MTLNOVEL Chapter 58: Chapter 58
The conference room at Marine Headquarters was filled to capacity.
At Fleet Admiral Sengoku's sudden summons, every available officer at Marineford had assembled. Once they were all seated, they picked up the documents on the table, their expressions quickly turning to puzzlement.
A murmur of surprise went through the room.
Kuzan and Garp, having only just returned, felt their lips twitch at the sight of a very familiar name on the briefing papers.
'What did that kid get into now?' Kuzan wondered. 'Attacking the king of an allied nation?'
His brow furrowed for a fraction of a second, a flicker of solemnity in his gaze. Just as quickly, it vanished. He returned to his usual lazy slouch, leaning back in his chair as if ready for a nap.
As for Garp... after a brief, stunned pause, he went right back to cheerfully munching on his rice crackers, as if nothing in the world was wrong.
Sengoku, seated at the head of the table, decided it was time. He scanned the faces before him, he asked with grave expression . "What do you all think?"
His words drew their gazes, and several officers frowned back at him.
"Sengoku, isn't this a bit much?" Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Great Staff Officer, spoke up, her white hair tied back neatly. "The Mock Pirates just entered the Grand Line. Is all this really necessary?"
She'd assumed the emergency meeting was for something major. But this? A strategy session for a rookie crew?
Her sentiment was shared. The other officers looked at Sengoku with open confusion.
It wasn't just a full house, the Three Admirals and the Hero of the Marines were present. This was the kind of assembly you'd call to plan an assault on one of the Four Emperors. Yet here they were, discussing how to catch a crew that had just sailed out of the weakest sea. It felt like a gross overreaction.
Anyone could see that aside from the ever-glowering Akainu, Kizaru was busy filing his nails and Aokiji had already pulled down his eye mask to get some sleep.
"Ahem." Sengoku cleared his throat, a wry look on his face. "To be fair, I only summoned the officers currently on base. I didn't realize you were all so... available today."
"..."
"Alright, since you're all here, let's get down to it." Ignoring the sour expressions, Sengoku's face grew serious again. "Do not underestimate the Mock Pirates. In the East Blue, they fought the 16th Branch to a standstill for years, inflicting heavy losses and keeping them constantly on the back foot."
"Isn't that the boy Zephyr was so proud of?" Tsuru frowned. "I remember the name. That branch commander has been drowning us in funding requests for years, always pleading poverty. The auditing department nearly flagged him for colluding with pirates."
It was true. The 16th Branch was infamous for its paperwork. If they hadn't been applying for funds to fight the exact same crew, year after year, the finance department wouldn't have looked twice.
"We investigated that," Sengoku said with a helpless nod. "His requests were all by the book. The simple truth is that the Mock Pirates were more than the 16th Branch could handle, which is why their equipment losses were so consistently high."
Before Tsuru could reply, Akainu spoke.
"A former prodigy?" he scoffed, his arms crossed tightly over his chest. "After all these years, he can't even handle a single crew from the weakest sea, yet he has the gall to request more funds? Pathetic. It seems Zephyr's standards for 'genius' have fallen."
"He was never the same after what happened," Sengoku said with a sigh. "Getting demoted to a dead-end post in the East Blue... it broke his spirit. I remember the kid, he really was a talent. Headquarters made an exception to grant him the rank of Captain. He had potential."
"A Marine's only duty is to obey," Akainu countered, his voice dripping with disdain. "A man who can't even uphold his own justice is nothing but a coward."
"Fine, you have a point. He never recovered, and maybe Zephyr was wrong about him. But that's not what matters right now." Sengoku waved the topic aside. "This pirate captain is dangerous. He united the pirates of the East Blue, held a feast, and declared he would 'cleanse' the 16th Branch with blood. If Smoker hadn't arrived to reinforce them, the Mock Pirates might have actually wiped them out."
He leaned forward, his voice low and serious. "Shortly after entering the Grand Line, he defeated one of the Shichibukai, Crocodile. Now, just days later, he's captured the King of Drum Kingdom. He despises the Marines, he plunders our allies, and he's just getting started. Imagine the ambition on him."
