Bonus 7
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"Hey there! Let me ask you, little brother. How about joining my crew? I'm currently in need of a skilled assistant."
Aokiji shifted his chair, peering past the upright-seated Akainu. He wore a smile as he addressed Grus.
"Are you talking to me?!"
Grus double-checked to confirm that Aokiji's gaze was indeed directed at him, feeling a bit flattered.
Aokiji had gained fame within the Naval Headquarters even as a recruit and was on the verge of being appointed as the next Admiral. When such a high-ranking officer unexpectedly approached him, he found himself immediately bewildered.
Yet, he doubted that it was his exceptional skills that had caught the other party's eye.
Within the Marine Headquarters, there are many with similar talents and backgrounds as him.
Even with his father's standing, he felt inadequate in the presence of Aokiji.
Despite the Vice Admiral and Admiral roles differing by just one position, the gap in power and strength was immense.
There were only three Marine Admirals, well, now there were four.
In contrast, there were dozens of ordinary Vice Admirals.
"Yes," Aokiji responded calmly.
Observing the seriousness in the boss's demeanor, Grus swiftly sought assistance with a glance at Atlas, who was seated nearby.
"Alright, Senior Kuzan, stop teasing him. Let him join my command directly. My fleet isn't complete yet," Atlas intervened.
"Ah, that's truly unfortunate," Kuzan sighed. Seeing this, he lowered his blindfold, reclined in his chair, closed his eyes, and began to commune with the deity-like fish.
"Your crew isn't full yet? In that case, I'll allocate half of the quota from this recruitment camp to you," Akainu stated with a deep voice, turning to address the matter.
Each year, every Admiral holds priority over the emerging talents from the recruitment training camp. Numerous recruits get assigned to major Marine Bases for further training.
After reaching a certain level of experience, some individuals are selected to serve as base commanders across the globe, a prestigious position.
However, Atlas took a unique route compared to the usual. Following his training in the fortress, he was immediately thrust into the New World.
He had only ventured into East Blue and North Blue from the Four Blues.
Yet, there was a chance that he might be dispatched to Grand line, similar to what happened with Smoker in the initial timeline.
Typically, a Logia user wouldn't be assigned to the Four Blues, especially the East Blue, known as the weakest sea.
"Sakazuki-senpai? Not necessary. I've made prior arrangements," Atlas replied, taken aback.
Why did he always sense a gentleness from Akainu? It felt as if the lines on the senior's face had softened a bit.
"Alright, regardless, as Marines, combating crime is our topmost duty. No matter the methods, there can be no space for evil!"
Akainu nodded, saying nothing more after mentioning this casually. After all, Atlas had once served on his ship, but now the younger recruit's foundation was still developing. As a former superior, Akainu wouldn't skimp on necessary support.
—Soon, time ticked away, minute by minute.
It was now 7:45, and Sengoku, Kong, Garp, and Zephyr were all running late.
Kong currently holds the position of Commander-in-Chief of the entire army, making him more than qualified to confer the title of Marine Fleet Admiral to Sengoku, both in terms of rank and experience.
Regarding Zephyr, although he has taken a step back from the frontline and the Fleet Admiral position is now filled, he has completely retired from active duty. Logically, he wouldn't be present at this promotion ceremony. However, being a mentor to many top Marine executives, it would be unjustifiable for him not to attend.
"Bwahahaha! You, young one, finally possess some of the grace I had back in the day. To think you've become an Admiral at your age!" Garp chuckled, poking at his nose with his little finger as he walked towards Atlas with a smile.
"Hey! Garp, spare us the flattery. When you were Atlas's age, you probably didn't even know which small-time pirate you were chasing after," someone retorted.
Sengoku scoffed with disdain.
"Bwahahaha! Same old banter. They're all remarkable talents from our East Blue, but mark my words, my grandson will be no less than this kid in the future!"
Garp remained unfazed. He lightly pressed his thumb on his little finger and exerted a bit of force—
A mysterious dark object shot towards Sengoku!
Ever since Atlas brought Ace and Luffy to Naval Headquarters, Garp had been wearing a constant grin. No matter the topic, he somehow found a way to bring up Luffy and Ace, almost as if he was afraid people might forget he had two grandsons.
"Alright, alright, I know your grandsons are quite the troublemakers. Can you rein them in a bit? I've been receiving reports about them causing disturbances in the school all day long!"
Sengoku's head ached whenever Garp brought up Ace and the others. Logically, he wouldn't typically intervene in matters concerning the Marine family's schooling.
However, the three brothers were creating such a ruckus, engaging in fights or heading towards one almost every day. Practically everyone in the school was affected. Furthermore, they were disrupting the classes proposed by Atlas, sleeping through moral and ideological sessions, and doing their homework haphazardly, except for the younger one, Sabo.
However, due to their connection as Garp's grandsons, the school authorities found it challenging to manage them. They could only discreetly report the issues to Sengoku.
"Hahaha! You don't need to fret over such things. With Ace and those troublemakers around, maybe they can inject some life into the otherwise dull Marine Academy."
"Really, Atlas?" Garp exclaimed.
As they approached their seats, Garp laughed and attempted to pat Atlas on the shoulder.
"That's true. With measured discipline, appropriate challenges might help spur their growth," Atlas calmly avoided Garp's attempt to share his "Passion."
"As long as Admiral Sengoku issues the order, defeating any one of the three , regardless of the means, earns you a month's vacation..."
"...Sounds like a decent deal. It might help channel the excess energy those three troublemakers have," Sengoku chuckled, shaking his head.
The three mischievous brats possessed talents that were hard to overlook, the type that attracted attention from every direction. But even so, it was a bit ambitious to try making enemies of the entire school.
Simply overwhelming them with a human sea tactic could subdue those troublemakers.
"Bwahaha!! This seems... quite interesting. You've got quite a creative mind, kid!" Garp remarked.
While conversations continued, Kong had already made his way towards the podium. The time was now 7:59, less than a minute left before the commencement of the medal ceremony.
Buzz—! ! !
Suddenly, a multitude of light particles materialized next to Atlas, rapidly forming Kizaru's appearance, accompanied by a leisurely voice:
"It's exactly eight o'clock. I shouldn't be late~~"
As expected. How can Kizaru clock in for work in advance.
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