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Marineford, Sengoku's Office.
Only Admiral Sengoku and Staff Officer Vice Admiral Tsuru were present, seated on opposite sides of the desk. Sengoku was on a Den Den Mushi, listening to a report.
"Admiral Sengoku, all of those pirates have been sent to Impel Down, it's just that…"
"Just what? Spit it out!" Sengoku's heart skipped a beat. Had that damn brat done something outrageous again?
"It's just that… all of their hands and feet have been… cut off!"
"…"
"Alright. Incarcerate them for now and keep them under close watch. Tell Magellan to… restrain their bodies with chains. The Marines do not want a repeat of the Golden Lion!"
"Yes, Admiral Sengoku!" Clack!
"Hahahaha! That kid did a fine job! He didn't disappoint me!" Sengoku put down the Den Den Mushi, his expression ecstatic. He was clearly in a very good mood.
"What happened? It's not like you've arrested the three Emperors of the Sea," Tsuru teased, seeing Sengoku's delight.
"The Emperors? Hmph! If it weren't for the World Government…" Sengoku grumbled before changing the subject. "It was that kid, Atlas."
"Oh? Did that little fellow do something earth-shattering again?" A sharp glint flashed in Tsuru's eyes.
"It wasn't a huge deal. You just got back from the New World, so you don't know. That kid is stationed at the Sabaody Archipelago now.
A few months ago, he took out the entire slave market and several Supernovas in one go. Since then, he's been rounding up batch after batch of pirates.
The other day, the warden of Impel Down called me to complain that the prison is almost full and to ask me to give Atlas a vacation, hahahaha!"
"That doesn't sound like his style."
"Tch! That brat broke the arms and legs of all the Devil Fruit users," Sengoku sneered. "The non-users were all thrown into the sea to feed the fish!" Was that kid the type to be merciful?
"By the way, Tsuru, here's an intelligence report on the Donquixote Family. Take a look."
"The Donquixote Family?" Tsuru was startled. That surname was not an ordinary one; it was one of the Celestial Dragon families in Mary Geoise. "Is this about the Celestial Dragons?"
"In a way. Do you remember the Homing family from a dozen years ago?"
"The Celestial Dragon who insisted on moving out of Mary Geoise to live as a commoner?" Tsuru had a vivid memory of that peculiar noble.
The Homing family was ultimately deemed a disgrace by the Celestial Dragons, a secret that Tsuru, as a high-ranking Marine, was privy to.
Suddenly, her hand froze as she was flipping through the report. "Rosinante is Homing's son?"
Tsuru, of course, knew Rosinante. Years ago, Sengoku had returned from a mission with his adopted son by his side.
He had never mentioned the boy's identity to his old comrades, and Tsuru hadn't thought much of it.
There were too many orphans in the world; it wasn't strange for Sengoku to suddenly want to adopt a son.
After all, Sengoku had been single for so many years, not at all like that bastard Garp.
"Yes. I never told you all before to be safe. The fewer people who knew, the better," Sengoku said, a bit embarrassed.
"So why today…?"
"That boy Rosinante heard that his brother, Doflamingo, had become a pirate and had already taken control of most of the North Blue's underworld."
"He volunteered to go undercover in the Donquixote Family. And… he sent a secret report a while ago. It seems Doflamingo is plotting something big."
"So, I was thinking of having Gion or some of your subordinates keep an eye on things over there. It's a bit of a selfish request, but I'm worried about Rosinante's safety."
Rustle, rustle… Tsuru focused on the report, her mind racing. "This Doflamingo is a born criminal, and his ambition is not small. He and that boy Rosinante are complete opposites!" Tsuru's tone was firm; she had made her judgment instantly.
A pirate like Doflamingo was a massive threat to the world! "No, I'll go myself. A pirate with such a special status… if he is allowed to mature fully, he will become a major problem for us Marines!"
"Moshi moshi~ Old man Sengoku, what do you want this time?"
In his office in Sabaody, Atlas was idly picking at his fingernails when Sengoku's call came through, which brightened his day.
He had already captured most of the pirates on Sabaody and destroyed the slave trade.
