I'm going fishing

"For the sake of this justice, I demand absolute loyalty from every colleague in the Search Bureau.

Absolute loyalty to the people's interests, absolute obedience to orders from superiors, and absolute devotion to a heart of justice.

This is the loyalty I want. The Investigation Bureau will be the most effective and powerful enforcement department under the World Government, a disciplined force.

It will be the Marines' sharpest sword. This is the first principle I demand of the Investigation Bureau.

And its highest principle-loyalty that is not absolute is absolute disloyalty. Ain, write that down."

Lofan delivered an unending speech from the podium.

Below him, the tall Marines looked rather comical sitting among desks, chairs, and benches that were a little too cramped for them.

These burly men were unyielding souls who had stayed for the justice in their hearts.

Let me make good use of your justice. Sacrifice yourselves for the greater good, gentlemen.

From the moment you chose to stay, neither you nor I had any way back.

Lofan had ultimately decided to handle their ideological education himself.

At the podium, he used the methods of stirring people's hearts he had learned in his previous life to give the Search Bureau's members ideological instruction.

Among them were Director Geluusi, Deputy Director Laien, and even his own teacher, Zephyr.

The reason was simple: what Lofan wanted was an entirely different way of thinking.

In this world, where false justice and dreams served as pretexts for wrongdoing.

Lofan wanted to nurture true justice. Even if he only planted a single seed, that would be enough.

"This brat really has come into his own. Looks like I really am getting old.

Is the wind that will stir the world about to rise from this very place?

Lofan, my boy, I really look forward to seeing what you can turn this world into. I truly do."

Sitting below the podium, Zephyr muttered to himself, his heart full of expectations and admiration for Lofan.

"We've gotten old, after all. This is the young people's world now."

Garp, who had sneaked over to listen to the lecture, offered this observation to Zephyr, who was muttering beside him.

"The future of the Marines, and the future of the world, might just depend on this boy."

Zephyr agreed wholeheartedly, his opinion of Lofan extraordinarily high.

This, too, came from his trust in and recognition of Lofan's bearing.

Lofan was still talking away onstage when the two old men quietly slipped away.

The world would belong to the young in the end.

What they could do now was pave the way for the future masters of the world. That was the greatest respect these old men could offer.

"Gentlemen, forge ahead, for all humanity!"

The first batch of trainees soon began their hellish training.

Zephyr put two hundred percent of his energy into training these young men.

Every day, these burly men with justice in their hearts were drilled by old Zephyr until they cried for their parents.

"Hey! Get up! You think you can restore the Marines' glory like this?!"

Zephyr's roar exploded in their ears. They, too, were elites who had made it through boot camp.

Yet under Zephyr's training, they now seemed as feeble as chicks.

This left Lofan a little worried. Zephyr wouldn't train these men to death, would he? Then the Search Bureau really would have no one left.

Lofan was a little concerned for these core members' lives. He had experienced Zephyr's training himself.

How terrifying it had been was a part of his past that even Lofan was reluctant to recall. It seemed these boys were in for a rough time.

After silently praying for them for a while, Lofan left the training ground as though fleeing.

"First, I still need to solve the manpower problem."

Lofan thought it over, then decided to go play the victim and plead poverty to Sengoku.

"Fleet Admiral, you have no idea how miserable my department is! Everyone's jumped ship! If you don't give me more people, I'll have to disband the department and go back to farming!"

Wailing as though at a funeral, Lofan poured out his grievances through tears and snot, making it seem as though Sengoku had done something terrible to him.

Dark lines seemed to appear across Sengoku's forehead. You brat, are you deliberately trying to cause trouble?

I gave you an opportunity so you could make something of it yourself, and you come here and pull this? What will my colleagues think of me now?

"What do you want this time, brat? You'd better think carefully before you speak. Stop pulling this nonsense all day long."

Lofan dropped his shameless act, put away his thuggish air, and straightened his spotless white Marine cloak.

He saluted Sengoku before saying in a clear voice:

"Fleet Admiral, the Search Bureau's reforms are complete, but right now, the Search Bureau is nothing more than an empty shell.

I need a great deal of manpower and funding to fill it out. Simply put, I'm here today to ask for personnel."

"..."

Sengoku gave no reply, merely watching Lofan in silence. It was rare for this boy to be so serious.

He usually acted as though nothing concerned him, or played the shameless rogue who refused to listen to reason.

His seriousness now meant there was much Sengoku still did not know. Sengoku was waiting for Lofan to give him a satisfactory explanation.

"There's a big fish in Marineford, but first, I need to pull out its tentacles one by one. I'm taking the Search Bureau into action. Our current personnel can just about manage that.

But to catch this big fish, this handful of people definitely won't be enough.

Time is short. I hope this batch of personnel can be in place and begin training before I leave. That way, while I'm removing the tentacles,

the fishing net will also be woven and ready. I'll make sure he never gets away. Fleet Admiral, you're the only one who knows about this."

"Hmm. Approved. I hope you'll serve me a satisfying plate of grilled fish. Tell me your plan."

"Based on my intelligence reports, all I can roughly establish is that this person is merely a nexus of power.

His influence probably covers the vast majority of Marine branches, including some branches on the Grand Line.

The connections run deep, so I need to arrest or purge the suspects in these places in batches.

Secrecy is key. For this purpose, I need to establish a dedicated secret fleet, assigned to the Investigation Bureau's organizational structure.

SWROD also needs to be expanded appropriately. Its current size certainly isn't enough to cover such a vast area.

I heard the Marines have developed a completely new high-speed warship. Could you allocate a few for me to use first? Not many, just a handful.

These ships will form the fleet's core. Of course, the fleet's organization will depend on your mood, Fleet Admiral.

As for selecting personnel, let's hold a grand exercise."

With the personnel problem solved, all that remained was money.

As for money, he would have to earn it himself. If he took money from Marine Headquarters, he wouldn't be able to hold his head high. Lofan did not like being beholden to others.

Likewise, Lofan did not like making money off the poor. Oppressing ordinary people was not in his nature.

Whose money would Lofan make, then? Whoever had money. And who had money? The fish had the most, of course.

Catching fish while making money-wouldn't that be wonderful?

Such a thing could never have happened in Lofan's original world, but here, it seemed perfectly normal.

I, Lofan, will earn that money without bowing to anyone!