Luffy’s cries of pain traveled all the way through the Den Den Mushi and reached Sengoku’s ears at Marine Headquarters.
Hearing those sounds, Sengoku knew exactly what Garp was doing right now.
Spending time with his grandson back home, of all places.
“Return to Headquarters as soon as possible, and take the time to look for that person on your way back.
I refuse to believe you don’t know where he is hiding.”
After speaking into the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku hung up the connection with a frustrated expression.
That man…
he was simply too irresponsible and unreliable.
“Haven’t you gotten used to his ways yet?”
On the staff side, Tsuru—Vice Admiral, Chief of Staff, with hair that had long turned white—smiled gently as she looked at Sengoku.
Sengoku glanced at Vice Admiral Tsuru, shaking his head helplessly with a bitter smile.
“Forget it.
I know exactly what kind of person he is, but I just can’t help but get angry every time.”
Vice Admiral Tsuru nodded, then changed the subject.
“Based on the reports we’ve received so far, that young bounty hunter is almost certainly a Devil Fruit user with powers related to fire.
Most likely, he has eaten the Mera Mera no Mi—the Flame-Flame Fruit.”
As she said this, the smile faded from her face, and her expression became serious.
Sengoku nodded in agreement.
“That seems to be the case.
The fact that he can ignore blade slashes suggests he has Logia abilities, that makes sense.
But regardless of what kind of power he has, any Devil Fruit user is worth trying to recruit.
It would be a real problem if he became a pirate after spending too much time on the high seas.”
Balance of power!
This was exactly why Sengoku cared so much.
A young man with Logia powers—if he became a pirate, he would definitely become a massive headache for the Marines.
But if he joined the Marines instead, then the organization would gain an incredibly powerful new fighter.
“Forget it.
Let’s just see what results Garp brings back with him,” Sengoku said, shaking his head.
Then he turned his attention back to Tsuru.
“We need to speed up the process of selecting new members for the Seven Warlords of the Sea.”
When Sengoku mentioned the Seven Warlords, Tsuru looked at his expression carefully.
“Doflamingo is one of the candidates, you know.
The World Government has put his name forward, and we have been in contact with them about this.”
Tsuru knew very well how much Sengoku had been troubled by the fact that Corazon had been killed by his own brother, Doflamingo.
If Doflamingo actually became a Warlord, it would be impossible for them to take action against him in the future.
Sengoku fell silent upon hearing this.
“We need to speed up the selection process,” he said finally.
“Once Akainu and the other two become Admirals, we will need to block all routes leading into the New World.
The Seven Warlords will play an important role in this too.
“At the very least, we must keep the Grand Line’s Paradise division and the four Blues firmly under the control of the Marines.”
Since Roger’s execution, the number of pirates had grown exponentially, and stopping them had become an almost impossible task.
The most obvious solution would be to expand the size of the military, but the World Government would never agree to this—after all, increasing the army would require massive amounts of money and resources.
“Yes, I will keep an eye on these matters,” Tsuru replied.
“By the way, Crocodile and Boa Hancock have both clearly stated that they refuse to come to Marine Headquarters.” This chapter is updated first at g.com.
Sengoku was not surprised to hear this.
Even though they were officially part of the Seven Warlords, they were still pirates at heart.
How could they ever be expected to willingly set foot inside the Marines’ main base?
“Go and make all the necessary arrangements then!”
Sengoku waved his hand dismissively, then turned his gaze back to the large pile of documents spread out on his desk.
He picked up one paper and handed it casually to the old goat sitting nearby.
The old goat did not hesitate at all.
It opened its mouth and bit down on the document, then began to chew it slowly and steadily.
Tsuru nodded, stood up, and left Sengoku’s office.
“Chief!”
Outside the door, a young-looking female Marine stood at attention and called out to her.
“Go back to your post.
We’ll talk about this later,” Tsuru said, waving her hand as she walked away with the young officer.
…
The news that the Fleet Admiral was changing and that three new Admirals were being appointed naturally caused quite a stir across the entire world.
But in the four Blues, the impact was much smaller.
Most people simply did not care about such matters at all.
Just like in Shimotsuki Village.
