Crunch! Crunch! Crunch!
"Garp, you damn bastard—can you stop munching those senbei for ONE MINUTE?!"
Admiral Sengoku finally exploded.
He'd been discussing important matters with Vice Admiral Tsuru,
but Garp's relentless crunching had broken his concentration one time too many.
"Wahahaha! Relax, will you? No need to be so tense."
"Tense? How am I supposed to relax?!"
Sengoku slammed the table and leapt to his feet, spraying Garp with spit.
"Ever since Roger pulled that stunt before he died,
the seas have spiraled into chaos!
Pirate incidents everywhere, wars everywhere—
and the number of new pirates in just these two years
has increased by thirty percent!
And the number is still rising!"
"These things I can endure.
But the REAL problem is the New World!"
Sengoku jabbed a finger in the air.
"Whitebeard keeps interacting with Fish-Man Island,
Kaido is propping up puppets in Wano,
and even Big Mom is eyeing Elbaf again!
With this kind of instability,
you tell me—HOW am I supposed to relax?!"
"Have some class, will you?"
Garp wiped his face, completely ignoring the rant.
"You idiotic excuse for a 'Marine Hero'!
You should learn from Dragon—
now THAT boy knows how to be calm and steady!"
"What kinda father learns from his son?"
Garp dug in his nose and flicked a green-bean-sized biological weapon at Sengoku.
"Besides, the only reason he turned out like that
is because he inherited MY good genes!
That proves my parenting is a huge success!"
"Just you wait—when he has a son,
I'll raise that kid into the strongest Marine King!"
Barely dodging the incoming booger projectile,
Sengoku finally lost his restraint and lunged at him.
"You idiot—what the hell is a 'Marine King'?!
Your brain's been infected by Roger's pirate nonsense!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru sat down quietly at the side,
used to this "man-on-man wrestling ritual,"
and waited patiently for the fight to end.
Meanwhile, in the corridor—
"Vice Admiral Garp refuses promotion to Admiral,
Admiral Zephyr has retired from frontline duty,
and Commander-in-Chief Kong is still injured from fighting the Red Count."
Rear Admiral Morgan spoke with rare seriousness.
"So right now, Marine Headquarters is practically being held together by Admiral Sengoku alone."
He paused and emphasized,
"So when you meet Admiral Sengoku—do NOT be disrespectful. Understood?"
"I understand."
"That's good. Admiral Seng—"
Morgan, chatting relaxedly as he opened the office door,
froze instantly.
Because inside…
He saw something…
something profoundly eye-melting.
Two large men.
Locked together.
Rolling on the ground.
He slammed the door shut.
"S-sorry! I forgot to knock! A gust of wind blinded me—I didn't see ANYTHING!"
Morgan's thoughts raced:
So the rumors were true…
Sengoku and Garp have a relationship BEYOND comradeship?!
Oh crap. I know too much.
Am I going to be silenced…?
Inside the room—
Sengoku and Garp stiffened mid-scuffle.
They looked at each other.
Then at their very suspicious pose.
They immediately sprang apart.
"Ahem! Looks like you still haven't abandoned your training even as an Admiral!"
Garp said loudly.
"Ahem! After the Golden Lion's attack two years ago,
I must always maintain peak condition."
Sengoku replied solemnly.
"So Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp were sparring?
Even during office hours you still push yourselves.
Truly the model for all Marines!"
Morgan raised his voice with elite survival instinct.
Longinus looked at him with genuine admiration.
That acting ability—what a waste not to join CP organizations.
Seeing Morgan cooperate so well, Sengoku nodded with satisfaction.
"Come in, Rear Admiral Morgan. The door isn't locked."
Once Morgan stepped in, Sengoku's expression sharpened.
"Morgan. What happened with the emergency signal you sent earlier?"
Morgan inhaled deeply, face heavy with grief.
"The Scorpion Pirates and Blade Pirates somehow obtained intel
and ambushed my escort fleet midway.
One-third of my soldiers were killed.
Even among the nine officer candidates we were escorting,
three died in battle."
Sengoku's jaw tightened.
"Outrageous!
How dare pirates brazenly ambush Marines now?!
They grow more lawless by the day.
Tsuru—take a fleet and wipe out both crews!"
But Morgan hurriedly waved his hands.
"W-wait, Admiral!
Those two pirate crews have already been annihilated!"
"Oh?"
Sengoku raised an eyebrow.
"They're fairly strong for Paradise pirates.
If they dared ambush you, I assume they had some confidence.
For you to defeat them… impressive."
"Er… not exactly."
Morgan scratched his cheek awkwardly.
"It was thanks to Major Longinus from G–2.
If he hadn't arrived in time,
we would have been completely wiped out."
"Longinus…"
Sengoku nodded.
"I've heard that name many times from the G–2 officers.
If it's him, then yes—he could do it.
But why was he even there… ah, that's right.
He's also a recruit for this year's Training Camp."
Morgan was inwardly startled.
So Major Longinus is already known by HQ's upper brass…
"Is Longinus here with you?"
"Major Longinus is waiting outside."
"Bring him in."
Longinus entered and immediately saw all three legendary leaders present—
Admiral Sengoku, Vice Admiral Tsuru, and Vice Admiral Garp.
He composed himself, saluted crisply, and spoke firmly:
"Admiral Sengoku—Major Longinus reporting!"
A vibrant face,
a straight and powerful posture,
eyes sharp with resolve—
Sengoku nodded with satisfaction,
as if seeing the perfect son-in-law.
Even the gloom in his heart eased a little.
"Pirates may grow wilder…
but new Marine stars continue to rise.
They are the future of the Marines."
He cleared his throat to begin an inspiring speech—
But was instantly interrupted by wild laughter.
"Wahahaha! So you're Longinus?
Good! Good! You've got a bit of my old spirit!
And that face—almost second only to mine!
No wonder people call you the hero of a new era!"
Garp boasted shamelessly,
ignoring Sengoku's murderous glare.
"Work hard, kid!
Strive to inherit my title as Marine Hero!
And if you can beat Sengoku to becoming Fleet Admiral, even better!"
"SHUT UP, YOU IDIOT!!"
Sengoku hissed, face dark.
His dignity…
His image…
All destroyed by this single man.
He clutched his head internally.
Great.
This bright new young Marine probably just lost all his reverence for 'the hero'…
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