Marine Headquarters, within Marineford.
Over a thousand people were working hard to repair the headquarters building.
After working through the night for a week, the repairs to the damage had reached fifty to sixty percent completion. Such efficiency could only be achieved through the power of money, perhaps.
"Haha, Sengoku, don't look so glum. It's only a few hundred million Beli for repairs. If the military budget isn't enough this year, you can just use some of your retirement fund to cover it."
Garp picked his nose and patted Sengoku on the shoulder, laughing heartily.
"Shut up!" Sengoku glared back and said, "Do you even have the nerve to mention my retirement fund?"
"Over the years, how much have you borrowed from me? It adds up to my entire retirement fund. If anyone has to cover it, it's you."
"Both of you are the same. My eyelids have been twitching these past few days. I feel like something ominous is about to happen. I didn't even feel this way when I beat up Shiki back then!"
Sengoku rubbed his throbbing temples, glancing around but still couldn't see any clues.
However, as time went on, his heart was starting to feel heavy!
"Haha, Garp, no wonder you were always trying to get close to me recently. It seems you couldn't borrow any money from Sengoku. Looks like I was right not to lend you any."
Zephyr walked over from a distance, laughing heartily.
As high-ranking figures in the Navy, the three of them were old comrades who had been through life and death together, and they no longer cared much about their salaries.
Both Sengoku and Zeff liked to use their own salaries to subsidize the Headquarters and the New Recruit Academy.
They had long since been living a hand-to-mouth existence.
Therefore, they didn't mind Garp's attempts to freeload.
"Garp, if you're really short on cash, you could take a spin in the New World. If you find someone who's asking for it, just rough them up a bit. That alone would be enough to cover your expenses," Zephyr suggested with a smile.
Garp rolled his eyes. "Nah, I'll pass. If those old geezers in the World Government get wind of it, they'll think I'm trying to fleece them."
"What if they just send me a banner and call it a day!"
"That little brat Luo Yu said, 'You get what you pay for.' It's glorious to freeload off others, but it's shameful to be freeloaded off."
"I'll just borrow some money from Tsuru!"
Zephyr and Sengoku were both frowning.
It's glorious to freeload off others, but it's shameful to be freeloaded off?
You get what you pay for?
What kind of motto is that?!
Luo Yu was feeding poison to Garp, who was already a slacker.
Making him go out and fight would probably be harder than climbing to the heavens.
"Forget it, don't mention that brat to me. It was supposed to be a short-term escort mission, but it was forced into a long-term one. I don't even know if He has met with the people in charge of the escort yet." Sengoku rubbed his throbbing temples.
Before Luo Yu showed up, the slacker champion Kizaru, and the sleepyhead Aokiji, were already giving him a headache.
Now there's a slacker admiral too.
Sengoku felt like he had even more white hairs.
"Haha, Sengoku, why are you worrying so much? This is the personality of a strong person!" Garp laughed loudly.
"Don't forget, you used to have the nickname 'Goat Old Man' back then. Now that you're a Fleet Admiral, do you think no one knows?"
"Besides, no matter how unreliable Luo Yu is, he's still an Admiral. As long as the performance is up to par, he'll get the job done!"
"You, don't you know you shouldn't bring up people's shortcomings?" Sengoku glared, clearly not wanting to dwell on the issue, and immediately changed the subject. "Forget it, I'll find some time to call and ask later. Just mentioning that guy makes my eyelids heavy."
"Sengoku, you should relax. If you don't trust that little brat, surely you trust the soldiers I personally trained?" Zephyr said with a smile, trying to reassure him. "Ain was originally the most outstanding rookie back then. After that incident, her personality became more steady. With her there, I believe the escort mission will be a success."
"Look, my Den Den Mushi is ringing. It seems Ain is giving me a timely report on the mission's progress. It makes me feel very reliable."
Zephyr said, smiling as he took out the Den Den Mushi.
Sengoku, who was beside him, immediately perked up.
Looking at the Den Den Mushi Zephyr pulled out, and the fax documents it spat out, his expression couldn't help but falter.
"This, is this a maintenance assessment report? Two warships destroyed? Requiring six hundred million Beli for repairs?"
"Did this brat go out and greet the Four Emperors? How could he destroy two warships? Did he get attacked by a Four Emperors' group?"
"These pirates are truly arrogant!"
Sengoku's face darkened, his anger flaring.
He did often complain about Luo Yu's lazy attitude.
However, Luo Yu was, after all, an Admiral, and he also mastered the Three-Colored Haki; his strength couldn't be underestimated.
If he hadn't encountered a Four Emperors' group, looking out over the sea, there were very few people who could threaten an Admiral.
"Sengoku, don't be impulsive, there's more to this Den Den Mushi fax!" Zephyr's face also turned cold, he secretly clenched the Den Den Mushi in his hand and said coldly.
"If those guys are really that arrogant, then even if I have to abandon the title of 'Unkilling Admiral,' I'll slaughter them all."
"I want them to understand that the Navy isn't a pushover that can be easily bullied."
As a former Admiral of the Navy, Zephyr was known as the 'Unkilling Admiral.'[T/N: cannon name: Black Arm Zephyr]
It's just a shame that, after his family was killed and his students were slaughtered, the words 'unkilling' seemed a bit ridiculous.
If it weren't for the Navy's remaining sense of justice, which Zephyr still held hope for…
… the word 'unkilling' would probably have already turned into 'slaughter.'
Luo Yu was someone he'd personally recommended to become the Navy's Fourth Admiral, so he could be considered a half-student.
If he were to encounter misfortune the first time he led a team out to sea alone…
Zephyr wouldn't swallow this rage!
Garp's expression also darkened. He quickly snatched the second fax from the Den Den Mushi and said,
"I'd like to see which of the Emperors dares to target my disciple. Do they really think I'm past my prime?"
His stern words were laced with cold intent.
Garp eagerly lowered his head to look at the fax in his hand, but his expression faltered.
"Garp, why aren't you saying anything? Is it Whitebeard, or Charlotte and Kaido? It couldn't be that Red Hair, the youngest of the Four Emperors, is arrogant enough to attack our new Admiral, could it?" Sengoku roared.
"Are they trying to destroy the Navy's reputation by doing this?"
"It seems Marine Headquarters hasn't taken action in too long. They've forgotten the methods of us old geezers!"
The words rolled out, thick with killing intent, and Zephyr beside him wore the same grim expression.
Watching these two old comrades, looking like they were ready to go all-in, Garp coughed awkwardly, forcing a smile that was both embarrassed and stiff, and said, "Actually, if that little brat saw how much you cared, I believe he'd be very happy."
"However, I have some good news to tell you. It wasn't the Four Emperors who smashed our Navy's rice bowl, could I say it was that little brat who did it?"