Chapter 17: Zephyr Asks the Fleet Admiral for a Man
"But Zephyr!" Sengoku rubbed his brow. "Going to the Fleet Admiral to ask for one of his men isn't going to be easy. Especially given that kid's origins... the West Blue."
The West Blue was a notoriously corrupt region...
"Hey! Sengoku! What's wrong with being from the West Blue?" Garp, hearing this, couldn't help but roar. "Zephyr, don't worry about it! Look at my son, Dragon! I'm personally training him, aren't I? Fleet Admiral Kong is easy to talk to!"
"That's only because you threatened the Fleet Admiral that you'd stop doing missions and stop chasing Roger! Zephyr would never do something like that, you bastard Garp!" Sengoku shot back, before turning to persuade Zephyr.
"Zephyr, we're all probably getting promoted to Admiral next year. You can totally wait..."
Before Sengoku could finish, Garp slammed his hands on the table and shot to his feet, spraying crumbs everywhere.
"Hey, hey, Sengoku! What do you mean 'we?' I never said I wanted to be an Admiral!"
A vein bulged on Sengoku's forehead. He wiped the rice cracker bits off his face. "You bastard! Fleet Admiral Kong has already decided on it! You think you can escape?!"
"Hahaha! Who'd want a job that ties your hands like that!" Garp laughed, hands on his hips. "I just want to be free to chase Roger! If I become an Admiral, I'll have to listen to the Celestial Dragons all day. It's too annoying!"
A vein throbbed on Sengoku's forehead. "Garp! This is the Marine promotion system! Do you think this is a game?!"
"Hahaha! The system?" Garp picked his nose, looking disdainful. "I'm not gonna be tied down by a bunch of stupid rules! Admiral? Forget it. I'll say it again: I'd rather be free to chase Roger!"
"You... you bastard!" Sengoku was so angry his glasses were crooked. "The Marine high command needs responsibility and discipline, not... not whatever this is!"
Garp just grinned, showing his signature white teeth. "Then it's perfect! You be an Admiral, I'll stay a Vice Admiral, and we'll stay out of each other's way!"
Zephyr watched them bicker, shaking his head in exasperation.
He stood up, adjusted his Justice cape, and said calmly, "You two can keep arguing. I'm going to the Fleet Admiral's office."
Hearing this, Sengoku let Garp off the hook for a moment. He turned to Zephyr, frowning. "Zephyr, are you really going to ask Kong for him personally? It's not going to be easy."
"I know," Zephyr replied flatly. "But Garon is worth the try."
Sengoku pushed up his glasses, his tone grave. "The kid's performance in West Blue was indeed impressive. But his actions... especially striking the flags... Kong is not going to be happy about that."
Garp chimed in, "What's there to be unhappy about? The kid was right! What good is justice if it's late?"
Sengoku shot him a glare. "The Marines are a disciplined force! Striking the flags without orders is a challenge to the entire system! Fleet Admiral Kong is a traditional soldier. He values rules above all else!"
Zephyr said nothing more. He just walked to the door, leaving them with one last sentence:
"Rules are rigid, but people are flexible."
...
Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's Office.
"Steel Bone" Kong, in his fifties with a head of spiky hair, was reviewing documents. Hearing a knock, he didn't look up. "Come in."
Zephyr entered, came to attention, and gave a standard salute. "Fleet Admiral."
Hearing Zephyr's voice, Kong finally looked up, his sharp gaze sweeping over him. "Zephyr? What is it?"
Zephyr got straight to the point. "It's about Warrant Officer Garon Reginald Sigma from the West Blue branch. I want him transferred to HQ, to serve as my adjutant."
Kong's brow furrowed instantly. He put down his pen, his tone serious. "Garon? That 'Sky-Tremor' user from West Blue?"
"His ability is rare, true, but his behavior..."
"Steel Bone" Kong steepled his fingers, his sharp gaze cutting through the cigar smoke to lock on to Zephyr. "Zephyr, you know as well as I do, the Academy's system isn't just for show." Kong's voice was deep and stern. "Garon Reginald Sigma is a promotion from the West Blue branch. That place is a cesspool of corruption. His ideals need to be reshaped!"
Zephyr's expression was unchanged. "Fleet Admiral, Garon's actions at Ash Harbor have already proven the justice in his heart."
"'Justice in his heart?'" Kong snorted, slapping a report on the desk. "He ordered the Marine flags to be struck! What kind of act is that? It's contempt for the honor of the Marines! If every soldier acts like him, what discipline will we have left?!"
Zephyr glanced at the report, his expression still calm. "He simply believes that if the Marines cannot truly protect the people, then flying the flag is a mockery."
"'A mockery?'" Kong's voice turned colder. "Zephyr, you're a veteran. You should understand what that flag symbolizes! It represents the honor and responsibility of the Marines, not something to be discarded at will!"
"Fleet Admiral, Garon's actions weren't a rejection of the Marines. They were a reflection on the current situation." Zephyr looked Kong straight in the eye. "The corruption in West Blue brings shame to the Marines. He chose to prove with his actions... that Marine justice shouldn't just be ceremonial."
"Even so, his methods are too radical. A soldier who can't even follow basic discipline—how can he become a proper Marine?"
"I believe he is a proper Marine!"
"Absurd!" Kong slammed his fist on the desk. "The Marines maintain the order of the entire world, not a stage for his personal heroism! If he can't even grasp basic obedience, how will he ever lead men?"
Zephyr was silent for a moment, then asked, "Fleet Admiral, when you promoted Garp, you didn't seem to care much about his 'obedience' or 'discipline'."
"You...!" Kong was speechless, his face darkening. This was the first time in all these years Zephyr had talked back to him. And for a rookie, no less.
At that thought, Kong softened his tone. "Garon isn't Garp. Garp came from the Academy. He has a proper pedigree! But Garon..."
"But Garon," Zephyr interrupted, his voice resonating, "clawed his way up from a menial-work chore boy."
"He has no background, no talent, and not even any luck... until he ate a fruit that changed his fate one year ago."
"A soldier like that... understands the weight of 'justice' better than anyone."
The office fell silent.
Kong stared at Zephyr, a smoke ring dissipating between them. "It's rare to see you this insistent about someone."
"Fleet Admiral, you know..." Zephyr's clenched fist was trembling slightly. "I'm not a natural-born monster like Garp, and I'm not a strategic genius like Sengoku."
Zephyr held up his calloused palm. "At fourteen, I came to Marineford with the travel money my entire village scraped together. At eighteen, when I first held a rifle, I couldn't even see the front sight clearly."
"I was twenty-eight when I finally mastered the Rokushiki and got promoted to Petty Officer. By then, the rest of my class were already Commissioned Officers." His knuckles cracked.
"By the time I was thirty-four and earned the name 'Black Arm,' Garp had already punched his way through eight different crews in the New World... and now he's chasing Roger's crew..."
"Fleet Admiral, I only have a few years of my prime left. It took Garp just two or three years to reach a level I can never touch! And he's still growing!"
"But Garon is different. I see a budding 'justice' in him!"
"He shouldn't have to languish for so long, like I did!"
"I understand."
Kong looked at Zephyr, his tone softening slightly. "Zephyr, I know you see potential in him. But the Marines need more than just strength. They need respect for the system."
Zephyr didn't argue. He only replied flatly, "I will make him understand that."
With that, he turned and left, his steps steady and firm.