After sending Luffy home, Kaito turned to Ace, continuing their previous conversation.
"You were about to say something else earlier, weren't you?"
"Yeah... As long as Sabo is still alive, that's enough for me. I want to wait until I'm strong enough... and then meet him again—as a Marine!"
"Not a bad idea. Alright, I approve. You can join the Marines."
Ace's eyes widened in disbelief. He hadn't expected Kaito to agree so easily. The sudden surprise left him a little stunned.
Seeing Ace frozen in place, Kaito chuckled and said,
"What's wrong? Changed your mind already?"
"No! I want to join the Marines! Arigato, Kaito-aniki!"
"Good. Do you need to prepare anything else?"
Ace thought for a moment, then turned toward Makino.
"Makino-neesan, could you let Dadan know for me? Tell her I've joined the Marines—and thank her for all these years of looking after me."
He had wanted to tell Dadan in person, but considering she was a bandit, he was worried that Kaito might just arrest her on sight.
Makino nodded with a gentle smile. She knew this boy well. Compared to Luffy, Ace was much more mature, though he still had that bit of pride. But now, heading off to enlist, he was finally showing his true emotions.
She felt genuinely happy for Ace, seeing him finally find his path in life. And she knew all of this was thanks to Kaito—a truly remarkable man.
After entrusting Makino with his message to Dadan, Ace stepped firmly into the portal Kaito had opened.
With everything ready, Kaito bid Makino one last farewell before vanishing from her sight in a flash.
Makino stood there in a daze, staring at where Kaito had disappeared. After a while, she sighed and shook her head with a wistful smile.
"...I wonder if I could join the Marines too..."
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford
In his office, Sengoku was pacing back and forth with barely contained excitement. He had just received a message from the World Government: Kaito had defeated both Kaido and King head-on at Onigashima.
The intel came from spies the World Government had planted within the Beasts Pirates. Sengoku had to admit—their spy network was impressive.
What made Sengoku so excited wasn't just the victory—it was what the victory meant.
He didn't know why Kaito hadn't killed Kaido this time, but considering Kaido's monstrous endurance and toughness, he found it understandable.
After all, the Marines had captured Kaido before but were never able to keep him restrained.
What mattered now was that Kaito had single-handedly defeated Kaido—and even taken down King along the way!
Once this news got out, Sengoku had no doubt it would shake the world to its core. Unlike the long-silent Golden Lion, Kaido was a current Yonko at his peak. The weight of this achievement was incomparable.
Just as Sengoku was getting increasingly fired up, Garp once again barged into the office—without knocking, as usual.
"Oi, Sengoku! Give me some senbei!"
As he spoke, Garp casually stuck a finger in his nose, already bracing himself for the usual roar of rage. He was fully prepared to ignore it while helping himself to the snacks in Sengoku's drawer.
But this time, Sengoku did something totally unexpected.
He turned without a word, walked to the drawer, grabbed a massive bag of senbei, rushed over, and shoved the whole thing into Garp's arms, yelling with excitement,
"Here! Take it all! It's all yours!"
Garp froze. His finger went so deep into his nose that blood spurted out like a geyser. Even Garp—the man who feared nothing—was so stunned he looked like a frightened little housewife.
His brain was working overtime, trying to figure out why Sengoku was acting so bizarrely. After thinking it over, he concluded there could only be one explanation:
It had to be his fault.
It must have been all those times he'd barged in unannounced, demanded senbei, and acted like an ass. He'd finally pushed Sengoku over the edge.
With a grim expression, Garp grabbed Sengoku by the wrist and started pulling him toward the door.
Startled by the sudden tug, Sengoku snapped out of his excited trance and frowned.
"Garp, what the hell are you doing?"
"I'm taking you to the hospital!"
"What!? You bastard, why the hell would I need a hospital!?"
Garp didn't answer. He just kept dragging Sengoku out the door.
Sengoku was furious. He wasn't sick—why the hell would he go to a hospital?!
Clearly, he had let Garp get away with far too much for far too long. Enough was enough—he was going to teach this unruly bastard a lesson.
A brilliant golden light suddenly flared up behind Garp. He turned just in time to see an enormous golden fist rocketing toward him.
Boom!
Garp shot through the railing like a cannonball, crashing out of the headquarters building.
...
Hina, Tsuru, and several Vice Admirals rushed to Sengoku's office after hearing the explosion. But what greeted them left them speechless.
Sengoku stood shirtless—his top half reduced to tatters hanging around his waist—gazing fondly at his glowing fist.
Before him, the railing had been obliterated. Garp had smashed right through it.
The bizarre scene left everyone slack-jawed. The Vice Admirals behind Tsuru all swallowed nervously in unison.
Even Tsuru, usually calm and collected, was baffled. With a hesitant expression, she approached Sengoku and asked,
"Sengoku… what just happened? Did you get into a fight?"
Hearing her voice, Sengoku quickly retracted his fist, straightened up, and slipped back into the dignified posture of a Fleet Admiral. With a serious tone, he replied,
"It's nothing. Just a little sparring match with Garp. Got a bit carried away."
"..."
The Vice Admirals behind Tsuru were speechless.
Sparring? You were glowing gold. Did you use your Devil Fruit too? Were you trying to launch Garp into orbit!?
Facing their stunned expressions, Sengoku remained calm and collected. He deployed his go-to tactic: the awkward cough.
"Ahem. Since you're all here, head to the conference room in a bit. I have something important to announce. As for Garp—give him the day off."
...
In Front of Marine HQ
Garp lay flat on the cold ground, staring lifelessly at the sky. Around him, Marine soldiers murmured in confusion.
When Garp crash-landed, they'd nearly panicked. A few soldiers had rushed to help him up, only to be waved off by the man himself. Now, all they could do was circle around him and observe.
Just then, Aokiji strolled by, hands in his pockets, having just finished scaring a little girl.
The moment the soldiers spotted him, they shouted as one:
"Admiral Aokiji!"
Only then did Aokiji notice the crowd—and the man lying at its center.
He gave Garp a once-over, saw that he wasn't badly hurt, then shrugged and said lazily,
"Ara ara... isn't that Vice Admiral Garp? What's he doing lying there?"
Garp slowly turned his head and looked at Aokiji.
With a grief-stricken voice, he whispered,
"Aokiji… Sengoku has changed!"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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