No one there even bothered to discuss the news.
Ban continued his training steadily and consistently.
[Body Data System Activated: All vital points on your body have been eliminated.
Any damage you receive is converted into health point loss.
Your status panel attributes will change according to your current level of strength.
You cannot die until your health points reach zero.]
[Current Physical Age: 14 years old]
[Constitution: 29 (Currently undergoing rapid evolution due to various factors)]
[Current Health: 100% (Recovering naturally; eating food restores health much faster)]
[Innate Talent: Unbreakable Spirit — When your health reaches zero, you enter a temporary enhanced state.
All your physical attributes increase tenfold.
Your health points will not decrease during this time.
All negative status effects are completely removed.
Duration: 10 minutes.
Cooldown: 1 day]
[Abilities]
[Mera Mera no Mi (Mastered): A powerful Logia-type Devil Fruit ability that grants the power to transform into, manipulate, and generate fire; continuously strengthens the body; all fruit weaknesses have been eliminated (resistance to water and spiritual possession removed); Current Development Level: 17%]
[Swordsmanship (Mastered): You have fully mastered the basic techniques and training methods of swordsmanship; you hold a clear, fundamental understanding of the path you intend to follow in the future]
[Observation Haki (Beginner Level): You have developed basic perception and can sense the energy and aura of all things around you]
[Armament Haki (Beginner Level): You can partially control the energy within your body to use for both offensive attacks and defensive protection]
…
…
Compared to just a few days ago, your Constitution has increased by a full 8 points — that is more progress than you made over the entire previous month.
It is likely related to awakening your Armament Haki and maintaining it continuously throughout your daily activities.
Even without using your fruit powers, relying solely on your mastery of both types of Haki, your physical strength, and your swordsmanship skills, you are already capable of holding your own in battle.
If you activate your fruit powers as well, then for now, in the East Blue — as long as you don’t encounter people like Garp — there is almost no one who can defeat you outright.
Ban thought to himself, but quickly shook his head and pushed the idea away.
No, no, I must not think like that.
I need to stay humble.
As he thought this, he casually deflected the wooden sword that had been swung toward him.
After blocking both of Zoro’s incoming strikes, the wooden sword in Ban’s hand spun around and locked blades with the iron sword Kuina had swung down at him from above.
The recoil force was so strong that Kuina stumbled back several steps.
“There’s an opening!”
Zoro shouted loudly, his words slightly slurred.
He crouched low, swinging both his swords horizontally toward Ban’s legs.
Crack!
Without even turning his head, Ban struck back with a quick counterattack.
Hit hard right on the top of his head, Zoro felt dizzy and disoriented.
He couldn’t even keep hold of the sword in his mouth anymore, and fell flat on his face onto the ground.
“This isn’t working!”
Zoro jumped up immediately after being knocked down.
Even though he was still feeling lightheaded and confused, he spoke firmly.
“What isn’t working?”
Ban turned his head slightly — though with the cloth covering his eyes, it looked as though he could see right through it.
“You keep both types of Haki active all the time!
There’s no way we can ever beat you like this!”
Zoro hated feeling so powerless and unable to do anything.
“Do you expect me to hold back and let you fight me using only your normal abilities?
Tell me — if we were enemies facing each other on the sea, would they ever agree to fight on those terms?”
Ban asked directly.
Zoro had no answer.
He was right.
Enemies never showed mercy or gave you special treatment.
“Come at me again!”
Kuina called out, and Ban swung his sword in a wide arc, sending her flying backward.
“I get it now!”
Zoro shouted loudly, staring at Ban standing there with his eyes covered.
“What are you yelling about?” Ban asked, rolling his eyes and pretending to plug his ears.
“If you want to win a fight, you have to fight to win.
And honestly?
When you’re fighting, you don’t need to warn your opponent that you’re about to attack.”
Zoro felt suddenly embarrassed hearing this.
Just as he was wondering what to say in response, Ban turned his head sharply toward the direction of the harbor, and ripped the cloth covering his eyes right off.
“They’ve finally come, just as I thought they would.” “Monday to Friday – Update 3 Chapters a Day”
“Saturday and Sunday – Off”