Marine Headquarters Captain Gion

Chapter 40: Marine Headquarters Captain Gion

Marine Headquarters, Marineford

"Knock, knock, knock, knock, knock!"

A series of knocks echoed from the Fleet Admiral's office. Sengoku, seated at his desk, handed a document he was holding to the goat-faced subordinate beside him before gesturing for the visitor to enter.

"Apologies for the intrusion, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. This is my mission report. While returning, I happened to encounter a pirate crew, so I took care of them along the way. This is also why our return was delayed by one day compared to the estimated time. The deviation from our course to pursue the pirates was entirely my own decision, so if you wish to punish someone, please punish only me and do not involve the others on the ship."

The person who entered the Fleet Admiral's office was a dashing female Marine officer. She had beautiful black hair, a long sword at her waist, a remarkably ample bust, and a pair of long legs that most men couldn't ignore. If Wood were here now, he would surely notice that the woman standing before Sengoku was none other than Gion, whom he hadn't seen in half a year.

Today, Gion was dressed in a white Marine officer's uniform, with a cape emblazoned with "Justice" draped over her shoulders. When Gion graduated from the academy, her rank was merely "Sergeant," and Sergeants were not authorized to wear Marine capes, nor were they permitted to directly meet the Fleet Admiral. Clearly, half a year later, unlike Wood, who was assigned to guard a pond on the frontier, Gion, stationed at Marine Headquarters, had been steadily climbing the ranks.

Sengoku glanced at the mission report Gion submitted, nodding occasionally. When he saw that the pirate crew Gion had casually dealt with was a group of pirates with bounties exceeding one hundred million, who had been a considerable headache for the Marines recently, a satisfied smile spread across his lips.

"You've worked hard this time, Captain Gion. Regarding your mission, I've received thank-you letters from that kingdom. They are very satisfied with your mission's completion. As for the one-day delay in your return, it was for a justifiable reason. Crushing wicked pirates is also a way to uphold Marine justice, so there will be no significant punishment this time. However, if you encounter similar situations in the future, it's best to report to Marine Headquarters via Den Den Mushi. Don't be like some old geezers who completely disregard Marine discipline!"

Given Sengoku's relationship with Vice Admiral Tsuru, he couldn't not know Gion. Ever since Gion graduated from the Naval Academy, Sengoku had been quite pleased with her performance. Compared to most Marines, Gion, as a woman, acted more delicately and thought before acting, perfectly inheriting the strengths of Marine Staff Officer Tsuru.

For instance, this time, when a World Government allied nation experienced internal strife, Gion handled it exceptionally well. Not only did she perfectly resolve the rebellion and significantly boost the Marines' reputation, but she even managed the aftermath flawlessly, leaving no loose ends. Suppressing a rebellion wasn't difficult; even with Marine Headquarters' strength, a single Vice Admiral could handle it. However, achieving such a perfect aftermath was something only Gion could accomplish.

As for the "old geezer" Sengoku mentioned, Gion knew without being told that he was referring to the Marine hero, Vice Admiral Garp. From what Gion had learned from Tsuru, Vice Admiral Garp treated every voyage to suppress pirates as if he were going on vacation. Even pirates of no significant strength could roam freely for half a day before returning to Marine Headquarters, with delays of one or two days being normal. There was even an instance where Garp disappeared for several months without returning to Marine Headquarters, only coming back reluctantly after receiving an urgent order from Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who had finally lost his patience.

As the hero of the Marines, Garp was a symbol of faith and a role model for all Marines, which was why Sengoku often became angry at Garp's overly casual behavior. He also believed that Garp's lazy conduct was negatively impacting the entire Marine's morale. Without mentioning others, Sengoku noticed that among the few promising new Marines he had his eye on, some had already been led astray by Garp's influence.

Kizaru, Borsalino, currently a Vice Admiral in the Marines, is a Logia-type "Glint-Glint Fruit" user, proficient in Kenbunshoku Haki and Busoshoku Haki. His Devil Fruit is also considered a powerful Logia-type. However, one thing that gave Sengoku a headache was his extreme aversion to trouble; he did just enough work to earn his salary. Every day, he treated work like clocking in and out, with little attachment to the Marines or a strong sense of justice.

Besides Kizaru, another Marine rising star that Sengoku had high hopes for had similar issues. Sengoku even believed that Garp bore undeniable responsibility for this promising newcomer's current state! This was because, compared to Kizaru, who had gone "astray" on his own, Aokiji had spent some time with Garp after graduation. Compared to Kizaru, Aokiji had a stronger sense of belonging to the Marines and his own sense of justice to uphold. Yet, this highly anticipated newcomer, after following Garp for a while, this once promising young man now only thought about how to slack off, even calling it "Lazy Justice." After this incident alone, Sengoku decided that any promising new Marines in the future would absolutely not be placed under Garp's tutelage for training.

The old man refused to be promoted to Admiral, precisely so he could leave Marine Headquarters freely. Before, it could be argued that it was to facilitate the pursuit of Roger, but now that Roger had been gone for years, Garp's refusal to become an Admiral was purely to make it easier for him to slack off!

"Your mission this time was completed exceptionally well. Dealing with the royal internal strife was also hard work. I'll grant you a few days of leave to rest properly." Looking at the dashing Gion before him, Sengoku became more and more satisfied. If the Marines had more elite members like Gion, who were not only strong but also handled matters smoothly, then his job as Fleet Admiral would be much easier. When Kong was Fleet Admiral, he and Tsuru handled Marine affairs. Now that he was Fleet Admiral himself, he was the one dealing with these matters himself...

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the mission to quell the internal strife was actually quite easy, and the pirate crew was just encountered along the way, not requiring much effort. Therefore, I don't need leave... Well, I personally don't need leave. If there are any missions that require only a small number of personnel, you could assign them to me." Gion had initially intended to say she didn't need rest, but then she suddenly realized she couldn't speak for everyone. Her subordinates had followed her on this arduous journey for days and indeed needed to rest, so Gion temporarily changed her wording, stating that only she didn't require leave.