"Why would you do this?"
*Kacha.*
"I asked for more time, didn't I? Why did you go over my head and announce it? Did you even stop to consider Zephyr's feelings?"
"A pirate who slaughtered a Marine Admiral's family and students is being recommended by the World Government for the Shichibukai? Do you realize how the pirates out there are going to mock Marine Headquarters now?"
"Shichibukai? Have you people still not realized? That system is completely useless. After all these years, the roster has never even been full, and three have already been stripped of their titles... do you have any idea how much trouble those 'allies' have caused the Marines?"
"East Blue Overlord? How did he come into this talk? I am talking about the Shichibukai right now! And you're telling me to calm down? How can I possibly calm down?!"
*Beep, beep, beep...*
Sengoku glared furiously at the disconnected Den Den Mushi in his hand before smashing it onto the floor. "Bastards!"
"..." The crunching sound that had been providing a soundtrack to his entire call rang out again. Sengoku whipped his head around, eyes blazing.
Garp was sitting on the sofa, gloating while happily munching on snacks.
Sengoku couldn't hold it back. "Are you quite finished? You've been making that racket since I picked up the call. Is there no end to it?! I swear, I'll cut off your snack supply entirely!"
"I don't believe you!" Garp didn't seem the least bit concerned by his old friend's threat. Flashing a row of pearly white teeth, he chirped, "If you cut off my snacks, I'll report you to the higher-ups for badmouthing the Five Elders right in front of me! They might be annoying geezers, but don't forget, you are the Fleet Admiral!"
"You son of a bitc..."
Hearing Garp's shameless threat, Sengoku's eyelid twitched violently. He wanted nothing more than to strangle the old scoundrel right there and then.
He was only venting in private!
And speaking of cursing... didn't Garo curse them just as much as he did?
"Alright, alright!" Seeing Sengoku rolling up his sleeves, Garp decided to de-escalate slightly. He crumpled the empty snack bag into a ball, tossed it into the trash can, and picked his nose. "So, what's the plan for Zephyr?"
"The plan? What plan can there be?" Hearing Garp's question, Sengoku's internal fire cooled just enough for him to lower his hands.
He knew that in this office... the two of them couldn't actually fight.
If they did, the only casualty would be the office itself.
He slumped back into his spacious Fleet Admiral's chair and huffed coldly. "It has already been announced to the sea. What else do you expect me to do?"
Some time ago, the World Government had sent him the candidate list for the new Shichibukai. He had been shocked when he saw the name.
He had hurriedly suppressed the list, hoping the World Government would give him more time to maneuver. He never expected that, only a few days later, the Government would bypass the Marines entirely and recruit the man directly.
And now...
It was a complete disaster.
Sengoku sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "They really know how to make my life difficult."
As he spoke, he heard the crinkle of a fresh bag. He turned his head silently to see Garp eating again.
He groaned. "Aren't you going to say something?"
"If even you, the Fleet Admiral, have no solution, what can I do?" Garp shrugged, acting as if the situation meant nothing to him. "If push comes to shove, we'll just knock Zephyr out and lock him in a cell."
"I knew your brain couldn't produce a single constructive thought!"
"Then why did you ask me?"
"...Do you realize the gravity of this situation? And you're still thinking about snacks? Get serious! Lock him up? If this continues, the World Government will only order us to..." Sengoku shouted, but as he looked at Garp's indifferent facade, his voice trailed off. He sighed deeply, his eyes filled with sadness. "...eliminate Zephyr."
In truth, the Marines had failed their old comrade. Since joining the service, Zephyr had dedicated his entire life to the Marines and the World Government. And the result?
His wife and child were murdered by pirates. The students he personally trained were slaughtered right under his nose by pirates. And finally, the pirate who killed his students and severed his arm was now chosen by the World Government to be a Shichibukai.
They had forcibly pushed the once-kind 'No-Kill Admiral' into extremism.
"Come to think of it, this is all your fault, you old goat. If you had just arrested Mock back then, none of this would have happened, would it?"
