Doug and Kong

"Figo? Figo?"

"Ah, sorry." Figo snapped back to attention and explained, "I was thinking about Impel Down. It's never held a pirate this powerful before, and with his Conqueror's Haki, it's going to put some pressure on the prison."

Kinch was already far inferior to him and Seazer. Figo had stayed an extra two years in Impel Down just to wait for him, and even then, Kinch was struggling as Warden.

Miya said, "Mm, Admiral Moka's order is to hold him in Headquarters' prison first, pending the Fleet Admiral's arrangements. A Great Pirate like him might be executed directly, or there could be a plan to use him to capture the other members of the Laughing Pirates."

As she spoke, she looked up at Figo, who was a full head taller than her, and sighed with some emotion. "Speaking of which, these eight years... what exactly did you go through in Impel Down, Figo?"

The old Figo hadn't been taller than her.

Before Figo could answer, she laughed again. "Teacher Doug has mentioned you quite a bit these past few years. Every time you got promoted in Impel Down, he'd sigh about how he was right about you back then."

Her smile carried a hint of strangeness, even mischief, and Figo could sense a touch of malicious amusement.

The name Vice Admiral Doug was one Figo heard often. He had created Iron Body, Kami-e, and Finger Gun, then organized the other three techniques that earlier Marine soldiers had fumbled into developing on their own, founding the Six Powers. His reputation was thunderous.

He was also the head instructor of the Marine recruit camp and one of the teachers at the Elite Training Camp, so Figo could call him Teacher. As Miya's smile lingered, Figo's last memory of meeting Doug surfaced... and Miya was in it too.

Eight years ago, a young Figo stood quietly outside Vice Admiral Doug's office, waiting. From inside, he heard Doug's impassioned voice.

"What? Xiao Ya, you're requesting a transfer to the newly built Impel Down? No, absolutely not!"

"At just twenty-two years old, you're already a Marine Colonel! Your future is limitless! It should be on the vast seas, fighting those powerful pirates, not as some Jailer Chief in a newly built undersea prison!"

"You will become a powerful Marine commander! You'll become a Vice Admiral, even an Admiral, and carve your name into Marine history!"

"I, Doug, believe this without a doubt!"

Soon, a fired-up young Miya stormed out of Vice Admiral Doug's office, her little fists clenched in front of her chest, pumping them bit by bit as if cheering herself on.

Then Figo went in.

"You want to transfer to Impel Down too? Hmm, Lieutenant, I remember you... Figo?"

"Hahaha, good man, worthy of being my student! A real man doesn't have to set his sights on the sea. If everyone yearned for the open ocean, who would do the jailer's work? You're not afraid of loneliness or solitude, and you have the courage to go into those deep waters. Your teacher is deeply gratified to have a student like you!"

"You will become a great jailer, etched into Impel Down's history!"

"I, Doug, believe this without a doubt!"

Well, then.

Figo didn't know whether to laugh or cry.

He shook his head, then clenched his fists in front of his chest, pumping them bit by bit in a cheering gesture—adorably.

Copying me... Miya's smile faded, but she wasn't embarrassed, only surprised. "Eight years apart, and you've opened up a lot, Figo. The old you wouldn't have joked like that."

"Back then, I was acting that way because of my Devil Fruit's effect. Teacher Doug always misuses his Inspire-Inspire Fruit, but he never means any harm."

"I know."

A 22-year-old female Colonel transferring to Impel Down was indeed a waste of talent, while a promising 20-year-old Lieutenant going there could still grow steadily for a few years.

Thinking about it that way, Vice Admiral Doug's refusal and acceptance both made perfect sense.

It was just that because he had the Inspire-Inspire Fruit, he'd roused both of them with the same fervent tone, making the whole thing look a bit ridiculous.

Figo turned his head. "Sister Miya, let's save the reminiscing for later. Someone's noticed something off about our two warships."

Over at Headquarters, a Colonel in charge of the dock had spotted the situation and was approaching with a small warship and dozens of Marines.

Docking the two warships at the pier.

Settling the Marines who had been knocked unconscious by Conqueror's Haki and wouldn't wake up anytime soon.

It took nearly an hour to escort the seven Giants, the Worry Demon, the Nun, and Jellal to Marine Headquarters' prison alongside Miya.

Then Figo and Miya climbed the high-rise of Marine Headquarters together to see Marshal O. Along the way, he got a real sense of how popular Miya was.

Fortunately, in the pirate world—at least in Marine Headquarters—there was no petty jealousy over romance.

