Sengoku's office.
"Sean, are you telling me the incident at Enies Lobby really wasn't your doing?"
"Now look here, old man Sengoku, don't go spreading rumors. Be careful, or I'll sue you for slander!"
Sengoku's eyelid twitched.
'Sue me for slander?'
'Who on earth are you going to report me to? The Five Elders?'
"Enough. Let's drop that for now. Regarding your next assignment, I have two options for you."
"What are they?"
"The first is to serve as a branch chief in one of the four seas. You'll spend two or three years tempering yourself and accumulating military merit before returning to Headquarters."
"And the second?"
"The second is a posting at the Sabaody Archipelago. I'll leave that for you to consider."
"No need to consider. I'll take the four seas. I'll head to Sabaody once I'm a bit stronger."
"With your current strength, dealing with those Supernovas shouldn't be an issue. Is there really a need to be this cautious?"
"It's not the Supernovas I'm worried about; it's the Celestial Dragons. I'm afraid that if I see them, I won't be able to stop myself from punching one. And once I do, I won't be able to beat the Admiral who will inevitably come rushing to arrest me. So, I'd rather go to the four seas to hone my skills first."
Sengoku was momentarily stunned.
So, he wasn't worried about losing to the Supernovas—he was worried that after he beat up a Celestial Dragon, he wouldn't be able to handle the Admiral coming for him?
'Fine...'
Sengoku decided it was best to let him have his way and toss him into the four seas for training. Otherwise, the kid really might cause a catastrophe. He figured he'd bring him back in a few years once he had matured.
Sengoku made his decision quickly.
"Very well. You'll head to the East Blue."
"No problem. Which branch?"
"The 16th Branch. Since the incident with Nezumi, the East Blue's 16th Branch has been in a state of near-abandonment. I will allow you to select one hundred Marines from Headquarters and provide you with a medium-sized warship."
"I have no objections. I'll set sail tomorrow!"
"Good. You may leave."
'''
BOOM!!
"Bwahaha! Sean, kid! I heard from Sengoku that you've been assigned to the East Blue's 16th Branch?"
That evening, Garp carelessly kicked open the front door of Gion's villa. Fortunately, Gion was away on a mission; otherwise, she would have certainly sliced Garp a few times.
"I'm telling you, old man Garp, can you stop kicking the door every time you come in?!"
"Sorry, sorry! Old habits!!"
"Whatever... anyway, why are you looking for me?"
"Oh, right! I almost forgot the important part. Once you get to the East Blue, can you keep an eye on my grandsons for me?"
"What? You want me to babysit your grandsons? Come to think of it, your grandsons are around my age, aren't they?"
Sean's eyes widened in shock. He was one year younger than Ace and two years older than Luffy.
'You want me to babysit them? How exactly am I supposed to do that? Just knock them both unconscious and shove baby bottles in their mouths?'
This was beyond ridiculous.
"Sigh, to be honest, those two grandsons of mine are a real headache. Every single day they're shouting about becoming pirates. I've scolded them, I've beaten them... I'm at my wit's end!"
"So, you want me to find a way to make them turn over a new leaf and become Marines instead?"
"Exactly! That's the idea. Since you're peers, maybe they'll actually listen to you."
Sean was speechless.
'You think those two grandsons of yours are that easy to persuade?'
'Aren't you just making things difficult for me?'
"Sean, if you can pull this off, I'll grant you one favor in the future. As long as it doesn't violate justice, I'll do anything. How about it?"
"Anything?"
"Yes, anything—so long as it doesn't violate justice!"
"Fine, I'll take the job. But let me tell you now: don't get your hopes up too high."
"Don't worry, I understand!"
After Garp left, Sean fell into deep thought. Was it even possible to convince Luffy and Ace not to become pirates?
It was possible—after all, nothing was absolute. However, the probability was likely less than one percent.
Still, Garp's promise was far too valuable. Sean could potentially use this favor in the future to ensure Garp stood by his side during a critical moment. Therefore, no matter how difficult the task, he had to find a way.
'''
The attack on Enies Lobby sent shockwaves across the globe. The fact that three Marine Vice Admirals had died in the assault drew an immense amount of attention.
Strangely, the Marines showed no reaction to the loss, acting as if those three Vice Admirals weren't even part of their organization. However, at the request of the World Government, the Marines eventually issued a bounty poster.
[Name: Unknown]
[Alias: Fire Demon]
[Description: Possessor of the Logia Flame-Flame Fruit. Extremely brutal temperament.]
[Photo: Not obtained]
[Bounty: 550,000,000 Belly]
[Dead or Alive!!]
Whether it was a historical inevitability or not, in the original story, Ace's bounty had also been 550 million Belly.
But none of that concerned Sean. At this moment, he was accompanied by Lucci and the one hundred Marines Lucci had selected, crossing the Calm Belt aboard a warship.
"Lucci, have the men remove the Seastone from the bottom of the ship."
"But Commodore, if we remove the Seastone, we won't be able to avoid the Sea Kings!"
"That's exactly why I want it removed," Sean said with a hint of helplessness, looking at the calm, serene surface of the ocean. "With this thing installed, how are we supposed to improve the menu?"
Dammit. They had been in the Calm Belt for nearly a day and hadn't seen so much as a shadow of a Sea King. Was the Seastone's effect too good?
"Understood. I'll arrange it immediately."
Lucci didn't hesitate and went to carry out the order. To an ordinary Marine, a Sea King was a terrifying monster. But to Lucci, unless it was a behemoth from ten thousand meters deep, it was practically a pet.
"Captain, are we really removing it? We're in the Calm Belt!"
"Yeah, if we take it off, we'll probably be attacked by a swarm of Sea Kings!"
Two Marines, already tied with ropes around their waists and preparing for underwater work, remained hesitant. Sea Kings were nightmare fuel.
"Execute the order! The Commodore said we're hunting a Sea King to improve the menu!"
'Hiss...'
The reason for removing the Seastone was that the Commodore wanted to hunt a Sea King? And the purpose was... to improve their meals?
The Marines exchanged looks. They had heard rumors of this happening before—specifically from the Marines who had served on Vice Admiral Garp's dog-headed warship. It was said that Sea King meat was incredibly nutritious and highly beneficial for the body.
'Could it be... that we're actually going to enjoy the same perks as the crew on Vice Admiral Garp's ship?'
After all, Commodore Sean was a man capable of defeating Vice Admiral Momonga; taking down a single Sea King seemed like a simple task.
The marines were suddenly revitalized. Even those responsible for holding the ropes began urging the two men below to hurry up and get the job done.
In truth, a medium-sized warship only had two pieces of Seastone attached to its hull, and neither was particularly large. It took less than a few minutes for the two marines to tear them away. The rest of the crew then hauled on the ropes, pulling both the men and the Seastone back up onto the deck.
"Commodore, the Seastone has been removed!"
"Right, I've got it."
With a nod, Sean gave a light leap and landed gracefully on the ship's prow.
The sea was perfectly still, without a single ripple. This was to be expected—they were in the Calm Belt.
Sean stood there motionless, waiting in silence for half an hour.
Suddenly, the ocean ahead erupted. A colossal creature leaped from the depths, towering as high as a ten-story building. It was a hundred-meter class Sea King; judging by the portion visible above the waterline, its total length was likely around three hundred meters.
'Good grief, it's even longer than the ship!'
In the next instant, the beast bared its fangs and opened its cavernous maw, lunging forward to snap at him.