Roger...
The man who reached the final island, became the first Pirate King in history, and ignited the Great Pirate Era.
The meaning behind this name was too vast, too weighty.
...
"You haven't reached the age of dim eyesight yet, have you, Garp!"
Sengoku gathered the documents and shoved them in front of Garp, his voice low: "Look clearly! This is our Marine's rising star - the man who protected civilians against the Red Hair Pirates in Rogue Town!"
Garp rubbed his eyes and grinned.
"Of course I recognize him..."
"Somehow, when I see that smiling face, I inexplicably think of that guy Roger."
Sengoku's expression darkened.
As longtime partners, he understood Garp's character well - unreliable in small matters, but never speaking without reason in important ones.
...
"Are you saying... he possesses some quality of Roger's that reminds you of him?!"
Intuition.
Intuition was difficult to explain, yet undeniably real.
Especially the intuition of the strong.
Sengoku had already decided that if Garp answered 'yes', he would immediately launch a comprehensive investigation into Marine Colonel Uchiha Griffin.
Only after confirming there were no issues could he relax his vigilance.
...
Garp stroked the rough stubble on his chin, laughing heartlessly: "Hahahaha! You're too serious, Sengoku!"
"Maybe it's because this kid could grow to Roger's level that it slipped out."
"It's precisely because of your overly serious personality that Tsuru doesn't like you."
...
Sengoku's old face reddened as he angrily retorted: "What nonsense are you spouting! There's nothing like that between me and Tsuru! Get out of here, you bastard!!"
"Fine, fine, I'm leaving." Garp retrieved senbei from under the desk and quickly left the Fleet Admiral's office.
...
...
Sengoku's gaze returned to the documents, staring at them for a long time.
"I hope... it's just as Garp said."
——
——
"Is that so..."
Marine Headquarters, Criminal Investigation Bureau.
Tenma first looked at Griffin, then turned his unfriendly gaze toward Lucci: "You really enjoy doing pointless things."
Despite being thrown aside countless times, Lucci still hadn't learned to fear Tenma, holding his head high:
"Waiting for you people to act, who knows when Griffin would regain his freedom."
"Compared to the Marines, we're the more suitable place for Griffin to be!"
...
Tenma turned his gaze back to Griffin. With his level of Observation Haki, he could detect some of Griffin's manipulations toward Lucci.
His look seemed to say...
'Did you overdose the brainwashing pills you fed him?'
Griffin spread his hands helplessly: "Director Tenma, orders have come from above. I need someone to take over my recent work."
"By the way, what did Admiral Sakazuki say about the application I submitted?"
The title of Admiral wasn't just an honorific - it came with numerous specific duties. It wasn't just about roaming the seas chasing pirates.
Among Sakazuki's duties was serving as Chief Security Officer for the North Blue and West Blue, granting him authority to mobilize all officers from the branches across these two seas.
A special case was Garp, who held the rank of Vice Admiral while concurrently serving as Chief Security Officer for the East Blue.
...
Tenma lightly tapped the desk. "Your request has been approved..."
Frowning slightly, he said in a low voice, "Griffin, you're a smart man. You should know these are extraordinary times."
"We cannot interfere with that lord's decision to descend, but we can arrange for someone else to take over this protection mission for you."
"To put it bluntly, you've already failed once. If something were to happen again..."
"Even Fleet Admiral wouldn't be able to protect you then!"
Bang!
Griffin struck his chest with his right fist, his gaze unwavering. "Just as you said, I've failed once before. This time..."
"I will not fail!"
"To protect the Celestial Dragons, I'm prepared to offer my heart!!"
...
That was... so moving!!
Lucci's eyes welled with tears, deeply touched.
Bang!
Imitating Griffin's gesture, Lucci punched his own chest. "I feel the same!!"
...
...
"I understand..."
Tenma nodded. "Headquarters predicts there's a high probability that guy will appear. The reinforcements you requested are already on their way."
"We've also arranged for covert assistance to ensure Shalria's safety during this trip."
"Let's hope... everything goes smoothly."
——
——
——
"So this is Marine Headquarters? Truly magnificent!!"
Doll's expression mirrored that of most who saw the headquarters for the first time - full of awe at such an immense and grand fortress.
Doll, a Lieutenant Colonel from West Blue Branch 179, along with 7 junior officers and 19 petty officers.
Griffin had requested Headquarters to assign Doll and her team to assist him.
Last time, using prisoners to pose as Marines was meant to make them take the fall, but this time was different.
Griffin's goal this time was to claim credit for saving a Celestial Dragon, so naturally he wanted his own people to share in the achievement.
Sharing benefits with everyone - that was Griffin's way of doing things.
...
"This is my friend, Lucci." Griffin placed his hand on Lucci's shoulder as he introduced him to Doll and the others.
"Lucci, these are my subordinates. This is Doll, that's Randy, and that's Delacroix..."
Lucci cast a cold glance at Doll and the others. Aside from Griffin, he typically maintained an aloof attitude toward everyone else.
Out of respect for Griffin, Lucci nodded slightly. "You should all understand the importance of this mission. Griffin is the Captain, and I'm the Vice Captain. Understood?"
Doll frowned slightly. After years of operations, she had grown accustomed to being Griffin's second-in-command. "You're that guy from back then... Why should you be Vice Captain?"
"Because I'm stronger than you."
Since meeting Griffin, Lucci had never been completely uninjured, but even while wounded, the aura he emitted was enough to make people tremble.
The title of "Once-in-800-Years Genius of Enies Lobby" was no exaggeration.
In the original timeline, Lucci had developed his Devil Fruit Ability to awakening level in just two years, making him one of the most dramatically improved individuals aside from the Straw Hat crew members.
With his talent, had he not wasted several years in Water 7, he might have achieved Devil Fruit awakening much earlier.
Among all the people his age that Griffin had encountered, Lucci was the one who came closest to matching him.
...
"Is that so... Weren't you also taken down by Griffin in just a few moves? Whether you're stronger than me can only be determined through a fight."
Doll raised her fist, the sharp metal spikes on her gloves gleaming coldly, clearly unwilling to accept the situation.
That day, she had witnessed with her own eyes how Griffin had defeated Lucci in just a few moves, seemingly even more effortlessly than when he had dealt with her.
You have to understand, even when Griffin defeated me, it took him over ten minutes!!
...
"Heh... Someone who can't recognize the disparity in strength..."
Lucci let out a cold laugh, raising his hand to unleash a Finger Pistol, intending to teach this woman who didn't know her place a lesson.
...
"Lower your hand, Lucci."
The voice was so cold it seemed devoid of all warmth. The veins on the back of Lucci's hand twitched slightly as he turned his head with difficulty.
He met a pair of eyes as chilling as a thousand-year-old frozen pond.
"You heard what I said, didn't you."
"Rob Lucci."