Sengoku's Concerns

"What's unsuitable about it?" Garp asked, momentarily stunned.

"Think about it, Mr. Garp! Mosen was brought to the Marines by Dragon, and Dragon is your son. The kid already has your name stamped all over him.

"If you recommend him to Mr. Sengoku, people will think he was transferred from Impel Down back to the Marines because he had your connections." Tokikake said.

After hearing Tokikake's explanation, Garp looked utterly bewildered. "What kind of nonsense is that? Tokikake, you're so annoying because you overthink everything. Sengoku definitely won't care about something like that."

Tokikake's mouth twitched. He really shouldn't have tried explaining this to Garp. Garp just couldn't understand things like that.

"Mr. Garp, sometimes I really wonder whether Dragon is your son."

"To be honest, Tokikake, I've wondered that myself."

"Huh? Mr. Garp, what kind of joke is that?"

"Who's joking? I've been telling that brat Dragon to join the Marines for ages, but he refuses. If he were really my son, wouldn't he want to be a Marine?"

"Oh, so that's what you meant, Mr. Garp! I thought..."

"Thought what?" Garp asked, scratching his head.

"Nothing, nothing. I was just overthinking things."

"Is that so? Then there's no need to say anything. Tokikake, come with me to see Sengoku. I'm worried I won't explain it very clearly."

"Of course, Mr. Garp."

Garp nodded and jumped down from the warship. Seeing him go, Tokikake hurriedly wiped the cold sweat from his forehead. He'd meant that Dragon was so clever that he didn't seem like the son of a thickheaded man like Garp. Who knew Garp would say he didn't seem like his son either? Tokikake didn't know what to make of it.

"Good thing I didn't hear some earth-shattering secret from Mr. Garp today. Otherwise, I probably wouldn't have been able to return to Marine Headquarters." Tokikake said, still shaken.

"Hey! Tokikake, what are you doing? Hurry up and catch up!"

Hearing Garp call for him, Tokikake quickly answered and jumped off the ship.

Tokikake followed Garp, who swaggered along with an incredibly cocky gait, to Sengoku's office.

Tokikake had just raised his hand to knock when Garp kicked the door open.

"Yo! Sengoku, I'm back!"

The moment Sengoku saw Garp's beaming face, his expression darkened.

"Damn it, Garp! Where have you been all this time?"

"Me? I went home for a visit! Didn't I tell you?" Garp answered calmly, ignoring Sengoku's anger.

"You said you'd be gone for three to five days, but you were gone for two months! If I hadn't sent Tokikake to get you, were you planning never to come back?"

"Two months? How could that be? I was gone for fifty-eight days at most! Sengoku, don't lie through your teeth!"

As soon as Garp said that, the temperature in Sengoku's office seemed to drop several degrees. Sengoku's face was now as black as the bottom of a pot, but Garp didn't notice at all. He kept saying that Sengoku must have lost track of time and asking whether he was getting old.

"Um, Mr. Sengoku, should I step outside for a moment?" a Marine holding a folder asked timidly.

Sengoku waved him away. The Marine fled as if granted a pardon, not even looking back.

Tokikake wanted to slip away too, but he hadn't gotten to the matter he came to report. He couldn't leave yet!

Feeling the powerful aura radiating from Sengoku, Tokikake instinctively took two steps back.

"Garp!"

"Huh? What is it?"

Thud! Sengoku's fist slammed into Garp's face. Garp went flying and crashed into the wall, embedded in it.

Garp was naturally furious at Sengoku's sneak attack. He climbed out of the wall and charged straight at Sengoku, and the two began wrestling.

An hour later, Sengoku, sporting two black eyes and speaking with a lisp, asked Tokikake, "Is this Carlos Mosen you're talking about the same person who underwent the Lineage Factor modification?"

"Yes, that's him. When I met him, Mr. Sengoku, he seemed to have completely recovered. I traveled with him for a while, and during that time..."

Tokikake told Sengoku the important details of what had happened and what he and Mosen had said after they met.

Sengoku fell into deep thought.

Sengoku knew Tokikake very well. He was forthright and perceptive, and he hated power struggles. Anyone Tokikake admired was sure to have good character.

Moreover, there was no need to doubt Mosen's loyalty to the Marines. That much was clear from how he'd agreed without hesitation to take part in the experiment despite knowing how dangerous the Lineage Factor modification was.

Besides, in a way, Mosen was one of Garp's people, and with Garp involved, there was no need to doubt him.

But Mosen's circumstances were undeniably unusual. Sengoku knew that Celestial Dragons had killed Mosen's parents, and there was no doubt that Mosen hated them.

The Celestial Dragons were also the World Nobles, people the World Government was bound to protect at all costs. The Marines were subordinate to the World Government, and taking someone like Mosen in might cause trouble.

Otherwise, when Mosen had first been introduced to the Marines, Sengoku would have sent him straight to train under Zephyr instead of assigning him to Vegapunk's human experiments.

After all, Mosen was a genius who had mastered the Six Powers at fifteen and even learned Life Return through his own efforts!

As Sengoku's friend, Garp could tell that he seemed to have some concerns. Garp wasn't one for beating around the bush, so he asked directly, "Sengoku, is there some problem with Mosen?"

Sengoku sighed. "Sigh! Garp, Mosen's parents were killed by Celestial Dragons. He hates them.

"Don't forget, a while ago, one of our Rear Admirals beat up a Celestial Dragon.

"At the time, Marshal Kong declared that Marine a pirate. Later, he was caught by our men while protecting civilians from pirates.

"That incident caused an uproar within the Marines. Marshal Kong originally intended to execute him, but you refused to let it happen and nearly came to blows with him. In the end, Marshal Kong spared his life because he feared it would anger some of the Marines and cause an even bigger incident. He sent him to Impel Down.

"I don't want anything like that to happen again."

Garp frowned. "Sengoku, I don't think Michael did anything wrong. That bastard back then..."

"Garp! You're a Navy Lieutenant General. Watch your words," Sengoku rebuked him.

Garp clicked his tongue and said no more. He simply pulled Tokikake away with him.

After the two left Sengoku's office, Garp suddenly asked Tokikake, "Tokikake, Mosen is on the fifth floor of Impel Down, right?"

Tokikake nodded.

"What was Michael's bounty again?"

"I think it was 150 million Beli."

"So Michael should be on the fifth floor of Impel Down too, right?"

"Mr. Garp, are you thinking..."

"Exactly what you think. Come on! We're going to Impel Down."

In his office, Sengoku's mouth twitched. Did Garp think he'd gone deaf from being beaten just now?

Garp was about to meet the protagonist. Some readers previously said Michael should have been executed immediately for hitting a Celestial Dragon. This was actually a plot point, arranged specifically to set up the protagonist's meeting with Garp.