The only recent issue was that the Marines under his command kept reporting that coating artisans were being kidnapped, only to return on their own a few days later when Atlas began to investigate.
Atlas guessed it was the work of pirates sneaking around. It wouldn't make sense for ordinary tourists, and the artisans all kept their mouths shut when they returned.
The pirates must have paid them too much… As for why they didn't just kill the artisans, that was a joke.
If a life were lost, the Marines would hunt them to the ends of the earth, even into the New World!
Sometime before, a pirate crew, after getting their ship coated, had gone on a rampage on Sabaody to provoke the Marines.
Although the patrols stopped them before major casualties occurred, when Atlas received the news, he had personally dived into the deep sea. He annihilated the entire crew on their way to Fish-Man Island!
After the World Economic Journal published the incident, the world was in an uproar. Every pirate who hadn't yet entered the New World was terrified.
Some who were about to arrive at Sabaody turned right back around after hearing the news.
"You brat, I can't call you if I don't have a reason?" Sengoku retorted with a laugh. Had this kid been corrupted by that bastard Garp?
He remembered him being quite polite when they first met. Why was he calling him "old man" now?
"Of course you can. You are my direct superior, after all. My salary depends on you."
"Alright, stop messing around. I do have business with you this time." Sengoku's tone turned serious on the other end.
"You were complaining about not having enough manpower, weren't you? Smoker just returned from a mission."
"That guy doesn't get along with anyone, so I'm transferring him to your command. I want you to straighten out that stubborn attitude of his!"
"Also, I'm giving you one more person. This is a very good prospect, with excellent physical talent."
"With a little training, he could become another pillar of the Marines. I was originally going to give him to that bastard Garp, but his personality is just too unreliable…"
Knock, knock, knock…
Just as Sengoku was rambling on about how unreliable Garp was, there was a knock on Atlas's office door.
"Come in!"
"Reporting! Marine Headquarters Major Smoker!"
"Marine Headquarters, Captain Vergo!"
"Here to report for duty!" x2
"Heh heh, well, it seems I don't need to make any further introductions. Go ahead and get to know the subordinates I've specially chosen for you." With that, Sengoku hung up.
Atlas, meanwhile, was looking at the two men with a strange expression. Old man Sengoku, are you sure you're not messing with me? Why did you send this guy to me?
One man wore a checkered coat and black sunglasses. He had lightning-bolt-shaped sideburns, a buzz cut, and some stubble along his jaw.
In his hand, he held a bamboo stick, which was presumably his weapon. The strangest thing was…
There was a piece of hamburger patty stuck to his face! Seriously, you don't know there's a giant piece of meat stuck to your face? Atlas screamed internally.
"Demon Bamboo" Vergo! Atlas, of course, knew who this was. He was the classic example of how to use Armament Haki—a failed example, that is.
He could cover his entire body in Haki, which looked impressive, but he was cut in half by Law on the spot.
It was hard to say if the Op-Op Fruit was just that broken or if Vergo's Haki was just that weak.
The key point was that this guy was a mole! A mole sent to the Marines by Doflamingo! Was Sengoku sure he wasn't being played?
"Ahem, please introduce yourselves," Atlas said, his face impassive as he looked at the two serious-looking men.
"Not you," he said, shooting a glare at Smoker, who looked ready to speak first, making him swallow his words. "I already know all about your rotten character."
"Vergo, Marine Captain. Joined the Marines 5 months ago. I like hamburgers. I specialize in hand-to-hand combat." The introduction was concise.
Although he felt Atlas's gaze was a bit strange, Vergo honestly gave his simple introduction. After all, Atlas was now his direct superior.
As a member of the Donquixote Family loyal to Doflamingo, Vergo was undoubtedly qualified. This man had spent fifteen years climbing to the rank of Vice Admiral.
If not for a lack of strength, he might have even become an Admiral. He was, in a sense, the most successful undercover agent ever.
Moreover, it was because of Vergo that Rosinante's cover was blown later on. It was just strange that Rosinante didn't seem to know about Vergo's status as a mole.
