Marine Headquarters.
"..."
"What's wrong, little Hawke?"
"You're unwilling?"
Vice Admiral Tsuru looked calmly at Hawke, whose expression showed hesitation, and asked softly.
In her opinion, her granddaughter Kujaku was twenty-three this year, and Hawke was just in his early twenties as well.
Young people should interact more.
Back in her own day, she, Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr had all supported each other through trials and hardships before reaching where they were now.
Hawke was far more outstanding than any of them had been at his age. Letting Kujaku learn under him would only bring benefits—no downsides.
Although her granddaughter had a few… peculiar little quirks, they were nothing serious.
Hawke should agree.
"Uh..."
Hawke's mind instantly conjured up the image of Vice Admiral Tsuru's granddaughter—Kujaku.
She had a well-proportioned figure, long golden hair, and bright emerald-green eyes.
In the original story, she wore a pink dress with red-and-white spotted patterns, a Justice coat draped over her shoulders, and a pink hat atop her head.
She was a Paramecia-type user—the Whip-Whip Fruit.
(T/N: Kujaku is a domineering woman who often employs flirtatious, yet abusive language, not shying away to use it on her fellow co-Marines or even superiors.)
Kujaku... liked...
Hawke's thoughts raced rapidly.
Should he refuse?
Refuse?
Why would he refuse?
That idea only stayed in his head for a brief moment before he completely crushed it.
Admiral Akainu's daughter, Hibari, had just joined.
Now, Vice Admiral Tsuru's granddaughter, Kujaku, was also going to join.
He had already agreed to one, so adding another made no difference.
Besides, he had felt it was inconvenient before, having only rough, burly men under his command and only Hibari as the sole female.
Now, with Kujaku joining, they'd make a perfect pair.
But, more importantly...
Vice Admiral Tsuru was willing to place her granddaughter under his command, which represented trust and reliance.
For him, this was an excellent opportunity!
Admiral Akainu represented the Hawk Faction, the strongest hardline military faction within the Marines.
His support allowed Hawke to operate freely at the frontlines, unrestrained, and to enforce his own "Justice of Slaughter."
Meanwhile, Vice Admiral Tsuru was the Marine's brain, an elder from the same era as Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp.
Her connections and influence extended into every corner of the Marines.
With her support, he would be spared countless troubles and political resistance.
One was an Admiral in his prime, a future Fleet Admiral.
The other, a highly respected veteran elder.
With these two powerful backers, Hawke could establish an unshakable position within the Marines, beyond anyone's reach.
Thinking through all this...
The trace of hesitation on Hawke's face vanished completely, replaced by solemnity and sincerity.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, it is my honor to earn your trust."
He bowed slightly, his tone firm.
"With Commander Kujaku joining the G-3 Branch, I will do my utmost to train her well and will never disappoint your expectations!"
"Hmm..."
Vice Admiral Tsuru looked at Hawke with a gratified smile.
Not bad.
This boy was quick-witted.
"Little Hawke, this old lady doesn't have much ability," Vice Admiral Tsuru said slowly. "I can only rely on my seniority to slightly influence Sengoku's decisions."
"Your capabilities are remarkable, so in my opinion, the more funding and equipment for the G-3 Branch, the better."
"I'll secure you a fifty percent increase in the G-3 Branch's total military budget for the next three years."
"Additionally, I'll allocate three more large battleships and five medium-sized battleships to the G-3 Branch."
"..."
"???"
Hawke was stunned for a moment.
Huh?!
Vice Admiral Tsuru, you call this 'not much ability'?
This wasn't just a few scraps of weapons or rations—this was the entire G-3 Branch's annual military budget!
An increase of fifty percent—that's one and a half times the original amount!
This was an astronomical figure, enough to drive any branch commander crazy!
And those warships...
The Marine Headquarters' warship allocation standards were:
Giant-class battleships went to Admirals and Vice Admirals.
Large battleships were assigned to Rear Admirals and Commodores.
