Heroes, Fleet Admiral, Five Elders

The disturbance at the grand training ground had far exceeded Long Yi's expectations. The horrifying phantom of a demon god soon reached the ears of every high-ranking official in Marineford.

But none of that had anything to do with Long Yi anymore. After the rushed promotion ceremony for the naval trainees, Karp placed him under close protection, keeping him by his side at all times and never letting him out of his sight.

At that moment, Long Yi stood respectfully before Fleet Admiral Sengoku.

Meeting the Fleet Admiral for the first time, Long Yi's body stiffened involuntarily. He was so nervous that he hardly dared breathe.

"Mm. I know about the situation. You did the right thing, Karp."

Fleet Admiral Sengoku clasped his fingers together before him and gave Karp, who was lounging on the sofa, a slight nod. He strongly approved of Karp's decisive action in protecting Long Yi.

Yet upon closer inspection, it was clear that the Navy's highest commander was not as calm as he appeared. Long Yi could plainly see several veins bulging on his forehead.

"It was nothing. It's what I should've done! Hahaha!"

Hearing Sengoku's praise, Karp burst into laughter, his hearty voice quickly filling the entire room.

What the Navy Hero failed to notice was that, as he laughed, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's patience finally reached its limit, teetering on the brink of explosion.

"But that doesn't give you the right to kick down my door! Damn it, Karp, you scared away my goat!"

Though Fleet Admiral Sengoku tried his best to restrain himself, the two old acquaintances who had known each other for decades still ended up arguing.

Spittle flew everywhere as their argument grew fiercer and fiercer, and before long, they looked ready to throw punches. Long Yi, standing to one side, was startled by the scene. He knew exactly what would happen if these two got into a fight. If things went badly, the two old men might tear apart all of Marineford.

"Ahem. Sorry to interrupt."

Just as Karp and Fleet Admiral Sengoku were arguing fiercely, a soft cough sounded.

Something that astonished Long Yi happened. Upon hearing that cough, Karp and Sengoku, who had just been about to fight, suddenly looked as if they had seen a ghost. Their eyes widened in disbelief as they stiffly turned toward the doorway.

Standing beside the damaged wooden door was a frail, bald old man. He wore a plain white kimono and wooden sandals, with round spectacles perched on his nose. In his arms, he held a long katana.

"O-One of the Five Elders! Why is he here?!"

Once Long Yi saw who it was, he cried out inwardly. One of the Five Elders, who should have been in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, had appeared before him.

This imposing bald old man was one of the Five Elders—the highest leaders and pillars of the World Government, and the owner of First Kitetsu.

Long Yi was so shocked that even his expression became slightly stiff.

"Lord Taizo."

The Five Elders stood above even the Fleet Admiral. Upon seeing the bald elder, Fleet Admiral Sengoku had no choice but to stop arguing with Karp. Suppressing his temper, he offered a quiet greeting.

"Heh heh."

Karp chuckled softly and nodded at the visitor, considering that sufficient greeting. Naturally, with his personality, he did not care in the slightest about the so-called highest leaders of the World Government.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Vice Admiral Karp, may I come in?"

The bald elder addressed as Lord Taizo remained calm. He first casually glanced at Long Yi, who stood in the middle of the room, then spoke lightly to Sengoku and Karp.

"Of course, Lord Taizo. Please come in."

Sengoku had no reason to refuse entry to one of the Five Elders. After inviting the bald elder inside, he calmly returned to his seat behind the desk. Karp, unusually, said nothing and leaned back on the sofa, eating the senbei he carried with him.

The bald elder was unsurprised by their attitudes. He found himself a chair and sat down casually. Then, ignoring Karp and Sengoku, his gaze sharpened as he focused on Long Yi in the middle of the room.

Feeling the bald elder's gaze, Long Yi grew uneasy. He had no idea why one of the Five Elders would take such an interest in him. As he continued to speculate inwardly, Sengoku spoke in a deep voice.

"So, Lord Taizo, what brings you here today?"

Compared with Long Yi, one of the Five Elders naturally carried more weight in Fleet Admiral Sengoku's eyes. Setting Long Yi's matter aside for the moment, Sengoku pushed up his glasses and began asking the bald elder about his purpose.

"Heh heh, I'm simply very interested in this child."

The bald elder was straightforward. He directly stated his intentions, making no effort to hide his interest in Long Yi.

Hearing the bald elder's answer, Sengoku and Karp were both inwardly stirred, though neither showed it. They exchanged a subtle glance, then nodded lightly.

