Cyborg, Tokikake!

This time, Gray wouldn't use a wheelchair for his new equipment.

Mm~ The wheelchair was outdated. He had a better idea now.

A ring behind his back!

The general look would be something like Enel's or Zhen Chan's.

Put that thing behind you, and an aura of strength would hit you right in the face.

When the time came, Gray would make sure the design was as aesthetically pleasing as possible, with an air of mystery.

Just thinking about how cool it would look made Gray feel thrilled.

After all, looking cool was a lifelong pursuit!

With a ring behind his back, he could not only look elegant and impressive, but also solve the problem of carrying weapons in battle.

Time passed as he thought. About three hours later, to keep his feet from getting pruney, Gray stopped his Seastone Factor resistance training and began today's magnetic-field screening.

"Tokikake, how are you doing?"

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

Tokikake had a Fire Pistol in his left hand, and, like Zephyr, a mechanical prosthetic on his right.

No. That wasn't all!

Tokikake was now a cyborg, like Franky.

After returning to Marine Headquarters, they had completely removed Tokikake's badly burned internal organs to save his life.

To keep Tokikake alive, they had asked Vegapunk to turn him into a half-cyborg.

It took nearly five months before Tokikake returned from Vegapunk's lab.

As soon as he got back, he began testing out his new body.

He could've said goodbye to his career in the Marines, but to win Gion's heart and marry her, Tokikake was willing to become a cyborg so he could stay by her side.

"Great! I feel like I've gotten stronger!" Mechanical parts were indeed sturdier than flesh and blood. With Haki added, his strength had improved considerably.

Unfortunately, Tokikake wasn't smart enough to understand the principle of flesh being weak and machines ascending.

Without advanced scientific knowledge, he could only get so far by modifying his body with machinery!

Unless he kept having Vegapunk upgrade him to keep pace with the times, like Genos from One-Punch Man, who always had a doctor working on him.

"That's good!" Hearing Tokikake say that made Gion feel much better.

After all, Tokikake had nearly lost his life in the North Blue because he had gone with her.

And Gion had realized something else: if Tokikake hadn't gone with them, would she and Tsuru have been left for dead in the North Blue?

"You..."

While the two of them talked, Sengoku and Tsuru stood by a window in the towering building behind them, watching.

"That kid Tokikake really went all out for Gion!"

"If I were a girl, I might've accepted him already."

Tsuru shot him a withering look. "Is that why you've been single all these years?"

"At least Garp's grandson is all grown up. You took in a godson, then sent him on such a dangerous mission."

At that, Sengoku fell silent. "I never thought that parting would be the last time I'd see him."

"Such a good kid, and he died there. That brat Doflamingo really was born evil."

"He killed his father as a child, then his brother as a young man. What wouldn't he do?"

Tsuru said, "It couldn't be helped. Who could've predicted it? Even I couldn't save him when I led the team there."

"And we nearly lost our lives there, too."

"The Donquixote Family has grown too powerful. To keep the Four Blues stable, we have to bring them down!"

"Even if we can't, we have to drive them into the New World and let them fight those pirates there."

Sengoku said, "You have a point!"

"But didn't you leave Borsalino there?"

"Why hasn't he come back yet?"

Tsuru said, "That's the sort of thing only you, the Fleet Admiral, can ask! Why don't you call him?"

"..."

"Good idea!"

Sengoku took out a Den Den Mushi and called Kizaru.

Buru buru! Buru buru!

"Moshi moshi!" As soon as the call connected, the Den Den Mushi had already taken on Kizaru's leering face. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku! What can I do for you this time?"

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

"!!!" Fighting down his fury and urge to roar, Sengoku tried to keep his blood pressure from rising. "Borsalino, why haven't you dealt with a small pirate group in the North Blue after all this time?"

"Ohhh~ Fleet Admiral Sengoku, you have to understand my position! The 'small pirate group' you mentioned just drove back two elite Vice Admirals from Headquarters led by Tsuru. They're terrifying, and I'm scared of them too!"

"How scary! If I ran into them, I might have to ask you for backup, Fleet Admiral Sengoku!" Kizaru drawled, showing not the slightest sense of urgency.

He called them scary, but if he actually met them, he could probably take them out with one kick each.

Sengoku knew Kizaru's personality well. After listening to his report with a dark expression, he could no longer hold back his roar. "Baka yarou!"

"A Marine Admiral is afraid of a small band of pirates? Next time you make an excuse, at least come up with a better one!"

Seeing Sengoku fly into a rage, Kizaru held the Den Den Mushi far away from himself, completely unaffected. If he hadn't been holding it, he might've picked up a nail clipper to trim his nails.

"Ehh~ Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the signal's a little bad here. I didn't hear what you said. If there's nothing else, I'll hang up!"

"!!!" With the veins in his forehead bulging, Sengoku forced down the urge to shout. "Don't pursue them anymore. You have a different mission now!"

"The Affiliated Nations' annual Heavenly Tribute collection has begun. You're in the North Blue, so escort it while you're there."

"Oh~ What about the pursuit mission?"

Sengoku said, "Don't worry about that. I'll send someone else."

"Sure, sure!"

Click!

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

Tsuru, standing beside him, asked in confusion, "Why did you call Kizaru back?"

Sengoku said, "We have no choice. Someone has to guard Headquarters and Mary Geoise!"

"Besides, why would we send an Admiral after a bunch of small-time pirates?"

"The New World needs Sakazuki to hold the line, Borsalino is needed for mobile operations at Headquarters, and Kuzan patrols Paradise and the Four Blues."

Tsuru asked, "What about Garp?"

Just mentioning Garp was enough to send Sengoku's blood pressure, which had finally settled, shooting right back up.

"That bastard Garp said the Red Hair Pirates, those Supernovas, went to the East Blue, so he needs to go back there."

"That old bastard keeps using his grandson as an excuse. He even said that Dragon dumped his kid on him and then walked away."

"He insists he has to make up for his mistakes with Dragon by raising his grandson to become the strongest Marine."

Once Sengoku started complaining about Garp, he couldn't stop. Tsuru had heard the same things so often she was sick of them, but her thoughts had turned to the child with the red tattoo on his face. "Dragon?"

"It's a real shame."

"The old man wasted his whole life, and now the young man can't find his way either."

"Heh! The Marines, justice..."