It seemed that Doflamingo, who claimed to value his "family," had been wary of Rosinante from the very beginning.
"Alright, you can go. Report to Mejes. You'll be assigned to my warship from now on."
"Yes, sir!" Vergo replied loudly.
"Ah, wait. Get that big piece of hamburger off your face first." As Vergo was about to turn and leave, Atlas finally couldn't hold it in any longer.
Click. The door closed.
"Heh heh! Big Bro Atlas, I can't believe you were promoted to Vice Admiral so quickly." Smoker's first words completely broke the illusion.
Seeing his attire today, Atlas had thought he had matured.
He looked very similar to his appearance decades later, just younger, with his silver hair slicked back, goggles around his neck, a large scar on his forehead, and black leather gloves.
"You brat! I hear you're always talking back to your superiors. Hina's rank is higher than yours now, and you two were in the same training class."
"Weren't your grades even better than hers?" Atlas shook his head and laughed. He still liked calling Smoker a brat.
"It's because my beliefs clash with theirs," Smoker retorted.
"This is what you taught me, Big Bro Atlas. You must follow your own beliefs of justice to the very end!"
"Oh? And what are your beliefs?"
"To protect civilians and fight evil!" Smoker said slowly, his expression filled with sincerity.
"Is that so…" Atlas was in a daze for a moment, as if remembering when he first came to this world and Captain Wright had asked him the same question. "That's a fine justice."
Sometimes, the simplest things are the hardest to achieve…
"Come on! Let's go outside for a spar. I want to see how strong you've become."
Snapping out of his thoughts, Atlas stood up from behind his desk, his massive 2.8-meter frame looming over Smoker.
"Eh? There's no need for that, Big Bro Atlas," Smoker's mouth twitched, and he repeatedly waved his hands in refusal.
He had already heard all about Atlas's incredible feats. If Atlas slipped up, he would probably beat the crap out of him.
"Relax, relax. I'll control my strength."
Seeing Smoker's worry, Atlas walked over, slung an arm around his not-so-broad shoulders, and started pushing him toward the door, consoling him all the while.
Base Training Room.
The style was uniform: iron-plated walls that gave the entire room a heavy, metallic feel.
Crack! Crackle!
Atlas casually took off his suit jacket, the movement of his shoulder blades creating a loud sound. He had gone through who knows how many suits this month.
Although fighting Smoker probably wouldn't get his clothes dirty, it was better to be safe than sorry.
"Big Bro Atlas, you'd better be careful. I haven't been slacking off these past few years," Smoker said.
Seeing that he couldn't get out of it, he decided to go with the flow and see how much the gap between him and Atlas had widened.
After all, life is like… well, if you can't fight it, you might as well enjoy it.
"White Blow!"
Smoker attacked first. His limbs instantly turned to smoke, and his legs, like a launcher, propelled his body toward Atlas.
Smoker knew he was no match for Atlas. For years, he had focused on combining his physical combat skills with his Devil Fruit ability, and his physique was visibly stronger than it had been in Loguetown.
Atlas watched Smoker charge, standing his ground. He took a punching stance and, with no fancy moves, threw a simple, straight punch!
Bang!
The fist didn't hit Smoker's chest. The man had turned to smoke to dodge it!
"I didn't expect you to have awakened Observation Haki, Smoker, even if it's still rudimentary." Atlas was a little surprised.
He knew that when Luffy first appeared, Smoker couldn't use Haki. It wasn't because he lacked talent, but because he had become too reliant on the power of his Logia.
Holed up in Loguetown, without strong enemies to challenge him, how could he have awakened Haki, especially Observation Haki?
"Heh heh, Master Zephyr said that for a Logia user, Observation Haki is even more important than Armament. I've been consciously trying to awaken it these past few years.
As it happens, I just succeeded a while ago," Smoker said, a hint of pride in his voice.
Thump!
As he spoke, Atlas's hand was already on his neck. A powerful force slammed his entire body into the ground. A light laugh came from behind him.
"Well… did Master Zephyr also teach you that you need to stay calm when using Observation Haki?"
"Don't get too cocky, you damn brat!"
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach the top 100)
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