His hand stopped in midair as he raised his teacup, his gaze deepening behind his glasses.
Thirty percent of their resources was no small amount.
But in this Great Pirate Era, the attrition rate among quality recruits was staggering. If they resorted to drastic measures, the Navy's future would indeed be worrying.
"Approved."
After a moment, Sengoku made his decision in a low voice, setting his cup down hard enough to send a ring of brown ripples across the tea. "Tell Zephyr not to fear losses. Only those who survive the wind and waves are the steel we need. In six months, have them turn the Four Seas upside down."
The decision stirred the atmosphere in the conference room slightly, a mixture of grim resolve and excitement spreading through the officers' hearts.
It was anticipation for the fresh blood about to enter this enormous war machine.
"Ooh~ What a frightening determination..."
A drawling voice, irritating enough to invite a punch, abruptly rang out.
At some point, Kizaru had put down his nail clippers. His perpetually half-lidded eyes were now fixed on a supplementary roster that had slipped out of the file envelope, his lips exaggeratedly pursed.
"Instructor Zephyr really has gone all out this time. There are even little monsters among this year's recruits who ate Devil Fruits at such a young age?"
Kizaru picked up the thin roster with his long fingers. A faint glimmer lit his fingertip, illuminating several names circled in red.
At the words "Devil Fruit," Akainu, who had been silently smoking his cigar, abruptly raised his head.
Beneath his cap bearing the word "MARINE," eyes that seemed to flow with magma locked onto the roster in Kizaru's hand. A mocking sneer curled his lips. "Doesn't that old fossil Zephyr hate relying on fruit powers more than anything? What, has he started compromising for power now? I thought he'd cling to his 'Black Arm' dogma all the way to the grave."
Akainu's words carried undisguised hostility.
His ideological conflict with Zephyr went back a long way. One was an iron-fisted hawk who pursued "absolute justice," while the other was a former Admiral who insisted on "not killing." They were bitterly opposed on many issues.
"Sakazuki!"
Sengoku's brows shot up, and his sharp rebuke cut off Akainu's mockery.
The Fleet Admiral's imposing presence instantly enveloped the room. For a moment, a golden Buddha seemed to flicker into view at the head of the conference table. "Watch your words! Zephyr is your teacher and a distinguished veteran of the Navy!"
Akainu snorted. Although he said nothing more, the Smell of Sulfur coming from him grew stronger, making the already solemn atmosphere even more oppressive.
Tsuru shook her head helplessly. These two juniors always behaved like this whenever they got together.
She reached over and took the roster from Kizaru, trying to steer the discussion back on track as though coaxing a group of squabbling children.
"Whatever its methods, a cat that catches mice is a good cat. This year's prospects really are promising."
Pointing at several names on the roster, Tsuru introduced them with easy familiarity. "This girl named Tashigi has a somewhat weak constitution, but her dedication to swordsmanship and her aptitude are astonishing. And this one, T-Bone, is nicknamed 'Ship Cutter.' He has an extremely strong sense of justice-a tough man who would boil even his own bones into soup for civilians."
Her gaze moved farther down, a trace of appreciation appearing in her eyes. "As for Ain and Binz, they're the students Zephyr values most. Whether in tactical proficiency or potential for developing their fruit powers, they're among the best in this class. With a little tempering, they'll at least have what it takes to become Headquarters Vice Admirals."
The Vice Admirals present nodded at these assessments.
If they could earn such high praise from Staff Officer Tsuru, this class truly seemed to be a "golden generation."
Sengoku, however, did not respond.
He took the file back, his gaze passing over the prominently marked names at the front and landing directly at the very bottom of the roster.
A single name stood there alone, without extensive notes, only a simple affiliation listed beside it-Science Unit.
Chapter 13: Garp, You Sneaky Bastard! You Found a Conqueror's Haki Swordsman in the East Blue?
"About this boy named Sentomaru..."
Sengoku pressed his pointing finger slightly harder against the document, denting the paper beneath his fingertip.
His eyes remained fixed on the document, his voice losing its earlier impatience and gaining a weighty astonishment.
"Only twelve years old, without any systematic physical conditioning, yet he independently grasped the defensive technique Sky Walk while in Dr. Vegapunk's Science Unit. That's an advanced application of Armament Haki that even elite Headquarters Rear Admirals might not master proficiently."
As Sengoku finished, the atmosphere in the conference room immediately grew tense.
"Sky Walk?"
A Vice Admiral responsible for selecting Headquarters recruits sucked in a sharp breath, unconsciously touching the sword at his waist.
He knew very well what that term meant-an advanced form of projecting Armament Haki outward, capable not only of defense but of injuring enemies without touching them.
A twelve-year-old child?
That went beyond genius. He was simply a monster.
