Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku frowned deeply as he flipped through the documents in his hands.
Tsuru, seated below him, also held an identical report.
And then there was a certain bastard continuously making noise and ruining their concentration.
As Sengoku's brows furrowed tighter and tighter, he finally slammed his palm onto the desk.
"Garp! Can't you eat somewhere else?!"
Garp, who had been crunching senbei nonstop, casually picked his nose.
"Weren't you the one who called me here for the meeting? You said the higher-ups were preparing to move against Germa. Besides, I heard Germa aren't exactly good people either."
Sengoku let out a long breath.
"Germa has its own legends throughout the North Blue. There are even comic books written about them."
"But that isn't the important part."
"The issue is Wano Country in the New World. The Beasts Pirates have unilaterally terminated their cooperation with the World Government."
Wano Country?
What was so special about that place?
Garp looked confused as he continued noisily chewing on his senbei.
At that moment, Tsuru spoke up.
"Before Vegapunk disappeared, the research facility on Punk Hazard used Seastone as a raw material to allow warships to safely cross the Calm Belt."
"Punk Hazard still possesses that technology, but the source of Seastone comes from Wano Country."
"And not just the warships. Impel Down also requires Seastone handcuffs and chains."
"Additionally, many mid-ranking officers at Headquarters have already begun requesting Seastone weapons."
"No matter what, Wano Country is something we cannot bypass."
As she spoke, Tsuru pulled out another separate report.
"Not long ago, some sort of upheaval seems to have occurred within Wano Country."
"Because it's a closed nation, and because the incident ended so quickly, we never received any concrete information."
"However, Kaido's complete Azure Dragon form appeared in the skies multiple times."
Sengoku's expression also turned grave.
"Most importantly, although neither the World Government nor the Marines had personnel stationed in Wano at the time... shortly after chaos erupted on Onigashima, Kaido's base…"
"Centered around Onigashima and spreading across several hundred kilometers, the temperature suddenly skyrocketed."
"The closer one got to Onigashima, the more intense the heat became."
"According to calculations, the central temperature of Onigashima exceeded even Sakazuki's magma temperature of fifteen hundred degrees."
The moment those words fell, even Garp stopped absentmindedly picking his nose.
The Monkey family might all be simple-minded lunatics, but none of them were stupid.
From that single clue alone, Garp immediately connected many things.
"The Revolutionary Army... the cloaked man…"
"Didn't expect those guys to actually make a move against Kaido. That brat from Rocks' crew isn't easy to deal with anymore."
Garp suddenly laughed loudly.
"Heh! Wonder who won. Personally, I hope the Revolutionary Army did."
Ignoring Sengoku's glare, Garp reached back into the snack bag and tossed another senbei into his mouth.
"Bang!"
Sengoku slammed the desk hard enough to shake it.
"Garp! Do you understand that if the Revolutionary Army won, then with Wano Country's terrain, as long as they control the hidden ports"
"And what does that have to do with me?"
Before Sengoku could finish, Garp interrupted him.
"Crunch."
After swallowing the last senbei, Garp replied casually:
"Ever since the Revolutionary Army evacuated those five bases in Olga Kingdom, I haven't heard of any member nations suddenly getting overthrown by revolutions lately."
"Wano Country isn't even a member nation."
"And Kaido, as a pirate, only had secret dealings with the World Government."
"The Marines aren't about to go to war over ten pirates, are they?"
On the other side, Tsuru rubbed her ears from the shouting before speaking up to calm the two down.
Finally, she looked toward Sengoku.
"Now that Celestial Dragons no longer descend to Sabaody Archipelago at all, setting aside our own personal feelings, it would be inappropriate for the Marines to directly move against the Revolutionary Army at this time."
Those words immediately extinguished Sengoku's anger.
Of course he knew the Marines would never be used as the spearhead.
His outburst had only been because of Garp's attitude.
But the Seastone issue still had to be resolved, and the World Government would almost certainly continue probing Wano Country's situation.
If the Revolutionary Army truly had occupied that place, then the five individuals atop Mary Geoise might genuinely make certain decisions.
After all, God Valley had once been erased completely.
Under that kind of power, Wano Country would only meet the same fate.
"Don't overthink it, Sengoku. Right now, what we need to consider is the North Blue situation. If negotiations between the World Government and Germa break down, Marine forces will be mobilized as support."
As Tsuru spoke, she tapped the files on the desk.
"Kuzan's Devil Fruit ability is indeed extremely suitable for this operation."
"But there's another person here who could serve as an information source regarding the World Government."
