Chapter 59 – The Tattooed Bad Girl, Gion
"Garp! You bastard, could you at least try to act like the hero of the Navy?! Do you even realize the nonsense you've been up to lately, you damn fool?!"
At some point, Sengoku's imposing figure had appeared behind Garp.
Without the slightest hesitation, he swung a glittering fist straight into Garp's forehead.
Boom!!!
Garp's entire body shot backward like a cannonball.
He traced a perfectly straight arc through the air above the training camp's parade ground.
Splash—!
He crashed into the sea, sending up a towering plume of spray that exploded across the waves as though a bomb had gone off beneath the surface.
Sengoku exhaled heavily, satisfied.
"Whew—much better!"
Then he turned to Ator, who stood blinking nearby.
"Listen, little Ator—next time you see that shameless old man, make sure you stay far, far away. He's absolutely no good."
Sengoku spoke in a calm, almost gentle tone as he disparaged his oldest friend.
He was doing his best to counsel Ator sincerely, though deep down, he was still seething.
Only God knew how much it had aggravated him to learn that Garp had taken Ator for a jaunt to Pleasure Street of all places.
He'd spent three days unable to sleep, terrified that Garp might somehow lead the Nasdaq heir astray.
Never mind the boy's influential family, or the fact that they'd funded the construction of two entire branch bases—
Even just speaking of Ator as an individual, he was someone who could negotiate directly with arms dealers.
Every year, he helped the Navy save hundreds of billions of Beli on military expenses.
Because as strong as the Navy's arsenal was, it still cost mountains of Beli to maintain.
That was the only way they could keep an advantage over the pirates.
If this living godsend were to be offended and withdraw his support, all the Navy's newly balanced finances would be right back in crisis.
The money they'd saved over a year wouldn't even be enough to build a single large warship.
And on top of everything else, Fleet Admiral Kong had already stormed off to the New World in a fury, leaving Sengoku—still only an "Acting Admiral"—in charge of all the logistics at headquarters.
He absolutely could not let Garp run wild anymore.
"Er… really, it's fine, Mr. Sengoku."
Ator lifted a hand, trying to defuse the tension with a polite, tactful smile.
"Mr. Garp… well, he may not be the most dependable person, but he's kind at heart. He was just… in a bit of a hurry, that's all."
For nearly a year, Ato had been embroiled in endless haggling with the South Sea arms merchants, and he had long since learned the art of careful phrasing.
He tried his best not to make Garp look too bad.
After all, he was still his father's friend—and a hero of the Navy.
One had to maintain appearances.
Sengoku nodded, feeling much relieved.
The more he looked at Ator, the more he liked this sensible, capable young man.
He almost wished he could have a son like that himself…
But he had already given his heart entirely to Justice, and had long since abandoned any thought of marriage.
"Garp!!!"
A bellow split the air.
Garp, already dripping wet, had vaulted back out of the sea and charged over, his voice booming with irritation.
"Sengoku! We've fought side by side! We've been wounded together! We've visited bro—"
BOOM!
Before Garp could finish the sentence, Sengoku's golden fist smashed into him again.
Completely unprepared, Garp once more traced a brilliant arc across the sky and plunged back into the ocean.
Sengoku's face twitched, a throbbing cross-shaped vein rising on his forehead.
"Damn it, Garp… there are children here! Could you at least try to watch your mouth, you bastard?!"
Besides, it's not like we really went into that pleasure district—we just happened to wander in by accident! That doesn't count at all!
"You and Mr. Garp sure have a great relationship, Mr. Sengoku," Ator remarked with an easy smile. "I'll just look around on my own for a bit. By the way, do the Navy have any time in the next few days? I'd like to discuss some business regarding armaments."
"Haha, of course! I'm free whenever," Sengoku replied with a hearty laugh. "Since I'm acting as the interim Fleet Admiral right now, you can come straight to me anytime, little Ator."
"That's wonderful," Ator said. "And congratulations in advance, Mr. Sengoku—or should I say, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. At this rate, it probably won't be more than a few years before you're officially promoted."
