Chapter 13: Garp, Sengoku, Zephyr, and the Shocked Marines
The Five Elders were completely stunned, too shocked to speak.
A mere 17-year-old kid had awakened all three types of Haki, and all three had reached an advanced level!
He possessed the strength to one-shot a Vice Admiral-level CP0 agent!
Even a pirate in their 30s or 40s with such power would be a famous and dominant figure, a true titan on these seas.
But now, a 17-year-old kid possessed this terrifying strength!
How terrifying was his talent? How dreadful was his potential? What heights could his future reach? These questions... were enough to plunge the Five Elders into deep thought.
Could it be that another Rocks had appeared?
No, what made the Five Elders shudder even more was the thought that perhaps even Rocks at 17 did not possess the terrifying strength of Rono at 17!
Who in the world was this guy?!
More importantly, why did he target the Heavenly Tribute? Was it purely for fame, or was it because of the Celestial Dragons? These reasons had to be clarified.
"Have you clarified the reason for this attack?" one of the Elders asked hurriedly.
"According to the description from survivors at the scene, Rono also interrogated the CP0 agent about the Celestial Dragons' whereabouts. Although the specific reason is unknown, it's highly likely he was targeting the Celestial Dragons!" The CP0's tone grew heavy.
In the eyes of these brainwashed individuals, targeting the Celestial Dragons meant Rono had committed an unpardonable, monstrous crime.
"Targeting the Celestial Dragons? Just like Rocks..."
After hearing this, the Five Elders' expressions grew even heavier.
That guy Rocks also frequently hijacked the Heavenly Tribute and slaughtered Celestial Dragons.
If these two were to meet... the consequences would be unimaginable!
"This child cannot be allowed to live!"
Quickly, the Five Elders exchanged glances. Their long cooperation gave the five old men a deep understanding of each other, and they instantly knew what the others were thinking.
This Rono... must be smothered in the cradle as soon as possible!
If he was allowed to grow, he would inevitably become a great disaster in the future!
Of course, the even more severe consequence would be if Rocks recruited Rono. If those two joined forces, it would be the absolute last thing the Five Elders wanted to see.
"Notify the Marines immediately! Issue a bounty order. With such terrifying potential at such a young age, he must be eliminated at all costs!"
The Five Elders quickly commanded.
"Oh, right. Besides Rono, he had an accomplice named Roger."
"His strength is on par with Rono's, and he's around 30 years old."
Only then did the CP0 agent remember that there was another person at the scene besides Rono, who must have been his accomplice.
After all, the shock Rono brought them was so great they had almost forgotten about Roger.
"Anyone associated with Rono, eliminate them all!" the Five Elders declared in unison.
Soon, Marine Headquarters received the news.
In the Marine office, the current Admiral, "Steel Bone" Kong, had gathered Garp, Sengoku, Zephyr, Tsuru, and many other key figures.
Not only that, but even the new Marine recruit, Dragon, was in the conference room.
The Marines had learned that Dragon awakened his Conqueror's Haki during this incident and were taking it very seriously, deciding to cultivate him as a priority.
After hearing about the Heavenly Tribute incident, everyone in the Marines wore expressions of utter disbelief.
After all, it was the first time any of them had heard of a seventeen-year-old possessing such strength.
"What are your opinions? Speak up," Kong (Steel Bone) said to the group.
Almost everyone present was a future pillar of the Marines, especially Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr. All three were currently Admiral candidates.
In terms of strength, the three of them were already nearly on par with an Admiral.
Kong (Steel Bone) had called them here intentionally to train them.
"This guy named Rono, to have such terrifying strength at such a young age... we really must eliminate him as soon as possible. At the very least, he must be captured and imprisoned in Impel Down," Zephyr spoke up.
The current Zephyr already showed the makings of the "non-killing" Admiral.
"That's right. The impact of hijacking the Heavenly Tribute is extremely severe. It will damage the reputation of our Marine justice. We must act quickly," Sengoku agreed with the proposal.
Just then, Garp suddenly stood up and said, "This guy did hijack the Heavenly Tribute, but he was targeting the Celestial Dragons. You all know the character of that scum. There's probably more to this story."
Garp had always been disgusted with the Celestial Dragons, so he didn't particularly hate Rono for his crime, and certainly didn't think he needed to be hunted down and killed.
Hearing this, Admiral Kong (Steel Bone) immediately shouted, "Garp, watch what you say!"
On the surface, it was a reprimand, but in reality, it was protection. If words like that reached the Celestial Dragons, even he, an Admiral, couldn't protect Garp.
After all, the God Valley Incident hadn't happened yet. Garp didn't have the "Hero of the Marines" title to shield him.
"Admiral Kong, you should also know what virtue those Celestial Dragons have. Before the background check is complete, it's best we don't act rashly," Garp said, not caring if the Celestial Dragons heard him or not.
"Report, Admiral Kong (Steel Bone)! We've investigated Rono's background!"
Just then, a Marine rushed into the conference room and handed a document to Kong (Steel Bone).
"Good." After receiving the file, Kong immediately began to read it.
But the moment he finished reading the file, his expression changed, becoming somewhat... awkward.
Seeing this, Sengoku hurriedly asked, "Admiral Kong, what happened?"
Kong tossed the file on the table. "See for yourselves."
Soon, the group finished reading the file, and all their expressions changed.
It was simple. The file recorded Rono's life and hometown. After all, Rono had been an ordinary person for over ten years, so his background was easy to investigate.
The file stated that one week before the Heavenly Tribute incident, a Celestial Dragon traveled to Rono's hometown and shot many civilians, including Rono's parents!
And Rono had witnessed the entire thing with his own eyes!
"No wonder this guy hijacked the Heavenly Tribute and was trying to track down the Celestial Dragon. Now it all makes sense!"
Garp slammed the file onto the table with a *slap*, his expression furious.
Those useless Celestial Dragons! They brought this on themselves and have now stirred up another huge mess.
Garp even wanted to say, "Good job robbing them!"
Sengoku and Zephyr, who had just been clamoring to uproot Rono, now looked awkward.
They originally thought this Rono was some great villain, but they hadn't expected this hidden story.
To watch one's parents be killed by Celestial Dragons... if it were them, they probably would have done the same thing.
"So that's what happened..." Dragon, hearing this reason from the side, froze in place.
He now understood why Rono had insisted on interrogating the CP0 about the Celestial Dragon's whereabouts.
If this had happened to him, he definitely would have done the same thing as Rono.