As the year drew to a close, Marineford's atmosphere grew more relaxed and lively. Seasonal decorations appeared along its solemn streets, and the Navy officers stationed at bases elsewhere returned to the residential quarters in batches to visit their families and see their wives, daughters, and elders.
Conrad couldn't sit still. He had big things to do.
His days had been monotonous for the past two weeks. All he did was train.
Kujaku seemed to be going through a rebellious phase. She wouldn't come see him and even avoided him. He hadn't seen Baby-5 in days, either.
As usual, Conrad bought a newspaper and went to the notice board to look over the latest wanted posters.
His recent appearance in the papers had earned him a little fame in the Navy, but mainly because a king had died.
The truly powerful pirates were in the Grand Line. Its first half was known as Paradise, while the Four Blues were merely its cradle.
The wanted-poster board was in a special area along the main street below the city. Two rows of boards stood on either side, making it easy for people to stop and look. They were updated every day.
But plenty of old posters remained, such as the Three Emperors' decades-old bounties, which had been hanging there untouched for more than ten years.
It was easy for pirates to get famous and earn a bounty: all they had to do was sail around causing trouble and fighting each other.
But if Navy officers wanted promotions and recognition, they had to earn merit by taking down notorious pirates.
In this Great Pirate Era, ushered in by Pirate King Roger and his ONE PIECE, freedom was a rallying cry for the reckless and an excuse for chaos.
Conrad passed one notice board after another before stopping in front of the latest posters that a clerk had just put up.
They showed two Fish-Men, one red and one blue. The prominent sun tattoos on their chests identified them as the Sun Pirates.
The red one was their captain, a bream Fish-Man named Fisher Tiger. Two and a half years ago, he had climbed the Red Line and broken into Mary Geoise alone to free the slaves. He was a criminal.
His bounty was 230 million Beli.
The blue one was the first mate, a whale shark Fish-Man named Jinbe. His profile offered little information, only noting that he was extremely powerful and extremely violent.
His bounty was 76 million Beli.
Conrad turned to the clerk. "Hey, sorry to bother you. Did their bounties go up? Have they done something recently?"
The clerk pulled out a record book and flipped through it. "Rear Admiral Kadal of G-2 tried to catch them again and failed. He lost three warships, but, as always, no one died. They let the crew go."
"So the Sun Pirates don't kill people. Their bounties only go up when they wreck ships, which is why they haven't changed much. If they started killing people, they'd probably be worth at least 500 million by now."
Conrad roughly calculated the timing. The Sun Pirates probably wouldn't break up for much longer, and Arlong, who would devastate Nami's hometown, was aboard their ship right now.
He liked both Tiger and Jinbe. They were top-tier Fish-Men with good character, and would make excellent members of his underwater fighting force.
Conrad fished two 10,000-Beli bills out of his pocket and held them out. "I was hoping to—"
"Hey! What are you doing?" The clerk snatched the money and slipped it into his pocket as naturally as could be. Adjusting his sunglasses, he chided Conrad, "Just ask me whatever you want. We're all brothers here at Headquarters. Name's Brannew."
Conrad eyed the man's green pompadour. "Brother, do you know which way the Sun Pirates are headed?"
"Nope." Brannew gave him a cold smile. He was a middle-aged man, forty-three years old.
He had no talent for fighting and had spent more than twenty years in the Headquarters Document Bureau, working his way up to Chief Petty Officer. He envied his superiors, who only had to write a few reports and attend meetings each year while their ranks climbed higher and higher.
His dream was to attend meetings and, one day, stand at the podium.
"But Rear Admiral Kadal of G-2 is back at Headquarters today to see his kids. You could ask him. His address is..."
Brannew pulled another notebook from his waistband, looked up the name in the index, then flipped through the pages and pointed to a line. "Building 13, Old Street District 2."
Conrad knew he'd asked the right person. He looked Brannew up and down. The man's jacket pockets and work pants were stuffed with notebooks.
It was clear he was always working hard to gather information. Give him the chance to take the stage, and he'd surely go far.
Conrad held out his hand. "Thanks. Let's keep in touch. I'm Conrad."
Brannew lowered his sunglasses and stared at Conrad's red hair. His narrowed eyes lit up, and he shook Conrad's hand enthusiastically.
"Look at me, I can't believe I didn't recognize you! You're our Navy's rising star, our little hero! You're ten times more handsome than you looked in the papers. Tsk, tsk... A young genius, and so handsome, too. You'll be a pillar of the Navy someday!"
Conrad hated flatterers more than anything, but Brannew sounded so sincere that he figured he must mean every word. He couldn't bring himself to scold him, so he suppressed the corners of his mouth as they threatened to rise. "You're too kind. It's just a reputation."
"Wait a moment!" Brannew let go of his hand and quickly finished putting up the remaining posters in his bucket. "I just finished up and was about to head out. I've got time to show our little hero the way."
Conrad couldn't refuse his enthusiasm, so he followed Brannew to Rear Admiral Kadal's home.
Brannew chatted nonstop along the way and knew every household inside and out. Whenever Conrad asked about someone by name, he could answer immediately or consult one of his notebooks.
When Brannew reached Old Street and reluctantly prepared to say goodbye, a towering figure suddenly emerged from the alley behind Conrad.
He immediately stood at attention and saluted, calling out respectfully, "Admiral Sengoku!"
He was so excited that even his pompadour seemed to stand straight. This was his first time facing Sengoku directly, the Navy's lofty pinnacle. Until now, he'd only ever seen him from afar, standing atop the highest floor of the main city's tower.
"Conrad." Sengoku wore a new hat, with a seagull perched on top. His glasses gleamed as he frowned.
"Sengoku." Conrad sighed. "What is it?"
Brannew was stunned. He hadn't expected Conrad to leave out the title and address Sengoku by name.
Sengoku looked troubled. He nodded stiffly. "Yes."
People on the street stopped and saluted when they saw Sengoku.
Even here in Marineford, the Navy's Headquarters, those of them living in the residential quarters at the foot of the city were worlds apart from the halls atop the towering city.
Conrad sighed, clasped his hands behind his back, and crossed the street in a few steps with Geppo, heading for the coast on the outskirts of the island.
Sengoku followed with Geppo.
Only after Sengoku disappeared from view could Brannew and the other residents breathe again.
Conrad went ahead, but Sengoku took over as their guide. They eventually reached the Southwest Lookout Pavilion, one of Marineford's four mountain pillars.
"What did you come to see me about?" Conrad stood with his hands behind his back, gazing at the endless whirlpool beyond the Gate of Justice.
Sengoku's face was troubled. His whip-like beard trembled with his chin, but he finally spoke. "What does... 'Buddha's Light Emerges' mean?"
Ever since the day he sent Rosinante away, Sengoku had revisited the first move of Conrad's Buddha's Palm every day, studying it.
But even with the Human-Human Fruit, Model: Buddha and top-tier Observation Haki, he always felt that when he used the palm technique, compared to Conrad's—
It wasn't authentic enough.
Before you continue