Man Proposes, Heaven Disposes

Knock, knock, knock. Aokiji stood outside the Fleet Admiral's office with Nangong Yan and knocked on the door. Only after a steady, weighty voice from within granted permission did he lead Nangong Yan inside.

After entering, Nangong Yan casually swept his eyes around and spotted a middle-aged man seated in a chair. He had a mohawk, a resolute face, and a Justice coat draped over his shoulders. An authority tempered by long years in power radiated from him.

Beside Fleet Admiral Kong sat a man and a woman, both familiar faces. One was an elderly woman who exuded an air of wisdom and composure. The other was a young man with a stern expression and a faintly gloomy look on his face. Dressed in a dark red suit and a Justice coat, he was none other than the future Marine Admiral and Fleet Admiral, Akainu.

"Fleet Admiral, Nangong Yan has been brought here." Aokiji straightened up and gave a salute.

"Greetings, Fleet Admiral Kong." Even before one of this world's strongest figures, Nangong Yan showed the proper respect.

Kong nodded. His hawk-like gaze examined Nangong Yan before he spoke in a deep voice. "As someone with a Mythical Zoan ability, you are indeed exceptional. However, according to our investigation, your original name was Blair. Why did you change it to Nangong Yan, such a strange name?"

"I changed it myself after my parents passed away and after obtaining the Devil Fruit. It represents surviving a near-death ordeal and being reborn." Nangong Yan's expression did not change as he answered calmly.

Kong nodded, accepting Nangong Yan's explanation. Then he said gravely, "Do you know that your parents were secretly engaged in illegal business and had dealings with both the mafia and pirates?"

Surprise flashed across Nangong Yan's face. He truly did not know about this; Blair's memories contained nothing of the sort.

"I don't know. My parents never mentioned it to me."

"You don't know? I'm afraid you did know. Otherwise, why would you conceal your identity and still try to join the Marines?"

"Hmph. The Marines have always recruited only orphans and those with clean backgrounds. How could the descendants of criminals be qualified to join the Marines?" Akainu abruptly spoke from the side, his tone strange and mocking.

"Akainu, shut up. How can the mistakes of the previous generation be blamed on their descendants? As long as we Marines guide him properly, I believe this young man will become an outstanding Marine." Kong shot Akainu a glare.

Nangong Yan's face darkened upon hearing Akainu's words. Although he had never met his parents in this life and held little affection for them, they were still his biological parents. How could he allow others to insult them?

"Since the Marines do not welcome me, I am not one to force myself upon others. Please provide me with a ship, and I shall leave." Nangong Yan spoke with unmistakable pride.

Nangong Yan had only wanted to join the Marines because it was the most convenient place to learn Haki. It was not as though there were no other ways to learn it; they were simply more troublesome.

"Leaving is for the best. In any case, I firmly oppose allowing the descendants of criminals into the Marines. It would simply disgrace the Marines!" Akainu adjusted his Marine cap and spoke righteously.

Nangong Yan could not help but sneer at Akainu's words.

In this era, the New World was undergoing rapid upheaval. Golden Lion, Roger, Whitebeard, and Red Count stirred the winds and clouds as they fought for supremacy in the New World. The rising star Beast Kaido and BIG? had suddenly emerged and already established their foundations in the New World.

The pirates of the New World were still locked in internal conflict, and Roger had yet to usher in the Great Pirate Era. In terms of pirate numbers, this period had far fewer pirates than Luffy's era.

The Marines, meanwhile, were brimming with talent and possessed strong troops. Though their control over the New World was weak, there was no denying that the overall situation remained firmly in the Marines' grasp. They were not yet stretched thin by the Great Pirate Era, and had even launched the Shichibukai plan of cooperating with pirates.

Though Akainu's views on Nangong Yan were rather extreme and one-sided, they were not entirely without reason.

The Marines did indeed require their recruits to have clean backgrounds. Akainu was not targeting Nangong Yan without cause.

"That's enough, Akainu. Know when to stop." Kong slammed his hand on the desk and rebuked him.

Kong held considerable authority. His angry reprimand immediately silenced Akainu.

"Alright, Fleet Admiral, please calm down. Although Akainu's words were somewhat extreme and one-sided, they were not entirely unreasonable."

"This young man indeed possesses tremendous potential. Failing to recruit him would be a major loss for the Marines. However, his loyalty and sense of belonging toward the Marines truly need to be properly cultivated." Vice Admiral Tsuru, who had remained silent until now, finally spoke. Her words were logical and well-founded.

Kong nodded in agreement with Vice Admiral Tsuru. Just as he was about to speak, Nangong Yan spoke first.

"The Marines truly are troublesome. Since the Marines do not trust me and are filled with doubts about me, forcing things will lead to no good result. Farewell, everyone." Nangong Yan's pitch-black pupils turned crimson, and black, ink-dark triangular sickles slowly rotated within them as pupil power surged forth.

The air around Nangong Yan began to warp, transforming into a continuously spinning spatial vortex. Nangong Yan's body was rapidly drawn into the space within it at astonishing speed.

The casting speed of the dual Kamui Sharingan, whether absorbing himself or others, was more than twice as fast as that of a single Kamui Sharingan.

The casting was too fast. Whether it was Nangong Yan's mysterious and sinister Mangekyo Sharingan or his body being swallowed into space, both brought immense shock to Kong and the others. Their minds shaken, they failed to stop him, and Nangong Yan vanished right before their eyes.

When everyone finally came back to their senses, Kong glared at Akainu with an ugly expression and rebuked him. "Hmph, Akainu, look at what you've done. You drove away such a talent."

"I have a feeling we have lost an extraordinary talent. If he becomes a pirate in the future and opposes the Marines, he will cause us tremendous losses!"

Akainu felt some regret in his heart, but his belief was Absolute Justice. He refused to concede verbally and said with a cold face, "Marine justice will never tolerate desecration. So what if he becomes a pirate? If he dares oppose the Marines, I will personally kill him!"

"Fine, you said it. If that day truly comes and you cannot handle this trouble, I will hold you accountable! Get out and reflect on yourself!" Hearing Akainu still dare to talk back, Kong flew into a rage. His huge palm slammed onto the desk, shaking the documents, teacups, and Den Den Mushi on it a foot into the air.

Seeing that the Fleet Admiral was truly enraged, Akainu did not dare argue further and silently walked out of the office.

Meanwhile, Nangong Yan used the Kamui Dimension ninjutsu to leave Marine Headquarters, but he did not leave Marineford.

The more he thought about it, the angrier he became. Joining the Marines to study had practically been a sure thing, yet Akainu had jumped out to ruin it.

Of course, if he truly wanted to join, it was not impossible. However, Nangong Yan was not someone who would bend himself to accommodate others. Besides, he possessed almost no loyalty or sense of belonging toward the Marines. Cultivating loyalty and belonging would surely waste a great deal of his time.

Rather than spending so much time proving his loyalty before being allowed to learn Haki, he might as well leave the Marines directly and obtain Haki training methods through other means.

Even if he were unlucky enough to never learn Haki, Nangong Yan could still live comfortably with his Mythical Zoan Devil Fruit and Kamui Sharingan. Why should he spend so much time doing missions and working himself to death for the Marines just for Haki training methods?

Nangong Yan was never someone willing to suffer a loss. Akainu had ruined his plans, so he would make Akainu pay the price.

Though he was certainly no match for Akainu right now and could gain nothing from facing him head-on, the Kamui Sharingan was incomparably strange and miraculous. Nangong Yan would make Akainu go broke!