From the Top Down

As soon as Vidal heard this, he guessed who Vice Admiral Amyz was talking about. Issho, meanwhile, felt that Zephyr's training camp really was full of hidden talents.

There were actually two people of Vidal's caliber there at the same time?

Did that mean there were more people like them in Zephyr's training camp?

For some reason, he felt a little tempted to visit the Special Training Camp. Of course, it was just a passing impulse.

Vidal, however, thought it over quickly before shaking his head and declining the invitation.

His reasoning was simple: he would meet Sakazuki and Borsalino in another three or four months. There was no need to get acquainted with them ahead of time.

Bullet, on the other hand, needed this time to begin building bonds with his family.

After all, Vidal would be taking both Enel and Bullet to Marineford, and they probably wouldn't have many chances to spend time with his parents once they were there.

Besides, what could he do even if he met those two now?

At most, they would just spar to test one another's strength. He was bound to do that often after joining the Special Training Camp.

Vice Admiral Amyz wasn't angry at the polite refusal. Instead, he invited them to a meal of navy-style curry aboard his ship, then brought Colonel Benson and the others to see them off.

"Vice Admiral, what do we do now?" a lieutenant commander behind him asked softly.

"Search the surrounding area. If you find any marines' bodies, recover them, and tow those two warships back as well." The vice admiral pointed at the battered warships in the distance.

With that, he vanished and reappeared high in the air, then used Geppo to make a swift circuit of the entire battlefield.

He wanted to use the traces left behind to work out roughly how Vidal's battle with Byrnndi World and the others had gone, then report it to the Fleet Admiral.

From his vantage point, Vice Admiral Amyz soon saw the wreckage of red trees covering almost half the sea within his field of vision.

"So this is what a 'monster' can do."

He had never seen Sakazuki and the others at the base fight at full strength, but this scene gave him some idea.

In fact, though, the range of Vidal's Red Tree World Advent was nowhere near that enormous.

The astonishing area now covered by the wreckage had formed as the trees kept growing and piling up, before the seawater scattered them.

After all, his fruit power had not yet awakened. He couldn't possibly do what Kuzan would in the future and freeze a vast stretch of sea all at once, keeping it frozen for over a week.

Aboard the airship returning to Navarone Fortress, Vidal healed Issho's injuries as he asked, "Would you like to stay at my house and rest for a few days? You helped me a great deal this time, after all."

"Well..." Issho hesitated for a while, but ultimately declined.

"No, I'm planning to visit the Alabasta Kingdom. I'll have a look around while I rest."

"Your gambling itch is acting up, isn't it? You want to see Rain Dinners, the biggest casino in Paradise," Vidal teased.

"Mm, after such a fierce battle, I should relax a little." Issho made no attempt to hide it from his friend.

"Alabasta..." Vidal raised his eyes and gazed into the distance, in the direction of that ancient, enormous kingdom.

"I hear there's a prince there who's only seventeen, but the people say he has the makings of a wise ruler."

"Yes, his name is Nefertari Cobra. He's also someone I intend to visit on this trip," Issho said with a smile, stroking the Bokken in his hand.

"If he really is a good man, I plan to stay there for a few years and leave after he has safely taken the throne."

"There really are too few good rulers in the world today..." He ended with a long sigh.

Vidal withdrew his hand, its palm still glowing green. He had long since grown used to his friend worrying about the country and its people like this.

"A good ruler can only protect one country. To truly bring peace to the world, you need greater strength, a higher position, and more power," Vidal said calmly.

Now that the subject had come up, he didn't mind discussing it with Issho. There were no outsiders around anyway.

Oh, Bullet? He was Vidal's son, his family!

"Is that why you joined the navy?" Issho looked straight at Vidal.

"Mm."

"There are basically two ways to change the world: from the bottom up or from the top down. I chose the latter." Vidal nodded.

In the future, someone would step forward to carry out reform from the bottom up. What Vidal had to do was take control of the navy, the world's largest military organization.

Then he would work in concert with the effort from below, meeting it from above to complete the final revolution!

To do that, he first had to become fully integrated into the "upper ranks" and earn their complete trust. That would take some skill and time.

But over the past twenty years, he had long since prepared himself mentally and steeled his resolve.

He had been given another life and resources ordinary people could scarcely imagine. How could he spend it without ambition, accomplishing nothing?

Thirteen-year-old Bullet listened to the conversation between the two men and couldn't understand a thing they were talking about.

Changing the world—did that have anything to do with him?

After listening for a while, the boy grew bored and focused his attention on the fruit tree beside him and the fresh fruit in his hand.

Although it was strange for a fruit tree laden with fruit to have suddenly grown on the deck, he was already getting used to this man's wondrous methods.

Still, he really did want to eat meat!

"From the top down... But I'm more interested in the bottom-up approach you mentioned," Issho said after thinking for a few minutes.

"No, you're not interested!" Vidal had no intention of explaining it to him. It wasn't that he didn't understand it; he simply didn't want to talk about it.

Issho was his future Admiral Fujitora. What would he do if he spouted a load of nonsense, led him astray, and he ended up joining what's-his-name instead?

"You have to join the navy and help me in the future, working from the top down with me, so you don't need to be interested in that." Vidal glared fiercely at Issho.

"I haven't agreed yet," Issho said with a smile.

"All right, then. Come on, let's find somewhere to fight." Vidal stood up at once. "According to our earlier agreement, if I beat you, you have to join the navy when I'm promoted to admiral!"

"Well..." Issho hesitated.

He had indeed wanted to fight Vidal before, but that was to see which of them was stronger. After the fierce battle they had just fought, in which they had nearly lost their lives, that was already clear.

So, fundamentally, there was no point in fighting again, and besides, he didn't seem able to beat Vidal now!

"Issho, you're not planning to go back on your word, are you?!" Vidal widened his eyes, looking as if to say, "How did you learn to behave so badly?"

"That's not it." Issho shook his head. He valued chivalry and took his promises very seriously.

"How about this? Fight me one month before you leave for Marine Headquarters. Before then, I want to train my fruit power properly."

His fight with Byrnndi World had shown him just how powerful fruit abilities were, as well as the potential of his own Gravity Fruit.

But turning all his insights and ideas into real strength would take effort and time.

He would also study Armament Haki while he was at it. Previously, he had thought his swordsmanship and Flying Slashes were enough, but now it seemed that in a battle between strong fighters, he really couldn't do without Haki.

"Mm, all right, then!" Vidal agreed. Issho had gained new insights, but hadn't he done the same?

It's the early hours of the morning. Please recommend and comment!