The Path Widened

Zephyr acted decisively, immediately grabbing Carl and taking him toward the Fleet Admiral's Office. Carl wore a bewildered expression, while Kizaru, who had been watching the spectacle from the side, looked even more bewildered.

Kizaru: "What happened?"

"Instructor Zephyr?!"

Zephyr glanced back at Kizaru, his eyes filled with utter disgust, thinking to himself that he must make sure Carl stayed far away from this kind of fellow in the future.

Just in case he got led astray by this bastard Kizaru, that would be a major loss for the Marines.

"Carl, show Admiral Kizaru your ability. He should understand!"

Sigh...

Life wasn't easy; Carl sighed, having no choice but to condense the Holy Light once again and shoot it toward Kizaru.

Three seconds later, Kizaru's expression changed. His puckered, chrysanthemum-like lips popped open in astonishment, forming an "o" shape as he pointed at Carl, unable to form a complete sentence for the longest time!

Able to sit in the position of a Marine Admiral, it was impossible for Kizaru not to understand just how well-suited Carl's ability was for the Marines! Though his physique had strengthened by less than two percent after being enhanced by Carl, he was an Admiral!

A rookie who had just acquired his ability could make his physique strengthen by two percent—once Carl grew up, wouldn't he just take off into the stratosphere?!

"Instructor Zephyr! Let's go together!"

"Hmph, consider you having a bit of discernment!"

Just like that, under the escort of a Marine Admiral and the Chief Instructor of the Marines, Carl left the training grounds all the way, leaving behind a bunch of new recruits whose jaws had dropped to the floor.

Shuzo, who was in charge of training the new recruits, scratched his head, completely clueless as to what had just happened.

"What are you looking at?! What business is it of yours? Get back to training right this second, you bastards!!!"

Five minutes later, the Fleet Admiral's Office.

"Bang, bang, bang!"

After knocking three times out of politeness, Zephyr barged straight into the Fleet Admiral's Office with Carl, shouting excitedly toward Sengoku: "Sengoku, look at what this old man has found!"

Sengoku, who had just been about to tell them to enter, looked with distress at the door on the ground, but quickly shifted his gaze to the young man being dragged by Zephyr. He stood up in a flash and asked with burning gossip: "Zephyr! Could this... could this be your son?"

Zephyr: "???"

"My foot! This kid is a recruit in the Marine Training Camp. Whatever, I can't be bothered talking nonsense with you! Come on, Carl, show Fleet Admiral Sengoku your ability. He'll understand naturally!"

Come on, show it!

Carl straightened his body unhurriedly and ungraciously, speaking to Fleet Admiral Sengoku: "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, my ability possesses healing and enhancement effects, and it will not cause any harm to you. You don't need to be overly nervous!"

The reason he said this was because he had almost been vaporized by Kizaru just moments ago, leaving Carl with no choice but to keep his guard up to avoid causing unnecessary misunderstandings.

A sharp flash crossed Sengoku's eyes. He threw a subtle glance at Zephyr, seemingly already understanding why this old bastard had kicked the door open with such urgency!

Sengoku's expression immediately turned much more amiable, and he chuckled: "Hahahaha~ A bit interesting, go right ahead! This old man isn't that fragile!"

With those words of yours, I can rest easy!

Carl stopped wasting words. After condensing the Holy Light in his palm, he pushed it directly toward Fleet Admiral Sengoku. The Holy Light instantly merged into Sengoku's body and began to take effect.

"This... this power!"

Sengoku slowly closed his eyes, feeling the surging vitality within his body, and couldn't help letting out a sound of "Ah."

Immediately afterward, he threw a punch toward the window. The majestic force instantly shattered the glass, and only then did Sengoku open his eyes, walking up to Carl in excitement and grabbing his shoulders.

"You—what is your name?!"

"Carl, Lieutenant of Branch 108 of North Blue. I've joined the Marines for ten years already!"

"Good, good, good! Fantastic! Wait, how old were you when you joined the Marines?"

Sengoku looked at Carl in confusion. He looked at most like a teenager, and subtracting ten years from that... even if the Marines were desperately short on manpower, they wouldn't let a child join the Marines, right?

At this point, Zephyr gave an awkward cough: "Well, Sengoku, he is 24 years old this year. The reason he ended up like this is simply because he was affected by that young girl Ain's ability."

"Oh! So that's how it is!"

He had also read Ain's file. She was a user of the Return-Return Fruit, an extremely unreasonable ability as well, but compared to Carl, who possessed healing plus enhancement, she fell far short. No matter how strong Ain was, she was just one high-tier combat power, but Carl was different.

Once he grew up, he might even be able to turn high-tier combat power into peak combat power. This was Carl's value!

Especially in recent years, Marine talent had withered. Ever since Smoker and Hina, there hadn't been a single eye-catching new-generation Marine.

On the pirates' side, however, talents emerged in droves, the most tricky of whom was the former Pirate King's crewmate—Red-Haired Shanks—giving him endless headaches.

"Carl, are you still a member of the Marine Training Camp right now?"

"That's right, I just came to Marine Headquarters today."

Sengoku nodded silently, stood up, and said to Zephyr: "Zephyr, I'll leave Carl to you. You must make sure he grows up, and please guarantee his personal safety at all costs!"

"Hmph! Does that even need you to say? Give this old man some time, and I'll definitely train him into the leading figure of the new-generation Marines!"

When he said these words, Zephyr was brimming with confidence, because he had this capability.

His students were scattered across every position in the Marines, and the three Admirals—the highest combat power of the Marines—had once been recruits in the training camp, not to mention backbone pillars of the Marines like Momonga and Onigumo.

"With those words, I can rest easy! Zephyr, take Carl back to the training grounds first!"

Afterward, Sengoku whispered into Zephyr's ear: "Do not spread word of his ability widely for now, so as to avoid causing trouble. Leave everything until after the training camp concludes. By that time, I'll have his position arranged!"

The corner of Zephyr's mouth curled up in a grin, and he nodded. Wasn't the reason he had anxiously rushed to bring Carl to see Sengoku precisely to show him Carl's value, lest he end up cast away at some Marine branch and unable to shine for the Marines?

"Carl, follow me!"

After bidding farewell to Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Kizaru, Carl followed Zephyr out of the Fleet Admiral's Office. Returning to the training grounds, Carl finally managed to catch his breath. Was this... considered making it big?

You had to know that before coming to Marine Headquarters, the highest rank he had ever seen was merely his direct superior, Commodore Charles.

Yet on his very first day arriving at Marine Headquarters, he had seen a former Marine Admiral, a current Marine Admiral, and the big boss of the Marines, Sengoku.

This path, look at that! It was just getting wider and wider!

Wait, Carl recalled what Zephyr had said earlier in the Fleet Admiral's Office, and he sucked in a cold breath of air. According to the implication in Zephyr's words, was he planning to keep an eye on him and work him to the bone? Then how was he supposed to slack off?

Fortunately, Carl had completed the timed task and obtained Frailty. Wouldn't slacking off be as easy as taking candy from a baby then? He refused to believe that Zephyr could still drag him out of a sickbed for extra training!

"Carl, you're a smart person and you have a lot of potential, but you must understand that Devil Fruits are only a means to an end; never grow dependent on them. A formidable physique is the foundation of true strength!"

"Therefore, absolutely, positively stay far away from that bastard Kizaru, and don't ever let yourself be bewitched by his crooked heresies! Do you understand?!"