Chapter 4: Ten Days Until Roger's Execution
In the world of One Piece, the Navy is by far the fastest, with freedom of movement over the seas. While the Calm Belt is feared by pirates, for the Navy, it's just a convenient pathway.
Since becoming part of the Navy, Michael rarely visited Marineford, the Navy Headquarters. He only came during promotions, but each visit left him awestruck.
Fleet after fleet, towering structures, and atop it all, the flag with the Navy's seagull emblem waving proudly.
Stella, now standing beside Michael, couldn't hide her amazement. Her emerald eyes sparkled with awe, and she craned her neck to take in the bustling scene around her.
"Michael, is this the legendary Navy Headquarters?"
"Obviously. Have you ever seen this many warships in one place?"
Three days had passed since Michael and Stella had left Sabaody after rescuing the enslaved women. With time, Stella had grown more comfortable around Michael, speaking more openly.
"So, where are we headed now?" she asked.
"I need to see the old man… Fleet Admiral Sengoku, to report."
"Should I wait for you on the ship?"
"There's no need for that. You can come along; it'll be good for you to see more of the world."
Michael shrugged. Official recruitment season was over, so for him to bring Stella directly into Navy Headquarters would require the Fleet Admiral's approval.
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Marineford, Sengoku's Office
In the year 1500 of the Sea Calendar, Sengoku had not yet assumed the position of Fleet Admiral officially, though he'd long since taken on the role's responsibilities. At that moment, he was reviewing a report on the health condition of Gol D. Roger.
A soldier entered to announce, "Fleet Admiral, Lieutenant Commander Michael has arrived."
"Let him in."
Within moments, Michael entered with Stella, casually dropping himself onto the sofa without interrupting Sengoku, simply waiting.
When Sengoku finally put down his report and looked up, he noticed Stella seated beside Michael, a young girl with a strikingly composed demeanor for someone in the office of the Navy's top authority. Her green eyes sparkled with curiosity as she examined him.
"Michael, Vice-Admiral Gion (Momousagi) has informed me about the details of your recent mission," Sengoku said, glancing at Michael with a half-amused expression. "How come you're not as easygoing as usual?"
Michael smirked, scratching his head, "I can't slack off every day."
Sengoku chuckled but quickly grew serious again. "I approve of the actions taken against the traffickers," he said, "but the Celestial Dragons were very insistent on punishing you… though we managed to shield you from any real consequences."
"Hmph, those filthy pigs had better stay out of my way."
"Now, about the matter of the smuggling operation…" Sengoku pointed at Stella. "And who might this be?"
"Stella, one of the rescued captives. She's a wandering singer with no family," Michael explained, rising to hand Sengoku a report. "I see some potential in her. Fleet Admiral, would it be possible to enlist her in the Navy?"
"Special enlistment? I'll allow it, but you'll need to train her yourself, as there's no new recruit training during the off-season."
"Understood," Michael replied, grinning.
He already had plans in mind for Stella's future.
"Oh, one more thing," he added, "I'd like to access the Navy's Devil Fruit database."
After confiscating the Devil Fruits from the smugglers' ship, he remembered that while he had general knowledge, he didn't recognize every individual fruit by appearance alone.
"Granted." Sengoku stamped a permission slip for him, which he could use to access the Devil Fruit archives.
As Michael turned to leave, Sengoku called out, "One last thing. You and Stella will be staying at Marineford for now."
Michael's brows furrowed slightly. Is something major happening?
Sengoku's next words answered his thoughts: "Roger's execution has been scheduled for ten days from now."
Michael felt a brief sense of awe. The Great Pirate Era… it's really about to begin.
"Alright then, I'll stay here," he replied. "Besides, it'll be good to catch up with Rosinante."
After saying this, he motioned for Stella to follow, and they left the Fleet Admiral's office.
"Thank you, Fleet Admiral Sengoku!" Stella exclaimed with a clumsy salute, then hurried after Michael.
They hadn't been gone long when a burly figure strolled into Sengoku's office, grabbing a snack from the Fleet Admiral's desk without asking.
"…Garp, can you stop eating my snacks?" Sengoku sighed.
The intruder was none other than Monkey D. Garp, the Navy hero, grandfather to the future Pirate King, and a legendary troublemaker within the Navy.
"Don't be so stingy, Sengoku!" Garp replied, finishing the snack and casually wiping his hands on Sengoku's coat.
"Is it true that Roger's health is failing?" Sengoku asked, glancing at the report Garp had brought.
"Why else would he surrender?" Garp replied nonchalantly. "He's simply trying to buy time for his loved ones and crew to disappear."
"What are our chances of finding them?"
"Unlikely. If Rayleigh and the others want to lie low, it'll be near impossible to hunt them down," Garp noted, dropping his light-hearted tone. "But Barret… he's one to keep an eye on."
With the execution date set, Sengoku instructed Garp to start spreading the news. If any of Roger's former crew attempted a rescue, the Navy would be ready to intercept.
Thus, with a few exchanges, they concluded the arrangements for the end of an era, and a heavy silence filled the room.
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