Chapter 3: Promotion! Summons to Headquarters
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Several personnel files lay on the desk in Fleet Admiral Sengoku's office, all belonging to the same man: Jock Ian. Next to them was a copy of that morning's maritime newspaper, its front-page headline blaring: "Pirate-Free East Blue! 'Adjudicator of the Sea' Jock Ian Promoted from East Blue Branch to Headquarters!"
"Pfft… Bahahaha!"
A roar of laughter erupted from one side of the desk. A tall, powerfully built old man was clutching his stomach, his shoulders shaking with mirth. His face was a weathered map of wrinkles and scars, but it spoke not of weakness, only of enduring strength and resilience. This was Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, a naval legend known as the "Hero of the Navy."
"Garp! You've been laughing since you walked in here. What is so funny?" Sengoku snapped, adjusting the seagull perched on his hat and twisting his mustache in irritation.
"Sengoku, have you read this kid's file? Hahaha!" Garp managed to get out between guffaws. "The Human-Human Fruit? He's a regular human who ate the plain, no-frills Human-Human Fruit! How can you not laugh at that? He happily accepted the 'gift' of being hated by the sea! What a character!"
Garp laughed so hard he nearly toppled his chair over backwards.
Sengoku's expression remained stern as he picked up Ian's "Headquarters Transfer and Promotion Order" and stamped it firmly with the seal symbolizing the highest authority of the Naval Headquarters. "Eating the standard Human-Human Fruit isn't entirely without merit," he stated. "Zoan-type Devil Fruits enhance the user's physical attributes. At the very least, his physical fitness and recovery abilities must far exceed those of an ordinary person."
He tapped the file. "Based on his combat records and the testimonies of the pirates he's captured, 'Incredible Strength' and 'A Body of Steel' are the most consistent descriptions. Wouldn't it be perfectly feasible for him to develop his physical combat skills and Haki to their peak?"
Asking Garp that question was answering it themselves. Garp was the living proof, a naval hero who stood proudly at the pinnacle of the Marines' combat power relying solely on his immense Haki and physical prowess, utterly rejecting the use of a Devil Fruit.
"With his hand-to-hand combat and Haki, he swept through the East Blue, wiping out countless pirate scum. It's not impossible, it just feels a little... too convenient?" mused Vice Admiral Tsuru, the strategic mastermind known as the Navy's Chief of Staff. Her gray hair was tied back in a neat ponytail as she meticulously arranged the captured pirates' confession files into a nine-square grid for easier analysis. "The pirates who are still capable of speech have a surprisingly uniform assessment of Ian's combat prowess."
"I see, the pirates all agree..." Garp looked up at Sengoku, a thoughtful frown replacing his laughter. "What does she mean, Sengoku? Translate it for me."
Sengoku shot Garp an exasperated look before turning back to Tsuru. "Tsuru, are you suggesting that Ian might not be truthful about his Devil Fruit ability?"
Finally catching on, Garp grunted in understanding. So Tsuru suspected Ian hadn't reported his actual Fruit power.
"That possibility cannot be ruled out. There's no direct evidence; it's merely a personal conjecture," Tsuru replied calmly.
Sengoku pressed further. "What's your reasoning? What leads you to suspect this?"
Tsuru pulled three specific sheets from the stack of documents. "Before he became base commander, Headquarters issued a warning to Ian in a report concerning his excessive lethality during arrests. After that, the number of pirates killed during capture did indeed decrease significantly. However, among the pirates captured alive, three in total—including Krieg, who was reported yesterday—have suffered from dementia, indicating severe damage to their brain nerves."
Garp folded his arms, nodding slowly as he processed this. "I see. So out of the thousands of pirates captured, three were beaten so badly they lost their minds. Sengoku, what does she mean by that? Translate it again."
Sengoku sighed, pinching the bridge of his nose. "..."
"Never mind," Tsuru said, raising a hand to stop them. "Perhaps I am simply being overly cautious. Once he arrives at Headquarters, we will have ample opportunity for further observation."
...
East Blue, 16th Naval Branch.
Base Commander's Office.
Ian was lazily juggling an orange in one hand while holding that morning's newspaper in the other. He scowled at the photo of himself on the front page. "Who took this picture? They should be dragged in here and disciplined. They didn't even capture 20% of my heroic majesty!"
He tossed the newspaper aside and picked up another document on his desk.
"Notification of the Exceptional Promotion of Lieutenant Colonel Jock Ian of the 16th Branch of the East Blue Navy to the Rank of Commodore at Marine Headquarters!"
"Such a long, clunky title. Couldn't they just write 'Promotion Notice'?" Ian couldn't help but complain.
Being valued by Headquarters and promoted after pacifying the East Blue was a progression entirely within his expectations. If he hadn't wanted to go to the Grand Line, he wouldn't have been so conspicuously active over the past six months. Only by facing stronger opponents could he earn more enhancement points and accelerate his own growth and evolution. Besides, a life of quiet comfort in a remote corner of the world was never his goal.
Since taking command of the base, Ian had been deliberately concealing the unique abilities of his awakened Human-Human Fruit during combat. His Haki and physical skills were more than enough to dominate the East Blue. On the rare occasions he used his awakening skills to practice, he was extremely cautious—either ensuring the target was killed or reduced to a vegetative state, like in the tavern yesterday, where he waited until the hostages were clear before testing his "Sense Annihilation" technique.
Here and now, no one truly knew the full extent of the cards he held. Keeping this hidden strength was a strategic consideration for after his transfer to Headquarters.
His current awakened Human-Human Fruit abilities, the skills to control the senses, came with certain prerequisites and limitations.
First was the range limit for activating the skills. The target and Ian himself had to be within a certain distance for techniques like "Sense Annihilation" to work. This was perfectly normal; every ability user had a range limit for their external techniques. Akainu couldn't turn the entire world into a sea of magma, and Aokiji couldn't just reach out and freeze the whole Grand Line. As Ian himself grew stronger and developed his Devil Fruit further, this range was gradually expanding. For now, covering the entire branch base was roughly his limit.
Second, the Devil Fruit ability could be rendered ineffective against exceptionally powerful Haki. With his current prowess, Ian couldn't instantly strip a powerful opponent of all their senses before they could muster their Haki. The loss of human perception was a process; like death, it was a gradual dissipation, not an instantaneous event. Even if compressed to a few seconds, it was still enough time for a true master to react. Therefore, whether the opponent knew about the existence of the "Sense Annihilation" ability was crucial.
In Ian's view, revealing his awakened skills required the right timing. Once his strength and status reached a certain level, there would be no need to hide them. But in the early days at Headquarters, keeping a few cards up his sleeve wasn't a bad strategy.
Knock, knock, knock...
"Commodore Ian? It's Nami!"
Nami's voice came from outside the door.
"Enter," Ian called out.
Nami walked in and went straight to his desk, reporting with a serious expression. "The warship sent to escort you back to Headquarters for your commissioning and appointment has arrived!"
Ian was taken aback.
"So soon? Did they fly here?"