Medium-sized battleships were for officers of the Captain rank and above.
By rights, as a newly promoted Commodore overseeing the G-3 Branch, he should at most be allocated one large battleship and a few medium-sized ones.
But now, Fleet Admiral Sengoku had already granted him a brand-new giant-class battleship.
And Vice Admiral Tsuru was adding three large battleships and five medium-sized battleships on top of that!
This meant his G-3 Branch would possess a formidable fleet: one giant-class battleship, three large battleships, and several medium-sized battleships!
This wasn't favoritism anymore—this was outright indulgence!
With this funding and fleet, there would be so much he could accomplish in the Grand Line!
"..."
Hawke finally snapped out of his shock and gave Vice Admiral Tsuru a formal, respectful salute.
"Thank you very much, Vice Admiral Tsuru!"
"Hmm."
Tsuru extended her hand and gently patted Hawke's shoulder, her gesture warm and kind.
"Kujaku will be returning to Headquarters in the next couple of days. I'll arrange for you two to meet then."
"Work hard."
"Yes, ma'am!"
After speaking, Tsuru turned and gave Hibari, who hadn't dared to make a sound the whole time, a kindly nod before slowly walking away.
Hawke watched her leave, then turned toward Hibari.
"Hibari."
"You'll have a new companion soon."
"Mhm!"
Hibari nodded vigorously, her small head buzzing with excitement as her thoughts ran wild.
Brainstorming session.
Tsuru sent over Kujaku and even approved such a huge increase in Hawke's military budget, not to mention assigning him so many warships.
Tsuru is a Vice Admiral, and my old man is an Admiral…
Shouldn't my old man be showing a bit more support?
When I go back tonight, I'll talk to him about it…
Something like a dozen giant warships for Hawke!
...
East Blue.
The arrangements for the 16th Branch's staggered leave were quickly finalized.
Since Zoro had just joined, he hadn't been assigned any specific duties yet.
So, Dane simply let him take his leave with the first group. As long as he made it back to the 16th Branch on time, it would be fine.
Before long, a small boat sailed away from the dock.
Zoro, dressed in his brand-new Seaman Recruit uniform, stood at the bow, letting the sea breeze ruffle his short green hair.
A Marine soldier, who was also on his way home, skillfully adjusted the sails.
The small boat rode the waves steadily toward Shimotsuki Village.
After some time had passed—
"..."
Zoro watched the changing scenery around him. Something about this place looked familiar… and yet not.
It felt like he had seen it before, and yet he hadn't.
He finally asked, "You're sure this is the way to Shimotsuki Village, right?"
"Uh…"
The Marine soldier steering the boat hesitated for a moment.
His hometown was near Shimotsuki Village, which was why he happened to be heading the same way this time.
He had traveled this sea route more than a dozen times before.
He was absolutely confident there was no way he could get lost.
But…
The story of Seaman Recruit Zoro challenging and defeating the entire branch's soldiers with sheer stamina had already spread.
For someone that strong…
He couldn't possibly not know the way, right?
"..."
The Marine soldier slowly lowered the sail, letting the boat slow down.
He pulled out a nautical chart and a compass, carefully comparing their position again and again.
"No mistake… this is the right way…"
But when he looked up and saw Zoro standing proudly at the bow, full of confidence, a wave of self-doubt washed over him.
Could it be… that he was the one who didn't know the way?
Forget it, he decided to just keep going. If they were wrong, they could always turn back later.
"Whoosh—"
The Marine soldier raised the sail again.
Soon enough, a familiar coastline came into view, and the outline of Shimotsuki Village grew clearer with each passing moment.
"Thanks. Let's part ways here."
Zoro stepped off the boat, his feet landing firmly on solid ground.
The Marine soldier looked at him and kindly asked,
"When it's almost time to regroup, do you want me to come pick you up?"
"No need!"
Zoro grinned confidently and gave the soldier a thumbs-up.
"Don't worry, I won't get lost!"
As if I'd ever get lost!