However…
"You're Su Yue?"
Sengoku looked at him with a strange, meaningful gaze of inquiry, which startled Su Yue.
Could it be that my strength has been discovered?
Sengoku picked up a document from the table and handed it to Su Yue.
"Take a look. You can read, right?"
Su Yue took the document with confusion.
It was an appointment order from the highest authority of the World Government—the Five Elders.
The order was complex in wording but simple in meaning: appointing Su Yue as a Marine Headquarters Captain, with all equipment including a flagship, handled at the highest standard for a Marine Headquarters Captain.
After a brief moment of being stunned, Su Yue showed a look of sudden realization.
Brother Imu moves fast—props to him!
As expected of Su Yue. Although he was a bit tsundere when we met, he's actually a pretty decent guy!
"Everyone, take a look. This is a direct order from the Five Elders of the World Government."
Seeing Su Yue's expression, Sengoku knew that he must have some understanding of this matter.
But on one hand, there was the orphan boy Garp had happened to rescue in a remote sea; on the other hand, there were the Five Elders, the pinnacle of the World Government.
He simply couldn't imagine what connection there could be between the two.
Seeing Sengoku's expression, Garp took the document from Su Yue's hand with some curiosity.
Then, he glanced at Su Yue with even greater curiosity and handed the document to Tsuru.
After the document had circulated through everyone's hands, the way they all looked at Su Yue had changed.
"A twelve-year-old Headquarters Captain?"
Tsuru glanced at Su Yue, who didn't look reliable in the slightest, and rubbed her head with a pained expression.
"The World Government has really handed the Marines a huge problem!"
An ordinary twelve-year-old kid, who had previously been working as a chef, whose strength couldn't even match an ordinary Marine soldier, was now to become a Headquarters Captain?
What kind of world joke was this!
The Five Elders weren't idiots—how could they issue such an absurd order!
What Tsuru didn't know was that the Five Elders were equally baffled at that moment.
Half a day earlier:
The Five Elders were handling government affairs in their office when they suddenly received an order from Imu-sama.
The five exchanged strange glances and hurried to the Flower Room.
Then, they received a bewildering order from Imu-sama: appoint Su Yue, a temporary chef at the Marine cafeteria, to the position of Marine Headquarters Captain.
Though the order was baffling, and some of the Five Elders speculated about what kind of person this "Su Yue" might be, they dared not speak—let alone question—in front of Imu-sama. They knelt and obeyed.
And so, this scene in the Fleet Admiral's office came to be.
Bang!
"This is nothing short of nonsense!"
Akainu slammed the document onto the table with one hand, glaring at Su Yue.
"Letting a brat like this become a Marine Headquarters Captain? This is an absurd order! If this order goes through, what does it say about those Marines who became Headquarters Captains through countless battles and distinguished service? And what will the Marines fighting tooth and nail on the front lines think?"
It wasn't just Akainu—even Garp, who had rescued Su Yue and brought him to Marine Headquarters, was dissatisfied.
What did the Five Elders take the Marines for?
Although this was an order from the World Government, the beneficiary was Su Yue, so it was inevitable that he would bear the brunt of their anger.
Moreover, this appointment made it hard for anyone to believe there was no connection between them.
And in truth, there really was one.
"Although I'm young and there's indeed much I don't understand, I'm still very strong."
Meeting the contempt and anger of the Navy high-ranking officials, Su Yue scratched his ear and smiled nonchalantly.
"If a super powerhouse were to drop in and become a Navy Headquarters Captain, that would be fine, wouldn't it?"
Su Yue would have been better off not saying anything. The moment he spoke, the others looked at him with even stranger expressions.
Among them, Kizaru—who resembled a monkey and had the least tolerance for delicate pretty-boys favored by women—mercilessly tore open Su Yue's wounds.
"Kid, do you remember why you ended up at Navy Headquarters in the first place? And with that, you still think you're strong?"
