Inspectorate Division

What should I do if a sleazy man keeps calling me "big brother"? Waiting online—urgent!

Yaen felt exactly this way at that moment.

At this moment, it was not just Yaen—even Fleet Admiral Sengoku was somewhat dumbfounded.

Big brother?

As one of the most outstanding new-generation Marines, how could Lieutenant Kake call that brat Yaen his big brother?

Everyone knew that Kake was not the easygoing type. He had always acted independently, believed himself different from others, and could not tolerate anyone saying the slightest bad thing about him.

Other than Gion, whom he faced with neither comparable strength nor the slightest trace of contempt, Kake rarely showed anyone else a pleasant expression.

"You know each other?" Fleet Admiral Sengoku asked.

Before Yaen could speak, Kake spoke first. "We don't, but there happens to be something I need to apologize to Big Brother Yaen for."

"Huh? Apologize?"

Yaen suddenly wondered whether Kake had already realized that he would live longer than Old Man, and understood that young people were the future.

Was he planning to abandon the dark side, betray Old Man, and throw in his lot with Yaen?

Yaen immediately shot Sengoku a glance and said, "Lieutenant Kake, please go ahead."

"Actually, this isn't the first time I've seen Big Brother Yaen. I've occasionally seen Big Brother Yaen in this area recently, but I was too foolish at the time and thought that Big Brother Yaen, who often exposed himself in public, was some World Government Official's second-generation heir."

"So not only did I fail to take the initiative to introduce myself to Big Brother Yaen, I even cursed him several times in my heart. Thinking back on it now, I was truly rude and ignorant. I sincerely ask Big Brother Yaen to forgive me."

Yaen.

What kind of wording was that? Exposed himself in public?

Luckily, I didn't meet you a few days earlier. Otherwise, I would have had several fewer days of good mood.

If Old Man had not been sitting right in front of him, Yaen might have immediately beaten Kake senseless when he saw that sleazy man with tears streaming down his face.

"Cough, cough..."

Yaen coughed lightly twice, interrupting the teary-eyed Kake and reminding him, "Lieutenant Kake, a qualified Marine must have independent judgment and will. You cannot easily be controlled by emotion, nor can personal feelings easily affect your judgment. So even if you deliberately try to get closer to me, we'll still settle accounts... separately."

What Yaen meant was simply that he would still "repay" what Kake had done to him.

Even if Kake regretted calling him big brother now, it was already too late.

Unfortunately, when these vaguely suggestive words reached Kake's ears in Sengoku's presence, they took on a completely different meaning.

"I understand. Thank you for your guidance, Big Brother."

Kake wiped away his tears and said solemnly, "In the past, I was sometimes too impulsive in the way I handled things. Just like my appearance, many things cannot be judged easily based on appearances alone, yet I would rashly jump to conclusions. This is indeed one of my shortcomings."

Impulsive?

Yaen felt that communicating with Kake was what had been rash.

If all Marines were this talented, how could anything ever get better? No wonder they couldn't wipe out the pirates.

In the end, the corner of Yaen's mouth twitched slightly as he calmly replied, "Heh heh."

Fleet Admiral Sengoku, standing nearby, was instead somewhat gratified. He felt that this brat Yaen was more approachable than he had imagined, having subdued Lieutenant Kake so quickly despite their first meeting.

"Even if you hit it off at first sight and want to get to know each other, you can take your time doing that later."

Fleet Admiral Sengoku's expression turned serious. He took Yaen's promotion application back from Kake and then said, "Gion, Kake, Yaen, regarding the mission assigned to you by Marine Headquarters, you will each go to the western, southern, and northern seas to supervise and inspect the Marines there, ensuring the purity of the Marine rank and file."

"This is also a newly established position within Marine Headquarters—the Inspectorate Division. The first Inspectors will be the three of you."

As soon as Sengoku finished speaking, Kake asked in confusion, "Fleet Admiral, there are four seas—East, South, West, and North. Why were only three Inspectors appointed?"

Fleet Admiral Sengoku shook his head and said,

"Because there is no need for one in East Blue. Ever since Roger was executed in East Blue, the pirate tide that erupted there has been the largest. Moreover, because the World Government fears that someone who inherited Roger's evil will might emerge in East Blue, Hero of the Marines Vice Admiral Garp has personally been stationed in East Blue in recent years."

Yaen immediately understood why Marineford had seemed much calmer than he had expected, as though something were missing. It turned out that what was missing was... Vice Admiral Garp!

At this moment, Yaen, Gion, and Kake all felt a measure of sympathy for the pirates of East Blue.

What sort of existence was Vice Admiral Garp? An absolute powerhouse who had punched the Pirate King and kicked the Golden Lion.

Dropping a monster like that into East Blue was like using nuclear weapons to clean the streets.

East Blue had originally been a beginner's village for pirates, but its difficulty had instantly been maxed out, sending it straight into hell mode.

"There really is no need to establish an Inspectorate Division in East Blue. With Vice Admiral Garp there, I doubt a single pirate could leave East Blue and enter the Grand Line, right?"

Kake smacked his lips and said, "And with the reputation of the Hero of the Marines weighing on them, no Marine would dare do anything outrageous."

"That's not necessarily true..."

Having met Vice Admiral Garp several times, Yaen said with certainty, "If they're lucky enough to catch Vice Admiral Garp during one of his naps or lazy spells, they still have a chance of entering the Grand Line."

"Enough. Stop talking about that bastard. Just leave East Blue to him."

Fleet Admiral Sengoku cut off Yaen's honest assessment and continued directly, "The newly established Inspectorate Division will come with one medium-sized warship, one adjutant, and five hundred Marines. You may discuss among yourselves which seas to go to. Take office immediately."

After a pause, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's gaze swept across the three before him, and he said seriously, "This will also be an excellent opportunity for you to gain experience. The strong in those seas may not be numerous compared to the Grand Line, but that is where the Marines' true rank and file are."

"Yes!"

Gion, Kake, and Yaen simultaneously saluted and replied.

Sengoku then handed each of them their appointment letter and carefully divided the scope of their duties.

In short, Marine Headquarters wanted to hang a sword of Damocles over the Marines of the Four Seas, using the three of them as eyes to supervise the actions of the Four Seas Marines on Marine Headquarters' behalf.

Just as the three of them were discussing which seas to head to, Yaen, who had always been unenthusiastic, took the initiative to say, "North Sea. Leave it to me."

Hearing this, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's movement abruptly froze.