"And that's not all." Staff Officer Tsuru added at just the right moment, a rare hint of admiration entering her usually unruffled voice. "According to the reports from Borsalino, this child is very tight-lipped and has the potential to become the strongest defense. Given time, he may well become a core defensive force for the Science Unit, and even the Navy."
"Ooh~ He certainly is a troublesome little fellow..." Kizaru pursed his lips, seemingly recalling the chubby boy who carried a huge axe around all day and called him Uncle. "Still, as a candidate for captain of the Science Unit, this level is only to be expected."
Although Kizaru's tone was flippant, everyone present understood the weight behind his words.
Sentomaru's emergence sent a tremendous shock through the Navy's senior ranks, which had been subdued for so long.
A twelve-year-old Armament Haki expert meant that, provided he did not die young, the Navy would certainly gain another Admiral-level fighter twenty years from now.
"Good! Very good!"
Sengoku took a deep breath. His tense expression finally eased somewhat, and even his eyes brightened behind his glasses.
In this Great Pirate Era, nothing was more heartening than discovering a future top-tier fighter.
But his good mood lasted only three seconds.
When Sengoku's gaze happened to sweep over the East Blue branch inspection report in the corner of his desk, the anger he had just suppressed flared up again.
"Look! Just look at this!"
Sengoku snatched up the report and slammed it onto the table. "The Science Unit quietly raised a monster like Sentomaru! And what about our Navy's hero, the legendary Iron Fist Garp?!"
"His annual inspections of the East Blue! Every time, he solemnly swears he'll uncover promising talent! And what happens? Aside from ever-increasing Donut and Senbei expenses on his reimbursement claims, has he ever brought back even one decent recruit? Even an ordinary Headquarters Sergeant Major would do!"
Sengoku's roar shook the chandelier overhead. Spittle flew everywhere, frightening the young adjutant into cowering and trembling in a corner.
"Ahem, you know what Garp's like." Tsuru rubbed her temples helplessly, trying to calm her old comrade's anger. "The East Blue is the Weakest Sea, after all. Life is peaceful there. It's difficult for it to produce powerful fighters tempered on the edge of life and death. He just wants an opportunity to go back and see his grandson."
"See his grandson? Then let him stay in the East Blue and see his grandson forever! He needn't come back!" Sengoku's beard trembled with fury as he reached for the Den Den Mushi. "I'll tell him right now that all his leave this year is canceled! He can get his ass to the Goth Kingdom immediately and capture that Baron Revel!"
Just as Sengoku's fingers were about to touch the Golden Den Den Mushi.
"Buru buru buru... Buru buru buru..."
An urgent ringing abruptly erupted in the deathly silent conference room.
Every gaze instantly focused on the dedicated silver Den Den Mushi beside Sengoku's hand, marked with a dog's head emblem.
It was Garp's direct line.
Sengoku froze for a moment. Then veins bulged on his forehead, and he snatched up the receiver as though ready to crawl down the signal line and bite someone. "Garp! You bastard, you dare call-"
"Bwahahaha! Sengoku! Guess what? I've found a real treasure this time!"
The voice from the receiver completely ignored Sengoku's fury. Accompanied by the loud crunching of Senbei, its smugness practically overflowed from the mouthpiece. "Was Tsuru just helping you make excuses, saying the East Blue couldn't produce monsters? Tell her she got it wrong this time!"
Sengoku froze.
He knew this old comrade well.
Garp might usually be unreliable, but he never joked when assessing powerful fighters.
"What have you picked up this time? Don't tell me it's a cook from some village who's good at roasting meat," Sengoku asked coldly, suppressing his anger.
"A cook? No, no, no."
Garp suddenly lowered his voice, but he could not hide its excited tremor. "Sengoku, listen carefully. I found a boy in Foosha Village. Sixteen years old. No teacher at all-he figured everything out on his own."
At this point, Garp seemed to pause deliberately on the other end.
"Just now, right in front of me, this boy used one slash..."
"One slash did what? Cut down a tree?" Akainu exhaled a smoke ring and snorted disdainfully.
"With one slash, the air current generated by his sword pressure shattered a Lord of the Coast's cranial nerves without touching it." Garp's voice became exceptionally clear, each word landing like a heavy hammer on the conference table. "And it was an attack infused with Conqueror's Haki."
"Oh, right, the boy hasn't eaten a Devil Fruit either. Pure physical techniques, mastery of the Color of Arms and Color of Observation Haki, and awakened Conqueror's Haki. A sixteen-year-old... swordmaster."
Utter silence.
The officers who had just marveled at Sentomaru mastering Armament Haki at twelve now looked as though their expressions had all frozen at once.
Teacups in their hands, cigars between their fingers, pens taking notes-all stopped in midair.
