"Kaido really must be itching for a beating," Garp chuckled.
This wasn't the first time Kaido had pulled a stunt like this.
But Garp didn't feel anything, except maybe that Kaido was tough enough to punch.
And punching someone that thick-skinned was always kind of satisfying.
"Garp, this isn't about you going off to brawl with Kaido," Sengoku snapped.
If Garp went and walloped Kaido, the guy would just hold a grudge and storm Marine HQ out of spite.
Sengoku already had enough on his plate, drowning in paperwork day after day and playing mental chess with his own subordinates.
At that thought, Sengoku glanced at Noah.
Seeing the peacefully sleeping Amamiya Noah made a very specific idea bloom in his head.
"This time," Sengoku said slowly, "I think we need to show the world the strength of the Navy."
"Not just that. Also the power of our new generation."
"So…"
A smile curled on Sengoku's lips.
And the entire room began to smirk.
They knew exactly what Sengoku was planning.
But no one said a word.
Because watching this kind of setup unfold was just too damn entertaining.
In his sleep, Noah suddenly shivered.
It felt like someone was scheming against him.
He sat up groggily and looked around, only to find every single person in the meeting room smiling at him with fake kindness.
Noah's eyes widened in horror.
"Did all your faces cramp at once or something?"
He looked around in confusion.
Can you imagine lifting your head to find a room full of people staring at you with warm, knowing smiles?
Noah was creeped out of his mind.
"Noah! I've got a special mission for you," Sengoku said with a smile so wide it practically glowed.
Noah stared at the old man's face and immediately felt a trap coming.
"Fleet Admiral, I've still got a mountain of paperwork sitting in my office…"
He'd been tricked before. Not this time.
"You? Handle paperwork?" Sengoku's temple throbbed.
"I beg your pardon," Noah said righteously. "I handle all administrative matters personally. In fact, I just heard some strong pirates are stirring up trouble in the first half of the Grand Line. As a Vice Admiral, I should personally go patrol the region to show our Navy's resolve."
Which, in Noah-speak, meant lying on a deck chair for a few days at sea.
But something about the way Sengoku was smiling today… yeah, no. That wasn't the smile of a good man.
That was the smile of a scheming bastard.
"I've already decided to send Garp to the first half," Sengoku said coolly. "As for your paperwork, you can finish it when you get back."
"And don't worry, this mission is really simple."
"If you complete it, I'll even give you a one-week vacation."
Sengoku nodded, as if granting the greatest reward of all time.
"Two weeks."
Noah didn't even know what the mission was, but bargaining was instinct at this point.
"Deal."
Sengoku agreed without hesitation.
His original bottom line had been a whole month of leave, but if he could send Noah to the New World with just two weeks' vacation, that was a win.
At the very least, it'd knock some of the arrogance out of him.
The guy had been loitering in the first half of the Grand Line for months without once revealing his true strength.
Even Sengoku couldn't get a read on him anymore.
"Maybe we should send an Admiral with him," Tsuru suggested, a touch of worry in her voice. "There's a chance he could run into Kaido."
She trusted Noah's abilities, but the New World wasn't as calm as it looked.
Last time Noah had gone there, he hadn't encountered any of Kaido's real monsters, not even the Four Emperor's officers.
But this time? It could be different.
If he actually ran into the Beasts Pirates...
"Wait, wait, wait. Did you say Kaido?!"
Noah stared at Sengoku, stunned.
Did this guy know what he was saying?
He was just a Vice Admiral, and they were sending him against Kaido?
That wasn't a mission. That was a suicide note.
Was the Navy really this reckless with its talent?
"It's just to drive out some of the Flying Six," Sengoku said, waving his hand dismissively. "You probably won't even see Kaido."
"I'm not going." Noah sat right back down and pulled his eye mask back over his eyes.
This sounded like a thankless job with high risk and no rewards. No way he was falling for it.
If someone wanted to go pick a fight with the Beasts Pirates, they were welcome to it.
But not him.
"Noah, my man, that's not cool of you."
Kizaru spoke up with a smile and hit Noah with a massive betrayal.
"The Fleet Admiral's orders aren't something a mere Vice Admiral can refuse."
By keeping Noah at Marineford, both their laziness became too obvious.
There could only be one slacker in the spotlight.
And that slacker had to be Kizaru.
If something blew up later, having Noah shipped off somewhere was a great buffer.
"Then you go," Noah shot back with a grin. "With the high likelihood of running into Kaido, it'd be too risky to send me. We can't afford to lose an important Navy asset."
"You're talking like I'm not important," Kizaru said lazily. "I'm an Admiral. You're just a Vice Admiral. Obviously, I matter more."
He wasn't even afraid of offending the other Vice Admirals in the room.
After all, in the Navy, power spoke louder than rank.
The other Vice Admirals in the room couldn't help but twitch.
Kizaru's words were so blunt it stung.
Every one of them now wore the same expression: awkward and mildly offended.
"I made Vice Admiral before I even hit thirty," Noah said with a gentle smile. "Kizaru-san, may I ask how old you were when you got promoted?"
"…"
The Admirals and Vice Admirals alike were visibly uncomfortable.
Every one of them wanted to ask: "Noah, do you even know what basic courtesy is?"
Most of them were decades older than him.
Not everyone was some freak of nature like Noah.
They had clawed their way up the ranks one mission at a time.
"…"
Kizaru's face froze. He didn't answer.
Back in the day, the Navy's two greatest pillars were Zephyr and Sengoku.
They had carried the organization on their shoulders.
By the time Kizaru became a Vice Admiral, he was already well into his forties.
Compared to that…
It was pretty obvious who the real talent was now.