Elite Training Camp, Here for the Gossip

At this moment, an elderly man with slightly bronze skin sat in an office chair. Behind him was a huge blue seagull emblem. He was the current Fleet Admiral, Kong.

"Has that guy Garp returned?"

"He has. His warship just docked."

Sengoku was middle-aged at the time and still served as the current Marine Admiral.

There was only one Marine Admiral now—Sengoku. Damn, the pressure on him had to be pretty heavy.

There had originally been another, Zefa, but he had become an instructor at the Elite Training Camp and was basically semi-retired. Though he was still an Admiral, he no longer took missions, so it made little difference whether he was one or not.

They had hoped Garp would become an Admiral and share some of the burden, but Garp had stubbornly refused.

"I heard Garp brought back a newcomer." A man in sunglasses with short purple hair held a rice cracker as he slowly said, "Zefa, if you want to talk, then talk. Put down my cracker. What's wrong with taking a bite?"

"I don't even like them anyway. So stingy!"

Zephyr tossed the rice cracker in his hand onto the table with a look of disgust.

Seeing this, Sengoku picked up the bag of rice crackers and took a bite. "That guy Garp loves exaggerating. Although our Marines are indeed a little short on talent right now, the person Garp mentioned is only about as strong as a colonel. He's fairly average."

"Here's his file. Take a look."

As soon as he finished speaking, Sengoku took out two documents and handed them to Kong and Zefa.

Kong read through them calmly, then placed them on the desk.

"Zephyr, what do you think of this Adrian Mu Chen?"

Zephyr looked at the file in his hand, his brow furrowing.

"This Mu Chen's ability seems rather interesting. Blood Eyes?"

"I'm a little curious."

Zephyr first voiced his curiosity about Mu Chen, then added, "But this Mu Chen likes slacking off, does he? That really is a new term. I dislike that very much. How can a Marine be so lazy?"

"A Marine this lazy, facing pirates... it's simply absurd."

Zefa was famously strict, but no one knew how deeply he loved his students. In Zefa's eyes, he hated pirates above all else. Next, he wanted to cultivate talent for the Marines. Most importantly, the harder his students worked, the stronger they would become. Then, no matter what pirate they encountered in the future, their chances of survival would be greater. That was why Zephyr looked down on Mu Chen, who liked to slack off. Sengoku shared Zephyr's attitude. "I told you, that guy Garp loves recommending people at random. No wonder. Someone whose strength merely rivals a colonel only holds the rank of major."

Kong spoke indifferently, then continued, "Since he's already here, Zefa, go take a look at Mu Chen. If he's no good, send him back to the East Blue. This is the Grand Line. Someone like him won't survive here."

"Understood, Fleet Admiral Kong." After saying that, Kong did not wish to say anything more. This was only a minor interlude, after all.

He then dismissed Sengoku and Zefa.

Sengoku and Zefa walked down the corridor. Sengoku slowly said, "I'll go with you."

"I want to see how Garp reacts when Mu Chen gets sent back. It should be pretty interesting."

Zefa had no objection. One wanted to see Garp make a fool of himself, while the other wanted to get a look at the newcomer.

Meanwhile, Mu Chen had finally stepped into Marine Headquarters.

"Marineford. Mu Chen, let's go. I'll take you to the Elite Training Camp."

Garp draped his coat of justice over his shoulders and walked ahead, while Mu Chen followed behind him.

Mu Chen noticed that wherever Garp went, every Marine saluted him. The Marine Hero truly lived up to his name; all Marines respected him.

Before long, Garp and Mu Chen arrived at a training ground, where many Marines were training.

"Mu Chen, wait here for now. I need to report to the Fleet Admiral, then I'll arrange things for you."

Mu Chen nodded and said nothing.

Garp then left.

Mu Chen looked around and spotted a female Marine training nearby. She had a curvaceous figure, long black hair, and an exquisitely beautiful face.

Upon closer inspection, there was a tiny mole at the corner of her mouth, adding a touch of allure.

Mu Chen had never seen her before and could not quite remember who she was.

"Was there such a beautiful female Marine in the Marines?"

"This female Marine... y-you, what are you talking about?"

"What are you looking at?"

At that moment, a man with a rather sleazy-looking face appeared. To be honest, his looks were quite rushed. Mu Chen felt as though he had seen him somewhere before, but could not remember. "You're a newcomer, right?"

"Let me tell you, Brigadier General Gion isn't someone you can stare at. She's Jia Ji's woman. Look again, and I'll gouge out your eyes."

Mu Chen was taken aback. Damn, so it was him!

That rushed-looking man was Jia Ji, one of the future pillars of the Marines and a candidate for Marine Admiral. The beautiful female Marine just now was Gion, likewise a candidate for Marine Admiral.

Thinking of them, Mu Chen suddenly remembered some gossip about the two of them: Jia Ji would confess his love to Gion a hundred times, only to be rejected by Gion every time. The thought was somewhat amusing.

"Still, your taste is pretty good. Gion is one of the great beauties of our Marines!"

"Today, I'll show you the kind of courtship method only a handsome guy can pull off!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Jia Ji produced an enormous bouquet of flowers as though performing a magic trick.

Mu Chen had never expected Jia Ji to look so rushed. How had the words "handsome guy" even come out of Jia Ji's mouth?

The surrounding Marines immediately looked helpless and whispered among themselves. "Here he goes again. Jia Ji really refuses to give up!"

"Say, which time is this that he's confessed to Gion?"

Mu Chen had not expected to get gossip the moment he arrived. He definitely had to watch this spectacle properly.

"Gion, my dear, give it a try?"

"Your dear Jia Ji is confessing to you for the fifty-first time. Please accept me!"