Marine Headquarters, Marineford - Officer Training Camp
Steel rang against steel as Finn's blade met Gion's in a shower of sparks.
Two years had passed since his promotion to Commodore. Finn had grown into the rank, his movements more confident, his bearing more mature. The calendar now read early 1498 in the Sea Circle Calendar, and while the world beyond Marineford's walls churned with chaos and change, Finn had spent those years doing exactly what Sengoku ordered: training.
Every week, he attended the Marines' strategic meetings, absorbing intelligence about global developments, making his presence known among the leadership. The rest of his time belonged to Zephyr and the Officer Training Camp.
The elite officers of the Sixth Training Camp had graduated recently. Momonga, Onigumo, and the others had been promoted directly to Captain upon completion, with rumors that they'd already qualified for Commodore. One solid mission, one noteworthy achievement, and they'd join the flag officer ranks.
That was the advantage of systematic training at the camp. Graduates started at a significantly higher position than ordinary Marines. As long as they didn't sabotage their own careers, reaching flag officer rank was practically guaranteed.
This was just the beginning. Twenty years from now, nearly every elite officer at Marine Headquarters would trace their roots to these training camps. They would be the backbone of the entire organization.
Of course, there were always exceptions. Smoker would be one of them. Despite being a Logia Devil Fruit user, despite receiving special attention and training under Zephyr, the man's stubborn personality would eventually get him exiled to the East Blue to guard what amounted to a backwater pond.
Finn might not have exceptional natural talent, but he made up for it with relentless effort. Two years of unbroken training, rain or shine, never missing a day.
Perhaps hard work truly could compensate for mediocre talent. Or perhaps his talent was better than he gave himself credit for. Either way, under Zephyr's guidance, his strength had transformed dramatically.
Gion felt that transformation firsthand.
She'd recently made Commodore herself, earning the rank through consistent excellence. For two years, they'd sparred regularly, and the progression was undeniable.
In pure swordsmanship, she'd crushed him at the start. Six months ago, she'd begun taking him seriously. Now, he wouldn't lose easily. She still won more often than not, but the matches had become genuinely competitive.
That was just swordsmanship. Once Finn employed his Devil Fruit abilities, Gion couldn't match him at all.
Sōzai, wrapped in Armament Haki, slammed against Gion's Konpira with enough force to make both their arms tremble. Neither of them had mastered Haki to the degree that top-tier fighters had, so their clashes didn't produce the explosive shockwaves of truly advanced users.
Gion shifted her weight and vanished from sight.
Soru. One of the Six Powers.
Light flashed in Finn's eyes. His Observation Haki registered her movement. He spun, Sōzai creating an arc of steel, executing a blind slash behind him.
Konpira met his blade exactly where he'd predicted.
"Your Observation Haki has gotten much more refined!" Gion said, impressed, as she blocked his strike.
She considered herself talented, her growth rapid. But she had to admit Finn was improving even faster.
Not that she felt jealous. She knew exactly how much effort he put in. Far more than she did.
"It's acceptable," Finn said with a slight smile.
He vanished with a flash step of his own. Also Soru.
"Tekkai!" Gion's voice was steady, controlled.
Her slender frame locked in place, and Armament Haki flowed across her skin in reinforcing layers. Finn's slash landed on her arm, but the combined defense of Tekkai and Haki prevented any injury.
"I heard you went drinking with Dragon yesterday?" she asked, maintaining her defensive stance.
"Yeah." Finn shifted his angle, probing for an opening. "He's been acting strange recently. Seems troubled. Kuzan asked me to check on him when I had time."
"I've noticed it too." Gion deflected another strike, her movements economical and precise. "Recently after he completed that mission escorting the Celestial Dragons, his whole demeanor changed. Two days ago, he had a massive argument with Garp."
Monkey D. Dragon.
Son of the Marine hero Monkey D. Garp. Among the current generation of Marines, he was considered top-tier talent, one of the most promising officers in the entire organization.
Zephyr's son was dead. Admiral Sengoku had never married. Chief of Staff Tsuru remained single. That made Dragon the undisputed number one "second-generation" officer in the Marines. Even Rosinante, adopted by an Admiral, couldn't compare to the son of a living legend.
As the hero's son, Dragon had attracted attention his entire life. He'd been personally trained by various Marine powerhouses since childhood. His strength was extraordinary.
Kuzan had mentioned before that Sakazuki had fought Dragon multiple times. Sakazuki lost more often than he won, and the occasional victories were probably because Dragon went easy on him for the sake of reputation.
