"Huh?"
"Leon, aren't you going to attend the training camp?"
Rosinante had arrived early that morning, full of excitement, and happened to run into Leon as he was leaving with his luggage.
"Teacher Garp wants me to accompany him to sea. I'm not sure how long we'll be gone."
"But the Elite Training Camp runs for a long time, so I should be able to get back before it ends. I'll just miss quite a few classes..."
"In that case..." Rosinante's gaze grew determined. "Leon! I'll work hard for both of us!"
"Ha ha ha, that's the spirit, Rosinante!"
Hearing Leon's praise, Rosinante scratched his head, a little embarrassed. As if suddenly remembering something, he said, "Come to think of it, Father is going to sea today too..."
Oh? Sengoku was going to sea too?
Two Admiral-level fighters were heading out at once...
Leon said goodbye to Rosinante and made his way to the port at Marineford, puzzled. The sight before him confirmed his suspicions.
Ten sturdy Navy warships were lined up along the harbor, while countless elite Navy forces boarded in orderly ranks. By a rough estimate, there were nearly ten thousand troops!
Leon found Garp's personal Dog Head Warship. As soon as he stepped aboard, he spotted someone he hadn't expected to see.
A Navy Vice Admiral in a blue-and-white suit, wearing a dark green sleep mask and a Coat of Justice—Kuzan!
"Leon, you're right on time!"
"Are you coming to sea with us too, Kuzan? Isn't Teacher Garp on board?"
"Mr. Garp should be with Admiral Sengoku..."
Kuzan casually brought out a deck chair and stretched out on it, then pulled a bottle of white wine from his pocket.
"Want a sip, Leon?"
"It's sherry. Drink some and you'll become a dashing gentleman."
"?"
I thought you hadn't started following "Lazy Justice" yet.
So you were just born lazy!
Seeing Kuzan put on his sleep mask and get ready to nap, Leon couldn't help asking, "Kuzan, what's our mission this time?"
"Are we going after Whitebeard?"
With Garp, Sengoku, and Kuzan, their three Admiral-level fighters, this force far exceeded the usual Buster Call lineup.
But honestly, with these troops going up against Whitebeard in his prime...
Leon's mind had already jumped ahead to a scene of devastation and rivers of blood...
"Huh?"
Kuzan lifted his sleep mask.
"The Navy wouldn't go out of its way to provoke a monster like Whitebeard."
"Did Mr. Garp not explain the mission to you?"
"Not at all."
"I see..." Kuzan yawned. "Our mission is in the second half of the Grand Line."
"Our target may not be as powerful as Whitebeard, but he's a crazy monster."
"When things get rough, Leon, you'll have to be careful..."
Kuzan's voice trailed off. Leon waited a long time, but there was no more. That was when he realized Kuzan had already fallen asleep.
He really did take after Garp...
It was nearly noon when Garp finally returned to the ship, dressed in a black suit.
"Hey, Kuzan!"
"Why aren't you on your own ship? What are you doing on mine?"
Kuzan jolted awake, startled to find that it was already dark. He fumbled around for a while before realizing he still had his sleep mask on.
"Mr. Garp, you're back!" Kuzan greeted him with a smile. "Since we already know where our target is..."
"I thought I'd stay on your ship and learn from you, Mr. Garp!"
"Hmph. What a smooth talker. You don't act like one of my students at all."
Garp glared at Kuzan, but couldn't keep the smile from his face.
Kuzan settled back into his chair, perfectly at ease.
Commanding a warship was just too much trouble. Lying down was much more comfortable...
With Garp's return, the massive Navy fleet officially set sail.
Since their destination lay in the second half of the Grand Line, the fleet had to cross the Red Line.
Generally, there were two ways to cross the Red Line and reach the New World.
One was to apply to the World Government and cross directly through the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, atop the Red Line. But ships couldn't use that route.
Although the Navy had technology that allowed it to cross the Calm Belt safely, it would have to go via Reverse Mountain to reach the North Blue or West Blue, making the journey far too long.
So for this mission, the Navy chose the other option: coat the ships in Yarukiman Mangrove resin, dive ten thousand meters, and pass through a huge cavern beneath the Red Line, traveling via Fish-Man Island to reach the New World.
With several Admiral-level fighters on hand, they could minimize the risks along this route.
The Navy fleet first headed to the Sabaody Archipelago to have the ships coated. The pirate ships they encountered along the way fled as soon as they caught sight of a Navy fleet of this size, and the sea grew much quieter.
During this time, Leon finally learned the details of the mission from Bogard, the adjutant.
Several months earlier, the World Government had quietly reached out to a notorious pirate who had recently risen to fame across the seas, as part of a secret plan.
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