Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
It stood at the strategic throat of the Grand Line, like a giant beast crouching on the sea. The crescent-shaped bay and towering fortress walls glimmered faintly in the sunlight.
The building towering above the prominent giant kanji for "Marine" served as the office space for the Marine Fleet Admiral, Admirals, Vice Admirals, and others.
...
Admiral Sengoku's office.
Though titled Admiral, recently the Marine Fleet Admiral Kong had been confirmed for promotion to Commander-in-Chief. Currently, Marine affairs were essentially being handled by Sengoku.
Once Kong's promotion was official, Sengoku would become the new Marine Fleet Admiral.
The office was filled with a faint aroma of tea. Behind the sturdy wooden desk, Sengoku was looking down, flipping through a stack of documents.
"Moshi moshi~ Is Admiral Sengoku in?"
Without waiting for a response, Kizaru pushed the door open and walked in.
His steps were light and floating, as if he was just passing by on a stroll, not here to report on military matters.
...
After leaving the Officer Training Camp, Kizaru had been following Sengoku's ship.
After years of working together, Sengoku had given up on the idea of making Kizaru more serious.
Just like he couldn't stop a certain someone from stealing his Senbei.
Sengoku lifted his eyes, his sharp and wise gaze forming a stark contrast with Kizaru's nonchalant demeanor. "Did you catch up to the Red Hair Pirates?"
Kizaru casually sat down on the sofa, a faint, elusive smile playing on his lips. "Yaa~ The mighty Red Hair Pirates. How could I possibly catch them all by myself?"
"The higher-ups are asking too much of me."
...
CP9 had Griffin intercept the Red Hair Pirates, but the higher-ups didn't actually expect a mere Branch Base Commander to be of much use.
After the incident occurred, the Five Elders ordered Sengoku to send someone in pursuit.
This kind of chasing task, of course, fell to the fastest among them – Kizaru.
Sengoku looked back down and continued browsing the files, seemingly unconcerned. "Forget it if you didn't catch them. Just proceed with your mission regarding the Sun Pirates."
"Those who set fire to the Holy Land and freed a large number of slaves are still sailing freely on the seas. This is a major stain on the World Government's dignity!"
...
The true nature of the Gomu-Gomu Fruit was top secret. The Five Elders, of course, wouldn't tell Sengoku.
Nor would they emphasize that the fruit must be retrieved, fearing the Marines would notice its peculiarities.
This information gap led Sengoku to not stress the mission's importance to Kizaru. Kizaru, naturally, wasn't foolish enough to seriously fight the Red Hair Pirates; going through the motions was enough.
"Hmm... By the way, Admiral Sengoku, I met an interesting young fellow on this trip."
Kizaru slowly explained the events that happened at Branch 179. As he listened, Sengoku's eyes grew brighter and brighter.
"Oh~ A Marine brave enough to confront the Red Hair Pirates for the sake of the civilians! Truly courageous!"
"Branch 179... That kid Smoker brought in, right? I have some impression of him. His name is Griffin, isn't it?"
"How are his injuries? Does he need Headquarters to send someone for treatment?"
Admiral Sengoku, known as the Marine's Strategic General, was a man who had consumed the Human-Human Fruit, Mythical Zoan type, Buddha Model, possessing wisdom akin to that of a Buddha.
"He's a Zoan-type Devil Fruit User, and his condition has stabilized. He'll probably just need one or two months of rest."
"More importantly..."
Kizaru reached into his pocket and pulled out a stack of photographs.
"He made a small request."
As he handed over the photos, Kizaru reported Griffin's words with a slight embellishment.
...
...
In the photograph, a young Marine was shown standing alone against the ferocious great pirate Shanks.
The photographer had chosen an excellent angle—from this perspective, Shanks in his black and red attire resembled a demon king.
The Marine advanced with his sword, expressionless and stern.
His ice-blue high ponytail appeared neat and sharp, while the irregular red markings on his face, like scars, added a unique sense of weathered experience.
His deep blue eyes, dotted with flecks of red, resembled profound lakes, exuding a mysterious allure.
Most importantly...
This face was handsome.
Impeccably handsome.
...
Sengoku held the photo, listened to Kizaru's description, and remained silent for a long time.
"No..."
"Is that a no? Personally, I still hope you can..." Kizaru tried to persuade him further; he had grown quite fond of the young fellow.
Sengoku raised his hand: "What I mean is, it's not enough!"
He pointed the photo at Kizaru, his voice tinged with barely concealed excitement.
"You're underestimating him! He's underestimating himself too!!"
"A Marine rising star? How is that sufficient!!"
"When you saw this photo, didn't you realize one problem!"
...
Kizaru was baffled: "What... problem?"
Sengoku pointed at the photo and said gravely, "He... is extremely handsome, practically possessing beauty that rivals the Pirate Empress!"
Kizaru grew even more confused: "So what?"
Can looks put food on the table? Can looks make pirates surrender?
The Pirate Empress had her Devil Fruit abilities combined with her beauty, plus she had mastered the Three Colors of Haki at a young age, making her exceptionally powerful. By the age of nineteen, she had already become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
That guy Griffin is decent, but compared to Hancock, he still falls short, doesn't he?
Sengoku looked at Kizaru with disappointment and shook his head: "The orders from above have come down. I'm about to assume the position of Fleet Admiral, and you and Sakazuki will be promoted to Admirals."
"As Marine Admirals, you'll be responsible for numerous departments. There are many things you need to consider—it's not just about carrying out missions simply, but thinking from a broader perspective..."
...
Kizaru grew somewhat impatient listening to this and waved his hand: "Spare me. Just tell me directly how you plan to handle this matter."
Gulp...
Sengoku took a sip of tea and looked at the photo with a gratified smile: "Do you know how long it's been since the Marines last had a talent who combines both strength and looks like this?"
"Let's not even talk about Sakazuki, but with your face... if it weren't for your strength, I really wouldn't want you as an Admiral."
...
"Hey now... that's a bit too much, Admiral Sengoku!"
"Who among the strong on the seas cares about looks!"
"And I'm just not obviously handsome—what do you mean by a face unfit for an Admiral?!"
No matter how laid-back he was, when faced with personal attacks, Kizaru felt it necessary to clarify.
...
"Indeed, from our perspective, appearance isn't important. Few among the strong on the seas care about such things..."
"But what about the ordinary citizens?"
"The Marines' largest source of recruits comes from the vast number of ordinary citizens!"
"Do you know how many pirate crews want to join the Kuja Pirates just because they admire Hancock?"
"Her predecessor was even more extreme—back then, they were completely obsessed…"
Sengoku trailed off mid-sentence and returned to the main topic.
"Just based on his operation to intercept Red-Hair, since he requested it to be made public, I'd definitely be willing to help promote it. This is a great opportunity to boost the Marine's image."
"On top of that… with looks like his, it's like adding wings to a tiger!"
Sengoku's eyes lit up as he continued, "If we build him up as the new face of the Marines, I can tell you with full confidence… just because of that face…"
"The number of female Marine recruits will increase at an exponential rate!!"
"Don't underestimate the power of an idol, Borsalino!"
...
...
...
Kizaru didn't understand.
But this… must be the wisdom of the Buddha.