Chapter Twenty-Four: I Will No Longer Be a Sailor

Qing Temple summoned all his strength, and the white shield in his hand rapidly expanded. He pressed Shiryu's face forcefully toward the ground, causing all of Marineford to tremble and the earth to crack. Qing Temple continued to push Shiryu's head deeper into the ground; the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit was overwhelming, and Shiryu's eyes rolled back as he lost consciousness.

Qing Temple took a deep breath, ceased his ability, and landed on a platform. He raised his blade and ended Shiryu's life in a single stroke, separating head from body, then kicked it aside. Using Moonwalk, he returned to the ground.

He arrived just as Whitebeard was laughing, proclaiming, "The Great Treasure truly exists!"

With those words, he closed his eyes and departed this world forever, at the age of seventy-two. Even in death, he stood tall.

Qing Temple landed on the ground as Blackbeard roared in anguish, "You little Navy brat! You've ruined all my plans! Dark Water!"

Qing Temple quickly retreated with Moonwalk, clenching his fist—the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit still remained. He punched toward the surging darkness.

The shockwave was swallowed by the darkness and vanished without a trace. Qing Temple’s heart tightened with caution, and he moved even faster toward the distance.

The darkness halted after reaching a certain distance. At that moment, Kizaru, who had been idly watching, finally joined the fray, casually firing lasers from atop a high platform.

Qing Temple landed on the ground. Meanwhile, Akainu was pursuing Luffy. The remaining captains of Whitebeard's pirate crew blocked Akainu's path. They had lost their father, lost Ace, and now only wished to protect Luffy, whom Ace had saved.

Qing Temple glanced indifferently, then walked toward Mizuno Izuna and Tanino. They had just awakened, wide-eyed at the carnage, completely unaware of what had transpired.

Tanino exclaimed, "No way! What a fierce battle—this military base is nothing but ruins!"

Mizuno Izuna covered her mouth in shock, seeing Whitebeard standing in the distance.

Whitebeard was dead—the strongest man in the world was gone.

Mizuno Izuna whispered, "What in the world happened?"

At that moment, Qing Temple approached. The power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit had faded from his body. He looked at them, unsure how to explain, so he chose silence.

…

The Summit War ended as expected. Red-Haired Shanks arrived as a mediator, and with Coby's tearful cries, the battle between the Navy and pirates drew to a close.

After all the pirates had departed, Qing Temple informed the unsuspecting crew of Vice Admiral Mars’s death.

At first, they could hardly believe it; then tears streamed down their faces. Tanino cried the hardest—a rugged man nearly two meters tall, sobbing uncontrollably. Even Mizuno Izuna, who had only known Vice Admiral Mars briefly, wept bitterly.

Because Vice Admiral Mars, he was an exceptionally gentle soul.

…

A week later, the entire G-6 gathered to hold a funeral for Vice Admiral Mars. After the ceremony, people gradually dispersed.

Only Qing Temple remained, standing in the rain. After half an hour, he vanished from the spot.

The next day.

Mizuno Izuna arrived at the door of Qing Temple’s office, knocking, pausing, then knocking again.

"Is Lieutenant Qing Temple here?"

"Hmm? He’s not in his office? He didn’t come home last night either."

Qing Temple’s house had been dark, so Mizuno Izuna assumed he was sleeping in his office and came early to find him.

"Maybe he’s still asleep," she thought, feeling uneasy. She pushed open the door, disregarding any impropriety.

She glanced around—the office was small, and Qing Temple was nowhere to be seen. "Hmm... Where did Lieutenant Qing Temple go?"

Soon her attention fell on the Navy uniform folded neatly on the desk, slightly dirty but carefully arranged. Beside it lay a sheet of paper.

Mizuno Izuna picked up the note, her eyes widening.

[Whoever finds this note—I'm guessing it’s Izuna or Tanino—by the time you read this, I’ve already left. I, Shimura Qing Temple, am no longer a Navy officer. Take care, everyone.]

Mizuno Izuna looked out the window, eyes shining with tears. "Lieutenant Qing Temple..."

Qing Temple rowed a small boat, dressed in a white short-sleeved shirt and blue shorts, occasionally glancing at his sea chart and scratching his head. "Who drew this wretched map? It’s awful. Damn, I’m lost."

After Whitebeard’s declaration—

"The Great Treasure truly exists."

Just like Roger years ago, the seas were once again stirred by storms. New pirates sprang up everywhere, like mushrooms after rain.

Roger and Whitebeard may not have been evil at heart, but they brought turmoil to the world, spawning countless wicked pirates and plunging the world into chaos.

Compared to such means of overthrowing the World Government, Qing Temple admired the methods of the Revolutionary Army more.

Yesterday, he had reflected deeply in front of Vice Admiral Mars’s grave.

He could never be a pirate; he could no longer stay with the Navy. Should he join the Revolutionary Army?

No.

He would build his own force. This chaotic, twisted world still needed strength to suppress evil. The incompetence of the World Government, the cruelty of pirates—he hadn’t thought much of it before.

But now, he wanted to change this world.

He just happened to be lost at the moment...

"Hmm? Is it going to rain? Damn."

The sun above Qing Temple vanished. He looked up, only to see a massive ship’s prow looming overhead.

"Hahaha, Captain, run him over, run him over!"

"Alright, brothers, this guy is clueless. He doesn’t even realize our ship is behind him, hehehehe."

Qing Temple saw the pirate ship and smiled delightedly. "Perfect timing!"

A one-eyed pirate pointed his sword at Qing Temple. "Captain, he seems to be smiling."

"He must be an idiot. Facing death, and still smiling."

"Captain, he’s running toward us."

"Huh? He’s running toward us!"

Several pirates stepped back nervously. The fat-bellied pirate captain was also startled.

"Is that Navy Six Styles? He’s a Navy man!"

"No way, first day at sea and we run into a Navy officer—one skilled in the Six Styles!"

Qing Temple stepped onto the deck, grinning at the pirates.

The pirate captain forced a nauseating smile. "Officer, we’re just fooling around, not real pirates, I swear."

He nudged two underlings, who nodded vigorously.

Qing Temple spoke softly, "Why aspire to be such scum? But rest assured, I’m not here to arrest you."

"Take me to the nearest town, and I won’t arrest you."

Qing Temple was exceedingly amiable, yet the pirates remained tense, obeying his instructions without question. By afternoon, they ferried Qing Temple to an island.

By then, they had warmed up a little.

The pirate captain was Chris Mannell, the other two were called Si One and Si Two.

They had been inspired by Whitebeard to seek treasure, but after Qing Temple’s persuasion and eloquence, they abandoned their pirate dreams.

Qing Temple kept their ship and kicked them off.