"Yes, Admiral Kizaru!"
The stunned Marine quickly stood at attention and shouted in response to Kizaru's command.
Ships capable of crossing the Calm Belt were without exception the Navy's main battleships, and each was equipped with multiple Den Den Mushi. Within minutes, the Marine returned, holding one in his arms.
"Alright, that's it. You can leave now. Don't come in without my orders," Kizaru said impatiently.
The Marine didn't suspect anything, and as he stepped out of the cabin, he faintly heard Admiral Kizaru calling into the receiver, saying something like "Little Nami." Unfortunately, before he could hear more clearly, the cabin door shut behind him. Whatever conversation Kizaru was having would remain a mystery.
The Navy battleship, operating at full speed under Sengoku's orders, was impressively fast. In just three days, it had successfully crossed the Calm Belt and arrived at Marineford, the Navy's headquarters.
"Sigh, I told you there was no need to rush like this. Don't you understand the concept of safety first?"
Standing atop the ship's main cannon, Kizaru grumbled as the silhouette of Marineford came into view on the horizon.
"We were only following Fleet Admiral Sengoku's instructions. We didn't dare to disobey…"
Nearby, the acting captain smiled nervously. Even though he knew Kizaru wasn't likely to harm him, the overwhelming presence of such a top-tier fighter was still enough to put immense psychological pressure on him.
"Oh? Are you trying to use Sengoku to pressure me?"
Kizaru gave the acting captain a sidelong glance, nearly scaring the poor man out of his wits. He dreaded the possibility of receiving orders the next day to head into the New World to hunt pirates—or worse, infiltrate a Yonko's crew as a spy.
"Of course not! I wouldn't dare challenge Admiral Kizaru…"
The acting captain stammered, utterly flustered. Power struggles among the higher-ups were not something a small fry like him could afford to get involved in.
"Stop babbling. Report to my office later. Now fire the cannons!"
Kizaru waved him off irritably.
Although he was annoyed at the captain's relentless rush to Marineford, he couldn't help but admire his ability to push a massive battleship to clipper speeds. Such a talent definitely needed to be put to good use—perhaps assigned exclusively to piloting ships. When the time came for Sengoku to send someone after Garp or Kuzan, this guy could be lent out.
In the workplace, slackers like Kizaru didn't show any special solidarity with others of their kind. For instance, if Garp hadn't gone off to slack in the East Blue, Sengoku wouldn't have been so insistent on dragging Kizaru back to Marineford.
"Yes, fire the cannons!"
Unaware that Kizaru had already planned out his future, the acting captain breathed a sigh of relief, thankful to be escaping Kizaru's immediate attention. He promptly ordered the cannons to be fired.
Boom!
As the cannonball left the barrel, Kizaru lightly stepped onto it, swiftly approaching Marineford.
Although Kizaru could easily move at the speed of light and arrive at headquarters in the blink of an eye, he absolutely couldn't let Fleet Admiral Sengoku find out about such an ability.
If Sengoku knew, Kizaru would undoubtedly become his favorite tool—a one-man Navy rapid-response unit, perpetually on standby, ready to deploy at a moment's notice.
Yes, the entire "unit" would consist of just him.
In that case, not only would there be no time for relaxation, but Kizaru wouldn't even have the freedom to hang out with the ladies. Sengoku would surely justify it with his usual mantra: "All for justice."
Even worse, no one in the Navy's upper ranks would be on Kizaru's side. Sakazuki, the ultimate workaholic, would be thrilled to see everyone working around the clock alongside him.
Meanwhile, slackers like Kuzan and Garp would happily see Kizaru take on more responsibilities, giving them even more time to relax.
And then there was Vice Admiral Tsuru. With her no-nonsense personality, she might be the first to draft a lifelong work schedule for Kizaru, ensuring he remained active right up until he was put in his grave.
Retirement? What a joke! With a broken ability like his, the Navy would never let him rest until his dying breath—it would practically be a dereliction of duty for the upper command to not fully exploit him.
Just imagine it: with Kizaru's mobility, why would the Navy even need to worry about the Worst Generation or any of the supernovas?
All they'd have to do is have an agent confirm a target's location and call Kizaru via Den Den Mushi for a swift and overwhelming takedown.
With Kizaru's power, dealing with any supernova wouldn't even take a minute.
It wouldn't even take more than one kick per supernova. If Kizaru could handle one every minute, that would be sixty in an hour and 1,440 in a day!
Just imagining it made Kizaru shudder. He quickly resolved that no matter what, no one could ever find out about his ability to now move at the real speed of light—especially not Sengoku!
Boom!
Riding the cannonball, Kizaru reached the skies above Marineford.
Casually stepping on the cannonball, he shattered it beneath his feet and descended into the plaza in front of Marineford, using Geppo to land gracefully.
"Admiral Kizaru!"
"Mr. Kizaru!"
"Salute!"
…
The Marines in the plaza weren't particularly surprised to see Kizaru descending from the sky. They'd seen similar entrances from him far too often to be impressed.
"Good work, everyone," Kizaru said, nodding slightly as his way of greeting before heading toward Sengoku's office.
From how urgent the calls on the Den Den Mushi had been, you'd think pirates were about to storm Marineford. Yet, upon his return, Kizaru found everything calm and peaceful. Was this just an elaborate prank on an honest man like him?
"…Alright, let's do it this way. Make sure to inform the construction crew to pick up the pace. It must be completed before the deadline," Sengoku said.
When Kizaru entered the office, Sengoku was deep in a discussion with the Navy's engineering department about upgrading Marineford's fortifications.
Marineford was already the most fortified naval stronghold in the Grand Line, but with the impending war against the Whitebeard Pirates, there was always room for further reinforcement.
Additionally, there were a few secret projects specifically designed to counter Whitebeard's forces, known only to the higher-ups and those directly involved in their execution.
"Yo, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I'm here to report in. I shouldn't be too late, right?" Kizaru said, knocking on the doorframe.
The engineering department head hesitated, unsure whether to continue his report.
"You all can leave for now," Sengoku said, rubbing his temples. He had already prepared himself for this moment ever since he'd broken their unspoken agreement and forcibly recalled Kizaru.
If he wanted Kizaru to actually work without slacking off, he'd have to offer him some sort of incentive to keep him satisfied.
"Yes, sir!"
Before long, the "irrelevant personnel" had cleared out. Sengoku cleared his throat and retrieved a file from his desk, ready to deal with Kizaru.
°°°
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