Marineford, Naval Headquarters.
Strolling through the base under the bright morning sun, Bryan felt lighter than air, his mood utterly carefree. Even the burly, thick-waisted cooks in the mess hall looked strangely adorable to him today.
"Lord Bryan," Shiryu of the Rain muttered behind him, his expression full of regret, "you really should pay a little more attention to your image…"
"My image?" Bryan raised an eyebrow, turning to him with mock indignation. "Tell me, Shiryu—what exactly is wrong with my image or temperament, hmm?"
Shiryu opened his mouth but wisely said nothing.
Just then, a lazy, familiar voice drifted over.
Aokiji was riding his bicycle through the main gate, ice wheels crunching softly against the ground.
Bryan waved with exaggerated cheerfulness.
"Good morning, Junior Kuzan!"
Aokiji snorted coldly and pedaled past, pretending not to hear him.
"Thanks, by the way," Bryan said suddenly, his tone smooth and teasing. "For everything you did in Water 7. You really made things so much easier for me."
The handlebars of Aokiji's bike froze solid in his grip.
He had been planning to ignore the man completely—but that one sentence was enough to make him snap.
With an icy glare, Aokiji abandoned his bike and stormed toward Bryan.
"You bastard! You didn't do a damn thing, and yet you're the one who walked away with all the credit! Because of you, Headquarters is the one taking the punishment!"
As Aokiji charged, fury radiating off him, Shiryu instinctively reached for his sword.
"Relax," Bryan drawled lazily. "This is Marine Headquarters. Even if I gave him ten sets of guts, he wouldn't dare lay a hand on me."
That smug tone only made Aokiji angrier—he was seconds away from throwing a punch when a large hand caught his arm.
"Stand down, Kuzan," said Garp, appearing between them in an instant. His face was stern, his voice commanding. "Don't let him bait you. Have you already forgotten what happened at Ohara?"
"Oh, Vice Admiral Garp! Morning!" Bryan said brightly, as if nothing at all was wrong. "I picked up breakfast—care to join me?"
Without waiting for a reply, he snatched the food bag from Shiryu's hands and waved it invitingly.
"Well, don't mind if I do."
Garp grabbed the bag and stuffed one of the buns straight into his mouth—three big bites, and it was gone.
Then his eyes went wide.
"Cough—cough—COUGH!"
His face turned beet red, and he clutched at his throat, wheezing.
Bryan's tone was full of feigned regret. "Ah, my apologies! I've recently become obsessed with ultra-spicy Hellfire Chili Sauce, so I replaced the filling in the buns. Guess I forgot to warn you."
"Water! Get me some water!" Garp roared, eyes bulging.
"Pff—hahaha!" Bryan burst out laughing, strutting away triumphantly as his prank succeeded.
"Please forgive Lord Bryan," Shiryu said hurriedly, stepping forward with a bottle. "Here, this is mint water."
"Hold on—let me check it first," Aokiji said grimly, snatching the bottle away. He took a long gulp—then immediately sprayed it all over Garp's face.
"THAT'S VINEGAR!" he shouted, teeth clenched in outrage as he hurled the bottle aside.
Shiryu went pale. Without another word, he turned and bolted.
His heart pounded as he caught up to Bryan.
"Lord Bryan," he hissed, "when did you switch the mint water for vinegar?!"
"When I told you," Bryan said, smirking as he whistled a jaunty tune, "that I was going to prank Garp with the spicy buns."
Shiryu blinked in disbelief. "So you turned around and pranked both of them instead…"
"Of course." Bryan's grin widened, flashing a row of perfect white teeth. "Can't waste a good opportunity for entertainment, can I?"
"Next time," Shiryu muttered, still shaken, "please—just warn me before you start your damn pranks. That was Vice Admiral Garp you just poisoned, for heaven's sake!"
Bryan chuckled. "If I'd told you in advance, would you still have handed him the bottle?"
