Navy Headquarters! Marineford / Sengoku's Summons

Just as Big Mom had her terrifyingly durable iron balloon physique, Atlas would possess a gift for immense strength—even more outrageous than Whitebeard's in his youth! Her physical defenses would be impressive too, of course, just not as absurd as an iron balloon.

"Captain Smoker, Lieutenant Commander Atlas—V-Vice Admiral Garp is here! Colonel Randall wants you both to come over!"

A Marine ran over, panting, and delivered the message to Smoker.

"Got it. I'll call Atlas."

"No need. I heard."

The Marine had been within range of Atlas's Observation Haki, so she had already heard him. She dragged her soaking-wet body ashore.

Still, Atlas was a little surprised. Why had Garp come in person to take them to headquarters?

Before long, Atlas and Smoker had changed clothes and run to Loguetown's harbor.

They saw Randall speaking respectfully to a Marine who looked about his age. It was none other than Garp the Hero!

"Hey, Atlas, you little brat! You sure kept this old man waiting."

Garp spotted Atlas in the distance too. He picked his nose with one hand and waved with the other.

"Vice Admiral Garp, what brings you here in person?"

Atlas motioned for the excited Smoker to follow and strode toward Garp.

"Ah, I happened to be back in the East Blue on vacation to see my grandson, so I stopped by to pick you up."

Garp spoke as though it were nothing.

"Atlas, Smoker, you two had better do well at headquarters. Don't disgrace Loguetown!"

Randall gave them a stern reminder as well.

"Yes, sir!"

"Yes, sir!"

Atlas and Smoker answered with respectful salutes.

"All right! Time to set off. I wonder if Sengoku saved any donuts for me? Hahahahaha..."

With no concern for appearances, Garp turned and headed aboard, leaving them looking at his towering back.

Atlas and Smoker waved goodbye and followed him...

"(⊙o⊙) Wow, Vice Admiral Garp! I'm a huge fan! Could I have your autograph?"

"Vice Admiral Garp, could you tell me about capturing the Pirate King?"

The moment Smoker boarded, he pestered Garp with excited questions. Atlas was tempted to pretend she didn't know him.

"Hey! Shut up already, you little brat!"

Perhaps finally fed up with the harassment, Garp brought an iron fist down on Smoker's head. A fresh, enormous lump instantly rose amid his white hair, making him look rather ridiculous.

"Reporting, Vice Admiral Garp! We're about to pass the Red Line and enter the Calm Belt!"

A messenger came over to report the warship's progress.

"All right! Got it!"

The Marines weren't taking the route through Reverse Mountain into the Grand Line. Instead, they would head straight to Marine Headquarters through the Calm Belt.

As for avoiding attacks from the Calm Belt's Sea Kings, that depended on Dr. Vegapunk, the scientist said to possess knowledge five hundred years ahead of humanity.

Seastone was embedded in the hull to fool the Sea Kings' senses, making them mistake the warship for part of the sea.

That didn't guarantee complete protection from Sea King attacks, though. If they were unlucky enough to run into one head-on, there was nothing to be done.

Splash!!!

Speak of the devil—a Sea King nearly eight hundred meters long surfaced, about to collide with the warship...

Yet the Marines aboard remained perfectly calm. Afraid? Not a chance. This was Garp the Hero's ship!

"Ah! Atlas, you little brat! You handle it. I'm taking a nap. Zzz..."

Having said that to Atlas, Garp started snoring right where he stood.

"Huh!!?"

The soldiers around him nearly dropped their jaws. Was it really okay to be this casual about it!!?

Marine Headquarters! Marineford

"...You really do whatever you want, Vice Admiral Garp..."

Atlas felt rather helpless, but she still drew Sandai Kitetsu from her waist, letting its tip hang downward.

"One Sword Style: Dragon Soar, Divine Strength!"

A blood-red flying slash descended upon the enormous Sea King, unleashing immense power against its body.

In an instant, blood stained the sea red, and the Sea King's massive corpse slowly floated to the surface.

"Gasp..."

A single slash had almost cut the enormous Sea King clean across, drawing sharp breaths from everyone aboard.

"Ah, sorry. I used a little too much strength. Let's add it to tonight's dinner."

Atlas slowly sheathed her blade, then turned to the others with a smile.

"Atlas, we should spar with our swords sometime."

Bogard was rather stunned too. The last time he had seen Atlas, she hadn't even reached the iron-cutting realm. Her swordsmanship still couldn't be called refined, but the power of that slash left him speechless.

"Hahaha, definitely, when we get the chance."

Atlas nodded in agreement. She had essentially been training in isolation, never having fought another swordsman. Although Bogard was Garp's aide-de-camp, she would never underestimate him. After all, Garp's previous aide-de-camp was Kuzan, now a Marine Headquarters vice admiral!

Of course, they wouldn't spar aboard the warship now. A swordsman's destructive power was terrifying. If they fought, whether the ship could even reach headquarters safely would be up for debate.

The Dog-Head Warship sailed along its course for several days before finally reaching its destination.

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

Seeing Marineford in anime in her previous life hadn't left much of an impression. But now, facing that towering structure in person, Atlas found its visual impact unparalleled.

Rolling waves pounded the crescent-shaped harbor. Well-equipped warships surrounded sturdy fortifications, while solemn soldiers and fluttering seagull flags lent the place an imposing air.

This was Marine Headquarters, Marineford! A place that struck fear into countless pirates. Both Golden Lion, the overlord of the Old Era, and Pirate King Roger, who had ushered in a new age, had met defeat here!

Ever since Roger's execution in Loguetown five years ago, the seas had descended further into chaos, yet the Marines' prestige had also reached its peak!

And this would be Atlas's starting point on the world stage. She would be the one to bring the Great Pirate Era to an end!