They knew that the pirates who had slaughtered the village Su Yue came from were merely worth a few tens of millions in bounty—the kind of scum that was everywhere on the Grand Line.
If he couldn't even defeat such trash, could he really call himself strong?
At the mention of this, Su Yue's expression dimmed slightly.
Although he was a transmigrator, the villagers had been very kind to him. They not only taught him the language of the pirate world but also helped him build a thatched hut that could shelter him from the wind and rain.
Even though they didn't have much money themselves, they were still willing to patronize his "restaurant" that only served a single plate of egg-fried rice.
They were all good people!
"Whether for adults or children, the world is this cruel."
A melancholic expression appeared on his small face as he extended his right hand.
"I wish I had obtained this power earlier, before those damned pirates came. Unfortunately…"
On his right hand, a ball of water the size of a volleyball condensed, spinning rapidly around his palm as its center.
Instantly, the Navy high-ranking officials present revealed expressions of surprise.
"This is…?"
"A Devil Fruit ability?"
"This is the Logia-type Water-Water Fruit, granting the ability to control water."
Su Yue spread his five fingers, splitting the transparent water sphere into six parts that floated slowly around him.
"Out on the sea, I am the natural enemy of Devil Fruit users!"
Su Yue was a Devil Fruit user?
This result truly caught the Navy high-ranking officials off guard.
Indeed, having a Devil Fruit ability greatly increased Su Yue's weight in their eyes.
However, it was still far from enough for the rank of Navy Headquarters Lieutenant Commander!
"Oh my, how terrifying!"
Kizaru first did his usual "how terrifying" routine, then casually crossed his legs and spoke in a smug, teasing tone like an adult toying with a child.
"But kid, just one Logia-type fruit might not be quite enough. You know, quite a few Logia-type Devil Fruit users in the Navy aren't even Captains yet."
Kizaru was only saying this deliberately.
Could an ordinary Logia-type fruit compare to one that controls water—especially seawater?
This was a strategically significant fruit ability!
"Is that so?"
But Su Yue pretended not to know any of this.
His expression darkened as he tried to pull up the corners of his eyes, attempting to put on a fierce look, ready to give him a show of force.
But in the eyes of the eight people present, that barely counted as an "aww, so ferocious" at best.
Seeing this, the lecherous grin on Kizaru's face grew even wider.
But before he could speak, a terrifying pressure—nearly materialized—suddenly burst forth from Su Yue, sweeping overwhelmingly toward him!
Boom!
This pressure was like an unending series of heavy hammers, striking wave after wave at the mental level, slamming hard into Kizaru's mind.
As a Marine Admiral, Kizaru was caught off guard by this pressure. His attempt to turn failed, and he tumbled from his seat, landing hard on the floor with a thud.
His old face, filled with shock and surprise, flushed red in an instant.
Bang!
At the same time, the windows in the Marshal's office shattered one after another, drawing the attention of many Marines.
"Conqueror's Haki?!"
Aside from Kizaru, the other high-ranking Marines affected by the Conqueror's Haki also changed expressions drastically.
Aokiji and Akainu both shot up from their seats instantly, staring at Su Yue with disbelief in their eyes.
Off to the side, Garp's mouth hung wide open—wide enough to fit an entire Devil Fruit—as if he were meeting Su Yue for the first time.
Sengoku glanced out the window from the corner of his eye—in the plaza, the Marine soldiers were still standing guard perfectly fine, completely unaffected by the Conqueror's Haki.
This wasn't even beginner-level Conqueror's Haki!
It had only struck his Marshal's office, not spreading outward, yet it had still shattered the glass.
To achieve pinpoint impact and affect physical matter, this level of Conqueror's Haki was already extremely advanced!
A twelve-year-old with advanced Conqueror's Haki, plus being a Logia-type Devil Fruit user?
Faced with such a rough gem, Sengoku the Strategist couldn't help but let his mind run wild.
Shouldn't someone with this kind of talent be groomed as a CP agency agent, or a secret weapon for the World Government?
