"One, two! One, two!"
Inside the G-5 Marine Base, the shouts of soldiers training echoed incessantly.
Although these soldiers wore identical, brand-new uniforms, their temperaments clearly divided them into two groups.
One group had a noticeably more vigorous momentum and a more spirited, upward-looking demeanor.
These were the 'Headquarters elites' who came with Fujitora for support. Although they still carried a bit of the 'elite soldier' attitude, they had at least witnessed the grand stage of the Summit War.
Even though they passed out on the spot from the terrifying Conqueror's Haki clash, it wasn't without gain.
At least when facing ordinary pirates and such, they wouldn't be paralyzed by the other's killing intent.
—No matter how fierce you are, can you be fiercer than those guys at the Summit War?
That war could be said to have gathered seventy to eighty percent of the world's top elite fighters.
Having weathered that storm, encountering ordinary pirates was just a light drizzle.
In comparison, the other group seemed somewhat 'listless'.
Of course, this was only relative.
In fact, the current state of these old veteran soldiers was worlds apart from when Vergo was in charge.
Actually, initially, they weren't too fond of this parachuted-in superior, Fujitora either.
Don't be fooled by the messy state of G-5 under Vergo's management… in fact, that guy was quite popular.
In front of his subordinates, Vergo always put on an amiable, approachable front, even often making 'foolish' moves to get closer to the soldiers.
For example, he would often 'accidentally' get things like steak or chikuwa stuck on his face, like 'food residue'.
In the eyes of the old veterans, Vice Admiral Vergo was a nice guy.
Maybe not the most capable, but a decent superior who wouldn't nitpick their behavior.
Because of this, the G-5 base's style had become increasingly 'rugged' over the years.
So correspondingly, the G-5 old veterans naturally wouldn't have a good face for Fujitora.
—At least, that's how it was at the very beginning.
Facing those disobedient troublemakers, Fujitora didn't back down. Instead, he went against the norm and adopted a relatively firm stance.
He understood clearly that for G-5 soldiers, if you were too easy-going, you'd end up being placed high as a 'mascot' like Vergo, while the people below would do as they pleased.
This approach was effective.
Those rogue soldiers intended to cause trouble, but facing Fujitora, who had [Admiral candidate] qualifications, they were no match.
Add to that the mediation of some G-5 soldiers who also participated in the Summit War, and these resistances didn't last long before being resolved.
For those G-5 soldiers who participated in the Summit War, Fujitora's strength was one aspect, but his unwavering protection of subordinates was another.
In that battle, due to his concern for Doflamingo and his limited combat power, Vergo hadn't shown much capability.
In contrast, Fujitora single-handedly held off many pirates while protecting large numbers of soldiers who fell from the Conqueror's Haki impact, among whom were naturally G-5 personnel.
In the eyes of these people, Fujitora was clearly more reliable than the nice guy, Vergo.
Holding a cup of tea, sitting in the center of the training ground, Issho manipulated gravity to 'add weight' to those soldiers while sensing the surroundings.
In Issho's Observation Haki, each person carried a different color.
Those colors also changed according to the soldiers' emotions.
Although his eyes couldn't see, Issho could perceive different people's emotions through this miraculous Observation Haki.
—Come to think of it, Naruto's advanced development of Observation Haki was learned from him.
'Truly remarkable, Naruto-san.'
Issho inwardly sighed.
During their brief meeting at the last Summit War, he had also sensed Naruto's progress.
'Even though he had mastered the technique under my guidance, it seemed to have completely surpassed me.'
Thinking of this, Issho slightly turned his head, 'looking' towards the base commander's office high above.
There, the Marine Vice Admiral named Vergo also seemed to be observing this side.
This guy was very off.
Issho could clearly sense it during his first encounter with Vergo.
He held hostility towards him and the Marines he brought.
That was understandable… after all, his arrival at G-5 was nominally support, but in reality, it was indeed another form of power-sharing. Such emotions were justifiable.
But this guy named Vergo also harbored a faint hostility towards his own subordinates.
This was very abnormal.
It didn't match the soldiers' descriptions of Vergo.
Sensing something amiss, Issho recently intensified his observation, or surveillance of Vergo.
Sure enough, he discovered that the other would occasionally dial a Den Den Mushi to some unknown recipient.
Unfortunately, his calls were never answered, so Issho couldn't learn the other's hidden secrets.
Even so, he hadn't yet considered Vergo as a 'mole'.
In his view, the other might at most have had dealings with certain forces, possibly reaching some unwritten understanding.
This wasn't unusual among Marine officers.
For a Marine base like G-5, eyed by various major pirates, it was even more plausible.
Issho calmly took a sip of hot tea, then his movements suddenly paused.
'This is...'
No one in the base possessed Observation Haki as powerful as Issho's, so they were completely unaware of the large ship approaching.
Even the soldiers on lookout duty hadn't noticed yet.
This showed the vast range of Issho's Observation Haki.
"Everyone, take a break."
Gently raising his cane sword, Issho canceled the gravity added to everyone.
The soldiers, covered in sweat, felt as if pardoned and immediately sat down to rest.
But before they could rest long, Issho's voice came again.
"Second and Third Units, come with me, prepare to set out to sea."
The members of the Second and Third Units were composed of the elite soldiers and the G-5 old veterans, respectively.
In this aspect, Issho didn't discriminate.
Upon hearing Issho's words, the adjutant immediately showed a puzzled expression.
"Vice Admiral Fujitora, shouldn't we let them rest a bit longer..."
After all, everyone had trained hard, and they didn't know what madness this Vice Admiral was on about now.
Hearing this, Issho was taken aback, then nodded gently.
"That was indeed my oversight."
"But there really isn't more time for everyone to rest. Guests have already arrived."
Upon hearing this, not only the adjutant but also the soldiers were stunned.
They didn't doubt whether Fujitora was messing with them. Over the past days, although he had drilled them in various ways, it was ultimately to rectify military discipline. They had complaints in their hearts, but they didn't think his actions were unreasonable.
After all, they knew their own situation.
G-5's discipline level couldn't even compare to some large pirate crews.
Seeing the superior speak like this, no matter how unwilling they were deep down, they had no choice but to rise one by one, form ranks, and follow Fujitora to the docks.
And this scene was also witnessed by Vergo upstairs.
'This guy... what is he planning?'
This doubt didn't last long.
Soon, Vergo heard the alarm from the speakers about an unidentified vessel approaching G-5.
The soldiers resting on the spot looked at each other upon hearing the sound. After a moment's hesitation, they also stood up and began assembling spontaneously.
To be fair, Fujitora's training over these days wasn't without effect… at least their speed in forming ranks had greatly improved.