Pirates: Immortal, I Maxed Out Conqueror's Haki First

Sengoku and Zephyr, dressed in white Marine uniforms, climbed the steps one behind the other.

Two rows of Marines stood with their chests out and eyes forward, as though frozen in place.

The two Admirals entered and headed toward the Marine Headquarters building. As their figures disappeared inside, officers with imposing, authoritative presences strode up the steps behind them.

"The Mountain Cleaver, Vice Admiral Begulus!"

"The Mantis Blade, Vice Admiral Lufa!"

"The Boxing King, Vice Admiral John Tyson!"

"Is that... Vice Admiral Zoros, the Pirate Hunter who split ten pirate ships with a single slash five years ago?!"

"..."

Officer after officer climbed the steps, each with a distinct bearing and formidable presence. Every Marine Headquarters officer present felt a thrill run through them.

Nerves, excitement, and exhilaration surged through the crowd.

Many of these famous officers were people the Marines admired but rarely got to see. Every one of them was a pillar of Marine Headquarters.

Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals were the bedrock of the entire Navy. Each was proficient in Haki, possessed formidable strengths of their own, and deserved respect.

As sunlight fell across the steps, a tall, burly, broad-shouldered man with a square face and black hair approached, smiling as several people accompanied him.

"The Hero of the Navy!"

"Vice Admiral Garp!"

Nearly every eye turned to the man. For a moment, it seemed the entire crowd held its breath.

Garp strode forward with Bogard behind him. To his left walked another tall figure, smiling.

"Kuzan, the monster of the younger generation!"

Everyone recognized the tall man at once.

Over the past two years, the three monsters had grown ever more famous within the Navy.

Their powerful Logia abilities, combined with their own immense strength, made the three seem almost godlike. Countless young Marines looked upon them with awe.

"Wait!"

"Who's that behind them?!"

Someone in the crowd suddenly cried out in shock.

"Xia Le!"

"It's Rear Admiral Xia Le!"

The Marines' gazes shifted again, settling on the young officer not far behind Garp. He was tall and powerfully built, his muscles looking ready to burst through his clothes.

Two figures followed him, one on either side. Both wore Marine caps and kept their heads slightly lowered, hiding their faces, but their presences were overwhelmingly fierce.

"Xia Le, you brat! You're late!"

Garp slowed and turned around, a smile immediately spreading across his face.

But when he saw the upright, muscular figure behind him, he paused in surprise.

Master and student had not seen each other for a long time. The skinny kid Garp remembered had grown so tall and imposing.

"Teacher Garp!"

Xia Le grinned and quickened his pace to catch up.

In an instant, the group behind Garp grew larger.

"Xia Le!"

Kuzan smiled too.

Bogard smiled and nodded in greeting.

"Kuzan, Bogard!"

Xia Le smiled back.

"You've changed a lot, kid."

Garp looked him over in amazement, then raised a hand and slapped his shoulder a few times, each pat landing with a solid thump.

"But this build suits you better!"

His gaze then shifted to Bullet and Crocodile. After a moment of surprise, his expression grew somewhat serious.

"And you've found yourself some capable deputies!"

South Blue ### Crocodile, wielder of the Sand-Sand Fruit.

Douglas Bullet, the Demon Heir and former member of Pirate King Roger's crew.

Garp naturally recognized them both, and he was a little surprised that Xia Le had managed to bring them under his command.

Then he recalled how the kid had previously recruited a band of pirate Supernovas.

"You've gathered quite a rebellious bunch under you, kid!"

Garp sighed.

"They're good partners."

Xia Le smiled.

Crocodile and Bullet said nothing. They knew silence was their best response in a situation like this.

"Is that so?"

"Then lead them well and put them to work!"

Garp smiled and looked away.

As his teacher, Garp was happy to give his student room to find his own way. In his view, everyone had the right to choose their path—and the responsibility to answer for it.

Xia Le must have had his reasons for doing this.

