Stunning Everyone! The Potential to Be an Admiral

The ringing shout was like a boulder hurled into a still lake, instantly sending waves of excitement through the warship.

"Ohhhh! We're finally here!"

"Marineford! I'm finally back!"

The sailors' cheers rose one after another, every face brimming with the joy and excitement of coming home.

Lorne raised his head, his gaze passing through the crowd to settle on the distant fortress, whose grandeur surpassed anything he could have imagined.

The crescent-shaped harbor spread like the open arms of a giant beast, embracing countless warships of all sizes. The towering walls reached into the clouds, engraved with the enormous word "Marines," radiating solemn majesty.

At the very center of the fortress stood an immense gate. The word "Justice" upon it seemed to possess the supreme power to suppress all evil.

"Gahahahaha! Kid, scared out of your wits?"

Garp's large hand landed heavily on Lorne's shoulder, interrupting his gaze.

"This is the world's strongest bastion!"

"The strongest?" Lorne withdrew his gaze and rolled his shoulder, which had gone slightly numb from the slap. There was not a trace of awe in his eyes; instead, an even fiercer fighting spirit burned within them. "All I care about is whether this place can make me stronger."

"Hahahaha!" Garp burst into his signature laugh again. "You little brat! I like you!"

The warship slowly entered the harbor and docked at its assigned berth.

Several squads of Marines were already lined up at the port, holding a welcoming ceremony for the hero's return.

The moment Garp's signature dog-head figurehead came into view, the atmosphere at the port reached its peak.

"It's Vice Admiral Garp! Vice Admiral Garp is back!"

"The hero has returned!"

But when everyone saw the defiant-looking boy following behind Garp, with a conspicuous pair of beast ears atop his head, whispers began mingling with the orderly cheers.

"Who's that boy? How come he gets to follow right behind Vice Admiral Garp?"

"Look at his ears. Is he from the Mink Tribe? You don't see many of them in the first half of the Grand Line."

"I heard from the guys aboard that this kid is a monster! On the way here, he knocked out a huge Sea King in the ocean with his bare hands!"

"What?! His bare hands? You've got to be kidding!"

"It's true! That Sea King is still frozen in the ship's cold storage! They say there's going to be a celebration banquet tonight!"

Every word of these discussions reached Lorne's ears.

Yet he could not even be bothered to lift his eyelids. He kept both hands in his pockets, as though everything around him had nothing to do with him.

Garp paid even less attention to the chatter. All he wanted now was to hurry over to someone and show off the treasure he had picked up.

Grabbing Lorne by the back of his collar, he ignored the officers who had come to welcome him and strode toward the central fortress of Marine Headquarters.

"Hey! Old man! Let go! I can walk!"

"Shut up! Behave yourself!"

Tugging and struggling all the way, the two headed straight for the office building that symbolized supreme authority, under the astonished gazes of countless Marines.

The Fleet Admiral's Office.

The supreme commander of Marine Headquarters, "Sengoku the Buddha," was buried in a mountain of paperwork. Beside him, his old colleague, Marine Great Staff Officer Tsuru, was sipping tea elegantly.

On the sofa in the corner, Admiral Aokiji, one of Marine Headquarters' greatest fighting assets, was wearing a sleep mask and snoring away without a care for anyone else, a large bubble swelling from his nose.

BANG!!!

The office door, crafted from expensive wood, was kicked open with tremendous force.

"Sengoku! I'm back!!"

Garp's booming voice made the entire office hum.

Veins instantly bulged at Sengoku's temple. He jerked his head up, and the fountain pen in his hand snapped in two with a crack under his excessive grip.

"Garp!!! Can't you use a door properly?!"

"Gahahahaha, no big deal, no big deal!" Garp waved dismissively, then pulled Lorne out from behind him as though showing off a big fish he had just caught.

"Look! See what a treasure I brought back! This is my new grandson, Lorne!"

At those words, the air in the office instantly froze.

Tsuru's hand paused slightly around her teacup, and she looked at Lorne with interest.

The bubble on the sleeping Aokiji's nose burst with a pop. He lazily lifted his sleep mask and swept his gaze over Lorne.

Sengoku's expression darkened completely. He looked at the smug Garp, then at the thoroughly disgruntled Lorne, and finally could not help roaring.

"You have another new grandson?! Garp! Just how many grandsons do you have out there?! Aren't Ace and Luffy enough trouble for you?!"

"This one's different!" Garp's expression turned serious for once. He pointed at Lorne, his voice full of pride. "This kid is Masha's son!"

"Masha?" Tsuru's gaze shifted slightly. "The one from back then...?"

"That's right!" Garp nodded emphatically. "And this kid has the potential to be an Admiral!"

