It seemed that being a Fleet Admiral meant there was always an endless stream of paperwork to deal with.
Fleet Admiral Kong lowered his head as he reviewed a document and said:
"Have a seat, Sakazuki. Just wait a moment."
Sakazuki responded with a grunt, then sat down on the chair next to him.
Enel, meanwhile, sat cross-legged atop the Admonition, floating beside Sakazuki as he curiously surveyed the office.
The room was a simple wooden structure, with plain patterns carved into the pillars.
The interior was sparsely furnished—just a Fleet Admiral's desk and a few sofa-like chairs.
Behind Kong, the entire wall was occupied by a framed plaque.
On it were the enormous characters for "Justice," dominating the whole wall, as if putting Kong's ideals on full display.
After a short tea break, Kong finally finished the last stroke on the page in front of him.
He looked up at Sakazuki, examined him, and nodded with satisfaction.
"As long as you're okay. Don't act so rashly next time."
"Your strength still isn't enough to deal with those long-established infamous pirates."
"If you fall, it's not only a loss for the Navy, but a loss for the entire world."
Sakazuki nodded in response.
"Understood."
Seeing Sakazuki's expression, Kong could tell—ugh, he said it for nothing. Shaking his head helplessly, he reached for his teacup.
"You really are..."
Then, looking at Enel, who sat on the floating Admonition:
"And this is?"
Sakazuki waited two seconds. After seeing Kong raise the teacup to his lips, he said:
"This is a new recruit under my command, Enel."
"A Logia-type—Rumble-Rumble Fruit user."
Pfft!
Fleet Admiral Kong suddenly sprayed the tea from his mouth mid-sip.
He stared at Enel in astonishment—what a surprise!
Enel, however, seemed to witness something illusory.
When Sakazuki saw Kong spit out his tea, it looked like the corners of his mouth slightly curved up.
That expression… it was just like Karol!!!
Enel's eyes widened as he stared at Sakazuki.
He had found the reason why Karol was so devious!!!
The more Kong looked at the wide-eyed Enel, the more pleased he became.
"Good, good, very good."
"This little guy's got spirit. Hahahahaha."
"How do you plan to train him?"
Sakazuki smiled—this was exactly why he came.
"I plan to let Vice Admiral Ward Morris educate him for now, and then find a few teachers to teach him some knowledge."
"After two years, I'll send him to the Naval Academy."
Fleet Admiral Kong nodded in agreement.
"Morris, huh? That's a good choice."
"Morris has no children—having a little one around will cheer him up."
When he mentioned Morris being childless, Kong's expression dimmed a bit, as if he remembered something. He sighed… then shook off the thought.
"Then make a list of what Enel needs to learn."
"I'll assign the Navy's best instructors to teach him."
"He can stay directly at Morris's residence and keep him company."
Sakazuki nodded.
"Thank you, Fleet Admiral."
Enel also looked at Kong and said in a crisp voice:
"Thank you, Grandpa Fleet Admiral."
Kong looked even more delighted—so well-mannered, how wonderful. He said:
"Go to Morris quickly and give him the news."
Sakazuki nodded.
With his goal achieved, he led Enel out of the office.
As they left, Enel's voice echoed into the room:
"Goodbye, Grandpa Fleet Admiral!"
Kong smiled, and it lingered for a long while.
That clear voice seemed to wash away all the fatigue of his day.
He picked up his pen and began correcting the piled-up documents again. Everything was heading in a good direction...
...
Beneath the enormous walls, Sakazuki had already led Enel out of the great fortress.
They walked toward the Naval Academy—Vice Admiral Morris should be there at this hour.
Sakazuki glanced at Enel floating beside him and smiled.
"Not bad. Keep it up."
Enel couldn't suppress the grin spreading across his face after being praised.
"Hehe."
Like a parent walking with a child, the two figures—one large, one small—strolled away under the sunlight...
...
Marineford, Naval Academy.
Sakazuki led Enel across the training grounds, passing by several classes.
Some were in formation, some were sparring, others were listening to instructors lecture about the seas.
Everything was in perfect order, making Enel's eyes dart everywhere, overwhelmed.