The Marines just clutched their chests like lovesick maidens, instantly mastering Kami-e, twisting around Sanji-style with hearts in their eyes, shouting from afar, "Rear Admiral Miya!"

At most, they'd add, "Who's that man in civilian clothes next to Rear Admiral Miya? I'm so jealous!"

When they reached the top floor, the Marshal's office, they were told, "The Marshal has gone to Holy Land Mary Geoise. He'll be back in two days."

A wasted trip.

'He said he'd personally celebrate with me when I brought back the Worry Demon,' Figo grumbled inwardly, but he knew the Fleet Admiral's trip to the Holy Land was likely related to his mission to Huoyu Island.

He had no idea what the final outcome would be, or where the seven Giants would end up.

"Figo, want to head over to Teacher Doug's place together?" Miya suggested as they left Headquarters. "What I said before was true. Teacher Doug really has mentioned you often these past few years. And now that he's older, he rarely leads fleets out to sea. He loves it when we students come by and tell him about our experiences.

A scumbag like the Worry Demon caught by you—Teacher will be overjoyed!"

Vice Admiral Doug was already 71 years old.

Figo didn't hesitate long. "Sure."

As a transmigrator, he had the classic orphan start—hardly any family left. The Marine Headquarters home hadn't been lived in for eight years, and he had no idea how rundown it had become. Going back later wouldn't matter anyway.

Behind Marine Headquarters lay the residential area for families, and as a top-tier Vice Admiral, Doug's home was very close to the base.

Miya must have visited often; she quickly brought Figo there and raised her hand to knock on the door.

The door opened to reveal a sharp-headed, sharp-faced little boy of about three or four. His eyes lit up at the sight of Miya, and he turned and ran inside, shouting: "Grandpa! Sister Xiao Ya is here! And she brought a man I've never seen before!"

Miya smiled and said to Figo, "This is Teacher Doug's little grandson, Sora."

Figo was taken aback for a moment.

Soon, the tall, sturdy old man with graying hair emerged from the inner room, laughing heartily: "Back already, Xiao Ya? Has that pirate who attacked the Celestial Dragons been caught?"

When he saw Figo, he also paused, pushing up his glasses: "Hmm, you're... Fickle from Impel Down? Right, you were transferred out of Impel Down. How come you're here with Xiao Ya to see your teacher? Hahaha, welcome, welcome!"

A strange expression flickered across Miya's face.

Figo glanced at her and said helplessly, "Teacher Doug, I'm Figo."

"Oh, oh, right, Figo, Figo."

Vice Admiral Doug, whose whole body screamed muscle and strength, had a very gentle personality. Even after getting the name wrong, he apologized to Figo: "Sorry, sorry, really—my memory gets worse every year. Your name was right on the tip of my tongue, and yet I still blurted it out wrong."

"It's fine." Figo smiled, glanced at the little boy peeking at him from behind Doug, then looked back at Doug—whose appearance did bear a faint resemblance to the Steel Bone Kong he remembered from the Three Armies Commander-in-Chief...

"Is this your grandson? It's my first time seeing him. The child is well-built; I can tell at a glance that he'll inherit your strength and spirit in the future, become a remarkable Marine, even surpass you, become an Admiral, become a Fleet Admiral, and be etched into Marine history!" Figo's voice rang with fervor.

"I, Figo, have no doubt about this!"

Miya let out a stifled laugh.

Doug, however, was thoroughly delighted: "Hahaha, is that so? I have no doubt about it either! Come, come, come in and sit down, Xiao Ya, Fickle!"

PS: (Regarding Steel Bone Kong's age, no official source has ever mentioned it. One theory is that Sengoku called Kong "big brother," meaning Kong should be about ten years older than Sengoku, around eighty-something—in which case, at this point in time, his father probably hadn't even grown up yet.

But I don't think that view holds up. I found a One Piece game setting that Oda participated in, which included a line about Kong, as Fleet Admiral, facing off against the legendary pirate Count Red at the age of eighty—meaning he was already eighty when he served as Fleet Admiral.

And he stepped down in favor of Sengoku after the start of the Great Pirate Era. Add another twenty-plus years, and by the time of the main story, he should be over a hundred years old. Most likely, he's another tough old man like Garp, whose strength doesn't decline with age.

As for Sengoku calling him "big brother"... a man in his seventies calling a man over a hundred "big brother"—they're not blood-related, so he wouldn't call him "uncle," right? Calling him "big brother" doesn't prove much to me. Baidu Baike says they were from the same era, but that only means they were active in the same era. Besides, Baidu Baike has more than one or two errors and omissions. He should, by all accounts, be from the same era as Rocks.

This book adopts this setting.)