"Rowan."
Sengoku nodded.
At present, this man who had been inserted into the Marines by the World Government had indeed maintained excellent relations with the higher-ups the entire time.
As for the Wano issue, perhaps they could send him there to investigate the changes within the country and determine whether continued cooperation remained possible.
Creak.
At that moment, Garp stood up and waved his hand lazily.
"I heard that brat Kuzan came back. I'm gonna see if he brought any senbei with him. Anyway, I'm clearly not welcome here."
After speaking, he pushed open the door and walked out.
Sengoku rubbed his forehead helplessly.
He truly had no way to deal with this old friend.
Promoting Garp to Admiral was impossible.
The moment he became an Admiral, he would become a direct subordinate of the Celestial Dragons.
Recently, Sengoku had also heard Garp had gained another grandson. The man kept trying to request leave to return to East Blue every few days, even during this severe shortage of Marine manpower.
"Garp's views conflicting with the higher-ups hasn't been a matter of one or two days."
Tsuru sighed softly.
"If Wano Country really faces the same fate as God Valley, he absolutely doesn't want to see that happen."
In truth, many of the World Government's actions fundamentally contradicted the sense of justice held by the Marines' upper ranks.
But nobody could change that.
Sengoku sighed as well.
Among the Marine's three former top combat forces, the only truly dependable one left now was himself.
Zephyr's spirit had been steadily declining, while Garp had his own ideas.
But no matter what, the stability of the seas remained the most important thing.
Perhaps it was time to recall Borsalino from Sabaody.
Now that Celestial Dragons no longer visited the archipelago, the Revolutionary Army's cloaked man no longer had any reason to lie in wait there.
Keeping Borsalino stationed there had become a waste of military strength.
"For the North Blue joint operation, we can first have Rowan coordinate with that CP9 agent, Spandine."
"And regarding Wano Country, we can recommend Rowan to the higher-ups as well."
Tsuru's gaze became somewhat profound.
"That kind of power likely isn't without limitations."
"And if I remember correctly, the history of that country also stretches back more than eight hundred years."
Eight hundred years...
That particular phrase immediately made Sengoku think of something as well.
"Let's proceed that way."
Meanwhile, inside the Room of Authority at Mary Geoise, discussions regarding the changes in Wano Country were also taking place.
Ever since Vegapunk's disappearance, research into the P-substance contained within Seastone had come to a complete halt.
Research on the Lineage Factor had become entirely impossible.
Aside from the results obtained before Vegapunk vanished, the entire scientific branch had practically entered a stagnant state.
"Those high-temperature flames... the only possible source is him."
"If he could kill Chameleon, then Kaido may not necessarily have won."
"The intelligence Borsalino brought back is too vague. Chameleon was killed mainly because of the opponent's teleportation ability and the element of surprise."
"Then have CP infiltrate and investigate. With mastery of the Six Powers, they should still be capable of leaping across from the outside."
"Also... if the Revolutionary Army truly has occupied Wano Country, should we—"
"The energy problem still hasn't been resolved. And Wano Country is far from an ordinary nation."
"Perhaps... letting them slaughter each other alongside the pirates in the New World isn't such a bad idea."
"Reporting something like this upward would only be negligence on the part of subordinates."
"As long as the Seastone trade continues, Wano Country may instead become a point of information we can monitor."
"Then onto the next issue. Can that Judge from Germa replace Vegapunk?"
"He's nowhere near enough. Whether it's Judge, Queen, or Caesar, none of them compare to the core figure that is Vegapunk."
"Have CP continue searching for Vegapunk's whereabouts. As for Wano's investigation, there's also Queen. In MADS, he was responsible for biological research. If Kaido loses, we can have him work for the World Government."
"As for the North Blue, the production of Amber Lead has already begun decreasing recently. Before this upcoming World Conference, the king of Flevance already submitted a report, pleading for the World Government's protection once the truth is exposed."
"There's still time. We can agree to it for now. They're all just insects anyway."
"Insects that no longer possess value lose the meaning of being noticed. Letting them remain alive is enough."
The next day, after swordsmanship class, the white-haired Smoker arrived as promised. After getting his right eye swollen as well, he once again left behind a barrage of bold declarations.
Meanwhile, Rowan continued practicing his swordsmanship...
His Zanpakuto training still needed to continue.
At present, because his stamina and spiritual willpower were insufficient, even maintaining Shikai for long periods remained impossible.
But as long as he opened another Diamond Treasure Chest next time, the Shikai issue would be alleviated.
