Having received confirmation from Vice Admiral Tsuru, Sengoku set down the bounty notice he was holding. Initially, he had only suspected something, but now it seemed clear that the so-called Fish-Man Sword Saint Yasuo was likely none other than Wood.
The reasoning was simple: Gion's feminine characteristics were too prominent, and even with some disguise, she couldn't convincingly pass as a male Fish-Man.
"These two brats have guts, that's for sure. Sengoku, I think you need to give them a good scolding. Otherwise, they'll become even more reckless, just like a certain someone who's always acting out of line."
Though Gion was family, and neither Sengoku nor Tsuru intended to reprimand Wood and Gion for this incident, Tsuru still felt that they had gone too far. After all, the people they had dealt with were World Nobles, the Celestial Dragons. If anything had gone wrong and their involvement had been discovered, even the combined efforts of these veteran leaders wouldn't be enough to protect the two youngsters.
"A scolding is definitely in order, but there's no need to make too much of it. Even though they're young, they both know their limits. They managed to uphold their sense of justice and even took care of the aftermath exceptionally well—unlike a certain someone who acts without thinking."
Despite the teasing from Sengoku and Tsuru, Garp remained unfazed, continuing to pick his nose with an air of indifference, as if they weren't talking about him at all.
Garp had always admired Wood, and after this incident, he liked the kid even more. As a Marine who upheld true justice, Garp naturally despised the Celestial Dragons. If given the chance to take one down himself, he wouldn't mind losing his rank entirely.
In Garp's opinion, Wood and Gion had done such a perfect job that they deserved praise, not a scolding. Sengoku and Tsuru were simply making a fuss over nothing.
"Sengoku, now that their mission is complete, how about transferring Wood to my unit? Zephyr has hinted at it several times. He's just too proud to ask you directly for a favor for his student."
This time, Garp wasn't lying. Zephyr had indeed asked him to help. However, Zephyr's request was only to get Wood out of his current post at Impel Down.
Zephyr had always been deeply concerned about his students, especially Wood, whom he saw as a promising talent. In terms of both talent and ability, Wood was not inferior to Gion, and he was on par with the Navy's top rising stars like Akainu and Kizaru.
Given Wood's potential, Zephyr couldn't bear to see him languish at a place like Impel Down. Zephyr had previously sent Wood there to hone his character, but now he felt it was time for a change, and he was reluctant to ask Sengoku for another favor. So, he had turned to Garp for help.
Considering Wood's cunning and the fact that Zephyr had asked him for a favor, Garp decided to directly request Sengoku to transfer Wood to his unit.
"Garp, forget about getting your hands on Wood. The Navy finally has a few good prospects, and I'm not going to let you corrupt them. I have other plans for Wood, and I'll discuss the details with Zephyr, so you can stop meddling."
Sengoku didn't hesitate to reject Garp's request. He viewed Garp as a negative influence on the Navy's overall discipline. Aokiji had already been swayed, and Sengoku was determined not to let Wood fall into the same trap.
What Sengoku didn't realize was that Wood was already more than capable of swaying himself; he didn't need anyone else's influence.
After returning from his mission, Wood was thrilled to find that he had been promoted from a rank-and-file soldier to a Marine Major.
Just as Wood was planning to take it easy for a few days and then apply for a transfer to a regional base, Sengoku issued a transfer order that left him completely stunned.
He had been promoted to Marine Major, but he was still being sent back to Impel Down…
However, unlike his previous assignment, this time Wood was being sent to Impel Down to carry out a top-secret mission.
As he sat on the deck of the ship heading back to Impel Down, Wood recalled the conversation he had with Sengoku and Zephyr a few days earlier in the office. Even now, he couldn't help but feel a sense of dread.
The so-called top-secret mission was to have Wood go undercover!
Since the death of the Pirate King, Roger, the seas had become increasingly chaotic, much like the power struggles that follow the fall of an emperor.
Several large pirate crews were rapidly growing, expanding their influence at an alarming rate, almost like new emperors of the sea.
As the pirate forces grew, the Navy's control over the seas weakened, and gathering intelligence became increasingly difficult.
It was during this time that Sengoku and Tsuru came up with a solution after some discussion: they decided to plant undercover agents within the pirate factions!
The selection of these undercover agents required certain qualifications. First and foremost, the agent needed to have sufficient strength; otherwise, they would be useless to the Navy if they couldn't establish themselves among the pirates.
Secondly, the agent needed to be someone relatively inconspicuous within the Navy. Sending someone like Akainu, Aokiji, or Gion to infiltrate the pirates would raise immediate suspicion.
The combination of these requirements—having strength while remaining low-profile—eliminated 99% of candidates.
Unfortunately for Wood, he fell into that remaining 1%.
After witnessing Wood's performance during the Mariejois incident, Sengoku was impressed by his abilities and quick thinking.
Moreover, Wood's demeanor didn't quite align with the righteous image of a Marine, making him the perfect candidate for this top-secret mission.
Wood was one of Zephyr's students, and Sengoku was well aware of the events that had occurred on Maple Leaf Island. Coupled with Wood's recent actions against the Celestial Dragons, Sengoku concluded that while Wood might seem irreverent, he still adhered to his own sense of justice.
Note: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 177+ at patreon.com/Betek.