In the world of pirates, the Marine is undoubtedly the fastest and most free in terms of navigation speed and routes.
The Calm Belt, which pirates avoid like the plague, is nothing more than the Marine backyard.
They casually stroll through it whenever they please.
After joining the Marine, Michael had actually only returned to Marineford a handful of times.
He mostly came only for promotions.
But each time, he was still awestruck by the Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Fleets stretched like forests, buildings towered high.
And at the very top, the seagull flag fluttered proudly!
Stella stood beside Michael, her emerald-green eyes shimmering with awe and excitement.
Once ashore, she craned her slender neck, looking around incessantly.
"Michael, is this the legendary Marine Headquarters?"
"What else? Have you ever seen so many warships anywhere else?"
Three days had passed since the slave rescue incident.
Stella had grown more familiar with Michael, She spoke more freely now.
"So, where are we headed next?"
"I need to report to the old man... Admiral Sengoku."
"Then... should I wait for you on the ship?"
"No need. It's good for you to come along and see the world." Michael shrugged.
The recruitment period was over.
To get Stella specially enlisted into the Marine Headquarters, he really needed the old man approval.
***
Sengoku Office, Marineford.
Though it was only Year 1500 and Sengoku hadn't yet been promoted to Fleet Admiral, he had already been handling the duties of one for years.
At the moment, he was reviewing a report on Gol D. Roger current physical condition.
A soldier entered and announced:
"Report, Admiral, Lieutenant Commander Michael has returned."
"Oh? Let him in."
"Yes, sir!"
Shortly after, Michael walked into the office with Stella in tow, He casually took a seat on the sofa, not disturbing Sengoku.
When Sengoku finally set down the report and looked up, he noticed the beautiful girl sitting beside Michael.
She sat composedly, showing no trace of unease despite being in the office of a Marine Fleet Admiral.
Her emerald-green eyes gazed at him with curiosity.
"Michael, Gion has already filled me in on the whole incident." Sengoku looked at the unassuming Michael.
"Why the sudden change? No more slacking off?"
"...Even slacking off gets old after a while." Michael twitched his lips.
The old man really had time to spare, deliberately teasing him.
So what if he slacked off a bit too much usually!
"I fully support killing slave traders." Sengoku sighed as he looked at Michael. "But the Celestial Dragons did demand punishment for you... though Fleet Admiral Kong and I managed to block it."
"Hmph, those filthy pigs better not push their luck with me."
"Alright, let's leave the slave ship matter at that." Sengoku pointed at Stella, who had been sitting quietly.
"And this is...?"
"Stella, one of the rescued. She's a wandering singer with no fixed home." Michael stood up and approached Sengoku desk.
"I think she has potential. Old man, can we get her specially enlisted into the Marine?"
"Special enlistment? No problem." Sengoku shrugged. "But you'll have to train her yourself. There's no recruit training camp outside the recruitment season."
"That's fine by me." Michael chuckled with a grin.
He already had plans in mind for Stella.
"Old man, one more thing—I'd like to borrow the Marine Devil Fruit Encyclopedia."
Come to think of it, all the contraband money seized from the smuggling ship had been confiscated.
But when it came to Devil Fruits, the Marine rule was always that the captors got first pick, with the remainder being handed over and converted into bonuses.
Although Michael was a reincarnator, he couldn't possibly know the appearance of every Devil Fruit.
"Granted."
Sengoku casually picked up a piece of paper from the side and stamped it with his seal before handing it to Michael.
With that stamped paper, the librarian would allow access to the Devil Fruit Encyclopedia.
"Alright, is there anything else? If not, I'll take my leave."
"Wait." As Michael turned to leave, Sengoku raised his hand to stop him.
"For now, you and Stella should stay in Marineford."
Michael frowned.
Five years ago, he had been specially recruited by the Marine—to be precise, he was picked up by Sengoku.
As an orphan adrift at sea, he had wandered into the Calm Belt, endured many hardships and was eventually brought back to Marine Headquarters by Sengoku.
In this world, it was Sengoku who had given Michael the warmth of a home.
That was why he could boldly call the Marine most powerful figure "old man."
However, ever since becoming Gion adjutant, he rarely returned home to stay.
"Is something wrong?"
"The execution date has been set—ten days from now."
Sengoku didn't specify the subject, but Michael knew exactly who he meant.
Gol D. Roger.
Michael felt a momentary daze.
So soon... it's already coming? The so-called "Great Pirate Era."
"Fine, I'll stay at home these days." Michael nodded. "It's been a while since I last saw Rosinante, anyway."
With that, he waved at Stella and strode out of Sengoku office.
"Goodbye, Admiral Sengoku!" Stella clumsily saluted in the Navy fashion before hurrying after Michael.
Not long after they left, a tall, burly figure barged into Sengoku office without so much as a greeting.
He walked straight to Sengoku desk and grabbed a rice cracker to munch on.
"...Garp, could you stop eating my crackers next time?"
Monkey D. Garp, the Hero of the Marines, future father of the Revolutionary Army leader, future grandfather of the Pirate King and the Marine most unruly, thick-skinned troublemaker.
"Don't be so stingy, Sengoku!"
Garp devoured the stolen crackers in two bites, then wiped his hands on Sengoku cape silently.
"Roger condition... has deteriorated this badly?" Sengoku sighed as he read the detailed report.
"Why do you think he turned himself in?" Garp plopped onto Sengoku's desk. "Just to buy his family and crew some time to disappear."
"...What are the odds of finding them?"
"Sengoku, them retiring quietly isn't a bad thing." Garp cut straight to the heart of the matter.
"Rayleigh, Gaban—how many Marines would die if we tried to take down such powerhouses now? Have you thought about that?"
Garp might be reckless, but he was never stupid.
"Rayleigh and Gaban aren't the type to stir up trouble. But this Bullet... he definitely needs close monitoring."
"There are still ten days until the scheduled execution time. Start spreading the news. If the Roger Pirates come to rescue him... we'll capture them all in one sweep."
"...Understood."
The two men in the office discussed the Pirate King execution with such casual indifference before silence fell between them.
And in that silence, an era was about to come to an end.