Sentomaru's talent was indeed astonishing, but the boy Garp described, who had awakened Conqueror's Haki and reached the swordmaster realm at sixteen, existed on an entirely different level.
In the New World, Conqueror's Haki might not be unusual.
But in the East Blue?
At the age of sixteen?
And he could even incorporate Conqueror's Haki into swordsmanship?
This went beyond common sense. It outright defied the logic of how people grew stronger on these seas!
"What... what did you say?" Sengoku's fingers went bloodless from gripping the receiver too tightly. His throat felt dry. "Conqueror's Haki... infusion? Are you sure you weren't mistaken?"
"Of course! That boy's shock wave even left my face swollen!" Garp roared from the other end, actually sounding somewhat proud. "Sengoku! Get me the best warship immediately! No, prepare an Admiral Candidate recommendation instead! This boy... this boy has the makings of an Admiral! No, he might even be a monster who surpasses us!"
At that moment, the air in Marineford's highest-level conference room became unbearably oppressive.
Only moments ago, everyone had been discussing Sentomaru as their future hope. Now, beneath the brilliance of a sixteen-year-old swordmaster with Conqueror's Haki, that name seemed so pale and powerless.
The expressions on the faces of the Three Admirals seated farther down the table became quite a sight.
For the first time, undisguised shock and doubt appeared in Akainu's perpetually gloomy eyes.
The word "frightening," which Kizaru always had on his lips, stuck in his throat and would not come out.
Even Kuzan, who had been lazily sleeping all this time, slowly pulled down his sleep mask, revealing an extraordinarily grave gaze.
They all realized one thing:
The balance of these seas might be completely overturned because of that unknown boy in the East Blue.
Chapter 14: Garp, You Screwup! The Navy's Future Got Lost?
"What kind of joke are you playing on me, Garp?!"
Sengoku finally managed to speak, but he would rather the Den Den Mushi had malfunctioned.
"Sixteen years old, the Great Swordmaster realm, and all Three Types of Haki? At that age, Roger was just a greenhorn still worrying about the size of his straw hat!" Sengoku grabbed his teacup for a drink, only to discover when he brought it to his lips that his earlier pounding on the desk had cracked it, and tea had leaked all over his trousers.
He could not spare the time to wipe it off. He stared fixedly at the Den Den Mushi's dead-fish-eyed face as it mimicked Garp's expression and picked its nose.
"If a monster like that really exists, why wasn't there a single rumor about him for the first sixteen years? Are you saying he sprang out of a crack in a rock?"
"Bwahahaha! No grandson this sturdy could spring out of a crack in a rock!" On the other end, Garp's Senbei crunching sounded like a saw scraping across Sengoku's nerves. "The boy's an orphan. Normally, he just wrestles wild beasts in the mountains. Who knows why things suddenly clicked for him over the past couple of weeks? Sengoku, I guarantee it-this boy was born for the Navy!"
Garp's voice suddenly rose, filled with an enthusiasm that threatened to blow the roof off. "With just a little polishing, forget Admiral-he could become the Navy King of these seas!"
"What the hell is a Navy King?! Stop coming up with ridiculous titles!"
Sengoku roared over his old friend's nonsense, but his heaving chest had already betrayed his irrepressible excitement.
Sengoku turned toward the Navy's strongest fighters seated on either side of the conference table, their expressions all different.
Akainu Sakazuki remained stern-faced, but he failed to notice that the cigar between his fingers had burned down and scorched his glove; Kuzan had pulled down his sleep mask, his drowsy eyes gleaming sharply; even the most nonchalant of them, Kizaru, had put away his smile and was thoughtfully rubbing the stubble on his chin.
If this is true...
The Navy might truly have gained a powerful weapon capable of ending the Great Pirate Era.
"Good! Good! Good!" Sengoku said it three times in succession and swept his hand through the air. "Garp, I won't pursue the matter of you slacking off in the East Blue. Use your warship right now and escort that boy named Lin Xuan back to Marineford!"
Sengoku grabbed the spare Den Den Mushi beside him, his tone urgent. "Put him on. I want to speak to him myself. Talent like this must receive the highest level of treatment. I'll make an exception and..."
"Uh... well..."
The chewing on the other end suddenly stopped.
That smugness vanished in an instant, replaced by an awkward silence.
Sengoku's heart lurched. A sense of foreboding crawled up his spine to the back of his head.
"Garp." Sengoku's voice sank ominously. "Don't tell me you lost him."
"I haven't exactly lost him..." Garp gave a couple of dry chuckles. "It's just that, after I told him there were plenty of strong fighters at Headquarters, he got excited. Before my warship had even finished resupplying, he grabbed a single-masted sailboat himself... and left ahead of us."
Dead silence.
Before you continue