"What?"
"Of course, this Shichibukai system is the real problem!" After snapping at Garp, Sengoku felt marginally better. Ignoring Garp's confused expression, he sighed again. "It was supposed to stabilize the Grand Sea Balance and deter pirates on the Grand Line, but it ended up bringing us nothing but headaches."
Moreover, since the Shichibukai was established, the roster had never once been full, yet they caused endless incidents. It was truly a slap in the face for both the World Government and Marine Headquarters.
Thinking of this, he mentally cursed the World Government again before looking up and rubbing his aching temples. A sudden thought struck him.
"Lately, it's been nothing but annoying business! And that brat Dante... what is he thinking? He actually refused the invitation from the Marine Headquarters Training Camp. Does he hate promotion?"
If he had just accepted, he could have returned to Marine Headquarters. After a period of training, he could have been awarded the rank of Commodore, or even exceptionally promoted to Rear Admiral. But that brat... still refused!
"Is he still holding a grudge about what happened back then? He's just as stubborn as Zephyr. Can't he let me have some peace of mind?"
However, just as Sengoku was complaining...
"What a strange coincidence!" Garp, who had been happily munching away without interrupting Sengoku's rant, suddenly lit up. Grinning broadly, he looked at the Fleet Admiral. "I actually came to ask for leave! I'm planning to go back to my hometown. Why don't you approve my leave, and on my way back, I'll go criticize that brat for you properly!"
"..." Sengoku's complaining face instantly turned red. He slammed the table hard, shot to his feet, and glared at Garp. "Don't think I don't know what you're planning! Planning to hide in the East Blue and ignore this mess? I'm telling you... keep dreaming! You stay right here. If I have to suffer, you're suffering with me."
"Ah~, was I found out? I heard Mock went back to the East Blue. How about I go arrest him?"
"In your dreams! Denied! Now get the hell out of my office. If you have time, go out to sea and find Zephyr. Try to talk some sense into him!"
"My grandson is about to set sail to become a pirate! As a Marine and his grandpa, I have to-"
"So what? You plan to arrest your own grandson? With a grandson raised by an old geezer like you, what trouble could he possibly cause? Now get out!"
"Alright! Alright! I'm going, I'm going! Don't snatch my snacks, I'm leaving, okay?"
Finally, Garp left the office, cursing under his breath.
The moment he stepped into the corridor, the cheerful smile vanished from his face. He stood silently, gazing out at the vast sky and the sea beyond the window, the earlier playfulness completely gone.
He wore a look of deep sentimentality and muttered to himself, "Zephyr... what a headache."
Just then, a voice came from the side. "Vice Admiral Garp!"
"Hey, it's you, kid!" Garp turned his head, cheerful mask back in place. He popped a snack into his mouth and nodded with a gloating tone. "What do you want? Your Fleet Admiral is breathing fire right now! Don't blame me for not warning you, be careful you don't get scorched when you go in!"
"Is he angry?" Hearing the Marine Hero's schadenfreude, the young marine scratched his head in distress. "Then what should I do? Admiral Kuzan asked me to help him submit an outing request. He gave me the application."
He held up the paperwork with a serious expression.
"Admiral Kuzan said he received intelligence regarding traces of the Devil Child, Nico Robin. He said he had to leave immediately to investigate, so he didn't have time to come and submit the application himself. Should I wait a bit before going in?"
As he spoke, the marine noticed something strange about the Hero in front of him.
He looked up in confusion. Garp had stopped eating. His hand, clutching a cracker, was frozen in mid-air.
His expression was a mix of being dumbfounded and deeply regretful. The marine was bewildered and hurriedly asked, "Vice Admiral Garp? Vice Admiral, what's wrong? Are you feeling unwell?"
*Smack!*
Garp slapped his thigh hard, ignoring the marine's concern completely. His face twisted with regret. "That damn brat... if he had a method like that, why didn't he tell me? After all the training I provided him!"
'Sending someone else to ask for leave? Why didn't I think of that?'
===============
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