Inside the 16th Branch.
Hawkeye stood in a daze, staring at the black blade, Yoru, in his hand.
To any observer, it looked exactly like the original Yoru. However, he knew very well that this was no longer the Supreme Grade sword he once possessed. Instead, it had been reforged by Sean using fragments of Yoru.
There was one point he still didn't quite grasp.
Sean had told him that he needed to establish a connection with the blade to unleash its maximum combat potential. What exactly did that mean?
As for providing Hawkeye with a Zanpakutō, Sean felt no psychological pressure. Given Hawkeye's personality, he was the type of man who would never break a promise. Since he had agreed to serve under Sean for three years, he would do exactly that. Betrayal was simply not an option for him during this period.
As for what would happen after those three years...
Sean didn't care whether Hawkeye chose to leave or stay. After all, a Zanpakutō created by Sean could not be used to attack Sean himself. Besides, by the time three years had passed, the overall situation of the world would likely have already been decided.
Regarding the quality of the blade...
As expected, it wasn't possible to hit a massive jackpot every single time; this one only had a 37x multiplier. Even so, the final product was far superior to Gion's Konpira.
After all, the foundation—the black blade Yoru—was already one of the Twelve Supreme Grade Swords. It was far too exceptional.
There was no doubt that as long as Hawkeye could successfully communicate with the blade and obtain its true name, it would be at least a Captain-level Zanpakutō.
Whether Hawkeye would end up like Gion and force the Zanpakutō to change its name, however, remained to be seen.
In fact, Sean had previously asked Gion how she managed to get her Zanpakutō to agree to a name change. Gion's answer was simple: she beat it every single day for a year, and eventually, the Zanpakutō just gave in.
Sean had been left speechless.
'That's way too violent...'
So, the reason Gion took a full year to achieve Shikai wasn't that she couldn't do it faster, but because she spent that time forcing the sword to change its name?
Absolutely absurd.
'''
Another half a month passed quickly.
Through manic daily training in Kidō combined with the daily profit multiplier, Sean finally broke through to Level 7. However, with less than two months remaining, breaking through to Level 8 would be impossible unless he had a stroke of legendary luck.
But...
Since he couldn't rely on consecutive massive multipliers, he could still increase his base experience.
For example, if he trained for ten hours a day and gained 100 proficiency points with a 60x multiplier, the result was the same as training for twenty hours a day to get 200 proficiency points with a 30x multiplier.
The daily growth in proficiency remained the same.
Previously, Sean had too many affairs to manage, and such a grueling training schedule was simply too insane to maintain. He had never tried it before.
But now...
Sean handed over all the management of the Branch to Robin, giving her a strict instruction: unless something catastrophic happened, she was not to disturb him.
Sean threw himself entirely into his Training.
He was going to gamble everything in these final two months!
Once he reached Level 8, putting aside the powerful Hadō spells, the mere ability to use Bakudō No. 81, Dankū, without chanting was enough to make Sean crave it.
While Level 7 users could use it, they relied on long incantations to activate it. When an enemy is attacking you, do you really have time to recite a long poem?
That would be a joke.
Therefore, Level 8 Kidō was crucial because it allowed him to cast Dankū by discarding the chant.
In this manner, the time finally arrived—ten days before Vista's public execution.
Only 100 men were left behind at the 16th Branch; everyone else was to participate in the upcoming war. Even these 100 men were only there because they had lost a game of rock-paper-scissors. Looking at the main force departing the Branch, they were practically weeping with frustration.
To other Marines, the members of the Whitebeard Pirates might be terrifying monsters, but to the Marines under Sean...
They were walking, high-value experience packs!
Concentrated, high-value experience! That was the essence of it!
With a bit of luck, many of them could earn enough military merit to be promoted to field officer ranks. Naturally, they were fighting for a chance to go.
If they coordinated well, they might even have a chance to take down a lower-ranked Division Commander or the captain of an affiliated pirate crew.
Ascending straight to the rank of Commodore—reaching the top in one leap—wasn't impossible!
Only a fool would stay behind.
As for fear? That didn't exist here.
'''
For this operation, the 16th Branch deployed 1,200 personnel.
This included 900 Marines directly under the Branch and 300 Kuja warriors under Hancock's command.
As for Hawkeye, although Headquarters had granted him the rank of Vice Admiral—which came with the authority to build his own direct unit—the man was used to being a loner. He had no intention of using that power to lead a troop.
Sean had once complained internally, 'Even if you don't want subordinates, you could just fill the quota and let me use them!'
However, he only complained in his mind; there was no need to actually force Hawkeye into it.
In addition to the personnel, Sean deployed one specially equipped battleship, three cruisers, and eight destroyers.
Sean boarded the battleship with Hancock, Hawkeye, and Blueno, heading directly for Impel Down. The remaining warships formed a fleet under Lucci's command and headed toward Headquarters.
It was worth noting that while these Steel Warships resembled those from Sean's previous life, they required far fewer crew members due to different technological applications.
For instance, the battleship Sean was on would have required over a thousand men to operate in his old world. Here, 300 people were more than enough.
