The Half-Mechanical Cyborg, Tokikake!

Gray would not be using a wheelchair for the design of his new equipment this time.

Hmm~ wheelchairs were outdated, and he had a better idea.

That was a ring behind the back!

The general image was like that of Enel or Zhen Chan.

Once that thing was placed behind one's back, an aura of power would come rushing forth.

When it came to the design, Gray would do his best to satisfy both the aesthetic appeal and the mysterious elements.

The level of coolness~ just thinking about it made Gray feel incredibly excited.

After all~ being cool was a lifelong commitment!

With the ring behind his back, he could not only ensure elegance and style but also solve the problem of carrying weapons during combat.

Time passed in contemplation. About three hours later, to keep his feet from swelling, Gray stopped his Seastone factor resistance training and began today's magnetic field screening work.

"Tokikake, how are you doing!"

Gion walked into the training ground, specifically to visit Tokikake, who had just been discharged from the hospital.

At this moment, Tokikake held a flintlock in his left hand, and his right arm, like Zephyr's, had been fitted with a mechanical prosthetic.

No. It was more than that!

Tokikake now belonged to the same category as Franky: a cyborg.

After returning to Marine Headquarters, in order to save Tokikake's life, his charred internal organs had been completely removed.

To sustain his life, they had begged Vegapunk to transform him into a cyborg.

It had taken nearly five months for Tokikake to return from Vegapunk's laboratory.

And so, the moment he returned, Tokikake began testing his differences.

He could have bid farewell to his Marine career, but in order to win Gion's heart and take the beauty home, Tokikake had been willing to become a cyborg just to continue staying by her side.

"Very good! I feel~ I've become stronger!" Mechanical modifications were indeed harder than flesh and blood; if infused with Haki, his strength would certainly be greatly enhanced.

Unfortunately~ with Tokikake's brain, he could not comprehend the philosophy that "flesh is weak, machines ascend."

Without strong scientific and technical capabilities, rashly altering his mechanical body meant his potential would end right there!

Unless--he kept having Vegapunk upgrade him, constantly keeping up with the new era's version, just like Genos from One Punch Man, who had a doctor constantly serving him in the background.

"That's good!" Seeing Tokikake say this, Gion felt much better.

When it came down to it, the reason Tokikake had suffered such fatal injuries and nearly lost his life in the North Blue was because he had gone along with her.

Moreover, Gion had also thought of one thing: if Tokikake hadn't gone with them, would she and Tsuru have perished in the North Blue forever?

"You..."

Setting aside how the two were conversing there, in the tall building behind them, Sengoku and Tsuru stood before a window, watching them.

"That kid Tokikake, he's really giving it his all for Gion!"

"If I were a girl, I might have already said yes to him."

Hearing this, Tsuru rolled her eyes at him: "Is this the reason you've been single for so many years?"

"Garp at least has a grandson that big, yet you find an adopted son only to send him out on such a dangerous mission."

Upon hearing this, Sengoku fell silent instantly: "I didn't expect that parting to be our last."

"Such a good child, to actually die there. That brat Donquixote Doflamingo is truly evil by nature."

"Killing his father in childhood, his brother in his youth. What else is there that he cannot do?"

Tsuru: "There's no helping it. Who could have foreseen that even with me leading the team, we wouldn't be able to save him?"

"Besides, we nearly lost our own lives there as well."

"The Donquixote Family's strength has already exceeded the limit. To ensure the stability of the Four Blues, we must take them down!"

"Even if we can't take them down, we must drive them into the New World and let them dog-eat-dog with those other pirates."

Sengoku: "What you say makes sense!"

"But! Didn't you leave Borsalino there?"

"Why hasn't he returned yet?"

Tsuru: "This is the kind of thing only you, the Fleet Admiral, can ask! Why don't you~ call him on the Den Den Mushi and ask?"

"..."

"That makes sense!"

Sengoku took out a Den Den Mushi and dialed Kizaru's number directly.

Brrr! Brrr!

"Moshi moshi!" As soon as the call connected, the Den Den Mushi mimicked Kizaru's sleazy face: "It's Fleet Admiral Sengoku! Do you have any further instructions?"

"If there's nothing else, I still have to pursue the Donquixote Family."

"###!" Forcing down the rage and roar in his heart, Sengoku tried his best to keep his blood pressure from spiking: "Borsalino, why haven't you dealt with a small pirate group in the North Blue after all this time?"

"Oh~~ Marshal Sengoku, you have to be understanding of me too! That 'small pirate group' you speak of managed to repel two elite Vice Admirals led by Tsuru head-on. Such a terrifying organization—I'm quite scared, you know!"

"Kowai ne! If I were to run into them, I might even need Marshal Sengoku to come and provide backup!" The lackadaisical Kizaru didn't feel a shred of urgency.

He claimed to be scared, but if he actually met them, he would likely kick them down one by one.

Sengoku naturally knew Kizaru's personality. After listening to the report with a face full of black lines, Sengoku could no longer hold back his roar: "Bakayaro!"

"A Marine Admiral, afraid of a bunch of small-time pirates? Next time you make an excuse, come up with a better reason!"

Seeing Sengoku lose his temper, Kizaru held the Den Den Mushi far away, completely unaffected. If he weren't holding the Den Den Mushi, he might have picked up a pair of nail clippers to trim his nails.

"Eh~ Marshal Sengoku, the signal is a bit poor here, I didn't quite hear what you said. If there's nothing else, I'm hanging up!"

"#! " Veins bulged on his forehead as Sengoku struggled to suppress the urge to scream: "Stop chasing them. You have a different mission this time!"

"The annual Heavenly Tribute from the member nations has begun. Since you're already in the North Blue, remember to escort it on your way back."

"Oh~ and what about the pursuit mission?"

Sengoku: "You don't need to worry about that. I'll arrange for someone else to handle it."

"Hai, hai!"

Click!

After the Den Den Mushi hung up, Sengoku tried hard to calm his skyrocketing blood pressure.

Tsuru, who was standing nearby, asked with a puzzled expression: "Why did you call Kizaru back?"

Sengoku: "There's no choice. Someone has to guard both Headquarters and Mary Geoise!"

"When it comes down to it, how could we possibly need an Admiral to fight small-time pirates?"

"The New World needs Sakazuki to hold it down, Headquarters needs Borsalino for mobility, and Kuzan patrols Paradise and the Four Seas."

Tsuru: "What about Garp?"

It would have been better if she hadn't mentioned Garp; as soon as he was brought up, Sengoku's blood pressure, which had just calmed down, spiked again instantly.

"That bastard Garp said the Supernova Red Hair Pirates ran off to the East Blue, and he needs to head back there."

"That old scoundrel keeps using his grandson as an excuse, and he even claimed that that jerk Dragon dumped the child on him and stopped caring."

"He insists on saying that he wants to make up for the mistakes he made with Dragon by raising his grandson to be the strongest Marine."

Once he started talking about Garp, Sengoku couldn't stop his rant. Tsuru, whose ears had already grown calloused from hearing it so often, turned her thoughts to the child with the red tattoo on his face: "Dragon, is it?"

"It really is a bit of a pity."

"The father spent his whole life living in confusion, and now the young man can't find his direction here either."

"Heh! The Marines, justice..."