Sensing the oppressive atmosphere hanging over Marineford, the News Coo did not dare to linger.
It dropped its heavy leather pouch through the Marine Headquarters' mailroom window before flapping its wings and fleeing toward the high-altitude cloud layers.
Marineford, Marine Headquarters, Supreme Military Conference Room.
The sea winds did not howl here.
There was only a suffocating silence.
The air hung thick with the scent of premium cigars and the bitter aroma of strong tea. The combination failed to relax those present, it felt like a lit fuse before an explosion.
"Yesterday, the Goth Kingdom sent a First-Class SOS Signal," the reporting adjutant announced.
His knuckles turned white from gripping the report.
He dared not lift his gaze to meet the eyes of the legendary figures seated around the round table.
His eyes remained locked on the paper in his hands.
"The attacker is confirmed as 'Treasure Hunter' Mad Treasure and his pirate crew. The Goth Kingdom's royal guard suffered a complete rout in the initial engagement. Survivors report Treasure used the power of the Jara Jara no Mi to shred the port city's defenses and three warships into twisted wreckage."
The adjutant swallowed hard, his voice dropping an octave. "By the time reinforcements from our nearest branch arrived, Treasure had plundered the national treasury and made his escape. The branch lost his trail."
BANG!
A thunderous crash shook the conference room, causing the long Seastone table to tremble.
The adjutant flinched, nearly dropping the documents.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku sat at the head of the table, his imposing face flushed with rage.
The seagull perched atop his hat seemed ready to spread its wings and peck at anyone who dared provoke his fury.
"Lost him? LOST HIM?!" Sengoku roared, his voice reverberating through the vast hall and rattling the windowpanes.
"The Goth Kingdom is a member state of the World Government. Right under our Navy's nose, a 'Treasure Hunter' who has not even entered the New World ransacked their treasury as if strolling through his own backyard. And the result you bring me is that you 'lost him'?"
"If the Yonko in the New World hear about this, how will Marine Headquarters save their dignity? Will they think we can't even maintain order in the East Blue, the Weakest Sea?"
The assembled admirals sat stiffly, eyes downcast.
Everyone knew the New World had grown unstable lately.
The Whitebeard Pirates were making suspicious movements, and Kaido of the Beasts was expanding his territory.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's nerves were stretched taut.
For an incident like this to happen in the East Blue right now was like tossing a lit cigarette into a powder keg.
"Fleet Admiral, this situation is indeed thorny," a Vice Admiral sitting to the left spoke up, bracing himself to analyze the situation tactically.
"Treasure is a user of the Jara Jara no Mi, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit. This ability gives him a significant advantage in island battles with complex terrain. Furthermore, the East Blue lacks powerful individuals who have mastered Haki."
"Even if we deploy numerous branch captains, they will struggle to capture Logia-type or special Paramecia-type Devil Fruit users without Haki."
The Vice Admiral's words eased the tension in the room but highlighted an awkward reality.
This was a sore point.
Paradise was manageable, but by the time a pirate reached the New World, Haki was a standard requirement.
In the East Blue, people who know Haki were practically zero.
"Are you suggesting I send Sakazuki or Borsalino after a pirate whose bounty is barely scratching 100 million?" Fleet Admiral Sengoku pushed up his round-framed glasses, a dangerous glint flashing behind the lenses.
"That's using a sledgehammer to crack a nut! The outside world would laugh at the Marines for lacking capable personnel."
Kizaru sat in the corner trimming his nails. He pursed his lips at the remark, showing zero intention of joining the conversation.
Across from him, Akainu sat with his hat brim pulled low.
The only visible sign of his presence was a thin stream of cold, blue smoke curling from the cigar clenched between his teeth.
Deploying an Admiral to deal with a petty thief from the East Blue defied strategic logic.
"There is no need to get worked up over such trivial matters," a calm voice drifted through the conference room like a refreshing breeze.
It was Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Marine Chief of Staff.
The silver-haired woman set down her teacup.
Her eyes swept over the nautical chart on the table before her finger tapped a corner of the East Blue.
"If I recall correctly, the old codger always yammering about retirement is currently in the East Blue, is he not?"
Sengoku froze.
Veins bulged on his forehead as he exploded in anger.
"Garp!"
Sengoku spat the name through gritted teeth. "That bastard. Every year, he uses 'searching for the Marine's future pillars' as an excuse to take two months of leave and run back to his hometown. I know he is just going back to eat rice crackers, babysit his grandson, and sleep the day away."
"If he is there, then this is going to be easy," Tsuru said with a faint smile.
Her control of the situation eased the tension among the surrounding officers.
"Pirates like Treasure, who rely heavily on their Devil Fruit abilities and lack physical prowess, are vulnerable against someone like Garp. He is Treasure's natural counter."
"Deputy Commander!"
Sengoku whipped around, barking at the young officer still wiping sweat from his brow.
"Now! Call that old bastard Garp."
"Tell him, hiding in Foosha Village does not mean I am blind to his actions. Order him to intercept Treasure's crew along the Goth Kingdom shipping route. If he fails to capture them, his donut rations for the year are canceled, and he will never set foot in Marineford to slack off again."
"Yes, sir! I will see to it right away!" The Deputy Commander saluted and bolted out of the room, relieved to escape the Fleet Admiral's wrath.
"Wait."
Tsuru's voice stopped him mid-stride.
She slid a nondescript manila file from the bottom of the stack of documents before her and pushed it across the table toward Sengoku.
