Boss, Just Leave It to Us

In the Marine Admiral's office, Sengoku and Garp had just finished another battle over ownership of the senbei. The winner—Old Man Garp, whose skin was thicker!

"Ha..." Suppressing his anger with effort, Sengoku sat behind his desk and refused to look at the damned old man lounging on the sofa and eating senbei. "All right. You went back to the East Blue on vacation this time. Nothing unexpected happened, did it?"

"The East Blue has been far too peaceful these past two or three years. There wasn't even a single pirate with a bounty over ten million. Was that newly risen Pirate Hunter really that strong?"

"Yeah, he was strong. At the very least, he was among the top Marine Headquarters colonels. With a little training, reaching brigadier general wouldn't be difficult either." Garp grinned and burst into laughter, spraying senbei crumbs everywhere.

"Swallow before you talk, you bastard!" Sengoku nearly roared again, but then something occurred to him. "A few days ago, you asked me to fill out a Marine Lieutenant registration form. And you know so much about that Pirate Hunter's strength..."

"You brought him to Headquarters? You even... fought him? You old bastard, you didn't beat him crippled, did you?!"

"Hmph! It wouldn't be easy to cripple that brat!" Garp narrowed his eyes and took another bite of senbei. "Sengoku, I've struck gold this time. This kid's talent is no less than those three 'monsters' from the New Marine Recruit Camp back then!"

"His name is Wright. Headquarters has most of his records—his Devil Fruit ability and swordsmanship—but those details aren't complete. He's already awakened Two-Color Haki!"

"His Devil Fruit ability is very unusual. It's an extremely rare Paramecia that can manipulate a kind of energy similar to light. He calls it 'Holy Light,' but unlike Borsalino's Logia, he can't turn into an element."

"However, its support capabilities are extremely powerful. It can heal, defend, and attack, like that Phoenix... perhaps even stronger."

"Oh? I'd heard that an impressive healing-type ability had appeared in the East Blue. It can attack and defend too? That really is rare, though not incomprehensible." Sengoku was mildly surprised, but did not dwell on it. The world was full of strange abilities.

"Still... he awakened Two-Color Haki at such a young age despite never leaving the East Blue or even setting foot on the Grand Line. The waters of the East Blue must run deep. Without opponents of equal or greater strength to pressure him, awakening Two-Color Haki so young would be nearly impossible."

Garp nodded. "More than that, his ability seems capable of combining with Haki. Both his Armament Haki and Observation Haki have changed to varying degrees. The specifics aren't clear, but roughly speaking, his Observation Haki can sense good and evil, while his Armament Haki turns gold and is stronger than ordinary Armament Haki!"

"But none of that is important. What's important is the way this kid acts." Garp said slowly, his face darkening. "He comes from nobility, yet he has no interest in power plays. As a Pirate Hunter, he should know the Marine system very well, but when facing an old man like me, a Vice Admiral from Headquarters, he actually called me 'old man'..."

"Pfft..." Sengoku sprayed out his tea and burst into laughter. "You bastard, Garp! So even you have days like this! Hahahaha!"

"Bastard!" Garp pulled out a senbei and viciously bit down on it. "That brat isn't stupid. I found an excuse to beat him up, but afterward, he treated me with complete respect, calling me 'sir' and making it hard for me to find another excuse... Of course, I still found an excuse to beat him up again!"

"In the East Blue, I specifically had Bogart gather information on him. His movements over the past three years are all documented. He truly has his own sense of justice, and he has consistently put it into practice."

"..." Sengoku tapped the desk with his fingers, deep in thought. "Among Headquarters' new generation of officers, Sakazuki is too extreme, Borsalino is too slippery, and Kuzan..."

"Kuzan originally followed Burning Justice. Though he liked to sleep, he was a decisive man. But ever since Ohara... Kuzan's style has grown increasingly lax."

"The Marines truly need some different ideas... Wright, was it? Arrange for him to enter the New Marine Recruit Camp. He's used to being a Pirate Hunter, so he should learn the Marines' rules. And let's observe his 'justice.'"

Unaware that two big shots had already arranged his future, Wright followed Bogart through the procedures and completed his registration. Then he eagerly asked Bogart to show him around Marine Headquarters, his reason being, "At the very least, I need to know where to eat!"

