Chapter 45: New Assignments
Early the next morning, everyone had already gone their separate ways. Yesterday was the last time they would all be together. The Navy was short on strength right now, and there wasn't time for long goodbyes. Zephyr had already started forming the next elite class.
In the end, only four of them remained at Marine Headquarters: Satoru, Chris, Herac, and Bosra.
Out of them, Satoru held the rank of Rear Admiral. The other three were Majors. Their ranks didn't match their strength. If it were based on power alone, their ranks would be higher. But they didn't have the military achievements to back it up yet.
Satoru was different. He had both strength and achievements. After all, the Sin Skull Pirates had been wiped out by him alone.
A ten-year-old Rear Admiral was something that had never happened in the Navy before. Headquarters used this to boost morale. The news spread fast.
SHOCKING! NAVY SUPER-NOVA! TEN-YEAR-OLD REAR ADMIRAL WIPES OUT SIN SKULL PIRATES SINGLE-HANDEDLY!
That was the headline the Navy's propaganda department gave Satoru. There were no photos of the fight itself, just pictures of the massive crater left in the Sabaody grove. It wasn't even an exaggeration. With Satoru's current power, being a Rear Admiral was more than fitting.
But besides this news, Satoru noticed something else. Many high-ranking officers, especially those at Vice Admiral level and above, looked very serious. It was as if something big had happened.
"What's going on?" Satoru found Zephyr and asked.
He had been assigned to stay at Headquarters, so he had no specific post yet. He was just waiting around, which meant he was bored.
"An important classified document was stolen last night," Zephyr said, his face grim. "It's very significant for the Navy. Sengoku is furious. Only senior Navy personnel knew about that document. So now we have to find the traitor hiding among us."
Having a spy in the Navy was bad. But a spy who had climbed to a high position was a disaster.
This immediately made Satoru think of Dragon, the man he met last night. What Dragon had 'picked up' from Headquarters must have been that document.
Dragon really had some skill, to steal it without anyone knowing. But it also helped that Dragon used to be a Marine. He knew the layout of Headquarters and its secrets better than most.
Otherwise, even a master of stealth wouldn't be able to find a classified document storage area here.
"You won't find that traitor," Satoru said suddenly.
"Oh? What do you know? Or what did your 'eyes' see?" Zephyr asked. He knew Satoru must have seen something they hadn't.
"Last night, while you were all drunk, I met a man."
"Who?"
Zephyr understood at once. This man was the key—the one who took the document.
"The leader of the Revolutionary Army. Monkey D. Dragon. I think you're familiar with him too, Instructor."
Hearing that name, the first thing that popped into Zephyr's mind wasn't 'ex-Marine.' It was Garp's stupid, grinning face. For people of their generation, thinking of Dragon meant thinking of Garp first.
"That brat, huh?" Zephyr grunted. "If it's him, then it makes sense. He could take something from Headquarters without a trace. His Devil Fruit power is very tricky and hard to pin down. Alright, I know. I'll tell Sengoku. You find something to do. But don't go too far. I think Sengoku will have orders for you soon."
"Understood," Satoru said.
With a sweep of his Six Eyes across the vast Marineford complex, he quickly located Chris and the others. They were thousands of meters away, with dozens of buildings between them.
In the next second, Satoru appeared right beside them.
"Yo. What are you talking about?"
The sudden voice made all three of them jump. Chris nearly fell out of his chair.
"Satoru! Don't scare people like that! You'll give someone a heart attack!" Chris yelled, clutching his chest.
"Hahaha! Consider it reflex training," Satoru laughed. "If I were an enemy, at least two of you would be dead already."
"You think anyone else is as much of a monster as you, appearing out of thin air?" Chris complained, his anger not fading.
"We were just talking about our assignments," Herac said, stepping in to calm things. "The three of us have been placed on Admiral warships for field training."
"That's good," Satoru said, genuinely happy for them. "I haven't even seen an Admiral yet."
It showed how much Headquarters valued them. But it also worried him a little. Admirals dealt with the most dangerous missions. One wrong move could mean death.
"But you have to be careful on missions," Satoru warned. "The pirates the Admirals deal with are from the New World. They're not on the same level as the Sin Skull Pirates from our test."
"Don't worry," Chris said, trying to sound brave. "We'll be careful."
"By the way," Satoru asked, "which Admiral's ship are you on?"
"I'm on Admiral Kizaru's ship," Chris said. "Herac is with Admiral Akainu. Bosra is with Admiral Aokiji."
Satoru had thought they'd all be on the same ship. He didn't expect them to be split between all three Admirals. That meant they'd each have to watch their own backs.
"What about you, Satoru?" Bosra asked quietly. "What's your assignment? With your strength, it must be better than ours."
"I don't know yet," Satoru shrugged. "But I have a feeling it won't be an easy post."
Even though Satoru was young, no one in the Navy treated him like a child anymore. The Rear Admiral rank on his shoulders was enough to command respect from ninety-five percent of the Marines. His next steps would decide just how far this young prodigy would go.
(End of Chapter)
✨If you're enjoying this story, consider supporting me on Patreon —
Patreon.com/TofuChan
💕Patreon members get early access to chapters, bonus content, and voting power on future ideas.💕
Every bit of support helps me write more and faster. Thank you so much for reading! 🥰
Bonus Chapter For Every 100 Power Stones
Lets hit the goal of 200 Patreon Members now for 5 Extra Chapters 💕
We are at 166 members 🎉
There is a limited discount going on Patreon now just hours left 😊