Sengoku's frowned and continued with solemn tone. "Furthermore, Garp has already faced this crew in the East Blue, and they managed to escape him. He may be a rookie on the Grand Line, but his strength is not to be underestimated. For the details on that, you can ask Garp."
All eyes turned to the vice admiral. Sengoku turned too, and his eyelid twitched seeing Garp still happily crunching on snacks, completely tuned out.
*Thud!*
Sengoku slammed his fist on the table. "This is a meeting, Garp! Pay attention!"
"Huh? Oh, right, right!" Garp nodded cheerfully, unfazed by the outburst. "You got it, Sengoku! Everything you said!"
The room fell silent.
Of course, this was just Garp being Garp being lazy and unconcerned. Everyone knew that. Still, the facts remained. A pirate who could escape Garp, then defeat a Shichibukai like Crocodile... he was no ordinary rookie.
"In that case, we do need to take this seriously," Tsuru conceded, nodding. "It seems the East Blue has produced another troublesome one."
They were still dealing with the fallout from Portgas D. Ace, and now another one pops up, causing chaos the moment he hits the Grand Line. That sea was nothing but trouble.
"So, what's your plan?" she asked.
"We stop him in the first half of the Grand Line," Sengoku declared. "We cannot allow an element this volatile to grow stronger."
"I see," Tsuru mused. "But... isn't the World Government preparing to offer him a position as the new Shichibukai?"
"The appointment letter is sitting on my desk. It hasn't been sent," Sengoku said, shaking his head. "We'll see if he even manages to escape this time. Besides..." He continued with determined look. "A pirate with that much ambition isn't likely to accept the offer anyway."
A rookie fresh on the Grand Line, high on his own success? That was the last man who would bend the knee.
"Then it's settled. Let's discuss who to send after the Mock Pirates. We cannot let him run wild."
With the decision made, the officers began debating logistics. A pirate who'd escaped Garp, eluded Smoker, and beaten Crocodile would require a significant response. At minimum, a Rear Admiral, supported by several Captains and local branches. They couldn't afford a repeat of the Ace situation.
This pirate had to be contained in Paradise.
Just as a plan was finalized, with Sengoku nodding in satisfaction, the doors opened.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, new intelligence!" a Marine reported, walking in with a strange expression. He glanced nervously at the assembled command before handing a report to Sengoku. "It's the latest from the East Blue."
"Intelligence from the East Blue? Has another dangerous individual appeared there?" Sengoku took the report with a puzzled expression. When he saw it was from the Loguetown Branch, his face froze, then he frowned and looked down.
Then, under everyone's gaze, he fell silent.
After a long moment, Sengoku let out a heavy sigh and slapped the paper down on the table. "Meeting adjourned. You're all dismissed."
A wave of confusion washed over the officers.
"Sengoku," Tsuru said, frowning. "What about the Mock Pirates? We were just about to block him off in the first half of the Grand Line."
"That will no longer be necessary."
"What do you mean, 'no longer necessary'?"
Sengoku rubbed his temples, looking like he had a massive headache and nowhere to direct his anger. "Mock..." he said, his voice laced with pure exasperation. "He's turned around and gone right back to the East Blue."
The Marine officers, who'd just been engaged in an intense discussion, immediately exchanged bewildered glances. What exactly were the Mock Pirates doing? They'd already defeated a Shichibukai and caused this much ruckus, shouldn't they be continuing their rapid advance and realizing their ambitions? Why in the world had they rolled back to the East Blue again? Were they insane?!
'All that for a one-week tour of the Grand Line?'
===============
Dear Readers and Fans,
For those eager to dive into next chapters earlier before others, I invite you to join us on Patreon. By becoming our Patron, you not only gain access to exclusive advanced chapters but also help us continue this endeavour and expand it further.
https://www.pat reon.com/8Ashes8
(no space)
You can read upto 7 Chapters in advance.