One week later, the number of ships docked at the port of Lodestar Island began to drop sharply. Marine warships from across the world were starting to return home.
Unlike their covert arrival, meant to avoid the eyes of the Roger Pirates, the Marines had no reason to sneak around on their way back. With both Garp and Sengoku escorting them, the grand fleet of the Navy set out from Lodestar Island in a majestic procession, heading straight for Marine Headquarters.
The journey home wasn't idle either. Pirates along the route were conveniently wiped out. When they arrived, the warships barely met standard load lines. By the time they returned, their hulls rode noticeably lower.
It was clear that once the fleet returned, Impel Down would be expecting many new guests.
At the port of Lodestar Island, Kuzan and Yoriichi Tsugikuni, leaders of the newly established G-ICE Branch, stood side by side on the dock, watching the fleet disappear over the horizon.
Kuzan stretched lazily, a smile on his face as he sighed in relief.
"Our positions have finally changed for real."
"Yoriichi, starting today, our lives as Marines are finally entering their development phase."
While Marine Headquarters had plenty of officers, those who could actually lead an entire branch were rare. Many Rear Admirals and Commodores held their ranks in name only, with no actual authority or command.
Most of them had to follow Vice Admirals on missions, or operate in joint groups with other Rear Admirals. Their actions were limited, and their powers saw no real increase.
Very few officers at HQ had the authority to make personnel appointments. After all, HQ was overflowing with Vice Admirals, and above them were the Admirals and Fleet Admiral. Who would give a Rear Admiral or a Commodore say in appointments?
Although neither Kuzan nor Yoriichi had been promoted in rank, becoming leaders of their own branch gave them unprecedented influence.
As long as they could secure funding, they could build a branch of any size they wished and recruit as many Marines as they needed.
Imagine a Rear Admiral commanding tens of thousands. Would he still be a Rear Admiral in the eyes of others?
"With great power comes great responsibility."
"Lodestar Island is deep in the New World. The situation we're stepping into… will be incredibly complex."
"Kuzan, how do you plan to build this new branch?"
"By relying on those fresh recruits you brought aboard?"
"If that's the plan, then we might as well retreat from the New World while we still can."
Yoriichi didn't share Kuzan's optimism. Establishing a foothold this deep in the New World wasn't going to be easy.
Forget the countless pirates in nearby waters, just the bunch of misfits already within the branch were headache enough.
Yoriichi wasn't a bleeding heart, but he didn't want green recruits dying meaninglessly in the New World.
This wasn't the kind of place rookies should be sent to.
"Of course not, we have to expand."
"I'm planning to recruit a thousand people first, just to get the branch up and running."
Kuzan replied without hesitation, eyes full of excitement for the future.
Yoriichi stared at him like he'd gone mad.
A thousand? Just by talking? Even with decent funding, battle-ready Marines in the New World weren't exactly easy to come by.
Besides, this was the New World. Anyone with strength became a pirate. Who in their right mind would labor and produce instead of robbing and sailing freely?
What did he think people were, oxen?
"Haha, just kidding."
Realizing he was being overly idealistic, Kuzan chuckled and then gazed out at the sea. After a moment of serious thought, he spoke solemnly.
"Yoriichi, I'm planning to establish a communication network first."
"Sailing in the New World depends on Log Poses and Vivre Cards. We'll need both for navigation."
"I want to spend some time surveying the seas around Lodestar Island, getting familiar with nearby towns and kingdoms, and then set up the communication network."
"Define patrol zones, and stabilize the surrounding sea first."
"A stable environment will attract civilians. A large population base will naturally become our recruitment pool."
"That's our external plan. Internally, I'll train the Marines we already have."
"They joined because they believe in justice. I trust that once they're trained up, they'll become the foundation of our branch."
Most of Kuzan's crew had been enlisted for less than a year. Only a handful of non-commissioned officers were transferred from other units, and even then, that number was small.
The branch's combat power was extremely top-heavy. The base-level Marines were still quite weak.
What Kuzan said was, finally, truly constructive.
"Yeah, I agree. No need to rush expansion, or start missions right away."
"Let's focus on strengthening ourselves first."
"Kuzan, suggest to HQ that they transfer Kyros here. And if possible, bring over some of last year's Marine Academy graduates, those with officer-level training."
"We need people with leadership skills. If we rely only on our own training, we won't be able to manage everything."
No matter the era, talent is always the scarcest resource.
Right now, that's exactly what Kuzan and Yoriichi lacked the most.
Hearing Yoriichi's suggestion, Kuzan didn't hesitate. He took out his Den Den Mushi and dialed Sengoku directly. Although just a Rear Admiral, Kuzan wasn't like the others. He could contact Admiral Sengoku directly.
Sengoku, who had just left Lodestar Island not long ago, answered the call and didn't refuse Kuzan's request. He immediately issued transfer orders for Kyros.
More than that, Sengoku was fully aware of the challenges Kuzan faced. He not only sent Kyros, but also deployed Momonga, Kibin, and Shuen to the G-ICE Branch.
Momonga had graduated from the Marine Academy and, after more than a year of rigorous service, was now a Lieutenant Colonel active in the West Blue.
Kibin, though only a Lieutenant, had advanced through the ranks at rocket speed. Like Momonga, he had been stationed in the West Blue.
Shuen, now a Lieutenant Commander, had been active in the South Blue and also climbed ranks rapidly.
All three were solid in terms of strength.
Momonga specialized in Rokushiki, with a fierce sword style. He could now unleash flying slashes, placing him on the verge of becoming a sword master. He could lead squads to take down pirates with bounties around 50 million, comparable to Alabasta-era Zoro.
Kibin had a strong mastery of Tekkai, making him nearly impervious to ordinary pirate attacks. He could take on pirates with bounties around 20 million, about evenly matched with the future Arlong.
Shuen had a unique edge. During a mission, he accidentally consumed a Devil Fruit and gained the power of the Rust-Rust Fruit. His combat effectiveness was hard to measure, but if the opponent was a swordsman, his advantage was overwhelming. At his current limit, he was roughly equal to Momonga.
Kuzan, Yoriichi Tsugikuni, Kyros, Momonga, Kibin, and Shuen — these six would become the cornerstones of the future G-ICE Branch.
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