Any random Marine could have handled such a task, but Wright was a promising newcomer personally brought into the Marines by Vice Admiral Garp. Bogart reluctantly served as his guide himself. It truly was hard on that expressionless face—he had to speak so much and introduce Wright to every acquaintance they encountered.

After one tour, Wright had more or less memorized several landmark areas of Marineford:

The harbor district—the port where warships and cargo vessels entered and departed. As Marine Headquarters, its harbor district was naturally spectacular, and it even served to some degree as a defensive position;

The military district—the place where Headquarters officers worked, held military meetings, and made war decisions; the operational hub of Marine Headquarters;

The training district—the daily training grounds for Marine soldiers and officers. It covered an enormous area and contained all kinds of training facilities and specialized venues. Marineford's largest drill ground was also here, used for sparring and military reviews;

The residential district—the area where Marine officers and soldiers relaxed and lived. It had a large mess hall, dormitories, a hospital, taverns, and some entertainment facilities, basically meeting all daily needs;

The inner city—the area housing the families of Marine officers and soldiers. Protected by layer upon layer of Marine defenses, it was their emotional solace and strongest support.

Just as Wright had said goodbye to Bogart and settled into his dormitory, Bogart returned to find him. He brought Wright's approved enlistment and lieutenant appointment orders, as well as his admission order for the current New Marine Recruit Camp.

Naturally, Wright had heard of Marine Headquarters' New Marine Recruit Camp. Its chief instructor was Marine Admiral Black Arm Zephyr. The current three Monster Vice Admirals—Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan—as well as many core Marine officers, had come from there. It was the Marines' endless source of talent.

This session of the New Marine Recruit Camp had already begun over a week ago. Wright was effectively a transfer student who had gotten in through the back door, and this was the first major benefit of joining the Marines through Garp—he had immediately gained the attention of Marine Admiral Sengoku and, through the New Marine Recruit Camp, the chance to directly interact with the future backbone of the Marines.

If Wright had climbed up slowly on his own, his immense strength would naturally not have posed a problem. But without passing through the New Marine Recruit Camp, it would be like not having a proper background, which would always be unfavorable for his future promotion and development.

"Then go get something to eat. Rest well today, and report to the New Marine Recruit Camp on time tomorrow morning." Bogart said with his usual cold, expressionless face. "Bring this appointment order with you. Transfer students at the New Marine Recruit Camp are not unheard of, but every one of them is an elite."

"You should understand how rare this opportunity is. Don't disappoint Vice Admiral Garp and... the expectations placed on you!"

Wright knew that the name Bogart had skipped was Marine Admiral Sengoku. He could not help but smile. "Don't worry. I've always been extremely reliable!"

"Watch me tear through the entire Training Camp!"

A brief clarification here: Bogart's rank was never explicitly stated in the original work, but he should be a field-grade officer. Here, he is set as a lieutenant colonel—because ten years later, he is still a field-grade officer...

Also, regarding the combat strength of Marine Headquarters colonels in this era, the original work offers no explicit explanation, so Bogart is used as a reference. This guy is definitely hiding his true abilities, and his swordsmanship is incredible. Judging by the performances of many rear admirals and even minor vice admirals in the original work, Bogart may surpass them all.

Therefore, Garp's assessment of Wright's overall strength here—attack, defense, and recovery—is temporarily set at Bogart's level, using the standard of the adjutant by his side as a reference.

Personally, I believe that at the beginning of the Great Pirate Era, there were far fewer pirates than there would be over a decade later, making Military Merit relatively difficult for officers to earn. Anyone able to reach colonel rank would absolutely have been outstanding. In this era, there was only one admiral, and the handful of vice admirals could suppress the seas. Marine Headquarters colonels should have been considerably stronger than they were over a decade later.

The huge gap in strength should be among the flag officers. There are only three ranks from brigadier general to vice admiral, and it feels like even three more ranks would not be enough to distinguish them... This part is rather confusing.

But one thing can be basically confirmed: someone like Squirrel, who was already a vice admiral during the Ohara Buster Call and remained one over a decade later, would certainly be far stronger than an ordinary vice admiral, yet still unable to reach admiral level. Everyone has a personal ceiling, and the vast majority of people do not grow stronger simply with age.