Shiki's Rage & Navy's Schemes
High in the sky above a certain New World sea, at the Flying Pirates' main base.
"Smash!!!"
"Damn it, the Navy is mocking me too much!"
Golden Lion Shiki slammed the bounty posters of Chronos and Shanks onto the table. Unlike other pirates who found these posters amusing, Shiki was consumed by endless rage. Not for any other reason, but because these two punks from the Roger Pirates had their bounties plastered over his Flying Pirates' image. Especially that four-eyed brat—the background of that kid's bounty was a picture of himself with a dark expression, and that's what he couldn't stand the most.
Now, all the pirates in the world knew he'd been cursed out by a rookie pirate, and that kid hadn't even been annihilated after doing so! How was the Golden Lion supposed to maintain his reputation on these seas now?
The random grunt pirates of the Flying Pirates trembled nervously to the side. This was their boss's time of wrath, and they dared not speak out. If they angered him, they'd surely be thrown into the sea! As pirates, they weren't afraid of death; dying in battle was their best fate. But being killed by their own captain? That was simply too humiliating to even mention!
"Fleet Admiral Kong, isn't the bounty for these two kids a bit unreasonable? In my opinion, their potential is absolutely no less than that of those Supernovas among the pirates!"
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office at Marine Headquarters, besides Sengoku (whose hair stood on end), sat two burly middle-aged men wearing Admiral coats and a charming female Vice Admiral, Tsuru.
"This is Vice Admiral Tsuru's decision."
Upon hearing that it was his goddess's will, Admiral Sengoku, who had initially objected, obediently shut his mouth. Kong looked at Sengoku with contempt. "You have the guts to question me, but in front of Tsuru, you're more docile than a mouse seeing a cat?"
Fleet Admiral Kong was helpless. Several times, he wanted to raise the bounties of those two brats from the Roger Pirates to a million Berries, but each time, Vice Admiral Tsuru held up the request at the Staff Office. Her reasoning was that their strength didn't match the bounty, which would undermine the overall prestige of the Navy.
He yielded out of fear of Tsuru—yes, fear. The esteemed Fleet Admiral, second only to the Five Elders and above tens of thousands, was afraid of a female Vice Admiral. But Kong had no choice. Within the Navy system, anyone you asked would tell you that the most unlikable person at Marine Headquarters wasn't the Fleet Admiral or the two Admirals, but Vice Admiral Tsuru. If you upset the Fleet Admiral or an Admiral, the worst they might do is hinder your promotion. But if you upset Vice Admiral Tsuru, two burly middle-aged men would immediately come to have a "heart-to-heart" with you...
Sakazuki, who would later become Admiral Akainu, had just been transferred back from G-1 Branch. During a meeting, he disagreed with Vice Admiral Tsuru's views and slightly talked back to her—without even uttering a single curse word. On his way home, he was cornered in an alley by "that guy Sengoku" and "that guy Garp" and given a brutal beating... When those two teamed up, let alone Sakazuki, no one could withstand it!
Three months later, Sakazuki's first act after being discharged from the hospital was to bring a fruit basket to Vice Admiral Tsuru's home to pay his respects.
"The number of pirates on the sea is increasing, and many new pirates set sail every year. If we set these two kids' bounties too high, it will only fuel the pirates' arrogance. By giving them low bounties, we strategically show contempt for them, thus curbing the pirates'嚣张 arrogance."
Listening to Tsuru's explanation, Uncle Sengoku, as the number one admirer of the goddess, led the applause. Honestly, he wasn't this excited even when he was promoted to Admiral.
But Tsuru would never tell them that she couldn't bear to set such high bounties because that pirate boy was so cute, bearing a three-part resemblance to her face and even having the same hair color (Tsuru's hair is also navy blue).
"But, 50 Berries... That's too ridiculous! Yesterday, that old fool Garp even called me specifically to ask if the Navy was so poor that his future hero's allowance, Vice Admiral's salary, special martial arts talent allowance, model Marine bonus... would no longer be paid?"
The purple-haired Admiral saw that the Navy's top woman had spoken, and decisively shifted the blame to Garp, who wasn't present. In truth, he was worried about his own future retirement fund. He wasn't like Garp, with a stack of allowances longer than a written essay. When he retired, all he'd have left was his retired Admiral's allowance...
"That scoundrel! A lot of his salary comes directly from the World Government, so what does the Navy Headquarters' poverty have to do with him? He should use that free time to find his own son! How long has Dragon been missing since his last duty at the Red Line? That father of his doesn't care at all!"
Upon hearing that it was Garp's usual troublesome behavior, Kong immediately found an outlet for his frustration, dredging up old grievances against the absent Garp.
Last month, Major General Monkey D. Dragon, one of their Navy's Four Prodigies, mysteriously disappeared. Normally, a Major General's disappearance could be a big or small deal for Marine Headquarters. But Dragon wasn't just anyone! His father was the Marine Hero Monkey D. Garp. For countless pirates, Marine Headquarters was like a forbidden zone, but for Garp, it was like home.
Moreover, Dragon himself was capable, having perfectly inherited his father's physique and perfectly avoided his father's "big nerve." He was both intelligent and skilled, truly a future Fleet Admiral candidate! Along with the other three Logia-type talents, Kong had already planned out the next two generations of Navy leadership.
But now, what good was that? After returning from the Red Line a month ago, he left a note in his office saying, "I'm going to question the entire world," and then disappeared. Fleet Admiral Kong was heartbroken. Originally, his plan was for Sengoku to become Fleet Admiral, then send Dragon to the World Government for a few years to gain experience and expand his network. After Sengoku retired in a few years, he'd quickly call Dragon back for a seamless transition. But now, who would be the Fleet Admiral after the next one?
Sakazuki was too ruthless; he would even kill his own people to eliminate pirates. Such a person could only be a sharp blade, but if he became Fleet Admiral, the Navy would surely be doomed! Borsalino was a slacker, without the ambition of a true leader, just doing enough to earn his pay—a complete old trickster! Kuzan lacked the seniority to command respect!
"He only has Roger in his eyes. Kuzan reported that Roger and his crew have left the New World. Should we send people to assist Garp in intercepting them?"
Garp's lifelong best friend, Sengoku, spoke with a hint of jealousy.
"No need to worry about Roger and his crew. We should focus on the Golden Lion. Ever since his clash with Roger, Shiki has started recruiting again. According to our intelligence, many powerful pirates have joined the Flying Pirates."
Vice Admiral Tsuru shook her head. Roger was the one she worried about the least among the New World's four super-giants. Based on the Roger Pirates' past behavior, Roger was a straightforward guy. He even teamed up with the Navy during the God Valley incident. So, let Roger go wherever he wants to cause trouble!
But Vice Admiral Tsuru didn't know that some "marks" could appear later in life...