One Piece : From Slave to Fleet Admiral

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

At this moment, Sengoku sat in his office, veins bulging slightly on his forehead as he stared at Sakazuki, who stood before him in complete silence.

"Sakazuki, I've asked you the same question three times now! You've been standing here for twenty minutes and the only words you've spoken were when I told you to sit down and you said 'No need.' What the hell is going through your mind?!"

But what nearly drove Sengoku mad was that Sakazuki still didn't speak.

He remained standing there, like a block of wood, not uttering a single word.

"Sakazuki! I hate how you're like a block of wood!"

Sengoku's roar echoed through the entire office floor, his voice hoarse and weary.

Just as Sengoku was about to reach his boiling point, Sakazuki finally lifted his head and spoke slowly.

"If it's about Jake, I don't know much. But his Devil Fruit… is likely of a similar type to yours, Fleet Admiral Sengoku."

"I saw that in the newspapers! A Marine Fleet Admiral, learning about a prodigy within his own ranks through the papers?! Does that seem right to you, you bastard?!"

At this, Sakazuki lowered his head slightly and, once again, said nothing.

Sengoku felt a throbbing pain in his head at this moment.

He gulped down a mouthful of water and then continued in a hoarse voice.

"What I mean is, why didn't you tell me all this when you first discovered Jake?!"

As he spoke, Sengoku couldn't contain his anger.

He stood up abruptly and slammed the stack of documents about Jake onto the desk, roaring.

"Mastery of two types of Haki! A Devil Fruit user with the Mythical Zoan Seraphim form! The first Conqueror's Haki wielder the Marines have seen in nearly twenty years! And possessing the courage and boldness to repel the Big Mom Pirates! You bastard, why didn't you report such an important talent sooner?!"

Sakazuki looked up, his lips twitching slightly.

Heaven knew that while he'd had his own small plans when first encountering Jake, he truly hadn't known the boy possessed all these abilities!

When he'd been teaching Jake, the kid was just an ordinary person who'd eat a rare Devil Fruit.

His progress was indeed fast, but not at the terrifying level of those monstrous geniuses.

So in Sakazuki's eyes at the time, reporting about Jake sooner or later hadn't mattered—in fact, Monet's priority should have been higher than Jake's.

After all, in Sakazuki's estimation back then, Jake's future achievements would likely be at the level of a Vice Admiral candidate, whereas Monet, if she could develop her Devil Fruit abilities to the limit, might become the next Kuzan.

But who could have imagined that after merely asking Borsalino to train those two for a few days, so many unexpected developments would emerge!

Armament Haki and Observation Haki—could those really be learned in just a few days?

Even Borsalino himself didn't possess Conqueror's Haki, so how could he have taught it to Jake?

And repelling the Big Mom Pirates? Just how many things had that bastard Kizaru failed to report to him?!

For a moment, Sakazuki felt his head pounding as Sengoku kept repeating "Then I ask you, then I ask you," making him feel like he was about to lose his temper!

Just then, the Den Den Mushi on Sengoku's desk rang.

Shooting a fierce glance at Sakazuki who remained standing silently before him, Sengoku picked up the receiver and shouted.

"Sengoku here, what is it?!"

Hearing the clearly furious tone on the other end, Kizaru was startled.

The Den Den Mushi's slightly lecherous expression froze momentarily before Kizaru's voice came through, laced with his signature sarcastic drawl.

"How scaryyyyy~ Fleet Admiral Sengoku~ Moshi moshi~ This is Borsalino speaking, can you hear me~"

Listening to Kizaru's drawn-out sleazy tone, Sengoku pinched the bridge of his nose with his left hand, his voice betraying unconcealed exhaustion.

"I can hear you, Kizaru! Spit it out if you have something to say! Is this about news concerning Jake?"

"Oh~ As expected of Fleet Admiral Sengoku~ You guessed exactly what I was going to say. Jake's progress has been truly remarkable lately~ Just two days ago, I tested him with a Doriki measuring device, and he's already reached an astonishing 457 Doriki~ He's about to step into superhuman territory~ How terrifying~ And he's only been training for less than two months, yet he's made such tremendous progress~"

Kizaru's words left Sengoku somewhat puzzled.

"Borsalino, are you telling me Jake truly mastered both types of Haki in just two months, while increasing his Doriki from the initial 10 to 457? And... he even awakened Conqueror's Haki? Do you really think that's possible?"

Kizaru could understand Sengoku's skepticism and explained with a smile.

"How terrifying~ But I'm telling the truth. That kid Jake is truly a once-in-a-generation genius. Whether it's Armament Haki or Observation Haki, he only needs to see them once to master them. You might not believe it, but he really learned both types of Haki just by glancing at them~ Even I was shocked~"

"And it's not just Haki. Even the swordsmanship techniques from Sakazuki's subordinates—Jake basically mastered them after a single look, Fleet Admiral Sengoku~ Perhaps Jake really is a gift from the heavens to our Marines~"

Listening to Kizaru's words, Sengoku fell silent for a moment before continuing.

"If what you say is true, then Jake is indeed the future of the Marines. Cancel all your current missions immediately and escort Jake and that Logia girl to Marineford. Not a single mishap is allowed. Also, you bastard, if you knew all this, why didn't you report it to me sooner? Do you realize I had to learn about this from the newspapers—"

"Moshi moshi~ How strange~ The signal seems to be cutting out~ How odd~"

As Kizaru's somewhat lecherous voice gradually faded, the "Buru Buru" sound of the Den Den Mushi echoed, making the atmosphere in the office even heavier.

Sengoku glanced at Sakazuki, who remained silent with his head lowered, sighed and then said helplessly.

"Borsalino has already called to explain on your behalf. You can leave for now. As for Jake's talent, once he enters the new recruit training camp, Zephyr will assess him properly. If he truly is a one-in-a-million genius… then I think you need to reconsider the matter regarding Flevance."