Garp's ship slowly docked at Marineford's harbor, immediately causing a stir. The Dog-Head Warship's distinctive design was simply too eye-catching, and practically every soldier at Marine Headquarters recognized it.

Before long, the colonel on duty at headquarters jogged over. Standing respectfully before Garp, he gave a textbook salute. "Vice Admiral Garp! Headquarters Colonel Haze, awaiting your orders..."

"Show these two recruits around headquarters!"

Garp grinned and gave Colonel Haze a heavy pat on the shoulder before pointing to Atlas and Smoker.

Colonel Haze froze. Who are these two? How important must they be for Vice Admiral Garp to bring them to headquarters himself?

"Yes, sir!" Colonel Haze answered loudly. Though puzzled, he refrained from asking questions, planning instead to coax some information out of the two recruits later.

"Come with me. I'll show you around Marineford so you can get familiar with the place. By the way, you're here for the Recruit Training Camp, right?" Haze asked the two beside Garp pleasantly.

"Yes, Colonel Haze!"

Neither of them dared be careless. Although Atlas held the rank of lieutenant commander, that was in the East Blue. Under the regulations, headquarters ranks stood three grades above their counterparts in the Four Seas branches, so her current rank should be headquarters captain.

"Hahahaha! I'll leave these two brats to you, then. I'm off to see that old man Sengoku."

With that, Garp headed for Sengoku's office.

"Come on. I'll take you to register at the Recruit Camp first..."

Once Garp was out of sight, Colonel Haze beckoned Atlas and Smoker along.

In Sengoku's office, Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru were discussing the Marines' next deployment. Beside them sat a curly-haired man wearing a sleep mask, looking so languid he seemed liable to doze off at any moment. It was Marine Vice Admiral Kuzan!

Bang!

The sudden crash of the door opening interrupted Sengoku and Tsuru's conversation. The moment Sengoku saw Garp, a vein bulged on his forehead, and his expression grew increasingly hostile.

"Garp! So you finally remembered to come back!"

Garp turned a deaf ear to Sengoku's accusation and replied casually, "I was just on vacation, visiting my grandson. I'm going to train him into a powerful Marine."

"You've got some nerve bringing that up! Not a single member of your Monkey Family gives me any peace!"

Hearing Garp mention how he raised his family only made Sengoku angrier. Intelligence had just arrived that Dragon had founded an organization called the Revolutionary Army. It had drawn serious attention from the World Government, and even the Five Elders had demanded answers from Sengoku.

"Oh? Kuzan's here too!"

Seeing that Sengoku was angry, Garp pretended not to hear him and swiftly changed the subject, using Kuzan as a shield.

"Ah, Mr. Garp."

Helpless, Kuzan had no choice but to push his sleep mask up onto his forehead and respond.

"Hahaha! I found a monster in the East Blue with even more talent than you!" Seeing Kuzan's lack of enthusiasm, Garp couldn't resist showing off Atlas.

"Oh? Really? If you think that highly of them, Vice Admiral Garp, I'll have to meet them sometime."

That piqued Kuzan's interest. There was no question that he, Akainu, and Kizaru would become the next Three Admirals, but the generation after them was looking rather thin. Gion and Tokikake still fell a little short.

"Kanos Atlas?"

As he spoke, Sengoku took an intelligence report from the top of the towering stack of paperwork on his desk. Atlas's photograph was printed prominently on it...

Meanwhile, under Colonel Haze's guidance, Atlas and Smoker had smoothly completed their recruit registration. They were leaving the Recruit Camp to take a look at the training camp's cafeteria.

"Captain Atlas—your rank now that you've registered at headquarters—Admiral Sengoku wants to see you. Please come with me."

A soldier suddenly blocked the trio's path and delivered the message breathlessly.

All three paused in surprise. Then Smoker and Haze looked at Atlas with envy. To receive a summons from Admiral Sengoku on her very first day at headquarters—her future was certainly bright.

After all, Sengoku was currently the only admiral serving at headquarters, and Kong had long since handed all Marine affairs over to him. His succession as fleet admiral was all but guaranteed. It was only a matter of time.

"Yes!" Atlas was startled too, but she quickly answered.

Sengoku's Summons

Knock, knock...

Atlas stood outside Sengoku's office and knocked politely. After all, she barely knew him. She certainly couldn't just push the door open and walk in the way she had back in Loguetown.

Randall: Oh, thank you so much! You think that makes you polite?

"Come in!"

A deep voice came from inside the office, immediately giving Atlas the impression of an imposing middle-aged man.

Only after entering did Atlas realize that more than half the Marines' top brass had gathered in this little office. Her expression immediately turned serious. Ignoring even Garp's exaggerated winks and faces, she gave the assembled senior officers a textbook salute and spoke solemnly. "Recruit Kanos Atlas, reporting to Admiral Sengoku."

"Mm... Good. Atlas, the Marines' future rests on young people like you!"

Looking at Atlas's youthful face and powerful physique, Sengoku couldn't help voicing his admiration. After hearing Garp's assessment in particular, he was more pleased with her than ever.

"Ahahahaha! Old man Sengoku, I found where you hid your senbei!"

Just as Sengoku was about to offer Atlas a few more words of encouragement, Garp's triumphant laughter interrupted him.

"Hahaha, Sengoku! I ate all your senbei!"

Garp continued smugly provoking Sengoku, utterly ignoring the veins throbbing on his forehead.

"Damn it, shut up."

Suppressing his anger, Sengoku looked at Atlas as calmly as he could manage—through gritted teeth—and asked, "Then, Captain Atlas, may I ask what justice means to you?"

At once, all four pairs of eyes in the room settled on Atlas. Even Kuzan, whose eyes had just been half-closed, lifted his eyelids a little, curiosity flickering in his gaze.