"Ace, compared to him?" Whitebeard took a swig of sake, a gentle smile flickering across his face before he burst into laughter.
"Gurarara! Marco, Ace debuted way before that Navy brat ever showed up."
"This kid popped up like a bamboo shoot after the rain—sudden and out of nowhere."
"If you ask me, this is probably Sengoku's stunt to boost Marine morale after the collapse of the Warlord system."
"If we really met, Ace and Atmos wouldn't even need to lift a finger. Just seeing our flag would send him running."
"Hahaha! Pops is right. This so-called Admiral came out of thin air with no real feats to his name. A paper tiger—nothing to worry about."
"Don't forget, Captain Ace fought Jinbe, one of the former Warlords, for days straight and ended in a draw."
"He even turned down an invitation to join the Warlords. That kind of recognition speaks volumes. Compared to that, this new Admiral is nothing…"
The deck erupted in laughter and cheers.
Marco smiled too.
This unwavering trust—that was the spirit Pops had always cultivated.
If not for Blackbeard's betrayal, this harmony would never have been broken.
Still, thinking of Teach, who had spent decades on the ship as a quiet nobody, Marco couldn't shake a faint unease. With Red-Haired's sudden visit, he could only hope nothing big was about to explode.
Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters—
Sengoku sat in his office, face dark as thunder, staring at a thick stack of repair bills.
His heart ached.
He'd mentally prepared himself when he got the report from Mary Geoise about Justice Plaza being destroyed.
But seeing the endless string of zeroes on the invoice made him realize just how flimsy that "mental preparation" had been.
Sure, Gion and Chaton had offered to cover the costs out of pocket, but Sengoku still felt like his soul was bleeding.
He'd even been planning to squeeze some funds out of the "emergency morale budget" with a few ceremonial banners.
Now that fallback plan was toast.
And to think—he'd just gone all-in to defend Luoyu in front of the Five Elders, even putting his own reputation on the line.
Now he had to clean up after him again?
Furious, Sengoku turned and smacked Garp on the back of the head.
"Garp! You finally showed up?"
"How long were you planning to keep us waiting? Are you the Fleet Admiral now? I've got a mountain of repair bills here, and you're two minutes late! You think I don't exist?"
His roar thundered through the office, shaking the walls.
The gathered officers all shrank back instinctively.
They knew full well—Garp could be twenty minutes late and Sengoku wouldn't bat an eye.
But today, two minutes was enough to trigger a meltdown.
"Hahaha! Sengoku, your slap still packs a punch," Garp chuckled, rubbing his head like nothing had happened. He plopped into a chair, popped a rice cracker into his mouth, and said:
"Relax. I've got good news. That brat Luoyu? He's already shipped out to Whitebeard's territory on assignment."
"No matter how much damage he causes out there, at least you won't have to foot the bill. That's a win, right?"
"You should be happy. From now on, just send him on missions the moment he gets back. Keeps him out of HQ and gives me some peace and quiet."
"He's on assignment?" Sengoku blinked, then frowned. A creeping unease settled in.
"He didn't ask for anything before going?"
"That's not like him. Isn't he obsessed with raises and performance bonuses?"
As the so-called "Strategist Admiral," Sengoku prided himself on understanding his subordinates.
Luoyu was a textbook case of a pathological salaryman—obsessed with 9-to-5 hours, weekends off, and performance incentives.
Volunteering for a field mission without demanding anything?
Impossible.
The other officers exchanged glances, then turned to Garp.
Garp picked his nose, then crunched another rice cracker before saying:
"Sengoku, you really are the Navy's brain. You figured it out that fast."
"It took a lot of convincing from Tsuru to get that brat to go. In the end, he said he'd do it if he got a ten-million-Berry bonus for uncovering the reason behind Whitebeard and Red-Haired's meeting. Tsuru agreed on your behalf."
"Ten million Berries?" Sengoku collapsed into his chair.
If anyone else had asked for that, he might've brushed it off.
But when it came to Luoyu, ten million Berries was a red flag the size of Marineford.
"Garp… are you all insane?"
"That brat would blow up a building or a plaza just for overtime pay. And now you've promised him ten million? What if he tears the sky in half for it?"
BANG!
The office door burst open.
Sengoku, still reeling from his rant, turned to see Zephyr rushing in, face stiff and unnatural.
Everyone froze.
A terrible premonition settled over the room.
Sengoku clenched and unclenched his fists, forcing his expression to calm before gritting his teeth and saying:
"Zephyr, you didn't come rushing in like this to tell me this is about that brat, did you?"
"It's fine. I'm mentally prepared. No matter what happened, I'll stay calm. Just say it."
"Sengoku… is this real?" Zephyr's stiff expression softened into an awkward smile as he placed a Den Den Mushi fax on the desk.
"Ain called me earlier. That brat—while tracking Whitebeard—'accidentally' ran into Kaido's men, then 'accidentally' got into a fight, then Kaido 'accidentally' called him… and then he 'accidentally' extorted Kaido…"
"…and then, by pure coincidence…"