In a traditional battleship, the main batteries alone would require hundreds of men. Here, just a few people could manage a triple-gun turret.
Too heavy? Too cumbersome to load?
Sean found that these weren't issues at all. Marines with a Doriki of at least several hundred could easily carry a 380mm shell by themselves.
However, some people were utterly disdainful.
"Hmph, just a Branch Chief who happened to hit a goldmine. In this world... personal strength is all that matters in the end!"
These words were spoken by a Headquarters Captain standing at the port. He was overheard by several 16th Branch Marines who were disembarking from the first ship.
"Are you looking down on our 16th Branch?"
"That's right. And how exactly did your Branch Chief train you? You're a Lieutenant from a Four Seas branch; don't you know how to salute when you see a Headquarters Captain?"
The Captain's attitude was arrogant and haughty.
However...
The words the Marines spoke next nearly made him cough up blood.
"Captain, why do I feel like this guy is really weak? Is he actually a Headquarters Captain?"
"I don't know. This is Marine Headquarters; surely no fraud would be bold enough to impersonate a Marine officer here?"
The captain shook his head, his expression equally skeptical.
After all, this man felt far too weak. He couldn't even begin to compare to Kaku or Captain Jabra from their own branch.
"Captain, should we report this to Commodore Lucci? What if this really is a fraud? We are in the middle of a war; we can't afford a single oversight!"
"Hmm, you have a point. Go report it immediately!"
"Yes, Captain!"
The captain considered it seriously before giving the order. The Marine soldier, looking solemn, hurried away to find Lucci.
This sequence of events nearly made the Headquarters Captain spit blood from sheer rage.
'Too weak?'
'A fraud?'
'Impersonating a Marine officer?'
'Are they talking about me?!'
'This is going too far!!!'
He decided right then and there that he had to teach these Marines from the 16th Branch a lesson. With a darkened expression, the Captain immediately launched an attack on the Lieutenant.
However, in the Lieutenant's eyes, the movement was excruciatingly slow. He simply tilted his head slightly and dodged the strike with ease.
"Attacking a fellow Marine... you really are an impostor."
"Take him down and hand him over to Commodore Lucci!"
In the next instant, the two Marines beside the Lieutenant leaped into action. Each utilized Soru, blurring across the distance to appear instantly in front of the Captain.
And then...
Well, suffice it to say, a few seconds later, the Headquarters Captain had been completely subdued.
This scene left every surrounding Headquarters Marine utterly stunned.
They all knew who this Captain was. He was their direct superior and the officer in charge of the military port today. While he wasn't among the most elite of the Captains, he certainly hadn't obtained his rank through mere connections.
Yet, he had been instantly overwhelmed and easily subdued by two random Marines?
It was absolutely absurd!
Still, he was their superior. Seeing their commanding officer beaten into the dirt, they couldn't just stand by. One by one, they raised their rifles, forming a circle and surrounding the small squad of Marines.
Seeing this, the Lieutenant was completely bewildered.
'Wait... I just helped you catch a spy impersonating an officer, and now you're pointing guns at me? What is the meaning of this?'
"Stop!"
Just then, a loud shout rang out.
Everyone turned toward the source of the voice to see a man approaching with a cold expression.
"Admiral Aokiji!"
Upon recognizing him, the Headquarters Marines immediately lowered their weapons and snapped to attention in a salute.
After a moment, Aokiji arrived in front of the Lieutenant.
"Why did you attack a Headquarters Captain?"
"We didn't attack a Headquarters Captain, sir. We simply subdued a spy impersonating an officer—most likely someone from the Whitebeard Pirates."
"A spy impersonating an officer... what makes you say that?" Aokiji frowned deeply.
"It's simple, sir. This guy is too weak. If he were in our branch, he wouldn't even pass the recruit graduation exam. How could he possibly be a Headquarters Captain?"
"Perhaps he just used connections to scramble his way up to Captain at Headquarters?"
...
'That actually makes a lot of sense.'
Aokiji found that he was completely unable to refute the logic. His mouth twitched slightly.
Gion had already informed him of the recruitment standards for the 16th Branch: a Doriki value exceeding 300 and the ability to use at least one of the Six Powers.
Did this Captain have a Doriki of 300? He probably did.
But could he use the Six Powers? It seemed he couldn't.
Following that logic, he really might not have passed the 16th Branch's recruit exam.
How was Aokiji supposed to respond? Was he supposed to admit that the strength of a Headquarters Captain was inferior to a common Marine from the 16th Branch? Or was he supposed to admit that the man had merely used connections to get his rank?
Regardless of the excuse, neither was worth saying. It was too embarrassing!
There was only one way out...
"Hmm, your observation is quite keen. Guards! Take this suspicious individual away and interrogate him!"
At that moment, every Headquarters Marine at the port was dumbfounded.
'Wait, Admiral Aokiji, what are you doing?!'
Seeing the bewildered looks on the faces of the Headquarters Marines, Aokiji glared at them fiercely.
"Did you not hear my order? Take this man away immediately and stop making a scene!"
"Yes, Admiral!"
Once Aokiji mentioned "making a scene," a few of the Marines finally caught on. They hurried forward and carried the unconscious Captain away.