Garp only stayed here for two days before leaving. After all, the Navy's clearance of the New World was far from over, and as a key combatant in this mission, Garp couldn't leave his jurisdiction for too long. His absence could easily be exploited by others.
In those two days, Satoru fully recovered and felt that his strength had significantly increased.
"Sure enough, fighting with strong opponents is the fastest way to improve," Satoru thought, but even though he understood the way to enhance his strength, he knew better than to rush into more fights. As much as he could handle the challenge, the G8 base couldn't just be left unprotected. If the pirates saw an opportunity, they could easily capture the base, and Satoru couldn't afford to let that happen.
"Sir, the pirates we captured as laborers a while ago," Claire began, approaching Satoru, "They're either dead due to the previous battle with Kaido or too injured to work anymore. It's impossible to use them for labor again."
Satoru nodded, understanding the situation. "Who's the closest general to us?" he asked.
"The closest to us here is Admiral Kuzan," Claire answered, his voice firm with the knowledge of his duties.
Satoru thought for a moment. "Kuzan... I haven't met him yet. I don't know how well we could communicate."
"You'll get along fine with him," Claire assured. "Admiral Kuzan is easygoing. I've been on his ship before."
Satoru raised an eyebrow in surprise. He hadn't expected Claire to have such a background. Curious but not wanting to pry into his subordinate's past, Satoru nodded. "Since you've been on his ship, I'm counting on you. I need you to go speak with Admiral Kuzan and arrange to trade some of the injured here for captured pirates from his fleet."
Claire and Cullom exchanged looks, but neither said anything. The trade didn't seem entirely fair, yet Kuzan was likely to accept. After all, the rebuilding of the G8 base was in desperate need of manpower.
"I'll get it done, sir," Claire said, his voice firm with determination.
Satoru nodded, his expression thoughtful. He had no personal experience with Kuzan, but trusted that the Admiral wouldn't turn down such a request. If it had been Akainu, the situation would have been much more difficult. Satoru couldn't imagine Akainu ever keeping pirate captives alive long enough for such a trade.
Meanwhile, news of Satoru and the Yellow Ape repelling Kaido spread worldwide. However, the newspapers downplayed Satoru's involvement, focusing more on the Yellow Ape. This was largely thanks to Morgans' sensationalist coverage, which had painted the Four Emperors as terrifying figures. The Navy's goal was to reassure the public that the Four Emperors were not invincible, and that their admiral could easily repel them.
Though some powerful individuals and organizations doubted the credibility of the Navy's claims, many ordinary people found solace in the news. They were less fearful, and the number of new pirates began to dwindle.
"How could I be beaten by that yellow monkey?" Kaido growled, fuming as he read the newspaper.
His fury reached new heights as he scanned the article. "Why didn't they mention that Garp showed up in the end? If Garp hadn't come, I would've crushed that yellow monkey and the white-haired brat!" Kaido slammed the newspaper down, seething with anger. The humiliation of being said to have been driven away by the Yellow Ape was unbearable.
On the other hand, the Yellow Ape wasn't feeling much better. "Do they really want people to think that Kaido is just a monster?" he muttered to himself, uncomfortable with the idea of Kaido's rage being focused on him.
"I hope that Kaido doesn't come looking for trouble with me again. I really don't want to fight that monster a second time," the Yellow Ape sighed, hoping the storm would pass.