"The potential to be an Admiral?"

Those words stunned both Sengoku and Tsuru. Even the languid Aokiji sat a little straighter, a hint of scrutiny entering his eyes.

That assessment was far too high.

How could anyone casually judge whether someone could become one of the Marines' greatest fighting assets?

"Ararara~ Mr. Garp, did the East Blue sun fry your brain?" Aokiji drawled, his voice full of disbelief. "Admirals don't grow on trees."

"That's right, Garp." Tsuru also set down her teacup, her expression serious. "We acknowledge how outstanding Masha was back then, but aren't you exaggerating this child's potential?"

"Exaggerating?" Garp reacted as though he had heard the greatest joke in the world. "Gahahahaha! You lot have no eye for talent!"

He pointed at Lorne and said, "This kid has been learning from me for less than a month, and he's already mastered the force-generation technique behind my 'Fist Bone'! His talent is beyond anything ordinary standards can describe!"

"Fist Bone?" Sengoku's brows knitted tightly. He knew how difficult it was to even begin learning Garp's fighting style, which revolved entirely around physical strength. "You're saying he can already deliver that kind of penetrating force?"

"More than that!" Garp grew more excited as he spoke. "He hasn't awakened his Armament Haki or Conqueror's Haki yet, but he can already injure me!"

"What?!"

This time, even Tsuru could not remain composed.

Injuring Garp? Even if it was only a scratch, that was a terrifying achievement that could shake all of Marine Headquarters!

Sengoku stared fixedly at Lorne, as though trying to see right through him.

"Impossible! How could he hurt you without Haki?"

"There's something strange about his punches. They have a sort of... defense-ignoring property." Garp was somewhat puzzled himself, but he preferred to trust his own judgment. "Anyway, this kid is a monster! A monster who's growing at an incredible rate!"

Sengoku's expression shifted uncertainly. After a moment of silence, he slowly said, "Even if what you're saying is true, Armament Haki is relatively easy. It can be awakened through extreme training later in life. But Conqueror's Haki... that's a gift belonging to a chosen one in a million. How could it be so easy to awaken?"

"I believe in him!" Garp's answer was decisive, filled with unquestionable conviction.

Silence fell over the office.

Garp had always had a keen eye for talent. Dragon, Aokiji... these powerful men who now stood at the pinnacle of the world had all received his guidance.

If he said someone had the potential to be an Admiral, it was certainly not without foundation.

Sengoku rubbed his aching temples, feeling his blood pressure rise again.

"All right, even if everything you said is true, what do you plan to do with him?"

"Throw him into recruit camp and put him through his paces, of course!" Garp grinned. "But an ordinary recruit camp won't be enough to train him. We need the toughest instructor!"

With that, he bellowed toward the door.

"Hey! Go get Zephyr for me!"

Before long, a burly man whose right arm had been replaced by the enormous mechanical arm "Crusher" walked in with steady steps.

He was the former Marine Admiral "Black Arm" Zephyr, who was responsible for training the Marine elite and had defeated countless pirates throughout his life without ever killing a single enemy.

"Garp, what's all the shouting about?" Zephyr's voice was loud and powerful. He glanced at the gathering in the office, his gaze finally settling on Lorne.

"Oh? Is this the kid you mentioned over the Den Den Mushi?"

Zephyr's eyes were as sharp as a hawk's as he examined Lorne from head to toe, from his bones to his muscles, from his gaze to his presence.

"Mm, a fine physique, and plenty of wildness in his eyes." Zephyr nodded, then asked, "Does he have a Devil Fruit power?"

Before Garp could speak, Lorne answered first, a trace of disdain in his voice. "I don't need that stuff cursed by the sea."

"Oh?"

At that answer, Zephyr's eyes suddenly lit up, and a heartfelt smile appeared on his face.

What he admired most were true powerhouses who relied on their own training to hone their bodies and wills to the limit.

"Hahahaha! Well said!" Zephyr laughed heartily. He walked up to Lorne and patted his shoulder with a hand as broad as a palm-leaf fan. "You've got backbone! Much better than those arrogant brats who look down on everyone just because they have a little Devil Fruit power!"

He turned to Garp and Sengoku and said directly, "I'll take this kid!"

"Perfect timing. This year's Elite Recruit Camp has just started. Throw him in there." Zephyr looked at Lorne, his eyes full of anticipation. "Kid, don't think beating a few Sea Kings makes you invincible. At recruit camp, I'll show you what real hell is!"

"Hell?"

At those words, Lorne showed no fear. Instead, he grinned, revealing a mouthful of gleaming white teeth, his smile brimming with wild arrogance and anticipation.

"I've been itching for this."