On the verge of an outburst, Sakazuki did not react with the fury that everyone had anticipated. Instead, his expression grew even calmer, though his tone carried an undeniable finality:
"Vice Admiral Garp, your suggestion is something I must refuse, both publicly and privately. From an official standpoint, you have occupied an emergency communication channel to disrupt a frontline strategic discussion with trivial matters. I will report this matter truthfully."
Sakazuki immediately threw a heavy accusation at Garp. Though the outcome of his report would likely amount to nothing more than Garp getting a verbal reprimand from Kong and Sengoku, that shameless old man would, at most, behave for half a day before repeating his antics.
Even though he knew Garp wouldn't care about this in the slightest, Sakazuki would not back down. What a joke—did he, Sakazuki, not care about his own dignity?
The only way to mock this old fool was to strike from a different angle.
Before Garp could respond, Sakazuki continued:
"From a personal standpoint, as Nico Robin's adoptive father, I have a responsibility to consider her future."
Garp immediately understood the implication behind Sakazuki's words, and his voice rose in dissatisfaction through the transponder snail:
"You little punk, are you saying that I don't have the ability to properly teach Robin?"
Sakazuki's response was swift and unhesitating:
"Forgive my bluntness, but yes, that is precisely what I mean. As a girl, Robin cannot be trained in the same manner as you would train others."
"And why the hell not?" Garp retorted, digging into his nostril with his pinky finger.
"I must acknowledge that your martial arts and Haki are undoubtedly among the top in the world," Sakazuki began, first giving a polite nod of recognition, which made Garp look smug for a moment.
"But have you ever considered what the child herself wants? I understand that the Fist of a Hundred Crackers was once your dream, but from an educational perspective, children should not be tools for us to fulfill our unfinished dreams!"
The transponder snail's eyes suddenly widened.
Garp, who had been prepared to argue further, was momentarily at a loss for words. He had never expected Sakazuki to say something like that.
One month before the Buster Call on Ohara, this so-called Marine Hero had taken leave from Fleet Admiral Kong, claiming that he wished to return home and observe the situation in the East Blue after the Pirate King's execution. Given Garp's years of fighting on the front lines, his longing for home seemed perfectly reasonable. Kong had readily granted him four months of leave.
To almost everyone, this vacation seemed completely justified.
But only Sakazuki, a transmigrator, pieced together the timeline and deduced Garp's true motive—he was searching for Gol D. Roger's bloodline.
And what made Sakazuki even more exasperated was that Garp had simply handed the Pirate King's son over to a band of mountain bandits to raise.
Seriously, how little do you think of the harmonious environment of Marine Headquarters?
The ever-serious Sakazuki narrowed his eyes slightly in disdain and delivered a pointed jab:
"I recently saw Robin reading The Complete Encyclopedia of Marine Warships (as mentioned in Chapter 35). May I ask, as a senior Marine Vice Admiral, can you precisely explain and help her understand the structure of a ship and the standardized operating procedures of our fleet?"
"...What does that have to do with training a child? Knowing all that is no big deal!" Garp, his intelligence suddenly online, latched onto a perceived flaw in Sakazuki's words.
Sakazuki chuckled.
"Girls tend to be more meticulous than boys. Gaining a solid foundation in military theory and knowledge will help refine her strategic thinking in the future. Vice Admiral Tsuru is the best example of this. Apologies, but yes, having knowledge really does let you do whatever you want."
Heavy breathing sounded from the other end of the transponder snail.
The tide had turned.
Sakazuki had delivered a masterful counterattack, infuriating Garp without uttering a single curse. The sheer implication—someone had just outright said he was ignorant.
What now? Come hit me if you're so mad?
The veins on Garp's forehead bulged.
"You magma brat! Looks like I need to teach you a lesson on respecting your elders!"
Facing such a hooligan-style threat, the younger generation of the Marines was entirely unfazed.
The transponder snail mimicked Garp's expression, its mouth twisting into a smirk and its eyes narrowing mischievously.
Then it mirrored Sakazuki's expression perfectly as he spoke with mock surprise:
"Oh? You're angry, Vice Admiral Garp? Seems like you're quite dissatisfied. How about we settle this with a little competition?"
The hidden dagger was finally revealed.
Sakazuki had reached the true purpose of his call:
"Instead of fixating on Robin, why don't you find an adopted son of your own and bring him to Marineford? In a fair and controlled environment, let's see whose training methods are superior!"
"What did you just say?!"
"It doesn't matter whether the child is from the Grand Line or the Four Blues. If you really have the guts, then find a promising orphan and raise them! Or… don't tell me you look down on raising orphans?"
Sakazuki's words carried a double meaning.
This was a specialty of Akainu—baiting his opponents.
Both the Whirlpool Spider and Ace, who could have escaped back then, had fallen victim to his rhetoric. Now, with his 21st-century soul fused into Akainu's body, his skill had reached an even greater level.
"Where the hell am I supposed to find an orpha—"
Garp suddenly froze.
Sakazuki's challenge had unintentionally provided him with the perfect cover.
Originally, his plan to bring Roger's child to Marine Headquarters would have raised endless suspicions. Sengoku and Kong would demand explanations, and the ever-scrutinizing Cipher Pol would thoroughly investigate the child's origins.
But now, things were different.
He had been openly debating with Sakazuki, and now the younger Marine had proposed a competition on raising an orphan.
If Garp were to bring back a baby now, no one would suspect a thing. It would be seen as part of the bet, an extension of his playful rivalry with Sakazuki.
I'm a genius!
For the first time, Garp felt that his intelligence was on par with Sengoku's.
He immediately agreed.
"Fine! It's a deal! Wahahahahaha! I've already won!"
Sakazuki snorted.
"A deal it is, Vice Admiral Garp. For fairness, I will be recording this conversation."
His tone remained displeased.
But Garp was now grinning from ear to ear.
He had been worrying about how to make this competition known to Sengoku in order to remove all suspicion from himself, and now this magma brat was conveniently recording their conversation for him.
Looking at the transponder snail on his desk and confirming that it was indeed recording, Garp let out a sigh of relief, saved the recording, and immediately hung up.
For the first time in ages, the Marine Hero felt completely refreshed.
He burst into laughter.
"Hahahahahaha! That magma brat is still too naive! His intelligence is hopelessly lacking! Hahahahaha!!!"
On the other side, Lieutenant General Onigumo hesitated as he looked at the disconnected call.
"Uh… Vice Admiral Sakazuki, aren't you worried you might have offended Vice Admiral Garp a bit too much? While his prank call was indeed against regulations, you made him so angry he hung up on you…"
Sakazuki's lips curved into a knowing smirk.
"Angry? No, Onigumo, I just helped him solve a huge problem. He should be thanking me instead. If I had to guess, that old man is probably laughing his head off right now."
Onigumo, completely oblivious to the deeper meaning, remained confused.