So I'll be one of them in the future... Enel couldn't hold back the smile on his little face.
Inside the Naval Academy, in the principal's office, Vice Admiral Ward Morris was planning out educational materials.
The training curriculum sent from Marine Headquarters served as the Navy's global training outline.
Unlike Zephyr, who later became an Admiral before transferring to become an instructor, a Vice Admiral's credentials were enough to serve as principal.
Zephyr had chosen to personally teach, leading by example—and of course, he had successfully produced batch after batch of elite Marines.
Ward Morris now aimed to educate Marines across the globe.
To subtly reshape the Navy worldwide, until generation after generation grew strong... then...
Knock knock knock!
A knock came at the door. Morris set down his pen and looked over.
"Come in."
Sakazuki walked in with Enel. Vice Admiral Morris greeted them with a smile.
"You brat—when did you get back? Hahahahaha!"
Sakazuki smiled slightly.
"Just this morning."
He turned to Enel and said:
"This is Vice Admiral Morris."
Enel looked at him and said in a crisp voice:
"Hello, Grandpa Morris."
Morris's smile widened as he looked kindly at Enel in his uniform.
"Hello to you too, little Marine warrior."
Sakazuki then introduced him properly.
"Vice Admiral Morris, this is Enel. A Rumble-Rumble Fruit user."
Morris was a bit surprised.
"Rumble-Rumble Fruit?"
"Good, good, good! That's excellent, Sakazuki."
Morris repeated the word "good" several times, his smile not fading.
Sakazuki addressed him again.
"I'll be counting on you to guide him from now on."
Morris looked at Sakazuki, a little stunned.
"You want me to teach him?"
Sakazuki smiled.
"Yes, and to keep you company too."
Morris walked over to Enel, looking at the obedient boy with even more warmth.
He asked Enel about his past. After hearing his story, Morris felt even more compassion for the child.
At that moment, a messenger arrived and whispered a few words to Sakazuki.
Sakazuki said goodbye to the two, then got up to leave.
Enel waved as he bid farewell. Sakazuki didn't turn around.
He simply raised his hand and waved back.
Once Sakazuki had walked off into the distance, Vice Admiral Morris could no longer contain himself.
He dropped his work entirely and took Enel out shopping.
...
In town—
Morris's voice rang out from a store.
"I'll take this, this, this, this, and this—wrap them all up and send them to...."
Enel's voice came with a hint of confusion.
"Grandpa Morris, isn't this too much?"
Morris happily explained:
"Not at all, not at all. And just call me Grandpa—no need to say the name."
Enel chirped in his crisp tone:
"Grandpa."
Morris let out a joyful laugh.
"Good, good, hahaha! Wrap this one too! And this!"
"Come on, Grandpa's taking you home!"
Their voices faded into the distance...
...
Elsewhere, having just disembarked, Sakazuki returned to the port again. But this time, not to board his own warship.
Led by a messenger, he saw Admiral Sengoku commanding the transport of supplies at the harbor.
As he walked up, Sengoku also looked over. Sakazuki called out:
"Admiral Sengoku."
Sengoku gave a slight smile in response.
"Sakazuki."
At this point in time, Sengoku wore a massive afro and round glasses.
He didn't yet have the gentler air of his future self—there was still a sharp edge to his presence.
Sakazuki finally asked about the mission.
"Admiral Sengoku, what's the urgent task this time?"
Sengoku's face turned serious. He looked a bit troubled.
"It's Byrnndi World—that mad dog."
"Apparently he's been looting materials everywhere to build some massive ship."
"Due to his powers, we've never managed to capture him."
"This time, somehow, higher-ups got intel saying he appeared on a small island in the New World."
"They want us to check it out and try to capture him alive, if possible."
Sakazuki nodded. Byrnndi World… he was indeed hard to catch.
The More-More Fruit let him boost his movement speed by 30x or 50x. If he wanted to flee, there was almost no way to stop him.
Intel, huh… So they've already begun deploying CP?
After giving Karol his usual task instructions, Sakazuki boarded a warship headed for the Red Line.
Standing on the deck, gazing out at the sea, thoughts swirled through his mind.
"The More-More Fruit…"
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