Zephyr asked Fleet Admiral Kong for a recruit

"But, Zephyr!" Sengoku rubbed his brow. "Getting the Fleet Admiral to hand him over won't be easy! After all, that boy came from... the West Blue."

The West Blue was a region rife with corruption...

"Hey! Sengoku, is being born in the West Blue a crime?" Garp barked when he heard what Sengoku said.

"Zephyr! Don't worry. Look at my son Dragon-I keep him right by my side! Fleet Admiral Kong's pretty easy to talk to!"

"You only managed that by threatening to stop taking missions and going after Roger! Zephyr wouldn't act like you, you bastard, Garp." After that jab, Sengoku tried to reason with Zephyr again.

"Zephyr, we'll probably be promoted to Admirals next year. We could easily wait..."

The moment Sengoku finished, Garp slammed the table and sprang up, spraying crumbs from his mouth everywhere.

"Hey, hey, Sengoku! What do you mean, 'the three of us'? I never said I wanted to become an Admiral!"

A vein bulged at Sengoku's temple as he wiped the rice cracker crumbs off his face.

"You bastard! Fleet Admiral Kong's already decided! You think you can get out of it?"

"Hahaha! Who wants a job that ties your hands?" Garp laughed with his hands on his hips.

"I just want to chase Roger freely!

If I become an Admiral, I'll have to spend all day taking orders from the Celestial Dragons. What a pain!"

The vein at Sengoku's temple twitched. "Garp! This is the Marines' promotion system! Do you think we're playing house?!"

"Hahaha! The system?" Garp picked his nose, looking utterly disdainful. "I'm not letting all those fussy rules tie me down!

An Admiral? Forget it. Like I said, I'd rather chase Roger freely!"

"You bastard..." Sengoku was so furious that even his glasses had gone crooked. "The Marine leadership needs responsibility and discipline, not that lazy attitude of yours!"

Garp grinned, flashing his trademark white teeth. "Perfect, then. You be an Admiral, and I'll stay a Vice Admiral. We'll leave each other alone!"

Watching the two argue, Zephyr shook his head helplessly.

He stood, straightened his justice cloak, and said calmly, "Take your time arguing. I'm heading to the Fleet Admiral's Office."

At that, Sengoku let Garp off for the moment and turned to Zephyr with a slight frown.

"Zephyr, are you really going to ask Fleet Admiral Kong for him in person? I doubt it'll be that easy."

"I know," Zephyr replied evenly. "But Gern is worth a try."

Sengoku adjusted his glasses, his tone grave. "That kid's performance in the West Blue was certainly impressive, but his actions...

Especially taking down the flag. I'm afraid Fleet Admiral Kong won't be pleased."

Garp cut in. "What's there to be displeased about? That kid was right! What kind of justice arrives too late?"

Sengoku glared at him. "The Marines are a disciplined force! Taking down the flag without authorization challenges the system!

Fleet Admiral Kong is an old-school military man. Rules matter more to him than anything!"

Zephyr said nothing more. He simply walked toward the door, leaving them with one remark.

"Rules are rigid. People aren't."

Marine Headquarters, the Fleet Admiral's Office.

Kong, now in his fifties with his spiky hair, was reviewing documents. At the knock on his door, he said without looking up, "Come in."

Zephyr opened the door, stepped inside, and gave a regulation salute. "Fleet Admiral."

Only upon hearing Zephyr's voice did Kong raise his head, his sharp gaze sweeping over him. "Zephyr? What is it?"

Zephyr got straight to the point. "Regarding Gern Reginald Sigma of the West Blue branch, I'd like him transferred to headquarters to serve as my adjutant."

Kong immediately frowned. He set down the document in his hand and said sternly, "Gern? That ability user from the West Blue they've recently been calling 'Heavenquake'?"

"His ability is certainly rare, but his conduct..."

Kong folded his hands on the desk, staring straight at Zephyr through the curling cigar smoke.

"Zephyr, you should know that the Marine academy's system isn't just for show." Kong's voice was deep and commanding.

"Gern Reginald Sigma rose through the ranks at a West Blue branch. Corruption is rampant there. His principles need to be reshaped!"

Zephyr's expression remained unchanged. "Fleet Admiral, Gern's actions at Ashport have already proved his commitment to justice."

"His commitment to justice?" Kong snorted and flung a report onto the desk.

"He ordered the Marine flag taken down! What kind of conduct is that? It's contempt for the Marines' dignity!

If every soldier acted like him, what discipline would the Marines have left?!"

Zephyr glanced at the report, his expression unchanged, and replied calmly, "He simply believed that if the Marines couldn't truly protect civilians, flying the flag was a mockery."

"A mockery?" Kong's voice grew colder. "Zephyr, you're a veteran yourself. You should understand the importance of military symbols!

The flag represents the Marines' honor and responsibility. It isn't something to discard on a whim!"

"Fleet Admiral, Gern's actions weren't a rejection of the Marines, but a reflection on their current state." Zephyr looked Kong directly in the eyes.

"The corrupt West Blue branch disgraced the Marines, and he chose to prove through his actions... that Marine justice shouldn't be an empty formality."

"Even so, his methods were too radical.

How can a soldier who can't follow even basic discipline be a proper Marine?"

"I think he is a proper Marine!"

"Absurd!" Kong slammed his fist onto the desk. "The Marines uphold order throughout the world. They aren't a stage for his personal heroics!

If he can't manage even basic obedience, how will he command subordinates in the future?"

Zephyr fell silent for a moment, then suddenly asked, "Fleet Admiral, when you promoted Garp back then, you didn't care whether he 'obeyed discipline.'"

"You..." Kong choked on his words, his expression darkening slightly as he met Zephyr's unwavering gaze.

In all these years, this was the first time Zephyr had talked back to him, and he had never expected it to be over a recruit.

At that thought, Kong softened his tone. "Gern and Garp are different. Garp came out of the Marine academy. His credentials are impeccable! But Gern..."

"But Gern," Zephyr interrupted, his voice firm and resonant,

"Climbed his way up from the very bottom, one step at a time, as a chore boy.

He had no connections, no talent, not even luck,

Until he obtained a fruit that changed his fate a year ago."

"A soldier like that understands the weight of 'justice' better than anyone."

Silence settled over the office.

Kong studied Zephyr as the smoke rings slowly dissipated between them. "I rarely see you so adamant about someone."

"Fleet Admiral Kong, you know..." Zephyr's clenched fists trembled slightly. "I'm not a born monster like Garp, nor a brilliant strategist like Sengoku."

Zephyr raised his callused hands. "I came to Marineford at fourteen with travel money scraped together by my entire village. When I first held a gun at eighteen, I couldn't even see the sights clearly."

"I only learned the Six Powers at twenty-eight. That day, I was promoted to corporal at headquarters, while the others who'd enlisted with me were already commissioned officers." His knuckles cracked.

"When I earned the title 'Black Arm' at thirty-four, Garp had already crushed eight pirate crews in the New World all by himself.

Now he's even chasing the Roger Pirates...

Fleet Admiral, I only have a few years left at my peak!

But in just two or three years, Garp reached heights I could never attain!

And he's still growing!

But Gern is different. In him, I saw 'justice' beginning to take root!

He shouldn't have to languish as long as I did!"

"I understand."

Kong stared at Zephyr, his tone easing slightly. "Zephyr, I know you admire him, but the Marines need more than strength. They also need respect for the system."

Zephyr did not argue. He simply replied evenly, "I'll make sure he understands that."

With that, he turned and left, his steps steady and resolute.