"In that case, please do as you wish."

The conversation between Sengoku and the bald elder came to an end, and they turned their attention to Long Yi. After silently studying him for a while, Sengoku tapped rhythmically on the desk with his fingers and spoke in a deep voice.

"Third-Class Seaman Long Yi."

"Yes!"

Hearing Fleet Admiral Sengoku call his name, Long Yi instinctively straightened up and answered loudly. Two years of habit had already turned him into the very image of a standard Marine.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Karp were pleased by the young man's response. However, the next question was the true key to today's events.

"Third-Class Seaman Long Yi, answer me. Have you eaten a Devil Fruit?"

The moment he heard that question, Long Yi knew the real matter had begun. He knew that the huge commotion caused by his impulsive actions at the grand training ground could never be hidden from those who cared to investigate. His next answer would determine his fate.

"Reporting to the Fleet Admiral! I have not eaten a Devil Fruit!"

On the way here, Long Yi had already carefully considered every possible line of questioning. He had long prepared his answer to this particular question.

"You haven't?!"

Hearing Long Yi's firm reply, both Karp and Sengoku wore astonished expressions. Karp, especially, had personally witnessed Long Yi summon Kazan's power and could not help furrowing his brow.

While their attention was drawn to Long Yi's answer, Karp and Sengoku failed to notice that the bald elder, upon hearing it, unconsciously tightened his grip on the slender katana in his arms.

"Reporting to Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Karp, I truly have not eaten any Devil Fruit. I do not know what is happening to me either, but I can command that unknown power!"

Long Yi's answer was decisive and without the slightest hesitation. He skillfully guided the anomaly he displayed toward some inexplicable explanation.

"You mean this may be your talent?"

Fleet Admiral Sengoku truly lived up to his reputation as the Wise General. Guided deliberately by Long Yi's words, his mind raced, and he soon thought of the elusive talents spoken of in legend.

Yes, a thing known as talent existed in this world.

It was neither the power of Devil Fruits nor the so-called Haki, but an innate power one was born with. The most famous example was Gol D. Roger, the One Piece, who was suspected of possessing such a power. Legend said he could hear the voices of all things in the world.

"You're saying you can communicate with some unknown existence?"

At Long Yi's words, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's breathing grew slightly hurried. He stared fixedly into Long Yi's eyes, wanting to find the answer there.

Anyone would be nervous under the gaze of such a powerful man, but Long Yi still endured the pressure. He nodded seriously, met Fleet Admiral Sengoku's eyes, and spoke softly.

"Reporting to the Fleet Admiral, I call it the power to command demon gods."

"Can you show us?"

At that moment, the bald elder, who had remained silent until now, suddenly spoke. Behind the cover of his round spectacles, Long Yi could not clearly make out his eyes. Still, under the eager gazes of Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Karp, he nodded.

"Demon god of destruction, heed my summons."

With a soft murmur, the atmosphere in the Fleet Admiral's office abruptly changed. Ignoring the shocked gazes of the three elders, the demon god power hidden within Long Yi surged forth once more.

"Strengthen my body! Blade Soul of Kazan!"

With a hum, Kazan's phantom appeared behind Long Yi once again. As the power of the Blade Soul descended upon him, even Sengoku, who had weathered countless storms, could not help swallowing as he stared unblinkingly at the savage demon god phantom behind Long Yi.

Of course, this was only a demonstration. After Kazan's shadow appeared, Long Yi quickly dismissed the demon god power. The scarlet demonic aura vanished without a trace, as though everything had merely been an illusion.

"Hmm..."

To be honest, Fleet Admiral Sengoku had never encountered such a situation before. For a moment, even the Wise General was at a loss for words.

"Hahaha! Sengoku, let the kid follow me from now on. After I train him for a few years, he'll at least be Admiral-level combat power. He definitely won't be inferior to Kuzan or Borsalino."

Karp's way of thinking was different from ordinary people's. Long Yi's demon god power had initially shocked him as well, but now he acted as though nothing had happened and took the initiative to discuss Long Yi's future placement with Fleet Admiral Sengoku.

"Ahem."

Before the hesitant Fleet Admiral Sengoku could make a decision, the bald elder holding the sword suddenly cleared his throat.

Ignoring the astonished looks of Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Karp, he slowly rose to his feet and walked up to Long Yi with the katana in his arms. Wearing a solemn expression, he spoke in a deep voice.

"Child, your talent is astonishingly powerful. This is a gift bestowed upon you by heaven. Therefore, bear the name of the Yatogami Family and become this old man's grandson!"