"Haha—nonsense, nonsense! Don't go calling me that yet!" Sengoku waved his hands in embarrassment. "Next year, I'll be promoted to Admiral alongside Zephyr. But Fleet Admiral… that's still a long way off!"
Still, hearing himself addressed as Fleet Admiral Sengoku left him glowing with satisfaction.
His spirits soared, and for a moment, he couldn't have felt more pleased.
Like many before him, Sengoku had caught the common delusion of every prospective Fleet Admiral: the conviction that once he rose to the top, he could reshape everything, become stronger than ever, and lead the Navy to new heights.
After all, the truly important classified documents never passed through the hands of a mere "Admiral-in-waiting."
All crucial decisions still went straight to the sitting Fleet Admiral.
Before actually occupying that seat, everyone believed they could do the job better than anyone else.
Chatting amiably, Sengoku and Ator strolled across the parade ground, occasionally pointing out instructors and Marines as if they were leaders on an official inspection.
Whenever the instructors spotted Sengoku, they immediately straightened up with fierce determination.
The Marines practically burst with energy, each trying to outdo the others.
Ironically, their overenthusiastic displays only made their instructors turn red with fury all the faster.
Ator laughed out loud again and again, while Sengoku looked a little embarrassed, unsure how to react.
"Hey… are those two kids over there Marines as well?" Ator asked suddenly, nodding toward the edge of the training ground. "They look pretty strong."
They had come upon two young trainees about Ator's age, each practicing on their own.
The one who had caught Ator's eye was a girl in casual clothes.
With a single stroke of her real sword, she cleaved a wooden post cleanly in half.
But…
First impressions mattered.
And though the girl's skill genuinely impressed him, Ator couldn't help frowning slightly.
After all, she already had tattoos despite being so young.
A sultry spider was inked across her pale, slender thigh.
In Ator's experience, tattoos were usually the mark of dangerous women or people with a vicious streak.
After so many years operating in the shadows, he understood perfectly well what tattoos often signified.
They were a protective coloration, a disguise—an unspoken "Conqueror's Aura."
Just looking at them could feel intimidating, like a declaration of belonging to the underworld.
Granted, it wasn't fair to judge her outright.
But more often than not, his instincts weren't wrong.
"That's Gion," Sengoku explained. "Vice Admiral Tsuru's adopted sister. She's extremely gifted in swordsmanship, though at this point there are very few instructors in the Navy qualified to train her.
The other boy is called Kakei. Also quite talented."
As he spoke, Sengoku turned to study Ator thoughtfully.
If he remembered correctly, Ross's young brother-in-law—who also happened to be Ator's senior disciple—was a bona fide swordmaster.
And everyone knew true swordmasters were exceedingly rare across all the seas.
Among the renowned "Great Swordsmen," only Golden Lion, Wang Zhi, Captain John, and a certain Shimotsuki samurai were openly acknowledged.
Only Wano, the mysterious land of craftsmen and swordsmen, truly sustained a flourishing sword culture.
Besides… Sengoku thought, in some corner of his mind…
Ator and little Gion would make quite the match.
Not that it had anything to do with Ator having become one of the wealthiest men in the world—certainly not!
"Hmm. Still, tattoos are hardly a good habit," Ator said, his voice cool. "She really does look like a bit of a bad girl.
Tell me, do all the Navy's children pick up these kinds of habits?
I think I'll go visit the family quarters.
This kind of atmosphere simply won't do.
We're supposed to be the Navy—the champions of justice."
His words poured over Sengoku like a bucket of cold water, jolting him out of his idle daydream.
Ah, dammit…
As the Navy's top strategist, Sengoku immediately understood that Ator's first impression of Gion was not a good one.
And it was all Kong's fault!
Back then, he'd kept spouting nonsense about how tattoos were the mark of a true warrior—
The poor, naive little Gion had been completely taken in.
"Ahem… Gion's conduct is perfectly fine, actually," Sengoku coughed, looking away. "She was just… led astray a bit.
By someone like… well… Garp, you know how he is."
"Ooooh~~"
Sengoku didn't hesitate for a second to throw his best friend under the bus.
After all, Garp already had a mountain of "past misdeeds" on record—
What was one more?