Sabaody Archipelago (Please Keep Reading!)

Fleet Admiral's Office.

Sengoku had finally gotten a moment to rest. Just as his fingertips touched the warm teacup, his gaze swept over the jar at the corner of his desk, and his expression instantly darkened.

The jar was completely empty. The premium senbei he had carefully saved and only allowed himself one or two pieces of at a time had vanished without a trace.

"Dammit, where are my senbei?!"

The first person who came to mind was Garp, who had wandered into his office not long ago. That bastard always let his eyes wander whenever he visited, constantly staring at his snack jar. Sengoku gritted his teeth.

"It had to be that bastard Garp!"

He raised his hand, about to press the call button on his desk and assign Garp a patrol mission in some remote sea.

Why should he be crushed beneath mountains of paperwork while that guy got to leisurely eat senbei around the base?

If he was this busy, then Garp had to get busy too!

Just as his fingertip was about to touch the call button, there was a light knock at the office door. A Marine soldier entered with his back straight and gave a textbook salute.

"Report, Fleet Admiral! The agent temporarily transferred from Cipher Pol has arrived and is waiting outside!"

Sengoku paused, suppressing his resentment over the senbei as his brow relaxed slightly. "He finally made it." He waved a hand. "Send him in."

After a pause, he added, "Oh, and get me a box of premium senbei from Logistics. The crispiest kind."

The soldier acknowledged the order and withdrew. Before long, he returned with a tall, straight-backed young man.

The young man still wore a white suit, his gaze calm and steady, without the slightest hint of nervousness before the Fleet Admiral.

Beiyuan Heng's gaze fell upon Sengoku, seated behind the Fleet Admiral's desk. The cloak of justice draped over Sengoku's shoulders made his imposing presence all the more striking.

The enormous plaque behind him, engraved with the words "Justice Reigns Supreme," radiated an even more chilling authority.

An invisible pressure washed over him. Beiyuan Heng instinctively clenched his fists and sighed inwardly. So this is the Fleet Admiral... He truly lives up to his reputation.

But that pressure lasted only an instant before quietly fading away.

"Commodore Beiyuan Heng." Sengoku spoke in a low voice, yet it carried unquestionable authority.

"Present, Fleet Admiral!"

Beiyuan Heng immediately straightened his back and answered loudly.

What CP9 agent? He was now a proper Marine Headquarters commodore!

"Very good. You're full of spirit." Sengoku nodded slightly, tapping the folder on his desk with a fingertip. "I've reviewed all of your records."

He had noticed this name two years ago.

As a CP9 agent, Beiyuan Heng had rescued five hundred trapped Marine soldiers from an encirclement of pirates without a single casualty.

From that point on, Sengoku had kept an eye on this young agent who had suddenly appeared on CP9's roster, curious about just how much potential this boy had.

"It seems you've already realized that from the moment you entered the Marine base, you ceased to be a CP9 agent and became a commodore of Marine Headquarters."

Sengoku's tone turned more serious. "Now, I am assigning you your first mission. Take command of a warship and head to the waters near the Sabaody Archipelago. Search with all your strength for the wanted criminal Fisher Tiger."

As he spoke, he slammed his right hand onto the desk. A wanted poster bearing Fisher Tiger's portrait was slapped down in front of Beiyuan Heng, with a bounty of 230 million Berries printed prominently on it.

Beiyuan Heng's eyes shifted slightly. He saluted again. "Yes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku! I guarantee the mission will be completed!"

Watching Beiyuan Heng's departing back—straight and resolute, without the slightest hesitation—Sengoku nodded in satisfaction.

He lifted his teacup and took a sip. Just as he set it down, the senbei delivered by Logistics arrived.

He tore open the package, picked up a piece, and bit into it. The crisp texture melted across his tongue, easing some of the exhaustion that had built up over the past few days.

Just then, the office door was slammed open with a bang.

Garp swaggered in, sniffed the air, and his eyes immediately lit up. "Smells great! Sengoku, how did you know I was hungry? You even saved senbei for me?"

The corner of Sengoku's mouth twitched violently, and his grip around the senbei tightened.

Sure enough, this guy had been the one stealing his senbei!

But seeing Garp's utterly justified expression, he ultimately held back. With an irritated snort, he pushed half the box of senbei toward him.

Garp did not stand on ceremony. He grabbed several pieces and stuffed them into his mouth, wolfing them down in just a few bites.

Only after wiping the crumbs from the corner of his mouth did he remember the young man he had seen when entering. He asked in confusion,

"Who was that brat just now? How come I've never seen him before?"

He was practically a veteran at Marine Headquarters. He even occasionally trained recruits at the boot camp, and he could name every rising star in the Marines with his eyes closed.

Yet that young man had possessed considerable strength in his Observation Haki, and Garp had never seen him before.

"Oh, him."

Sengoku took a sip of tea and replied casually, "His name is Beiyuan Heng. He was temporarily transferred from Cipher Pol. He's a CP9 agent, and now he's a Headquarters commodore."

"He became a commodore just from being transferred over?"

Garp's eyes widened, his surprise plain to see. "You're not joking, are you, Sengoku?!"

To obtain an officer rank at the admiral level, one either needed great merit or had to spend years honing oneself in a local Marine branch, climbing the ranks step by step.

"I'm not joking."

Sengoku pointed at the folder on the desk and spoke while drinking his tea. "Take a look at his file yourself."

Garp picked up the folder suspiciously. As he read, his eyes grew brighter and brighter, while the surprise on his face gradually turned to approval.

When he reached the end, he could not help bursting into laughter.

"Hahaha! Well, would you look at that! This brat really does have the strength to be a commodore! If he can master Haki soon, he'd be more than qualified to serve as a vice admiral!"

As he laughed, Garp's tone suddenly paused, and a few traces of doubt appeared on his face.

"Seriously, Sengoku, is someone like him really from CP9?"

Garp might have been carefree, but he understood CP9's way of doing things.

If nothing else, they were supposed to keep a low profile.

Over the past two years, in every country Beiyuan Heng had visited, the relevant people had basically learned about the legendary secret department known as CP9.

Sengoku set down his teacup and said, "Otherwise, do you think Cipher Pol would so easily loan someone this talented to the Marines?"

Beiyuan Heng's personality was far too distinctive. He was not suited for CP9's covert work.

Since keeping him there would only make him a liability, they might as well transfer him to the Marines and do the Marines a favor.

It would also let CP9 have some peace and quiet for a while, allowing its agents to carry out their missions properly.

So that whenever they arrived somewhere, people would not say,

"Mom, look! What's that?"

"That's a CP9 agent, sweetheart."

Cipher Pol could also use Beiyuan Heng's perspective to keep an eye on what was going on inside the Marines.

"Still, the Marines truly need young powerhouses like him right now."

Sengoku spoke in a deep voice.