Chapter 149: Returning to Headquarters
Time quietly slipped away.
In the blink of an eye, it had been two years since Vivian and Fujitora arrived at Impel Down.
That afternoon, Vivian stood on the deck of a warship, a cigarette in his mouth, Blood Demon at his waist, wearing the same Navy Petty Officer uniform he had when he first arrived. His gaze swept over the guards and prisoners who had come to see him off.
As for why prisoners were there to see him off...
It was because, over the past two years, he had improved the prison system, significantly enhancing the meals for the prisoners who usually only got pig slop. He even allowed many to drink alcohol and smoke.
"Chief Warden Vivian, safe travels!"
"Chief Warden Vivian, we'll miss you!"
"Uuuu~~"
Sobs quickly echoed at the dock.
"Stop crying, focus on reforming yourselves in prison, and strive to... well, strive to eat well every day."
He originally wanted to say "strive to get out soon," but considering that those sent to Impel Down had no other fate besides escape or death, he changed his words.
As soon as he finished speaking, Hannyabal, wearing a director's uniform, stepped forward with a big smile and patted Vivian on the shoulder. "These two years have been tough on you, Vivian... Petty Officer! From today, you should be reinstated, right?"
"Uh... I was demoted to Petty Officer when I came here," Vivian replied.
"That doesn't matter." Hannyabal's smile grew even wider.
Vivian was his lucky star.
In just two years, Vivian had transformed the entire prison into a magnificent place and brought in tens of millions of Berries in monthly revenue.
More importantly, he had managed to oust Magellan, allowing Hannyabal to achieve his dream position as director...
If there weren't so many people around, he might have knelt down and thanked Vivian on the spot.
"Feel free to come back anytime, I'll miss you."
Then, with a sneer, he added, "Hmph, if you hadn't gotten involved with Domino, I might actually miss you. But since you did, I hope you get swept into a whirlpool on your way back, you bastard!"
Vivian: "..."
Can you stop saying your inner thoughts out loud?
I was starting to think better of you, Hannyabal.
"Let's go."
Ignoring Hannyabal's "inner thoughts," Vivian waved to Domino, who was also at the dock.
"Come back soon," Domino waved back, tears streaming from under her sunglasses. "I'll be waiting for you to take me away from Impel Down!"
"Got it."
Vivian grinned.
Once he went to Dressrosa and took down the Donquixote Family, with that merit, transferring a jailer from Impel Down would be a piece of cake.
After two years, Vivian's strength had grown rapidly, and his confidence was through the roof, just like Buggy when he discovered he had Conqueror's Haki.
"Let's go, Uncle Issho."
"Alright."
Fujitora, holding a teacup in one hand and leaning on his cane, turned to feel the cool sea breeze.
Almost three years had passed.
Was it right or wrong to follow Vivian into the Navy in search of his own sense of justice?
...
New World, Navy Headquarters.
Originally located in the first half of the Grand Line at Marineford, the headquarters had been moved to the island of the former G1 Branch in the New World after the war two years ago left Marineford in ruins.
Now, the G1 Branch had become the headquarters, merging the two bases into a larger force.
"Reporting to Fleet Admiral Akainu, Petty Officer Vivian has returned." A marine entered the top office of the base, reporting to Akainu, who was sitting behind the desk with a cigar in his mouth.
Two years later, Sengoku had retired, and Akainu naturally took over as the next fleet admiral.
Of course, there's no need to elaborate on the ten-day battle with Aokiji. It's worth mentioning that after Akainu was promoted to Fleet Admiral and Aokiji lost a leg and left the Navy, only Kizaru remained among the three Admirals.
Originally, according to the storyline, Fujitora and Ryokugyu were supposed to participate in the World Military Draft that year, skipping the usual Navy promotion process and directly becoming Admirals.
However, with Vivian intercepting Fujitora midway, the Navy couldn't find a third candidate for the Admiral position besides Ryokugyu. After much deliberation, they finally pushed Momousagi, the original Admiral candidate, to temporarily serve as the third Admiral.
Momousagi's strength might be somewhat lacking, but she makes up for it with her beauty.
Imagine using a photo of Momousagi for World Military Draft propaganda. Wouldn't men flock to join the Navy?
Back to the main topic.
"Vivian… is he the warden who appeared at Marineford?" Akainu asked.
"Yes, Thunder Swordsman Vivian. Because his warship was hijacked by the Straw Hat crew, he was demoted to Petty Officer by Sengoku and sent to Impel Down as a warden for two years. Now that his term is over, he's returned to headquarters with his subordinates."
"I know that guy." Akainu waved his hand. "Take him directly to Vice Admiral Tsuru. She'll tell him what to do next."
"Yes, Fleet Admiral Akainu!" The officer saluted Akainu and then ran out of the office without looking back.
Akainu sat in the room, fingers interlaced under his chin, deep in thought.
"Thunder Swordsman Vivian, huh…"
Sengoku evaluated him as a potential future youngest Admiral…
"If he's truly loyal to the Navy, he could be worth nurturing." He continued to mutter to himself.
After all, since Aokiji left and the Shichibukai system was abolished, the Navy's strength has significantly declined.
…
More than ten minutes later.
High-level meeting room at the base.
"Wow, the decor is pretty nice, almost as good as Impel Down after I fixed it up."
Vivian, hands behind his head, followed a soldier into the meeting room.
As soon as he sat down, a familiar wrinkled face came into view.
"Hi, Granny Tsuru, long time no see. You're looking younger," Vivian greeted her.
"Vivian, it's been over a year. You're even more muscular than during the Summit War," Tsuru replied with a smile.
Vivian was now taller, reaching 2.25 meters, and with his muscular build, he exuded the aura of a strong warrior.
"Now, back to business. Since you're back at headquarters, based on your performance at Marineford a year and a half ago, the higher-ups have decided to reinstate you and promote you four ranks to Navy Captain."
"Captain?" Vivian blinked.
After abandoning his post and accidentally letting Buggy and Zoro escape, not only did he avoid severe punishment, but he also got promoted?
How would Magellan feel about this?
"Yes, Captain," Tsuru nodded. "You can bring your family to headquarters to settle in. We'll provide you with a house and all the necessary living supplies."
"Oh, and one more thing."
"What is it?" Vivian, who was calculating his Captain's salary, looked up at Tsuru.
"Did you know the Shichibukai system was recently abolished by the World Government? I want you to join a few Vice Admirals in capturing the Shichibukai pirates…"
Tsuru pushed a stack of newly printed wanted posters towards Vivian as she spoke.