Seeing Garp lounging around like he didn't have a care in the world, Sengoku's anger flared again.
In his opinion, it was precisely because this guy never took anything seriously that his whole family turned out to be criminals!
A rebel son, a pirate grandson...
The so-called Hero of the Navy had somehow raised two traitors!
And now he was still cracking jokes? Sengoku was just about ready to kill him!
"Hahahaha!"
Garp played dumb, laughing shamelessly like a scoundrel.
But deep down, he wasn't so carefree. His son's revolution had gone off the rails, so he'd put all his hopes into his grandson.
Who could've guessed that damned red-haired bastard would brainwash the kid!?
Just one act of self-sacrifice, and the fool got swayed into becoming a pirate.
And now, not long after setting out to sea, the kid had already taken down Morgan of the 153rd Branch.
Just a few days ago, he even beat both Buggy the Clown and the Black Cat Pirates!
That grandson of his clearly had the makings of a top-tier pirate.
It was enough to give anyone a headache!
ε=(′ο｀))) sigh*
"We can't cover up your grandson's actions anymore. The bounty has to be issued. The most I can do is make sure there's no large-scale manhunt."
Sengoku took a deep breath and cast a sidelong glance at Garp, his tone stern.
"Also, go talk to your student! Kuzan only listens to you. Tell him to get his act together!"
"As an admiral, he's constantly slacking off, and now he's even brawling with his own comrades every day? That's completely out of line!"
"I'm telling you, he's only like this because of you!"
Kuzan used to be all about "burning justice" and had a real passion for the Navy.
But now? It was like he was a different person. He seemed lost, lazy, unmotivated.
This kind of change... was dangerous.
"Hahaha, I'm about to finish off all your senbei! Thanks for the treat, Sengoku!"
"You bastard! Garp, cut it out! Don't eat that—"
"Hey hey hey! I'm trying to talk serious business here!!"
Sengoku, seeing Garp tilt his head back and devour snacks, nearly exploded.
He jumped up to snatch back his treats—he'd saved those up on a meager salary!
"You old fool, do you have to be so stingy?"
"Shut up!"
In the office, the Fleet Admiral and the Navy's so-called Hero squabbled like kids.
Outside the still-open door, passing HQ elites stared in stunned silence.
"Those two are already old men... and they still have the energy to wrestle like children? Aren't they worried about embarrassing themselves?"
Just then—
A stately old woman with snow-white hair and a coat emblazoned with "Justice" stepped inside, followed by a young girl.
It was none other than Vice Admiral Tsuru, the famed "Great Strategist" of Navy HQ, and wielder of the Wash-Wash Fruit.
Behind her was a tall, curvaceous young woman.
She had long blonde hair, striking green eyes, and full lips. Wearing a strapless pink dress under her Navy coat, her sultry figure was on full display.
This was Tsuru's granddaughter—Kujaku, a newly appointed Rear Admiral of Navy HQ, and user of the Whip-Whip Fruit.
"Little Tsuru? What brings you here?" Garp instantly dropped his antics at the sight of her solemn face and sat up straight.
"Ahem! Tsuru, Kujaku, please, have a seat."
Sengoku cleared his throat to mask the awkwardness and invited the two to sit.
He straightened his uniform and tried to act proper again.
Looking at the old comrade across from him, Sengoku felt a pang of nostalgia.
Tsuru's hair was fully white now, and her face bore deep lines from the years.
Who could've imagined that long ago, she had once been so dazzlingly beautiful that even he and Garp were both secretly smitten?
That Navy flower who once enchanted the entire force had aged.
Time was merciless.
And the biggest regret? Back then, he and Garp were too dumb—chasing career paths instead of romance.
By the time they realized what they'd missed, Tsuru had already married someone else.
Look at her now—already a grandma!
Every time Sengoku saw her, he couldn't help but feel a wave of regret.
He pushed down those emotions and asked directly, "Tsuru, what brings you here today?"
She had a granddaughter now—there was no point trying to act nostalgic.
And Garp had long since let go, otherwise there wouldn't be a Dragon and a Luffy in the world.
"Two things. First, this girl wants to join the classified special ops unit. Sengoku, can you pass a word to the SWORD Division?"
Tsuru rubbed her temples helplessly. She knew how dangerous the SWORD Division was.
But her granddaughter had made up her mind. There was no stopping her.
Sengoku gave Kujaku a meaningful look.
Even as Fleet Admiral, he didn't have much say when it came to the that Division.
Seeing her flash a playful smile at him, he pondered for a moment.
"The Sword Division's first trial is to capture a pirate with a bounty over 100 million. You can try that first."
Kujaku beamed. "Don't worry, I didn't come here looking for shortcuts."
"Hm."
Sengoku nodded and turned to Tsuru. "And the second matter?"
"Three hours ago, the Navy's 16th Branch was completely wiped out. These are photos clipped from the papers. The one responsible is quite the character. Take a look."
She pulled a photo from her pocket and laid it on the table.
Sengoku and Garp leaned in.
At a single glance, both their pupils contracted sharply. "This is—!"
The photo showed a shirtless, muscular young man with dragon-scale wings. Fire, water, and lightning swirled around him.
Standing atop a flaming cloud, high in the sky, he radiated a hellish aura that made one's scalp tingle.
"A Mythical Zoan Dragon-Dragon Fruit user. His transformed form blotted out the sun, though we didn't get a full shot..."
Tsuru was blunt. She was certain this Devil Fruit ability was no joke.
If they didn't deal with him early, he could easily become a catastrophe in the future.
"A dragon-type Mythical Zoan..."
Sengoku's expression grew grim.
Even from just this photo, he could sense immense danger.
"Tsuru, how did someone like this end up in the East Blue? Did you find out who he is?"
"...His name is Jin. Reports say he's the Straw Hat Pirates' vice-captain."
Tsuru glanced flatly at Garp. "Yes, your grandson's right-hand man. Though it seems they've parted ways—apparently not on good terms."
"NANI!?"
Sengoku's face changed drastically.
"Your grandson again... GARP!!!"
His face turned a terrifying shade of green.
He lunged forward, grabbing the stunned Garp. His giant fist, wrapped in pitch-black Haki, smashed straight into his skull.
BOOM—!
"AAAH!!!"
...…
Ignoring Garp, who now had a massive lump on his head and smoke rising from the impact, Sengoku gritted his teeth and returned to his desk.
"Effective immediately, issue a bounty for Jin. Tsuru, you decide the amount."
Tsuru nodded calmly.
But before any follow-up orders could be given...
Kujaku, still staring at the photo of the muscular man, suddenly interrupted, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, for my sword Division trial... how about I go after him?"
"That's the first time I've ever seen such a ripped guy. I want to... train him a little."
"...Excuse me!?"
At that moment—
Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru all froze.
"Tsuru... your granddaughter is nothing like you. She's way too open!"
"What? I've never even touched a man! How am I open? Besides, you don't know my grandma at all. Actually... she's even more—"
"KUJAKU!! YOU SHUT YOUR MOUTH!!!"
[End of Chapter]