Why would the Five Elders be so generous as to send him to the Marines?
There had to be something wrong here!
Buddha Sengoku racked his brain: Could this child be the Marine Marshal the Five Elders had selected decades in advance?
Were they planning to spend decades molding him into a qualified subordinate who obeyed the World Government's orders?
But that didn't add up either!
If he truly were a hidden piece planted by the Five Elders, and had also connected with Garp, they could have done it all in secret. Why make such a spectacle, exposing him to everyone's eyes at once?
And then have him become the youngest Marine Headquarters Captain in history at the age of twelve, putting him right on the hot seat?
Or perhaps the Five Elders wanted to use this very spectacle to divert attention from their true intentions?
For a moment, a thousand thoughts raced through Sengoku's mind, but he couldn't help letting out a sigh.
Regardless, the Marines were ultimately still the Marines of the World Government.
Even if Su Yue were truly just an ordinary twelve-year-old child, this appointment had to be made.
On the other side, Kizaru had suffered a minor setback, losing face in front of his colleagues, superiors, and subordinates.
As a Marine Admiral with a somewhat petty streak, Kizaru certainly couldn't just let it go because "he's just a kid," and instead wore a grim expression as he sought to reclaim his dignity.
"Kid, showing disrespect to a Marine Admiral as a Marine Captain is going to earn you some pain!"
He extended a single index finger toward Su Yue's head and fired a laser—given Su Yue's status as a Logia-type fruit user, and since he wasn't using Haki, it would at most punch a hole in Su Yue's head that would heal quickly, not even counting as an injury.
It was meant to be a small retaliation from his superior, however many degrees removed, toward his subordinate.
But Su Yue's Observation Haki, enhanced by four layers of amplification, was already at the pinnacle of this world.
He foresaw Kizaru's attack through future sight and immediately stepped aside, dodging the strike.
Then, the laser beam fired by Kizaru slammed into the door of the Fleet Admiral's office behind Su Yue with a loud bang, leaving a noticeable dent.
Kizaru: Σ(￣д￣；)!!
Watching Kizaru's failed retaliation, Garp clutched his stomach and burst into laughter.
"Hahahahaha, Borsalino, have you gotten so old that your eyesight is failing you? Hahahaha!"
The loud laughter interrupted Sengoku's thoughts.
He shot a fierce glare at Garp, Kizaru, and Su Yue—who was pretending to be well-behaved on the side—and said with a darkened face.
"Enough! What do you think my Fleet Admiral's office is? Su Yue, apologize to Admiral Kizaru! And Kizaru! The repair costs for my office door will be deducted from your salary this month!"
"I'm sorry, Admiral Kizaru."
Su Yue apologized obediently, with no intention of needling Kizaru with words or escalating the conflict.
It wasn't like he had a system that made him stronger by trash-talking people.
If he truly had a grudge against Kizaru, he'd gather Katakuri, Doflamingo, and Ace to give him a 'surprise' out on the sea!
Then, he'd happily say 'no need to thank me' and be done with it.
Gifting these pirates with sky-high bounties to Kizaru—the man who had once done him dirty—to boost the Admiral's achievements, Su Yue even felt he might be too saintly: what a truly virtuous soul he was, repaying resentment with kindness!
Sengoku was also somewhat surprised. This brat, who seemed quite unruly and had dared to use Conqueror's Haki to clash against the Fleet Admiral, all three Admirals, the Hero of the Marines Garp, former Admiral Zephyr, Vice Admiral Tsuru, and Admiral Candidate Momousagi—actually cowered just like that?
It seemed that in his eyes, Sengoku himself, as Fleet Admiral, still carried considerable authority!
Immediately feeling a bit smug inside, Sengoku prompted Kizaru with a look.
'Come on, now's the time to show your broad (no mistake) magnanimity as an adult!'
Kizaru: …
What could he say?
He was helpless too!
He was the one who had just suffered the loss, wasn't he?!