At Marine Headquarters, Marineford, a massive warship adorned with dog head decorations slowly docked into the harbor. From the ship jumped a man wearing a gray-white suit, his body solid and muscular, with short, messy hair and a scar running down the corner of his eye. His carefree and bold demeanor radiated authority.
This man, dressed in the iconic Marine cloak of justice, bore the epaulets of a Vice Admiral was none other than the Marine hero, Monkey D. Garp. He was the man who, along with Roger, defeated the infamous Rocks Pirates during the "God Valley Incident" a few years back, a feat that had earned him the title of hero across the world.
" Vice Admiral Garp, welcome back!" A Marine officer quickly approached him, holding out a stack of documents for him to sign.
Indeed, this was the legendary Garp, who, despite working alongside Roger to take down Rocks, was given sole credit by the World Government. They conveniently erased the existence of Roger's involvement to portray a cleaner narrative. Garp, however, detested being hailed as a hero for that incident and rarely spoke about it. Most Marines didn't even know the full truth, with only the highest-ranking officers privy to such secrets.
With a casual gesture, Garp took the documents and scrawled his signature without even glancing at them. This was a standard procedure for officers returning from missions, a formality that served as a "sign-in" of sorts.
"Vice Admiral Garp, Admiral Sengoku has asked that you head to the Marshal's office as soon as you arrive," the Marine officer said.
Garp handed the papers back and grumbled, "Can't even let a guy catch his breath, huh? Every time I get back, there's another task waiting."
Though Garp could grumble all he liked, no Marine officer dared to complain alongside him. The young officer could only smile awkwardly, knowing full well he didn't have the same privilege to criticize their superiors.
After giving the officer a few words of encouragement, Garp made his way toward the fortress, his powerful frame drawing the eyes of the lower-ranked Marines.
Inside the office of the Marine Marshal, a serious conversation was taking place. The iron-blooded Marshal Kong, with his towering physique, was reviewing a set of reports while Zephyr and Sengoku, two of Marine's most esteemed Admirals, sat nearby.
"The situation in the New World is getting worse," Kong said, shaking his head. "Shiki's arrogance knows no bounds. He seems hell-bent on wiping out all of his former comrades."
Zephyr nodded. "Shiki is out of control. If this continues, it could spark a much larger conflict in the New World."
Marine had unmatched power across the seas, but they had to tread carefully. The New World was home to powerful pirate crews, and even though Marine had the upper hand in individual strength, a full-blown conflict could cause these pirates to band together, which would be disastrous. The balance of power in the New World was fragile, and Marine had to maintain stability.
"Let them fight each other," Sengoku said, sipping his tea. "Shiki's currently focused on Ochoku. If they wear each other down, we might find an opportunity to clean up the mess."
Ochoku, like Shiki, had once been a member of the Rocks Pirates. Now, he was the ruler of the Kano Country and had significant influence in the New World. However, Shiki had recently marked him as a target, and a major clash between them seemed inevitable.
Marine's strategy had always been to maintain balance. Let the pirates fight among themselves, and as long as Marine didn't press too hard, the pirates would never unite. But if Marine escalated things too much, it could trigger a chain reaction that would bring the worst out of these criminals.
"Shiki's reckless, but we can't underestimate the impact of these internal conflicts on the overall stability of the seas," Zephyr commented. "What we need to focus on is reinforcing Marine's strength. It's been nearly ten years, and we still haven't solidified the positions of the three Admirals. This delay is starting to affect the morale of our forces."
Sengoku and Kong exchanged uneasy looks. The subject of Marine's three Admirals had been a sore point for years. There were plenty of capable candidates, but none had risen to the top. Marine needed three powerful figures to inspire confidence in the ranks and solidify the organization's strength.
Among the senior officers, there were several who were qualified, including Vice Admiral Tsuru, who had the skills and experience necessary to take on the role of Admiral. But Tsuru had no interest in the position, and with Garp looming over her as the obvious but unwilling choice for promotion, no one else was willing to step up either. No one wanted to be seen as Garp's second choice.
And Garp, the perfect candidate, had repeatedly refused the position of Admiral. His defiance had left the upper echelons of Marine HQ frustrated, as they couldn't force him into the role.
Kong sighed, his eye twitching in frustration. "Zephyr, since you're bringing it up, maybe you can convince Garp to take the position. He should be back by now."
Sengoku, frowning, said, "His pursuit of Roger's crew in South Blue was a bust. Roger's pirates are getting better at slipping through our nets. I have a feeling they'll be an even bigger problem than Shiki in the future."
That was Garp's mission. He had spent months chasing Roger's crew through South Blue but ultimately came up empty-handed. The pirates had vanished without a trace, leaving Garp with little choice but to return to base.
"Trouble in the future..." Kong muttered, his face grim. For a moment, the room was steeped in silence as the weight of Sengoku's words sank in.
Suddenly, the door to the office was banged on a few times before swinging open. Without waiting for permission to enter, Garp casually strolled into the room, one hand digging into his nose while the other closed the door behind him.
"Can't a guy get a break? First thing after I get back, you all want to drag me into another meeting!" Garp complained loudly.
Sengoku shot him a glare. "Garp, can you at least try to maintain some level of decorum?"
Garp laughed heartily. "Hahahaha! Come on, Sengoku, we're all friends here. What's the point of acting all formal?"
He flicked the piece of snot he had been playing with, and though the others caught a glimpse of it flying through the air, none of them commented on it. Garp's irreverent attitude was well known among his comrades.
Plopping down in a chair beside Zephyr, Garp waved away any pretense of formality. "Anyway, it was a bust. Those Roger Pirates are too slippery. No matter how hard we chase them, they manage to vanish. We really ought to upgrade our warships they're just not fast enough."
Zephyr clapped a hand on Garp's shoulder and said, "We'll look into the speed of the ships later. But first, we need to talk about something important strengthening Marine from within. Specifically, we need to fill the position of Admiral. What do you say, Garp?"
Garp didn't even let him finish. "Ahahahaha! No way! You know I don't want to be Admiral. Sure, it's a prestigious title, but all that red tape and dealing with the World Government? No thanks."
The room went quiet for a moment before Garp added with a grin, "By the way, I heard about your little mission with the Celestial Dragons while I was in South Blue. Zephyr, how'd that go? Bet it was a real headache."
Sengoku groaned, knowing that Garp wasn't going to be swayed. This stubbornness was part of what made him a great Marine but also what made him an infuriating colleague at times. Zephyr, too, shook his head. He knew that convincing Garp was a lost cause.
"Actually," Zephyr said, "the mission went smoother than expected. I met an interesting Celestial Dragon. Do you know Donquixote Claudius?"
Garp scratched his chin, thinking. "Claudius...? Oh! Is that the Celestial Dragon who accidentally ate a Devil Fruit? Heh, I remember hearing about that. Bit of a joke, isn't he?"
Indeed, Claudius wasn't well-known outside of Mariejois. His most memorable claim to fame was the incident where he accidentally consumed a Devil Fruit, something that had caused quite a stir and led to jokes among the higher ranks of the Marines.
Zephyr smiled. "That's the one. But he's different from the other Celestial Dragons. There's something about him... I get the feeling we'll be dealing with him again in the future."
Sengoku and Garp exchanged looks. When Zephyr spoke about someone's potential, it was worth paying attention.
"Interesting," Garp mused, filing the name away in his mind. "We'll see what happens."