After getting the answer from Victor Seiji,
Rosen did not stay at Navy Headquarters any longer.
But went straight to the docks accompanied by Gion and Tokikake.
"Even after sending you a thousand miles, we must still say goodbye."
"That's all."
"You all, go back."
Rosen looked around, and among the many warships anchored at the dock, his eyes immediately fixed on one with a sword-shaped crest carved into its bow.
He had not seen the warship Sengoku had prepared for him beforehand, nor did he know what his new exclusive ship looked like.
But the moment he laid eyes on it, he knew. That was his warship.
Simply because the sword-shaped emblem on the bow was exactly the same as the blade of a Zanpakutō.
"Graduation."
"Goodbye."
Gion handed Rosen his luggage.
"Brother," Tokikake waved, "Bon voyage."
"Good."
Rosen nodded once, then walked toward the sword-crested ship.
As expected, the moment he approached, several officers on dock patrol quickly stepped forward.
"Vice Admiral Rosen," one lieutenant spoke formally, "this is the warship Admiral Sengoku prepared for you. Captain Doll has been ordered to guard it. No one may board without your permission"
"Not even fellow marines."
"All accompanying personnel and voyage supplies are ready. Once you review them, the ship may set sail at any time."
The lieutenant's tone left no doubt he already knew Rosen had graduated early, received the rank of Headquarters Vice Admiral, and was bound for the North Sea as its new Vice Admiral.
"Thank you for your work."
Rosen first expressed his gratitude to the officers, then turned toward the massive ship. One large enough to carry giants, with a long boarding staircase leading up to its deck.
Shu!
Without moving a Muscle, Rosen vanished from the dock.
In the same instant, he appeared silently on the deck of the warship, like a ghost.
He deliberately turned his back toward a sailor stationed there.
"This is Vice Admiral Rosen's warship," a sharp voice rang out.
"Even marines are not permitted aboard without clearance!"
The patrol lieutenant had clearly already explained the rules. Which meant this sailor's entry was deliberate.
The instant Rosen boarded, a tall figure burst toward him, her steps ringing like arrows loosed from a bow.
Short-cropped hair, round earrings, leather short-sleeves, and tattoos running down her arms her right leg shot forward like a drawn blade, wrapped in the Six Powers' Shave, carving the air with a shriek as she aimed to cut Rosen down.
"Vice Admiral Rosen?!"
Her eyes widened the moment she saw his face. She tried to retract her strike — but too late.
A massive figure in a marine uniform had appeared as if teleported
A mountain of muscle and will, stepping in front of Rosen.
He met his blade-leg with a single devastating punch.
"Douglas Bullet!"
His expression shifted instantly.
The Demon's Heir.
More than that he had watched every moment of his public battle with Rosen.
He knew one thing for certain that even one of his casual blows was already her limit.
He didn't have time to explain.
He didn't dare to hold back.
At the very last second
He wrapped his leg in Armament Haki, changing his kick into a blackened blade, redirecting it toward Bullet's incoming fist.
"The fight has started…"
Rosen's eyes glimmered with amusement.
"I didn't expect such a surprise."
He immediately recognized her: Captain Doll, his adjutant personally assigned by Sengoku.
Her orders were simple…
Follow Rosen and guard this warship.
And she had obeyed them flawlessly. Even here, docked at headquarters, she treated every trespasser as an intruder.
Rosen was very satisfied.
As for Bullet, though he now wore a marine uniform and was nominally a private of Headquarters, he remained solitary. He trained alone, avoided contact with others, and had not joined Rosen, Gion, or Tokikake on their walk from Marine Criminal Affairs to the dock.
It was only when Rosen boarded and Doll attacked that Bullet revealed himself.
That instant, instinctive intervention
No hesitation.
No thought…
Exactly what Rosen wanted to see.
It proved that Bullet had accepted his new identity as a marine. More than that, he had acknowledged Rosen as his commanding officer — even as his Leader.
So Rosen had deliberately turned his back, testing Doll. And the result had exceeded his expectations.
Originally, he'd planned to eventually swap his adjutant for someone of his own choosing. Now? There was no need.
Boom!
Seeing his left and right hands about to clash, Rosen acted. His Armament Haki surged, forming into the skeletal arms of Susanoo. Two vast palms closed in at once, seizing Bullet's fist and Doll's leg before they could collide.
"Is this the ultimate form of Armament Haki?" Doll's eyes widened.
"Only Vice Admiral Rosen could wield Susanoo".
"As expected… a technique that only monsters can use."
Trapped in Susanoo's grip, Doll didn't even struggle — she couldn't. The crushing force alone made her understand Rosen's power firsthand.
"This woman attacked you directly."
Bullet's voice was calm, but cold
"When soldiers defy their commander, it is rebellion."
"Do you want to keep her?"
With his strength, Bullet could have broken free of Susanoo's first form. But he didn't. He yielded to Rosen's will.
A soldier who despised betrayal, yet obeyed military hierarchy to the bone.
"Of course I'll keep her." Rosen's voice was steady.
"A loyal adjutant, who even here at Headquarters "
"Never let her guard down."
"Who engraves her orders into her bones and acts without hesitation to defend this ship."
In an instant, Rosen resolved the clash with a few words. Doll lowered her head, both shocked and moved. She had struck her superior without realizing it, yet rather than punishment, she had been acknowledged.
Bullet, too, regarded her differently. Not because she was a mere Captain, but because of Rosen's words and her actions.
She had been standing ready on the deck, nerves wound tight, her senses sharpened to the limit.
Her first reaction to Rosen's sudden boarding had not been to call out, or to hesitate, but to strike.That decisiveness, that refusal to slacken even for a moment, was proof. She valued her mission and her orders above all else.
Rosen now stood between them, one hand of Susanoo holding each.
The king's hands.
Doll on the left.
Bullet on the right.
...
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