Staff Officer Tsuru was just over forty, but with the nonstop workload at the Marine Headquarters—and Zephyr and Garp both shrugging off responsibilities—she'd been forced to shoulder part of the administrative duties typically reserved for an Admiral. The constant stress had already turned her long hair gray.
Now, rubbing her temples in frustration, she watched Sengoku and Zephyr wrestling on the ground, red-faced and gasping for air, their uniforms rumpled and tugged out of shape.
"What are you two fighting about this time?"
She'd only been a few minutes late filing intelligence reports for the Staff Department, and these two idiots were already brawling?
Sengoku and Zephyr both glanced at Vice Admiral Tsuru, then promptly went back to grappling like children.
"Don't hold me back, Tsuru! I'm gonna beat this bastard into the ground today!"
"You're just in time, Tsuru! Stand right there and watch—I'm about to break Sengoku's glasses and roast his goat for dinner!"
"Damn it, Zephyr! You touch my goat and it's war!"
"Hahaha, scared now? Fine, I won't touch your goat. But Daren is becoming my adjutant!"
"No way! And besides, Zephyr, that brat Daren has a terrible rep. Aren't you the one who hates Marine scum like him the most?"
"Who said that!? That just means he's got more room to improve! And come on, what Marine doesn't have a few flaws?"
"...You shameless old man!"
"Bullshit! Daren's mine!"
"No, he's mine!"
"Borsalino is yours!!"
Veins throbbed on Tsuru's forehead.
After just a few lines of their pointless argument, she finally figured it out—they were fighting over who would get the rising star Daren as their adjutant.
Well, fair enough.
A political genius who brought order to the North Blue and built its fleet from the ground up...
A "monster" whose talents rivaled even Sakazuki's...
Someone who went head-to-head with Roger and actually made him take a loss in their first encounter... and had already awakened Conqueror's Haki…
Any one of those traits would make a young Marine highly sought after. But Rogers Daren—"King of the North Blue"—had all of them.
Thinking of that, Tsuru looked at the two old fools still scrapping like punks and shook her head with a sigh.
"Look, it doesn't matter how much you argue. Garp already told me not long ago—after Daren graduates from Officer Training Camp, he's joining him as his adjutant."
"Bullshit!"
"He's dreaming!"
Sengoku and Zephyr froze, shouting in perfect unison.
Tsuru crossed her arms, smiling faintly.
"But Garp gave some very convincing reasons."
"First, Daren's awakened Conqueror's Haki, and with that monstrous body of his, it's only natural for Garp to guide and train him."
"Second, ever since the disbanding of the Rocks Pirates, the Roger Pirates have been our primary target... Daren's already faced Gol D. Roger once in battle. Letting him join the campaign against them after graduation makes perfect sense."
Hearing her logical breakdown, both Sengoku and Zephyr felt a very bad premonition.
If Garp had officially made the request, there was no way they could out-argue him. And even if they took it to old man Kong, chances were he'd side with Garp in the end.
In other words...
Sengoku and Zephyr exchanged glances—just a flicker of eye contact, but enough.
"Ahem... you know, I think arguing here is pointless," Sengoku said seriously, as he gently helped straighten Zephyr's crooked tie.
"Agreed," Zephyr replied, just as earnestly, brushing the dust off Sengoku's Admiral cloak.
"As high-ranking officers of the Marines, we're no tyrants. The seagull of justice represents freedom and peace. In the end, Daren should decide for himself who he wants to serve under."
"That's right. We have to respect his personal choice."
Sengoku threw an arm around Zephyr's shoulders. They grinned at each other with exaggerated warmth, quietly reaching an unspoken agreement.
Tsuru rolled her eyes.
She knew these two well enough to instantly see through their little scheme.
"And you talk about others..." she muttered, glancing at the still-empty conference room. She frowned and asked, "By the way, where is everyone?"
Just then, a panicked figure rushed into the room.
It was the admin officer Sengoku had yelled at earlier.
"Re-reporting to Admiral Sengoku…"
He was panting, barely able to catch his breath.
"Did you find them?" Sengoku asked, his expression darkening again.
The officer took a deep breath and stammered, "Y-yes... we found them."
"Among the officers who were supposed to attend... Rear Admirals Dragon, Borsalino, Sakazuki... and Vice Admiral Garp... they're all in the same place."
"All in one place?" Sengoku's brow furrowed. They'd all skipped the meeting... together?
What the hell were they up to?
"Yes, Admiral Sengoku," the officer said carefully, watching Sengoku's face as he chose his words.
"They're all at the military hospital."
"Hospital? What for? Did someone get injured—"
Sengoku trailed off mid-sentence, his expression suddenly changing.
"Sengoku?" Zephyr noticed and asked.
Gritting his teeth, Sengoku snapped, "Damn it! Daren was injured in the fight with Roger—he's unconscious and recovering in the military hospital!"
Zephyr's eyes widened, his face darkening in realization.
They looked at each other again, now fully understanding what was happening.
Damn it... Garp got the jump on them!
In the end, the choice of adjutant was up to Daren himself—and who he felt more comfortable with would heavily influence that decision.
"What a snake... That bastard Garp skipped the meeting and went straight to visit him!" Sengoku growled.
Zephyr clenched his fists, equally outraged.
Without hesitation, both men bolted from the room, racing to the exit.
"Where are you going? The meeting's not over!" Tsuru called after them in confusion.
Sengoku didn't even slow down.
"To the hospital—for the meeting!"
...
(50 Chapters Ahead)
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