Chapter 98: The Marines' Dilemma
At Mary Geoise, the Five Elders began scheming against Garp and Bane.
Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters, Garp and Bane were currently meeting.
In front of the gates of Marine Headquarters' Fortress of Justice, Garp threw his arm around Bane's shoulder and laughed heartily: "Finally got you here! Now I can rest easy."
"Huh? Rest easy about what?" Bane asked, somewhat puzzled.
He felt that Garp showed unusual enthusiasm this time around, completely different from when they met in East Blue. Back then, Garp had also been easygoing and enthusiastic, but somehow it felt different.
This time, it seemed like Garp was treating him as one of his own.
"Sigh, there are many things you don't know. In any case, your timely arrival at our Marine Headquarters has truly helped me out tremendously," Garp said with a complex expression.
Although he had wanted to help Ace before, seeking opportunities for leniency, he hadn't known how to approach it.
It was his old comrade Sengoku who, after understanding the situation, provided an effective operational plan. And it was at that moment that Bane, who had been somewhat dispensable before, suddenly became precious to Garp.
With his arrival, Ace wouldn't need to be executed so urgently!
How could Garp not be happy?
Issho, following behind Bane, watched Garp and Bane acting like close brothers and began to doubt himself.
Wait, hadn't Bane confessed during their journey that he and Garp had only met once before? How could this meeting feel nothing like that? You could say they were sworn brothers without any problem!
Had Bane been modest?
As they approached the Fortress of Justice, Garp seemed to suddenly remember something and quickly said: "Sorry, sorry! I got carried away and almost forgot - Sengoku wants to see you right now..."
As he spoke, he looked somewhat awkwardly at Bane's other companions.
Smoker was completely clueless and didn't pick up on Garp's awkwardness. Fortunately, Hina was much more perceptive than Smoker. Seeing the situation, she proactively stepped forward: "Perfect! Whatever you're going to discuss will definitely be boring. Hina finds it completely uninteresting. Nami, Fubuki, let me show you around our headquarters?"
Issho and the others naturally understood the implication and found nothing improper about it. After all, they weren't real Marines and weren't important figures currently - they couldn't expect the incredibly busy Fleet Admiral to personally receive them, right?
That would be too ridiculous. So everyone expressed interest in touring Marine Headquarters and having Hina as their guide.
Soon, Issho and the others left with Smoker and Hina.
Only then did Garp breathe a sigh of relief: "It's not that Sengoku and I... it's just that what we're about to discuss is truly important."
"No problem," Bane waved dismissively, showing no concern.
Seeing that Bane wasn't displeased, Garp chuckled as he led Bane along, saying: "Although we only met briefly, I can sense that among your companions, there are some extraordinary individuals. That Issho gentleman just now - he should be quite powerful, right?"
"Indeed. Without exaggeration, based on strength alone, he could serve as a Marine Admiral," Bane said without any modesty.
Since they'd come this far, they definitely needed to demonstrate their value to ensure the Marines took their group seriously.
Now was not the time to hide their abilities.
"And my little brother Zoro is no ordinary person now either," Bane added as they entered the elevator with Garp.
"Oh? How so?" Garp asked with slight curiosity.
He had met Zoro and Nami before, and at that time, including Bane, they had all seemed like promising rookies with some ability in his eyes.
"We went to Sky Island earlier and made some gains. Zoro is now a Logia Rumble-Rumble Fruit user. You should understand the value of that ability - just give him a little more time, and this sea will welcome another top-tier expert," Bane said.
"The Rumble-Rumble Fruit?!" Garp immediately took this seriously: "That's certainly the case! That ability alone would be sufficient for a Vice Admiral position in our Marines."
Since the Marines' three current Admirals were all powerful Logia users, there had been a kind of Logia worship within the Marines for years. As a top Marine leader, Garp didn't worship Logias per se, but he absolutely understood the importance of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit ability.
That was among the most powerful of all Devil Fruit abilities!
Especially since he'd seen Zoro, he knew this guy had the talent to turn potential into actual strength!
"And Fubuki, whom I introduced earlier - she consumed former Shichibukai Crocodile's ability and is now the second-generation Sand-Sand Fruit user," Bane dropped another bombshell.
Garp wasn't too surprised by this news. When he learned that Crocodile had been killed, he had already guessed that Bane wouldn't let the Sand-Sand Fruit go to waste. He just hadn't expected someone to have already inherited the ability.
"Including yourself, tsk tsk - your small team of fewer than ten people already has three Logia users plus one top-tier expert. This level makes even me find it incredible," Garp clicked his tongue.
Garp could easily imagine that in not too long - give them two years to grow - this team would be able to establish their own influence on the seas and hold significant positions.
Fortunately, Bane and his group wanted to join the Marines.
Thinking of this, Garp couldn't help but laugh: "Good thing, good thing! You promising newcomers are all planning to join our Marines. To be honest, I was really worried about our Marine new generation having a talent gap, but now I can finally relax."
Not only Garp felt this way - the entire Marine high command shared this concern.
It could be said that the Marines were currently in an extremely prosperous era. The older generation like Sengoku and Garp could still hold down the fort, while the three Admirals were acknowledged as incredibly powerful, plus there were Admiral candidates like Momousagi and Chaton.
Along with numerous elite Vice Admirals forming the Marine backbone.
This was why the current Marines were called the "Sea's Hegemon." Despite the Four Emperors' arrogant posturing, in terms of raw strength, the Marines completely outclassed them.
However, the leadership could see some troubling signs for the Marines' future - namely, that the younger generation hadn't yet produced standout pillars like Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan had been in their day.
If this problem couldn't be resolved, the Marines might decline from their peak in another decade or two, entering a very awkward position.
And at just this moment, Bane's group appeared - three Logia users, all with very powerful Logia abilities, plus one top-tier expert, and three others who might not show their excellence yet but certainly had capabilities.
If the Marines could recruit and cultivate them into truly trustworthy allies...
Then all the talent gap problems the Marines previously faced would be comprehensively solved at once!
So as they stepped off the elevator, Garp had already made up his mind - Bane and his group must be treated well, with no room for carelessness. This wasn't just about the upcoming war, but about the Marines' future!
"We're here," Garp said, leading Bane to an office door.
He had originally planned to push the door open directly, but remembering Bane was with him, he immediately stopped and knocked very properly: "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, we're here."
Bane found Garp's formal behavior amusing - so you're putting on an act now?
Then they heard a very steady voice from inside: "Come in."
Undoubtedly, this voice belonged to Marine Headquarters' Fleet Admiral - Sengoku!
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