The next day, when Shiryu came to find Sengoku, he discovered that his old acquaintance Momousagi was also there, and couldn't help but think to himself, "Just as I expected."
Yesterday, when Sig came out of Sengoku's office, he ran into Vice Admiral Tsuru. After that, Sengoku's previously hesitant choice was immediately made. At that moment, Sig suspected that Vice Admiral Tsuru might have recommended Momousagi.
It would be too grand for Admiral to conduct the inspection with Shiryu and "play the bad cop," and if Admiral were present, he would be the Admiral the lead, rendering the arrangements made before Sengoku pointless.
Although Momousagi didn't become Admiral, she remained a backbone of the navy. It was only natural that Sengoku would entrust this task to her after Vice Admiral Tsuru's recommendation.
"Shiryu Vice Admiral, you haven't met her yet, have you? She's one of the most beautiful girls in our navy..." Sengoku was about to introduce Momousagi first, but Momousagi instinctively frowned.
I have this feeling that the long-faced person in front of me is criticizing me in my heart...
This way of criticizing feels somewhat familiar...
"Vice Admiral Daimyo Momousagi? Ah, I've heard so much about you." Shiryu said, glancing deliberately at her chest.
It's not that I have any real interest; I just want to create a persona so that it will feel more natural to act arrogantly later.
"I've long admired Vice Warden Shiryu's Daimyo." Momousagi sensed something was off, but still nodded and greeted him.
They deliberately avoided addressing him as "Vice Admiral," seemingly unwilling to acknowledge that he was a naval officer.
Shiryu's attire at this moment was indeed unfamiliar to those who knew him well—he wasn't wearing the outfit he Impel Down, but instead a white naval uniform and Justice Coat, though he wasn't wearing a hat.
Sengoku pretended not to notice the animosity between the two and asked directly, "Shiryu Vice Admiral, you've eaten yesterday's fruit, haven't you? How was it? What kind of ability does it have?"
Upon Shiryu this, Shiryu said with a somewhat strange expression, "I ate it..."
"Vice Admiral Momousagi will be working with you from now on. You wouldn't mind revealing some of your abilities in front of your comrades, would you?" Sengoku pressed.
Shiryu nodded slightly, and then two cute ears that looked like those of a small canine grew on his head, and he also gained some more fur and his face shape changed slightly.
Its body barely grew larger, and it didn't exude any fierce aura.
"This is..." Sengoku was also stunned, but judging from his expression, he didn't doubt anything; he just couldn't figure out what kind of ability it was.
"This is the main thing." Shiryu said, extending a finger that crackled with electricity, piercing a small hole in the corner of the Marshal's desk.
"Lightning?" Sengoku's expression shifted slightly, then he asked, "Any other abilities?"
"No," Shiryu said with a straight face.
Sengoku realized that Shiryu wasn't telling the truth, but he didn't press the matter further—he would later investigate where there were legends about small canines related to "lightning."
Until the results are available, it will be temporarily named "Dog-Dog Fruit, Mythical Zoan, Thunder Beast Mode" and added to the Confidential Pokédex.
"I'll leave the inspection to you two... Shiryu Vice Admiral and Vice Admiral Momousagi. Although this is your first meeting, I hope you can work together to complete this inspection!" Sengoku said solemnly.
Sig vaguely sensed that Sengoku's "serious" target was actually Momousagi.
So she began to suspect that Momousagi might have offered some unrealistic suggestions before she arrived.
However, in front of this "outsider," Momousagi showed no unusual behavior and immediately agreed.
After leaving Sengoku's office, Momousagi asked directly in the corridor, "Vice Warden Shiryu, have we met before?"
"Probably not. It seems like Vice Admiral One Flower has never personally come to Impel Down to escort prisoners." Shiryu spoke, smoke drifted directly onto Momousagi's face.
Momousagi frowned slightly and leaned back. "When I was still Rear Admiral, I went to Impel Down quite a few times."
"Oh, that was more than twenty years ago, wasn't it? I was only transferred to Impel Down sixteen years ago." Shiryu wasn't lying; this was Shiryu's resume.
Although Shiryu's tone seemed normal, Momousagi still felt that he was doing it on purpose—what did he mean by "that was more than twenty years ago"?
"Hehe, maybe I missed it... But I've only been a lieutenant Vice Admiral for ten years!" Momousagi chuckled politely.
"When do we set off next?" Shiryu straight to the point.
Sengoku didn't give the two of them a detailed schedule, but simply entrusted them with a task. After all, they weren't newbies, and... it involved many branches along the Grand Line, so it wasn't easy to create a schedule.
"How was this afternoon?" Momousagi asked without hesitation.
Both sides were in agreement on this point—to set off as soon as possible! Neither of them intended to linger at headquarters or use the canteen for a while.
"No problem... How about we come to my room at noon and work out the route?" Shiryu said, staring at the big rabbit for a moment.
Momousagi coldly replied, "No need. After leaving headquarters, go to the G8 branch first, and we can decide on the rest of the route during the voyage."
Shiryu shrugged and said, "Alright, then you can decide the first stop for now. But... don't forget, the person in charge of the inspection this time is me, the prison warden. That way, they'll understand where they should go if they continue to embezzle and break the law under the guise of the Navy!"
Sig emphasized that he would be in charge this time, and also took the opportunity to observe Momousagi's reaction when she heard about it.
Momousagi seemed to want to say something, but in the end she swallowed it back, simply nodded, and then quickly walked away, seemingly not wanting to Shiryu.
However, Sig had already astutely grasped her thoughts!
Momousagi was not satisfied with the arrangements for this "inspection".
Actually, this wasn't the first time Vice Admiral Tsuru had recommended Momousagi. In fact, when Sengoku first had this idea, Momousagi volunteered to do it—not to play the role of the "bad cop," but to directly inspect the various branches and make an example of someone!
This is something Momousagi has wanted to do for a long time...
However, Momousagi finally managed to persuade Vice Admiral Tsuru, but Sengoku was unwilling to go all out.
Even if Momousagi didn't become Admiral, she would still be a mainstay of the navy. Sengoku didn't want her to be implicated in this matter, since she had to be careful with her actions during inspections, as she could not only Sinner but also potentially become a scapegoat.
It was at this time that Sengoku went to Impel Down and discovered Shiryu individual.
Afterwards, Sengoku was worried that Momousagi would act impulsively, so he didn't immediately arrange for her to Shiryu. He was thinking of several other candidates, but yesterday he was persuaded by Vice Admiral Tsuru...
On the afternoon of January 21, 1515, the specially appointed Vice Admiral "Shiryu" set sail with Vice Admiral Momousagi amidst the envious gazes of the officers at headquarters. They were aboard Momousagi's warship— Shiryu as Vice Admiral wouldn't last long, and he wasn't even assigned a dedicated warship.
After leaving port, a Poseidon-class warship happened to be returning not far away. The two warships passed each other at a considerable distance. Momousagi suddenly felt uneasy. Seeing Shiryu staring at the warship, she remarked, "That's Admiral Kizaru's warship..."