Aether's gaze fell upon Sengoku: "Sengoku, you have experience fighting Charlotte Linlin. Lead a team to the Sabaody Archipelago immediately! Your primary objective is to arrest Charlotte Linlin. She murdered a Navy Vice Admiral and destroyed a Naval Base; the impact of her actions is extremely malicious and must be severely punished! Dead or alive!"
If you really cannot find any trace of Charlotte Linlin, then work with Tsuru to monitor those pirates who have returned from the New World. You must ascertain their intentions and be ready to respond to their subsequent actions at any time!"
"Yes! Understood!" Sengoku pushed up his glasses, just about to take the order.
"Fleet Admiral Aether!" Zephyr interrupted again, taking a step forward with a firm look in his eyes.
"Please, leave this mission to me!"
Everyone's eyes focused on him.
As a Marine who believed that pirates could be good people and turn over a new leaf—especially after learning about Charlotte Linlin's unfortunate past—he became increasingly determined to save this Damselette.
Zephyr said loudly: "I want to go and meet that Charlotte Linlin personally! I want to witness for myself exactly what kind of person she is to be able to do such things!
Arresting pirates who endanger justice is the duty of the Marine in the first place! Please give this mission to me, I will give it my all!"
Fleet Admiral Aether looked at the high-spirited young officer before him, whose sense of justice was overflowing, and a look of weighing options flashed in his eyes.
He was well aware of Zephyr's strength; his Armament Haki was already well-developed, and his martial arts were exquisite. Even if he was no match for Charlotte Linlin, with his solid foundation, protecting himself should be no problem. This would also be a rare experience for Zephyr.
After a brief silence, Fleet Admiral Aether nodded: "Fine! Zephyr, since you have such determination and fighting spirit, you will be primarily responsible for this mission! You are to lead a team to the Sabaody Archipelago immediately to hunt down Charlotte Linlin!
Remember, prioritize the safety of yourself and your subordinates. If the target is found, assess her strength. If the situation is beyond your capabilities, focus on monitoring and relaying intelligence. Do not fight recklessly; wait for reinforcements!"
"Yes! I guarantee the mission will be completed! I will not fail your trust!" Zephyr stood at attention and saluted, his voice sonorous and powerful.
Fleet Admiral Aether then looked at Sengoku and Tsuru: "Sengoku, Tsuru, your missions are reassigned. Zephyr will handle the pursuit of Charlotte Linlin, while you two will monitor and investigate the movements of the other Great Pirates returning from the New World. I need to know their true purpose for gathering here!"
"Understood," Sengoku and Tsuru nodded simultaneously.
Then Aether looked at Garp.
"Hahaha, then there's nothing for me to do! With Sengoku and Tsuru on the job, it's definitely stable! I'll just..." Seeing this, Garp immediately wanted to slip away.
"Garp!" Fleet Admiral Aether's roar erupted instantly, "Where do you think you're sneaking off to again!"
Garp picked his ear and gave a cheeky grin:
"I heard that another Great Pirate with quite the 'Talents' has popped up in the East Blue recently, and his momentum is quite strong. I'm going back to nip him in the bud! This is official business for maintaining the peace of the East Blue, Admiral!"
Fleet Admiral Aether was so angry he almost smashed the office desk in front of him:
"Bullshit! What 'talented' Great Pirate! Who are you trying to fool! You probably just want another excuse to go back to the East Blue to see that precious son of yours!
Be serious! Garp! You are a Marineford Vice Admiral! You are a soldier who maintains justice! You are not an ordinary father who can leave whenever he wants to visit family!"
Garp was momentarily embarrassed, muttering in his heart: 'Darn, he saw right through my thoughts.'
But his skin was incredibly thick. He immediately craned his neck and shouted back just as loudly, despite having no moral ground:
"So what! Can't Marines have families? Can't I care about my son's growth? My son Dragon is a future pillar of the Marine! I am cultivating reserve forces for the Marine! I'm providing early family influence!"
Veins popped on Fleet Admiral Aether's forehead: "You bastard! This is the third time this year you've used this exact same excuse!
If the East Blue really produced Great Pirates that frequently, I would have stationed a whole fleet there long ago! Would it even be your turn to go back time and time again?"
The two instantly fell into another argument, almost face to face, spit flying everywhere, their loud voices making the office buzz and vibrate.
Seeing this scene, which lacked all dignity and resembled a street brawl, the young Zephyr was dumbfounded again. He subconsciously looked at the steady Sengoku beside him and asked in a low voice:
"Mr. Sengoku... is this... is this really okay?"
Sengoku turned his head with absolute calm and pushed up his glasses, as if he had long since become accustomed to it:
"It's fine. It's a routine exchange. You'll get used to it after attending a few more high-level meetings. This is their... unique way of communicating."
Vice Admiral Tsuru looked at the two who were about to come to blows and shook her head wordlessly. She then added, as if casually:
"By the way, I just received some supplementary intelligence. It's said that among the list of Pirate Crews returning to the first half of the Grand Line... the Roger Pirates... also happen to be active in the nearby waters.
If I'm not mistaken, Garp, your mission should be to monitor the movements of the Roger Pirates and drive them back to the New World."
Garp, who was currently locking horns and spraying spit at Fleet Admiral Aether, froze instantly.
In the next second, he returned to his seat at a speed difficult for the naked eye to catch. The grin and laziness on his face vanished without a trace, replaced by an extreme seriousness and a Burning battle intent. He slammed his chest, his voice booming like a bell:
"Why didn't you say so earlier! Fleet Admiral Aether! I, Monkey D. Garp, accept the order! I guarantee I'll keep a dead eye on the Roger Pirates! I absolutely won't let them stir up trouble in the first half of the Grand Line!"
Fleet Admiral Aether looked at Garp, who had instantly changed faces and was now full of initiative. His stomach full of anger was blocked in his chest, finally turning into a weary sigh:
"Forget it..."
He waved his hand weakly and made the final decision:
"Zephyr, depart immediately to hunt down Charlotte Linlin!"
"Sengoku, Tsuru, investigate and monitor the movements of those New World pirates!"
"Garp... you go and keep a close eye on Roger for me!!"
"Move out immediately!"
"Yes!" X4
Everyone took their orders and quickly left the noisy Fleet Admiral's office.
Aether looked at the empty office after everyone had left and sighed:
"Sigh~, these are troubled times~. Even though the main members of the Rocks Pirates haven't made a move yet, most of the Marine's main forces have already been deployed..."
...Sabaody Archipelago, a noisy and boisterous bar.
This place was completely different from the dreamlike scenery of colorful bubbles outside. The air was thick with the smell of cheap liquor, sweat, and a faint hint of blood. The bar was packed with pirates of various appearances and fierce looks, but most of them only dared to gather on the periphery, casting reverent gazes toward the table at the very center.
A scrawny pirate came crawling and rolling to the side of the table, excitedly reporting to the tall figure in the main seat:
"Boss! Boss! Good news! Good news! The 'Dragon Swordsman' Charlotte Linlin, who is ranked third on the World Economic Journal's 'Most Beautiful Female Pirate' list! She has appeared in Sabaody!"
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