blade Unit?" 

Aokiji gave a brief reply: 

"Within the Navy, only the Fleet Admiral and Admirals know the full list of Blade Unit members." 

Storm followed up: 

"What about the World Government?" 

"The Government?" 

Aokiji's expression turned unusually subtle. 

"They don't know about the Blade Unit's existence." 

Wait, what? 

Storm was shocked. 

The Blade Unit's independence was that high? The World Government didn't even know it existed? 

With limited intel, Storm could only temporarily take Aokiji at his word. 

He quickly asked a third question: 

"If the Blade Unit can fight Pirate Emperors, what about the Warlords of the Sea?" 

Normally, without direct orders from the Five Elders, the Navy wouldn't dare provoke the Pirate Emperors. 

Even minor conflicts could escalate into full-scale war. 

But the Blade Unit had the unique authority to engage the Emperors directly! 

So did that include the Government-sanctioned "Warlords of the Sea"? 

Aokiji gave Storm a long, knowing look. 

As an admiral, how could Aokiji not understand the harm the Warlord

 system brought to the Navy and justice itself? 

But that was the Government's policy—meant to stabilize the seas by dividing pirate forces. 

The Navy had no say in it. 

But the Blade Unit? 

Aokiji slowly nodded. 

"Yes, you can." 

The Blade Unit could fight the Emperors; why not the Warlords? 

As for defying the World Government's policies… 

"But I need to warn you, Storm," Aokiji said seriously. 

"The Navy won't take responsibility for the actions of Blade Unit members. They can have their ranks stripped at any time." 

If the World Government gave the order, the Navy would even erase the Blade Unit's existence. 

"One last question." 

Storm didn't seem fazed by Aokiji's warning. Instead, he smiled lightly. 

"If I join the Blade Unit, does the pay increase?" 

"Of course! The Blade Unit has the best benefits in the entire Navy!" 

Aokiji smiled as well. 

"The Blade Unit welcomes you, Vongola Storm." 

Storm didn't respond verbally. Instead, he raised his hand and saluted. 

He was on board with the Blade Unit! 

Since Storm agreed to join, Aokiji wasted no time. 

"Long story short, the Blade Unit is currently tasked with a critical mission. 

"Recently, the New World has undergone dramatic changes. 

"After the fall of the Whitebeard, Beasts, and Big Mom Pirate crews, another pirate group has risen. 

"They're called the Red-Haired Pirates—known as the 'Ironclad Pirates.' 

"A fourth Pirate Emperor has emerged in the New World—Red-Haired Shanks! 

"Storm, your mission in the Blade Unit is simple: 

"Become a great pirate, infiltrate the New World, and penetrate the Emperors' inner circles!" 

Storm tilted his head and pointed to himself with his thumb. 

Me? Against the Emperors?