"Hahahahaha!"
"Hahahahaha!"
Roars of unrestrained laughter echoed from the Admirals' office.
Zephyr and Sengoku were laughing so hard and so long that the guards outside exchanged confused looks—
when had the ever-solemn Admiral Zephyr and the dignified Admiral Sengoku last laughed like this?
"Oi, oi! You two bastards done laughing yet?"
Garp gnawed bitterly on his rice crackers, crunch crunch crunch, as if he were chewing on their flesh rather than snacks.
Looking at Garp's increasingly bruised right eye, Zephyr and Sengoku exchanged a glance—
and burst into another round of uncontrollable laughter.
"Hahahahaha!
To think YOU, Garp, would have a day like this! Truly refreshing!"
"Hmph! Just you wait—one day I'll catch both of you slipping!"
Garp's face twisted in frustration.
Yes, there had been surprise and carelessness involved,
but the fact remained:
he had been punched—PUNCHED—by a fifteen-year-old Marine recruit.
If that were all, he could've brushed it off.
But Longinus' "holy-glowing, righteousness-infused Iron Fist" had given him a perfect panda eye…
…that STILL hadn't fully healed after almost a week.
He couldn't help doubting:
"My Love Fist increases pain dozens of times…
Don't tell me Longinus' Justice Fist makes injuries last dozens of times longer?"
"This damned fist… do I have to walk around with panda eyes until it decides to fade?!"
"Alright, enough playing around. Let's talk business."
Vice Admiral Tsuru tapped the table.
"Mm." Sengoku nodded, expression turning serious.
"I'm sure you've all heard what happened in Impel Down."
"The Sky King Pirates' admiral—Golden Lion Shiki—escaped from Impel Down,
shattering its myth of being an unbreakable fortress,"
Tsuru continued.
"I heard he cut off his own legs and used his Devil Fruit to escape."
Zephyr's face hardened.
"For such a thing to occur… Impel Down clearly still has fatal weaknesses."
"We'll deal with that later."
Sengoku pressed on.
"The most urgent priority is ensuring this incident dies down quickly, restoring Impel Down's deterrence—
and capturing Shiki at all costs."
"Capture Shiki?"
Garp dug at his nose lazily.
"Sengoku, you know that's basically impossible.
With the Float-Float Fruit, unless he walks into HQ again, we'll never corner him."
"We still must.
Among the three great pirates of the last era, Shiki's ambition was the most dangerous.
Even without his legs, his Devil Fruit means his combat strength won't drop significantly.
Hatred added to ambition…
He WILL challenge the world order again.
The Navy cannot let someone like that roam free."
Garp waved impatiently.
"Yeah yeah, spare me the speech. Just tell me what you want me to do."
Sengoku's eyebrow twitched—
but he continued, patient as a saint:
"According to the latest intelligence, Shiki was recently sighted in Whitebeard's territory.
We don't yet know what he's after, but those two monsters in one place is a threat to global stability."
"So, Garp—
you will lead a fleet to the New World and meet your old friend.
If possible, capture Shiki without provoking Whitebeard."
"Hahahahaha! Leave it to me!"
Garp sprang up and headed for the door.
"Stop, Garp! I'm not finished—"
"You weren't finished, but I already heard enough!"
"GARPPPPP—GET BACK HERE—!"
Sengoku's roar shook the windows… but Garp was long gone.
"That idiot…" Sengoku crushed the corner of his desk in fury.
"Let it go."
Tsuru sipped her tea serenely.
"With Garp, the moment you said 'New World,' his soul already left the room."
Zephyr added,
"Shiki is someone who plans meticulously.
If we miss this chance, he'll vanish for years.
Should I go too?"
"No need."
Sengoku shook his head.
"I'll send Dragon and Kuzan with him.
If it turns into a fight, a lone Shiki can't win."
He paused.
"As for your student…
I intend to assign him to a separate mission."
"Longinus?"
Zephyr frowned.
"But the first-year final assessment is about to begin."
"With his ability, do you really think an assessment matters?
In fact—why not designate this mission as his assessment?"
—
A lush canopy, birdsong, and buzzing insects.
What looked like a peaceful vacation island was, in truth, filled with violent roars and monstrous footprints—
the infamous Beast Island of the Calm Belt,
the first-year assessment site.
The exam had ended.
Surviving recruits staggered out, drenched in blood and exhaustion.
Zephyr nodded in satisfaction.
Only about forty had failed—far better than last year's disastrous pass rate.
Indeed… the overall morale and atmosphere influence these recruits far more than I expected.
Truly a pity—
next year's batch is unlikely to have another "Longinus" leading the tone.
Then Zephyr's eyes brightened.
Unless… I use a different method to let Longinus continue shaping future recruits.
A nearby instructor handed over a list.
"Chief Instructor Zephyr, here are the final rankings."
Zephyr scanned it and nodded.
The instructor began announcing:
"First place: Gion—
one Class-4 Beast slain, twelve Class-3 Beasts, for a total of 2,200 points.
"Second place: Kaji—
one Class-4 Beast—"
Before he could finish, the entire crowd erupted.
After one year, they had long accepted that Longinus was the unquestioned number one.
To suddenly hear someone else ranked first—
There could only be one explanation:
rigged!
"Wait—Instructor Jess…"
Jess frowned at being interrupted—
but seeing it was Gion, he restrained himself.
Outstanding students were always given more leeway.
"What is it, Gion?"
Gion puffed her cheeks like a hamster stuffed with food.
"Instructor Jess, Longinus hasn't come out of Beast Island yet, right?
Otherwise, there's no way I could've taken first place."
Jess looked at Zephyr for guidance.
Zephyr nodded slightly.
"Indeed.
Longinus didn't participate in this assessment.
Headquarters has assigned him a separate mission."
He paused, then added casually—
"If our timing is right…
he should have already arrived at Impel Down by now."
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