The strongest fire-type Zanpakuto was still merely a Zanpakuto.
The reason Captain-Commander Yamamoto was known as the strongest Shinigami was because he himself was powerful.
The clearest comparison was Hitsugaya Toshiro.
He wielded Hyorinmaru, likewise hailed as the strongest ice-type Zanpakuto, yet compared to Ryujin Jakka, the difference was worlds apart.
At that moment, after finishing his swing count training, Rowan turned around and looked toward the beauty of this generation's training camp.
"Oh? Is the beautiful lady here to ask me on a date?"
He started with blatant flirting, but Tashigi took a deep breath and immunized herself against it.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru asked me to inform you to head over. Mm... to Fleet Admiral Sengoku's office."
Rowan sheathed his sword.
"So it's not a date invitation? What a shame. I saw a cat at Enies Lobby that can do backflips. I was planning to invite you to watch it together."
While casually teasing her, his mind was already analyzing the meaning behind Vice Admiral Tsuru calling him over.
After all, although he already held the rank of Rear Admiral, he hadn't interacted much with the old Marine trio at Headquarters. Even Sengoku had only summoned him once after he captured Olvia and the Ohara incident erupted.
That time had nearly made Sengoku so furious his beard stood on end.
"Hm? A cat that can do backflips? Really?"
⊙_⊙
Faced with the suddenly interested Tashigi leaning closer, Rowan froze for a moment.
This girl was really that easy to fool?
Or was it simply because she was still young?
"Mm..."
Rowan grinned as he naturally wrapped an arm around her shoulder.
"Of course... it's real. Want to go see it? Tonight maybe? The beds at Enies Lobby are huge. Very comfortable to sleep on too."
Sure enough, the defenseless Tashigi was just about to agree when a furious roar suddenly came from the distance.
"Take your filthy hands off her!"
A slash shot directly toward them, but Rowan merely waved his left hand casually. Coated in Armament Haki, he blocked the attack head-on.
As rubble flew through the air, another figure charged forward with a blade in hand.
Rowan tilted his body slightly and avoided the slash, though at the same time he also released that sinful right hand.
"My, my... if Rear Admiral Doll wants to come too, that's fine as well. I really wouldn't mind the three of us going together."
Spreading his hands with a sincere expression, Rowan continued, "You're both so beautiful, there's really no need to draw swords over who gets to go play with me at Enies Lobby..."
Doll immediately pulled the bewildered Tashigi behind her.
"Who would ever go play with a bastard like you? Don't let him fool you, Tashigi. He's definitely not a good person."
Tashigi blinked in confusion.
"Tashigi knows that. It's just... are there really cats that can do backflips?"
Rowan waved toward her.
"There really are. 5.1 definitely has them."
"Shut up!"
Doll glared viciously at Rowan.
Facing the fourth monster to emerge from the training camp, she knew perfectly well that she probably couldn't beat him.
Besides, fighting wasn't possible in a place like this.
"The message has been delivered. I'm leaving."
After saying that, she dragged away the still-reluctant Tashigi.
Rowan shrugged and prepared to head toward the Fleet Admiral's office himself.
However, as he passed Vice Admiral Onigumo, the instructor overseeing this swordsmanship class, the vice admiral suddenly spoke.
"If you plan on causing trouble during my class, I won't pretend not to see it."
Rowan turned his head toward him.
"I heard that spiders can glide, right? But apparently if they fly too high and nobody catches them, they'll smash straight into the ground... and die on the spot."
The moment those words fell, the two locked eyes.
Neither side gave an inch.
The atmosphere between them caused every trainee practicing swordsmanship nearby to stop what they were doing.
Just as conflict seemed about to erupt, a voice suddenly rang out.
"If you have that much energy, it'd be better spent maintaining the stability of the seas. The pirates in the New World are increasing more and more. Do you all think you're very idle?"
Both men shifted their gazes away at the same time.
Onigumo lowered his head slightly.
"Teacher."
Rowan casually waved a hand.
"Teacher, Fleet Admiral Sengoku is looking for me, so I'll head over first."
After Rowan left, Zephyr let out a sigh.
He truly couldn't understand this disciple of his anymore. No matter how he thought about it, the younger generation valued by Nomi shouldn't have possessed this kind of justice.
"Tashigi's file has already been handed over to Tsuru. That brat only likes taking advantage with his mouth. He's not stupid enough to go further than that."
After saying those words, Zephyr also turned and left.
----------
Patreon Advance Chapters: patreon .com/OneFic