Headquarters' Decision

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

The windows of the Fleet Admiral's Office faced south, overlooking Marineford Harbor. Sunlight reflected off the sea and cast shifting patches of light across the ceiling. Sengoku sat behind his desk with a stack of documents in his hand. Jack's photograph was attached to the first page. It was the uniform portrait submitted by the 16th Branch. Jack wore a Marine colonel's uniform, his collar fastened neatly and his cap pulled low, revealing only his eyes.

Sengoku had gone through the documents three times.

Tsuru sat across from him, holding a cup of tea. It had gone cold, but she had not drunk it. A tea leaf floated on the surface, turning in circles. Her expression was calm, as though she were discussing an everyday matter.

"Ninety percent of the Mafia in the West Blue has been wiped out. The remaining ten percent is fleeing. Before Jack left, he handed the branch over to a sergeant named Colin. A Falcon Devil Fruit User. Three months ago, he was a deserter from Iron Cage City."

Sengoku's index finger stopped moving. "He handed the branch over to a sergeant?"

"That sergeant was indeed a deserter three months ago." Tsuru set down her cup and ran a finger around its rim. "But now he can fly, fight, and lead a force to hunt down the remaining Mafia across the West Blue. Jack trained him."

Sengoku leaned back. The chair creaked under his weight. He looked up at the ceiling, where a water stain was shaped like a fist.

"Have you met Jack?"

"No." Tsuru's voice was even. "But Croft has. When Croft came back, he said one thing."

Sengoku looked at her.

"He said the man wasn't like an ordinary Marine." Tsuru lifted her cup and took a sip of cold tea. "He was like a blade. One with its edge fully exposed."

The office door opened. Garp walked in carrying a bag of Senbei, chewing as he went. The crunching sounded especially loud in the quiet office. He neither knocked nor saluted. He went straight to the sofa, sat down, and propped his feet on the coffee table. Mud on the soles of his boots left two gray prints behind.

"Why'd you call me back?" Garp set the bag of Senbei on the table, pulled out a piece, and stuffed it into his mouth. "I was doing just fine in the East Blue."

Sengoku picked up the stack of documents and tossed it in front of Garp. It slid across the coffee table, the pages spilling open. Jack's photograph slipped out and landed faceup.

Garp glanced down at the photograph, then looked again. He swallowed his Senbei. "What's with this kid?"

"Look at his record." Sengoku spoke quietly, but every word was clear.

Garp gathered the papers and flipped through several pages. His fingers moved across the sheets at an unhurried pace, and he read each page carefully.

"Got a vicious streak, doesn't he?" Garp set the documents down and took another Senbei from the bag. "Just like Sakazuki when he was young."

Sengoku tapped the desk twice. "But he's not like Sakazuki. Jack kills pirates, Mafia members, and human traffickers. He treats civilians well."

Garp stopped chewing for a moment. He looked at Sengoku, the corner of his mouth twitching. "You think highly of him."

"I don't think highly of him." Sengoku's voice remained level. "I'm stating the facts. What was the 16th Branch like before he arrived? Two months after he got there, the West Blue had changed."

Tsuru lifted her cup, then put it down again. "His fighting style is like yours."

Garp raised an eyebrow.

"That's what Croft said." Tsuru's voice remained even. "He said Jack sends people flying with one punch. His fists are harder than iron, his body tougher than a fortress wall. When he stands there, he's like a mountain. And like you, he has no Devil Fruit powers."

Garp set the bag of Senbei on the coffee table and walked to the window. He pushed it open. Sea wind rushed in and flipped several pages of the documents on the desk. He looked out at Marineford Harbor. Several warships lay at anchor, their Marine flags snapping in the wind.

"You want me to teach him?"

"It's Headquarters' decision." Sengoku picked up a document and unfolded it. "He's a major now, assigned to Staff Headquarters for training. But he's not cut out for desk work. You've seen his record in the West Blue. Shut him in Staff Headquarters to copy documents, and he'll tear the place apart."

Garp turned and leaned against the window frame. "So you want me to take him to the training camp?"

"He doesn't know the Six Powers or Haki." Tsuru rose, walked to the desk, took the document from Sengoku, and turned to the last page. "His physical abilities and combat instincts are exceptional, but instinct alone won't beat truly powerful opponents. The pirates in the New World can't be defeated just by having hard fists."

Garp fell silent for a few seconds. He tapped the window frame twice, softly but clearly in the quiet office.

"How old is he?"

"Not yet twenty," Sengoku said.

Garp raised his eyebrows again. "Not yet twenty, and he took down the West Blue Mafia on his own?"

"Not yet twenty," Tsuru repeated. "And he isn't a Devil Fruit User. Six of the people he killed were: Lynx, Doberman, Hyena, Viper, an Armor-Armor Fruit User, and a Wall-Wall Fruit User. He killed them all."

Garp straightened and returned to the sofa. He took the last Senbei from the bag, stuffed it into his mouth, chewed twice, and swallowed.

"Send him to the training camp first. We can talk after he makes it through." Garp kept his voice low. "I'll see if he can really fight as well as you say."

Sengoku picked up a pen, signed the document, and handed it to Tsuru.

"Send it out. Once Jack reports to Headquarters, he's to go straight to the training camp. Issue Garp's orders too. He'll remain at Headquarters for the time being."

Tsuru took the document, checked the signature, and nodded. She turned toward the door, then stopped after two steps without looking back.

"Sengoku, have you considered something?"

Sengoku looked at her.

"A young man under twenty fights his way out of Iron Cage City, then wipes out the West Blue Mafia in two months. What does he want? Why did he join the Marines?" Tsuru's voice was calm, but every word struck like a nail. "He didn't join for some slogan about justice. To him, a Marine uniform is a license to kill. The people he wants to kill happen to deserve it. But what if one day the people he wants to kill aren't pirates or Mafia members?"

"At least he treats civilians well, doesn't he?"

Garp rose from the sofa and brushed Senbei crumbs off his trousers. He walked to the door and pulled it open, then paused.

"I'm going home. When that kid gets here, tell him to come find me once he's out of the training camp."

The door closed.

Sengoku sat behind his desk. He picked up the stack of documents, turned to Jack's photograph, and studied it for a long time. The eyes beneath the brim of the cap held a cold glint in the light.

He closed the file, put it in a drawer, and leaned back. The water stain was still on the ceiling, shaped like a fist.

Outside Marineford Harbor, a small warship was coming in to dock. Its hull was gray-white, its gun barrels gleamed coldly in the sunlight, and the Marine flag at its bow snapped in the sea wind. As the ship came alongside, its wake sent gravel rolling across the pier.

A figure stepped off the ship.