Shiryu sighed in defeat. He couldn't even argue.
—
Elsewhere in Marineford, a coded message quietly circulated among select members of the intelligence division:
Subject: Bryan — Codename: "Black Vulture."
Status: Rising influence within the World Government. Alignment uncertain.
Recommendation: Observe closely. Do not provoke without orders.
...那一口白牙闪得雨之希留后背一凉,对布莱恩的敬畏更深了一层.
Marine Headquarters – Main Conference Hall
As Fleet Admiral, Kong sat in the center seat, with Admirals Sengoku and Zephyr flanking him on either side.
Below them sat Garp and Tsuru, as usual.
But today, the seating was different.
Where Aokiji and Akainu once sat—the first-line successors of their respective factions—now sat Bryan and Chaton.
Whispers rippled instantly through the room.
"What's going on?"
"Why is Chaton sitting there?"
"Wasn't Bryan suspended?"
"Looks like a storm's about to hit Headquarters…"
For years, the Navy's internal power was divided between two dominant factions: the Doves and the Hawks.
The Doves had long monopolized most of the real authority, leaving the Neutral Officers marginalized and silent during high-level meetings.
But the neutral generals weren't fools—they simply had no desire to get caught in factional crossfire.
Now, though, seeing the seating arrangement shift before their eyes, every one of them could sense it—
A political storm was brewing.
"Now then," Kong said, his deep voice cutting through the whispers, "Vice Admiral Tsuru will announce the new personnel appointments."
At that moment, everyone in the room knew what was coming.
"So it's true—Bryan and Chaton have risen to power."
"Heh, we really underestimated those two."
"The most unlikely outcome actually happened… is this a miracle or a nightmare?"
The neutral officers murmured among themselves, even Momousagi (Peach Rabbit) frowned slightly.
"Damn it… that bastard's back again?"
Across the room, several of the Giant Vice Admirals, regardless of faction, looked equally furious at Bryan's reinstatement and new status.
"Enough!"
Kong slammed the table once, and the hall fell silent.
"Effective immediately," Kong announced, his expression unreadable, "Vice Admiral Bryan is appointed as Governor of the West Blue, with full administrative and military authority over the region. His codename is—Black Vulture."
A murmur spread through the room.
Black Vulture.
A legendary poisonous bird—larger than an eagle, jet-black with a crimson beak and a long neck.
Its body was said to contain deadly venom; its feathers, steeped in wine, could kill a man instantly.
It feasted on vile, venomous creatures—particularly snakes.
That was the Headquarters' evaluation of Bryan: more poisonous than a viper.
"Wait—what?! The West Blue Governor's Office is being separated from Headquarters?"
"This is madness! You can't do that—the West Blue will descend into chaos!"
"Fleet Admiral, this order can't stand!"
Outrage erupted across the chamber. Both Dove and Hawk admirals shot to their feet in protest, their voices rising in unison.
Kong's face darkened. He understood all too well how serious the consequences of this order were. But he could only sigh heavily.
"This is a World Government directive. From this day forward, the West Blue Governor's Office is placed under direct authority of the World Government."
A stunned silence followed.
"So it's the World Government's doing…" someone muttered bitterly.
"Then that means the Five Elders are Bryan's patrons now."
At the mention of the Five Elders, the protests died instantly.
No one dared speak further.
Who in the Navy would challenge the will of the Five Elders?
"Continue," Kong said quietly, giving Tsuru a meaningful look.
Tsuru nodded and, though she tried to maintain her composure, even her voice wavered slightly as she read the next appointment.
"Effective immediately—Vice Admiral Chaton is appointed as Superintendent of the Naval Academy."
The room erupted again—but this time, the outrage was tinged with disbelief and fear.
Because with those two names—Bryan, the Black Vulture, and Chaton, the new Superintendent—
the balance of power within Marine Headquarters had just been turned completely upside down.
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