In the World of Pirates, Starting by Watching Roger's Execution

Atlas had thought it over at length. She definitely had to go to the New World, not just to grow stronger, but also for her eventual promotion to Admiral. As a Marine Candidate Admiral, she no longer belonged somewhere like Paradise.

Knock, knock, knock...

Suddenly, a series of rhythmic knocks at the office door interrupted Atlas's thoughts.

"Come in!"

Atlas gathered her thoughts and called out.

Creak!

The office door opened, and a tall figure walked slowly inside. The epaulets on his Marine justice coat clearly marked him as a Lieutenant Commander, and bits of food clung to his rugged face.

The most conspicuous was a French fry dipped in ketchup. A pair of stylish sunglasses rested on his nose, but a patch of his otherwise short hair was missing, along with the scalp beneath it.

Vergo!

Already quite capable, Vergo had earned considerable merit during Atlas's latest purge of Sabaody. He had quickly risen from Lieutenant to Lieutenant Commander, just one rank below the newly promoted Smoker.

With his current physical development, Smoker had more or less awakened two-color Haki. His Armament Haki still worked only intermittently, and his proficiency in Observation Haki was passable at best, but combined with his well-developed Logia abilities, he was much stronger than he had been at this point in the original timeline.

"What is it, Vergo?"

Atlas was unsure what Vergo wanted. Although she had known from the start that Doflamingo had sent him as a spy, he rarely used a Den Den Mushi to pass information to Doflamingo. His current position gave him little access to valuable intelligence anyway, but his behavior still spoke volumes about his caution.

"Vice Admiral, ma'am! I would like to request a leave of absence!"

Vergo got straight to the point without wasting a word.

"Oh?