In the Name of a Sandbag...

"So, you're going into closed training for the next year?"

Wright crunched on Senbei—stolen from Old Man Garp, though Old Man Garp had swiped them from Admiral Sengoku in the first place. "Here, Rosy, have some Senbei. Let me tell you, this is one of Admiral Sengoku's treasured flavors! I wouldn't even bring it out for just anyone!"

Rosinante sat on the sofa across from Wright, watching him stuff himself with the treasured-flavor Senbei Garp had swiped from his own Old Man. He was completely powerless to complain.

"...Go ahead. I eat this flavor all the time." After holding it in for a while, Rosinante finally could not resist commenting, "You've only been following Mr. Garp for two months, and you've already learned all of Mr. Garp's 'essence'?"

"Rosy, you don't understand." Wright looked sadly out the window. This was Vice Admiral Garp's office at Headquarters. The view outside was not bad, but in Wright's eyes, anything related to Garp carried a certain indescribable feeling.

A deeply piercing pain.

"Do you see any changes in me over these past two months?" Wright sighed weakly.

"...You look sturdier, and your presence feels stronger?" Rosinante seemed to think of something, and his expression turned strange.

"Wrong. I look more haggard."

"Long-term, intense mental stimulation can make a person haggard. Simply put, it causes loss of appetite, listlessness, incoherent speech, not wanting to get out of bed, irregular bathroom habits..."

The corner of Rosinante's eye twitched violently—haggard, my ass. Of the symptoms you listed, aside from the last two, why don't you show me the first few?

You were stuffing your face and chattering nonstop in front of me, and you're telling me you have no appetite, are listless, and can't speak coherently?

"What I'm eating isn't Senbei. It's frustration..."

"These past two months were practically hell... You were off in secret training, so you wouldn't know—but almost everyone at Headquarters does."

"On average, Old Man Garp beat the crap out of me for eight hours every day—completely one-sided beatings!"

"I've become famous throughout Headquarters, okay? From Fleet Admiral Kong down to the newest Marine recruits, how many people don't know that Old Man Garp has a sandbag major under his command?!"

"Ah—my dignity, my image, my poise, my future..."

"That old bastard ruined it all! Aaaaaaah—!"

Watching Wright fall into his memories and begin raging helplessly, Rosinante felt a small, familiar sense of satisfaction. "Sometimes, having powerful healing abilities is unfortunate too..."

Rosinante was somewhat embarrassed about that as well—his Old Man, Admiral Sengoku, looked imposing and stern, gentle and wise on the surface, but in reality, he was just as much of an old goofball as Vice Admiral Garp. Vice Admiral Garp had spent two months mercilessly tormenting a newly promoted major at Headquarters; without his Old Man's tacit approval... or even personal involvement, it simply made no sense.

After all, his Old Man and Mr. Garp both thought highly of Wright. Ever since Wright joined the Marines, the two big shots had been standing behind him. First came Teacher Zephyr's personal instruction, and now Mr. Garp. No matter how he looked at it, it seemed like his Old Man's handiwork.

Ahem. Better not mention that.

"Um... Wright," Rosinante said, feeling that they had gone wildly off-topic and having no choice but to force the conversation back, "I only said we should meet somewhere... Why did we come to Mr. Garp's office?"

"And isn't Mr. Garp here?"

"..."

Wright snapped out of it and gave Rosinante a strange look. "Tch. Don't you know where Old Man Garp loves going most? This office is big and quiet—perfect for talking business."

"And when Old Man Garp discovered this morning that I'd stolen all his Senbei... cough, that the Senbei were all gone, he definitely won't be back before the end of the workday. If it weren't for your business, Rosy, this place of sorrow... Hmph... crunch crunch..."

Rosinante pressed a hand to his forehead. Of course he knew where Vice Admiral Garp would be going—he could already faintly hear his Old Man's roar in his ears: "You bastard, Garp! That was my favorite flavor!"

Wright had already guessed why Rosinante had come to see him. After cracking a few jokes to lighten the mood, he turned serious. "So, Rosy, did you specifically ask me out today because you're in some kind of trouble?"

"That thing you absolutely have to do?"

"...I can't hide it from you." Rosinante smiled bitterly. "I just finished training. That guy Smoker went off on a mission with Vice Admiral Kuzan, so you're the only one I can discuss this with."

"Wright, you're the most outstanding of our class, whether in combat strength, intelligence, or strategy. So, I want to ask you something."

"If you upheld justice, but someone closest to you was an utterly evil person, how would you stop his madness when you lacked the strength to defeat him?"

"..." Wright stared steadily at Rosinante. "No matter how evil or powerful a person is, he is still only one person. But if his ambitions are great, he will definitely build his own force. And an evil force led by a powerful, evil leader—that is the true threat."

"As someone close to him, your only advantage is that it is easier for you to gain his trust and tolerance. You may be the only light he possesses in the darkness. Your existence itself is a shackle restraining his madness."

"Conversely, if you betray him, or die..." Wright bit into a Senbei and shifted his gaze to the table before him. "Then he may lose all restraint, destroy everything around him first, and then destroy himself."

"I think there are two ways."

"First, become overwhelmingly powerful, then challenge him one-on-one, grind him into the ground, and tell him that the bigger fist is right. If he wants to do evil, he can defeat me first!"

"Second, destroy his foundation and prevent him from expanding his forces. Assassination, sowing discord, going undercover—use every means possible. Seize control of the lifeblood of his organization or uncover a critical weakness, then strike when the time is right and make his forces collapse. A single person cannot stir up much trouble on these seas."

"If it were you, you would definitely choose the first way!" Rosinante said with a smile, his expression seeming to settle on some kind of resolve. "After all, you have that kind of ability, potential, and temperament."

"Which means you'll choose the second." Wright raised his eyes to look at Rosinante. The latter pulled out a cigarette, lit it, and took a deep drag...

Wright stared black-faced at Rosinante's burning shirt shoulder. "Cut it out! With your half-baked personality, what kind of undercover agent could you possibly be?!"

After frantically putting out the fire on his shoulder, Rosinante rose to leave. "Thank you for helping me make up my mind, Wright."

"I didn't, I don't know, don't make things up!" Wright rolled his eyes as he watched Rosinante's retreating back push open the door.

"...Don't die."

"...I'm only doing a year of closed training. Why are you making it so serious? Don't miss me too much~"

"Get lost! Right now! Immediately!"