The Man Two Admirals Favored
Headquarters, conference room.
The crunching and munching went on and on. Sengoku's patience finally reached its limit, and he slammed a hand on the table, roaring at Garp beside him:
"Garp, this is headquarters' highest-level strategy meeting! Take it seriously!"
Hearing him, Garp lazily curled a finger, dug it into his ear, and flicked a bit of earwax onto the conference table.
He threw back his head and laughed, his booming voice deafening:
"Hahaha, Sengoku, you'll clean up all these troublesome matters in the end anyway. I only need to get the gist!"
With that, he took out another handful of rice crackers and tossed them into his mouth. The crisp crunching echoed through the conference room once more.
Veins bulged on Sengoku's forehead, but he forced down his anger.
After all, if he really started arguing with Garp, they wouldn't get through the meeting today.
He sighed, picked up a report, and said gravely, "Now, let's move on to the next matter."
Before addressing it, Sengoku glanced at Garp and sighed again, then continued:
"The Whitebeard Pirates and the Beasts Pirates have recently been locked in fierce combat in the New World. We need an Admiral there to keep watch and prevent the situation from spiraling out of control.
"Besides that, Fire Fist Ace has clashed repeatedly with Hanafuda of the Shichibukai recently, and Hanafuda has already fallen into a disadvantage. We need to send a Vice Admiral to help Hanafuda win. We cannot allow a Shichibukai to be defeated so easily!"
When he finished, Sengoku shot Garp an irritated glare.
Ace was Garp's grandson. He should have become an outstanding Marine, but under Garp's instruction, he had become a pirate instead.
It was all Garp's fault!
Garp was a little embarrassed too. He laughed a few times, and his chewing noticeably slowed.
Sengoku waited a while. When no one volunteered, he looked at the Three Admirals.
Kizaru lounged about, pretending not to notice Sengoku's glance, while Aokiji had an eye mask on and had gone straight to sleep.
This left Sengoku thoroughly exasperated. Why were the next generation of Marines all like this? Did the Marines have any future at all?
Sengoku took a deep breath and suppressed his anger. His gaze finally settled on Akainu.
Akainu firmly believed in Absolute Justice. Though he had a heavy workload, he did not shirk his duty in the slightest:
"I'll go to the New World to monitor the conflict between Whitebeard and Kaido. As for Fire Fist Ace, leave him to Onigumo."
Sengoku nodded in satisfaction.
The Absolute Justice Akainu upheld was extreme, but he was also the most decisive and reliable. Of the Three Admirals, he was the one best able to shoulder great responsibilities.
The thought set Sengoku's mind wandering.
If he could combine Akainu's decisiveness with Aokiji's flexibility, wouldn't he have the perfect candidate for the next Fleet Admiral?
Next, Sengoku brought up several other matters.
Putting that thought aside in an instant, Sengoku cleared his throat and went on to discuss several more deployments.
Kizaru was put in full charge of the research project for a new type of laser weapon.
Aokiji would remain at headquarters, ready to provide support wherever needed.
The remaining Vice Admirals would split into two groups and be stationed in the New World and Paradise respectively, deterring the pirate forces that had grown increasingly rampant of late.
Each order was issued clearly, and the meeting proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Sengoku casually picked up another document from the corner of the table. After skimming a few lines, he exclaimed in surprise, "I didn't expect another troublemaker to turn up in the East Blue besides Smoker."
That immediately caught Garp's attention.
He swept out a hand and snatched the document from Sengoku. After quickly scanning a few lines, he slapped his thigh and burst into laughter:
"Hahaha, this kid's got what it takes! He actually took care of that bastard Arlong. Well done!"
"Garp!" Sengoku roared after Garp snatched the document, then grabbed it back:
"Arlong had deep ties to Jinbe. Now that he's dead, it's bound to cause friction between Jinbe and the Marines.
"Besides, Ivan went to the 16th Branch and arrested pirates without authorization. That was a violation of enforcement regulations to begin with. What's there to praise?"
Garp picked his nose and said indifferently, "The report says it clearly. The kid went to support the 16th Marine Branch and dealt with matters in those waters along the way. It was perfectly reasonable!"
"Perfectly reasonable?" Sengoku grew even angrier. "Garp, stop playing dumb. You can't tell what's really going on here?"
Garp leaned back and curled his lip. "I don't care. I've got high hopes for this kid!"
The Marine hero and the Fleet Admiral started arguing again, and the conference room immediately fell silent. Even the Three Admirals said nothing.
Everyone present was shrewd. With copies of the document in hand, they had all noticed something amiss in the report.
Captain Nezumi's death was probably not so simple, and might even have something to do with Major Ivan!
Kizaru looked at the document in his hand, a faint smile on his lips. "Young people these days are terrifying. I didn't have that kind of drive when I was young."
The whispers below continued, but Sengoku paid them no mind. He raised a hand and tapped the table, saying gravely:
"Enough idle talk. Let's discuss the matter at hand. What should we do with Major Ivan?"
The hot-tempered Akainu looked at the document in his hand, his eyes full of admiration. "Give him a generous reward, of course. The Marines need exactly this kind of boldness!"
Aokiji, who had been sleeping on the other side, had woken up at some point. Unusually serious, he said, "I recommend promoting Major Ivan!"
The moment he finished speaking, Akainu and Aokiji looked at each other at the same time, a flash of surprise crossing both their faces.
In recent years, their relationship had deteriorated sharply because of their differing ideals of justice and disagreements over decisions. It had been a long time since they had expressed the same opinion at a meeting.
Clearly, neither had expected the other, with whom he was always at odds, to agree on this matter.
With two Admirals speaking up for Ivan, even Sengoku could not ignore them.
He pondered for a moment, then addressed everyone. "According to the report, Major Ivan already has the strength of a headquarters captain. In that case, promote Major Ivan to headquarters captain and have him report here as soon as possible!"
At that moment, Garp laughed and said, "I happen to have some free time lately. Why don't I go to the East Blue and bring that interesting kid back?"
Sengoku shook his head helplessly. Who didn't know this guy was using official business as an excuse to travel at public expense?
Still, Sengoku did not refuse. It would be fine to let Garp make a trip to the East Blue.
He could take the opportunity to rein in Ivan's edge and deal with the Krieg Pirates.
A large pirate crew five thousand strong was a considerable force even in Paradise, despite its members' lack of outstanding strength!
Ivan did not know that his actions had attracted headquarters' attention.
At that moment, he was absorbed in a crucial stage of his training.
On the coast of Loguetown, the sea breeze swept against him, carrying the damp, salty air.
Ivan stood motionless with a long blade in hand, his posture straight as a pine. His eyes were half closed as he focused completely on sensing everything around him.