What would his student become? What would he make of this world?

That was not for Garp, as his teacher, to worry about!

Just as he had never suspected his student of the Celestial Dragons bloodbath at the Sabaody Archipelago.

How could an outstanding Marine destined to inherit his title as a hero do something so audacious?

The group continued up the stairs toward the Marine Headquarters building. Along the way, Xia Le spoke quietly with Kuzan.

A little later, a female officer guided them into the conference room.

The room had clearly been prepared in advance for this meeting. It was spacious and impressive, with a long table in the center and neatly arranged seats around it.

The officers took their seats in turn, with the Vice Admirals sitting at the long table.

Xia Le, Kuzan, and the others sat in the seats around it.

The room was quiet. Before long, someone who had taken a seat was already snoring.

Xia Le glanced around as more officers arrived and sat down to wait for the meeting to begin. Every face wore a different expression: some were stern, some nervous, and others were yawning.

About half an hour later, Kong entered with his aides, his expression grave.

"Looks like almost everyone's here!"

"Then let's begin!"

His opening was brief and direct, exactly the style one would expect of a Marine.

It was a habit he had developed over years of assigning combat missions.

When a battlefield demanded urgency, who had time for long-winded speeches? If one word would do, he would not waste two.

On the battlefield, time was life.

"Roger Pirates' recent arrival at Laugh Tale, and Roger's becoming the Pirate King, have had an enormous impact on the world."

"We've already issued a number of temporary assignments in response."

"Our operations to suppress and eliminate pirates causing unrest have undoubtedly produced results."

Kong spoke quickly.

"However."

"Roger's influence has still exceeded our expectations."

"His actions have thrown the entire sea into turmoil. Pirates such as Whitebeard, Kaido, and Big Mom continue to stir up conflict."

"The Four Blues are no calmer. New pirates keep setting out to sea."

"Above all, Pirate King Roger must be captured and brought to justice to quell the upheaval caused by his rise!"

Kong paused briefly, his expression turning stern.

"So, in light of recent events, I will now assign missions to every officer here."

"Your assignments have two main objectives."

"First, search for and capture Pirate King Roger and his crew worldwide."

"Second, suppress pirates across the seas. We must bring down these troublemakers who have only just begun to emerge!"

At that, Kong slammed a hand on the table, his gaze sharpening.

The conference room remained silent. Every officer listened intently.

"Now, for your assignments."

Kong drew a short breath and spoke in a low voice.

The assignments that followed proceeded calmly and in orderly fashion.

"Sengoku, you'll remain at Marine Headquarters and oversee the waters around the Sabaody Archipelago."

Sengoku nodded.

"Zephyr, you'll cover Water 7, Long Ring Long Land, and the surrounding islands."

Zephyr nodded.

Kong continued issuing orders, then turned his attention toward Xia Le's side of the room.

"Kuzan, head to the North Blue and eliminate the pirates causing unrest there."

Kuzan stood. "Yes, sir!"

"Xia Le, you'll go to the South Blue."

"Your duties are to eliminate pirates and search for Roger."

Kong's voice was firm.

Xia Le paused for a moment, then nodded.

The assignments came quickly. Officers accepted their orders and left the room, and before long Xia Le heard Garp's name.

The two of them had naturally been assigned different regions. Garp was responsible for the East Blue.

Many officers observed a moment of silence for the East Blue pirates. They all knew that the region once called the world's strongest sea might well become the weakest.

Sakazuki and Borsalino were called soon after and received their assignments.

"You may wait for your warships to be modified, then cross the Calm Belt to reach the Four Blues. Or you may depart immediately and have the modifications done later."

Kong addressed the room.

Many officers did not understand what he meant, but an explanation soon followed, drawing looks of surprise. No wonder Marine Headquarters had launched a search-and-suppression operation on such a scale. If warships could cross the Calm Belt, support could move between regions far more quickly and easily.

"Dismissed!"

With that single word, Kong ended the meeting.