"Since we are discussing Garp's so-called 'search for a successor' plan, you should review this dossier. Zephyr had it sent over yesterday."
"Zephyr?"
Sengoku's anger subsided, but his brow furrowed deeper.
Former Marine Admiral Zephyr had dedicated himself to teaching at the recruit training camp.
Any material he sent forward could not be from ordinary recruits.
Sengoku accepted the file and extracted the pages inside.
The dossier was thin.
It contained no photographs, only brief written descriptions and some astonishing physical test data.
"Pirates in the New World are growing brazen, and the World Government is pressuring us to finalize the Seven Warlords system," Sengoku muttered as he read, his voice heavy with concern.
"This shows that even the higher-ups are losing faith in the Navy's control. We desperately need fresh blood—monsters who can stand their ground on the high seas."
His gaze scanned the lines of text.
The deep furrows in his brow began to smooth, and a flicker of long-forgotten surprise flashed in his stern eyes.
"That stubborn old fool... His eye for talent is undeniable."
Sengoku closed the file.
His fingers drummed on the desk—a habitual gesture when contemplating major decisions.
"You cannot raise a beast in a greenhouse, and wooden dummies in a training camp cannot forge true warriors."
Tsuru picked up her teacup, blew on the floating tea stalk, and continued. "Therefore, Zephyr's report contains a bold proposal."
"Live combat exercises."
Tsuru spoke these four words, and the dust motes suspended in the air seemed to freeze.
"Zephyr believes the Marine Headquarters' walls are built too high. No matter how much sweat these children shed on the training grounds, they cannot wash away their bookish air. Without seeing blood or smelling gunpowder, they will remain hothouse flowers."
Tsuru's fingers traced the rough texture of the parchment bag.
Her voice carried an undeniable weight. "Therefore, he is requesting that the original one-year closed training period be shortened to six months. For the remaining half-year, the cadets will be directly assigned to the Four Seas branches to participate in bandit suppression operations. Marine Headquarters will allocate thirty percent of its logistical resources to protect these 'seeds' and ensure their survival."
Sengoku fell silent.
His hand paused mid-air with his teacup.
Thirty percent of their resources was no small amount.
In this Great Pirate Era, the attrition rate of high-quality recruits was high.
If they resorted to desperate measures, the Navy's future would be bleak.
"Approved," Sengoku declared after a moment, slamming his teacup onto the table and sending ripples of brown tea splashing across the surface.
"Tell Zephyr not to worry about the attrition rate. Only those who survive the storms are the steel we need. In six months, have them turn the Four Seas upside down."
The atmosphere in the conference room crackled with tension as this decision was made.
A mix of grim determination and surging anticipation spread through the admirals' minds.
It was the anticipation of fresh blood poured into this colossal war machine.
"Oh my~ Such terrifying determination..."
A languid voice cut through the air.
Kizaru set down his nail clippers.
His half-closed eyes were fixed on an appendix list that had slipped from a file folder, his lips pursing into an exaggerated pout.
"Zephyr-sensei has gone all out this time. Among this year's recruits, there a bunch of little monsters who devoured Devil Fruits at such a young age?"
Kizaru's slender fingers pinched the thin list.
His fingertips emitted a faint glow that illuminated several names circled in red ink.
Upon hearing the words "Devil Fruit," Akainu raised his head from puffing on his cigar.
Beneath his cap emblazoned with "MARINE," his eyes locked onto the list in Kizaru's hand, and a mocking smirk curled his lips.
"That stubborn old man always hated relying on Devil Fruit abilities. Is he finally compromising his principles for power now? I thought he would cling to his 'Black Arm' doctrine until the grave."
Akainu's words dripped with venom.
His ideological clash with Zephyr was long-standing.
One was a hawk, advocating for absolute justice through ruthless force, while the other was a former Marine Admiral who adhered to a strict no-killing policy.
Their views were opposed on many matters.
"Sakazuki!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's eyebrows shot up.
His thunderous roar cut through Akainu's taunts.
The Fleet Admiral overwhelming presence dominated the room.
A golden Buddha-like figure seemed to shimmer behind the head of the conference table. "Mind your tongue. Zephyr is your teacher and a hero of the Navy."
Akainu snorted, falling silent.
The sulfuric stench emanating from him intensified, suffocating the tense atmosphere.
Tsuru shook her head.
These two admirals always acted like this whenever they were in the same room.
Tsuru reached out and snatched the roster back from Kizaru, steering the conversation back on track.
"No matter the methods used, a cat that catches mice is a good cat. This year's recruits are exceptional."
Pointing to several names on the list, Tsuru introduced them. "This girl, Tashigi, may be physically frail, but her dedication to Kendo and her aptitude for it are astonishing. Then there is T-Bone, nicknamed 'Ship-Slicing Man.' His sense of justice is so strong he would boil his bones into soup for the sake of the common people."
Her gaze drifted further down the list. "As for Ain and Binz, these two are Zephyr's most prized students. Their tactical acumen and potential for Devil Fruit development are unmatched among this year's cohort. With proper training, they could easily rise to the rank of Vice Admiral in Marine Headquarters."
Hearing these assessments, the Vice Admirals present nodded in agreement.
Such high praise from Chief of Staff Tsuru confirmed that this year's recruits were a golden generation.
Yet Fleet Admiral Sengoku remained silent.
He retrieved the file, his gaze skipping over the highlighted names at the top and landing on the final entry at the bottom of the list.
There, listed in isolation with minimal annotation, was a single name accompanied only by its affiliation: Science Unit.