"I didn't expect it to be you, Hina!" Ryu exclaimed as he led his troops into the port city, only to find Marine Headquarters Captain Hina waiting for him.
"Hina's here to congratulate you. Not only did you manage to take down a Warlord of the Sea, but you've also earned a promotion. Things seem to be going very smoothly for you," Tina said with a smile.
"Oh? Are the higher-ups suspecting I played tricks?" Ryu chuckled, sinking into the lounge chair next to Tina. "Don't worry. My report is thorough, and I didn't hide anything from them. I'd say it's just a matter of luck."
Ryu, known for his opposition to the Warlord system, had long made his stance clear, especially regarding the Seven Warlords. This was why he initially refrained from reporting Crocodile's actions—if his reasons hadn't been convincing enough, he might have been recalled to Headquarters, and someone else sent to take over. However, once Crocodile deployed his senior agents, the situation became undeniable. Besides, with Robin involved, neither the World Government nor the Navy could turn a blind eye.
"Here's your promotion letter. Hina should now call you Rear Admiral!" Tina tossed the official promotion document from Headquarters to Ryu, taking a drag from her cigarette with a grin.
(TL: Thought he was already a rear Admiral but nope,well no major change anyways.)
"Fine, but now that you're here, I'll leave Alabasta's cleanup in your hands. I need to make a trip back to Headquarters," Ryu said, standing and heading back to his quarters.
"My apologies, Captain Tina," Lena said, feeling a bit awkward.
"Tina understands. She's just a bit annoyed. After all, it was Tina who took that guy out on his first mission, and now he's outranked her!" Tina replied calmly as she watched Ryu's retreating figure. Then she turned back to Lena with a smile. "Oh, and congratulations to you as well, Lieutenant Lena!"
"Thank you, Captain Tina. But honestly, I didn't contribute much this time. Just like Rear Admiral Ryu said, the main work was done by those pirates," Lena replied with a respectful salute.
"Tina would love to transfer you from that bastard Ryu's command over to mine, but knowing him, he'd never agree to let you go—and I'm guessing you wouldn't want to either," Tina said with a laugh, stubbing out her cigarette.
"Just joking, Commander," Lena replied calmly.
"All right, I'm off. You all should get ready to depart," Tina said, waving goodbye as she watched the last of the prisoners board the ship, then returning to her own warship.
Meanwhile, back in his quarters, Ryu was reviewing his spoils from the Alabasta incident. Altogether, he had earned 27,500 diamonds. Adding the 11,549 diamonds he hadn't used previously, he now had a total of 39,049 diamonds.
Among his rewards, Nico Robin had contributed 7,900 diamonds; Mr. 2 Bon Clay, the user of the Imitation Fruit, and Mr. 3, the Wax Fruit user, each contributed 3,200 diamonds. Mr. 1 Daz Bones, the user of the Dice Dice Fruit, contributed 5,100 diamonds. Crocodile, the Sand Crocodile himself, contributed 8,100 diamonds, and completing the mission brought in another 10,000 diamonds, for a grand total of 27,500 diamonds.
"Should I save them or keep drawing?" Ryu wondered, slightly conflicted. With all the top agents of Baroque Works, along with Crocodile, detained on his ship, he needed to escort them to Impel Down. Heading back to Headquarters meant he wouldn't be earning any diamonds for a while.
"Forget it, I'll think about it later. I've made quite a bit of progress this time, and I need to take some time to solidify it," Ryu thought as he stroked his chin.
A few days later, Ryu returned to Marine Headquarters through the Gate of Justice.
"Hey, I didn't expect you to become a Rear Admiral during this time!" Ryu encountered the lecherous Tokikake at the port.
"What are you doing here? Are you going to set sail?" Ryu asked, somewhat surprised.
"The Fleet Admiral wants to see you. I happened to be wandering around, so I thought I'd deliver the message!" Tokikake shrugged in reply.
"They actually have a Vice Admiral deliver a message to a Rear Admiral?" Ryu said, feeling speechless. Still, he arranged for all the soldiers to rest before following Tokikake to the Marshal's office.
"Sir, I'll go home and clean my room!" Lena saluted Tokikake before addressing Ryu.
Ryu nodded and waved at Lena, signaling her to take care of it.
"I really envy you. I mean, you're still unmarried, right? It can't be because Lena's too demanding, can it?" Tokikake teased with a smirk.
Ryu felt a bit exasperated.
He currently lived alone; Lena didn't stay with him but had her own separate quarters, which was a special privilege for female officers. Moreover, Lena had also been promoted to Lieutenant Commander alongside Ryu.
Before long, Ryu and Tokikake arrived at Sengoku's office. Garp was there, leisurely sipping tea and munching on senbei. On the other side sat a kind-looking elderly woman, but Ryu knew better than to underestimate her; she was the notorious Vice Admiral and Chief of Staff, "The Great Strategist" Tsuru.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! Instructor Garp! Vice Admiral Tsuru!" Ryu greeted them with a bow.
"Back already? I thought you really might have gotten lost out there! Hahaha! You're tougher than I thought!" Garp was the first to speak, making Ryu feel a strong urge to kick him.
"Instructor, I really did almost get taken out by Dragon, but a pirate saved me. I didn't regain consciousness until I passed Whisky Peak, which is why I didn't capture those pirates," Ryu explained helplessly.
"The ones who saved you were the Straw Hat Pirates from East Blue, weren't they?" Vice Admiral Tsuru asked with a smile.
Ryu had no intention of hiding anything, so he nodded and replied, "Yes, that's right. That's also where I met Princess Vivi from Alabasta and learned about Crocodile's plans!"
"So you took advantage of the situation, relying on the Straw Hats to launch an attack on Crocodile, even letting the war in Alabasta unfold, right? I believe with your abilities, you had enough time to handle things as soon as you learned about them, yet you didn't. Instead, you let those pirates act to take down Crocodile!" Sengoku adjusted his glasses as he spoke.
Ryu was momentarily taken aback. While he knew his actions would raise some suspicions, he hadn't expected Sengoku to see through his intentions so quickly upon his return. Of course, he didn't reveal that part of his decision was also motivated by the diamonds he hoped to earn.