Voluntary

When he turned to look, Miming had come to Zephyr's side and was tugging at Zephyr's little hand—oh, his furry big hand—reminiscing, intentionally or not. "Admiral Zephyr, why are you called the 'Non-Killing Admiral'? Is it because if an enemy holds the rank of 'admiral,' you won't kill them?"

A chill ran through Zephyr's entire body. He felt like dying, while the people around him burst into laughter.

"Have Hina and Domino arrived? I'd really like to meet them and thank them in person."

"No." Zephyr no longer knew what he was saying. "They've already hidden themselves—no, to keep you from finding them... Oh no, what am I saying? Their ranks aren't high enough to attend today's meeting! They each have assignments!"

Zephyr felt sweat breaking out as he finally made himself clear. Though he had revealed quite a lot, perhaps it was better to say it outright.

"Huh? Why would they hide from me?" Miming asked in confusion. "Where did they hide? There must be some misunderstanding."

"They aren't hiding. They volunteered..." Zephyr silently said sorry a hundred times. I'll have to sacrifice you two to end this topic. I really can't take it anymore.

"Lieutenant Hina's dream is to become a pillar of the Marine, so she joined Marine Headquarters' special training camp. She is currently deployed for live combat, so I don't know which sea she is in."

"Have someone check."

"I can't check!" Zephyr was on the verge of collapse.

"Lieutenant Domino is currently carrying out guard duty in Impel Down."

Zephyr was very confident in his careful arrangements. Heh heh, even if he said it plainly, it would be fine. No matter how troublesome the Celestial Dragons were, there was no way they could keep harassing those two.

Spandine suddenly stood. "Saint Sanming, if you have need of CP9, I will immediately order them to investigate!"

Killing intent instantly erupted from Zephyr, aimed straight at Spandine.

Ignoring Zephyr's glare, Spandine risked his life to continue currying favor. "With CP9's capabilities, Marine inspectors can immediately find the information Saint Sanming wants."

Wasn't it just a matter of a Den Den Mushi call? Could Marine inspectors not know where the Marines had gone for live combat? Zephyr was unwilling to say, so Spandine ought to thank him for being so tactless and giving him this chance to curry favor with a Celestial Dragon.

"Oh, right, I have something important to discuss with you." Miming took hold of Spandine. "Let's find somewhere private."

Kong wanted to stop them, but Spandine said, "Go ahead and discuss it. CP9's position is that the safety of all you esteemed lords comes first. There is nothing else to worry about."

Under the twitching gazes of Kong and the Marine officers, Miming simply left with Spandine.

At that moment, the chefs entered again with a line of food carts, and the formal feast was served anew.

Garp beamed. "You all go ahead and discuss it!" He grabbed a massive pork knuckle and began gnawing away.

As Kong looked on helplessly, the Army Commander-in-Chief exchanged glances with the admirals under his command and said, "We believe Chief Spandine of CP9 is actually correct."

Saint Jalmack's Son had repeatedly emphasized that as long as he was safe, he did not care about anything else. Weren't all Celestial Dragons the same? At this point, the meaning had been conveyed clearly enough.

Though Spandine had little combat ability, he was highly skilled at reading his superiors' intentions and flattering them. This matter was a massive hidden danger; no one knew where or when the enemy would strike. Thus, the most crucial matter was to swiftly protect every Celestial Dragon should anything happen. But Celestial Dragons were not creatures who could be made to obey and avoid causing trouble, so the key was simply to let as few foolish Celestial Dragons die as possible.

After all, Saint Jalmack's Son had merely had a dream. Perhaps it was a false alarm and nothing would happen at all, so taking it too seriously and making everyone jump at shadows would not do.

Thus, as everyone discussed matters, Garp ate contentedly. Then, still clutching meat in his hand, he began snoring, a snot bubble emerging from his nose.

When the discussion was nearly over, Saint Jalmack's Son and Spandine returned as well.

Spandine wore the expression of someone who had received favor, and no one knew why he looked so smug.

"I will certainly find Nico Robin as quickly as possible and hand her over to Saint Sanming for judgment!"

Spandine's steps had practically turned into skips. Saint Sanming was simply amazing! With such a powerful backer, his career was secure!

Just look at the Commander-in-Chief of the Three Forces' chair. In a few years, perhaps he could sit in it himself.

After that, it turned into another tea party.

Saint Jalmack's Son had no objections whatsoever to their plan.

First, they would add more checkpoints leading to Mary Geoise and gather intelligence from all sides. The moment they discovered any movement by the Revolutionary Army, they would immediately heighten their vigilance.

Second, Pangaea Castle was impregnable and absolutely safe. They would establish a contingency plan: once a fire broke out, all Celestial Dragons would immediately be transferred to Pangaea Castle for temporary shelter.

Everything would prioritize the safety of the Celestial Dragons.

"Very good!" Miming said with satisfaction.

Everything was progressing according to his plan, toward that very outcome. Once something happened, the Celestial Dragons would immediately be moved under layers of protection. The entire military force of Mary Geoise would be used to protect the Celestial Dragons as they withdrew to Pangaea Castle. That would give the slaves' mass escape a chance.

"Once you have a more detailed plan, show it to me immediately." Miming appeared deeply concerned about his family's safety.

Everyone cursed inwardly. There was no need to think about it: if the troop deployment did not provide perfect protection for the Bird Family, it would definitely never pass.

Thus, after the afternoon parade, a tour of the base, and a series of other chaotic activities that satisfied Saint Jalmack's Son's curiosity, the day's meeting finally ended to the sputtering sound of Saint Sanming driving away in an air car.

"Hahahaha, I really like this Saint Sanming! Compared with those beasts, he's more like a human!" Garp held his round, stuffed belly and contentedly shook his iron fist. This fist had already punched a Celestial Dragon!

The three great powers of the Marines' new generation—Aokiji, Akainu, and Kizaru—could not help but twitch their faces.

He had really hit him!

They had all experienced Vice Admiral Garp's so-called Fist of Love. Just now, that fist had struck a Celestial Dragon squarely in the face!

Saint Sanming had been sent flying backward by the blow, but then he had run back with a delighted expression, half his face swollen high and a black eye around one eye, asking for the secret behind that punch.

Honestly, they definitely would not have been so happy if they had been hit. Did Saint Sanming perhaps have a tendency to enjoy being beaten? A black eye caused by the Fist of Love took several days to fade. Even Life Return could not remove it, and the pain would persist until the black eye disappeared.

Kong looked heartbrokenly at his new car vanishing beyond the horizon. For some reason, that brat had been so interested in taking a Fist of Love from the Marine hero Garp. Still, the gift had been successfully delivered, and it would surely prove useful in the future.

In truth, only after careful investigation had he determined that this latest air car developed by the Army Department would interest Miming. The reason was simple: Saint Jalmack's Son did not particularly like riding slaves, so getting around in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise would certainly pose a problem.