Dragon held the rank of Vice Admiral at Marine Headquarters, had distinguished himself in countless operations, and had earned significant merit.
For Garp, Dragon was his pride and joy. For the Marines, as long as Dragon continued developing normally, he would inevitably become an Admiral. Perhaps even Fleet Admiral someday.
Everything should have proceeded along that path.
Until recently, when Dragon had carried out a political mission: escorting Celestial Dragons on their inspection tour.
The mission had been completed successfully. But when Dragon returned, he'd changed. His emotions were unstable, his outlook darkened.
Setting aside rank and hierarchy, Dragon and Finn were friends. They'd spent considerable time together over the past two years.
Ever since that day in Sengoku's office, when Finn had officially become a Commodore, his entire world had shifted.
Before promotion, he'd received care from Sengoku and Zephyr, certainly. But in essence, he'd still been a minor player. Even following Kuzan and Borsalino around, he'd been a subordinate, not an equal.
After making Commodore, everything changed. He no longer needed to rely on others to participate in important Marine affairs. He attended high-level meetings on his own authority, contributed his own ideas and suggestions, gradually stepping onto the main stage of Marine politics.
He'd entered the same arena as the Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals.
During this period, he'd met numerous Headquarters officers. His personality served him well, he'd made genuine friends with many of them.
Even Sakazuki would acknowledge him with a nod when they passed.
Everyone at Headquarters knew Finn's profile now. User of the Press-Press Fruit. Legitimate graduate of the Sixth Officer Training Camp. Zephyr's most valued student in recent years. Member of Admiral Sengoku's faction.
Combined with his well-known work ethic and steadily improving strength, no one doubted his future. When his training concluded, he would absolutely become one of the Marines' elite officers.
It was inevitable.
"Really? He didn't mention fighting with his father." Finn's tone remained light, conversational despite their intense sparring.
He wasn't surprised by Dragon's transformation.
From the first time they'd met, Finn had known they couldn't remain comrades forever.
Unlike Finn, who was fundamentally an egoist, Dragon was an idealistic reformer. Ambitious in a completely different way.
Finn knew that Dragon change was not because of the recent mission, but because the God Valley incident.
Fourteen years earlier, at God Valley, Dragon had witnessed true darkness—the so-called "Native Hunting Festival," the screams of innocents hunted for sport, the sight of Marines ordered to protect the killers instead of the victims.
But those memories hadn't been buried by his own will. They had been suppressed by outside force.
As Finn studied Marine operations and history, he began to dig into the God Valley Incident. He still remembered fragments from his past life, faint and unreliable after spending nineteen years in this world. What he recalled didn't match the official reports stored at Marineford. Yet every time he asked questions, the answers were always the same—identical phrasing, identical details, as if everyone had memorized a single script.
It was too perfect to be coincidence.
Someone, most likely the Elders had gone to tremendous lengths to bury the real history.
Finn wasn't strong enough to fight them yet. So, for now, he stops investigating.
Finn understood clearly that Dragon would eventually leave the Marines.
The calendar read early 1498. If his memories were accurate, this was the year Roger would conquer the Grand Line and become the Pirate King. He didn't know the exact timing, but judging from current events in the New World, probably near the end of the year.
Two years after that, in 1500, Roger would be executed in Loguetown in the East Blue.
By that point, Dragon would have already abandoned the Marines.
So within two years, maximum, Dragon would pack his bags and leave.
Right now, no one in the Marines suspected such a thing. No one could imagine that Dragon would throw away everything he had, his bright and stable future, his father's legacy, and rebel against the organization.
Finn had no intention of stopping him. He couldn't, even if he wanted to. And it wasn't necessary.
"Enough about Dragon," Finn said, his expression shifting to something more serious as he blocked Gion's strike. "Be careful. I'm using my ability now."
"Hey, you bastard, that's cheating!" Gion's face changed, her protest sharp.
Before she could fully react, Finn's voice dropped low. "Gravity Blade: Tiger Bite!"
Power rippled outward from his body, condensing along Sōzai's edge. The blade, already wrapped in Armament Haki, took on a faint halo. The energy shaped itself into a tiger's form and lunged at Gion with devastating force.
Heavy pressure crashed down on her. Finn had changed tactics too quickly. She couldn't adjust in time. Her body lifted off the ground as if struck by an actual tiger, sent flying backward.
Finn sheathed his sword with a flourish. The invisible gravity pressing on Gion dissipated instantly.
The technique saved her from an embarrassing landing. Instead of slamming face-first into the ground, she managed to twist mid-air, roll twice, and stumble to her feet with some dignity intact.
"You cheater! We agreed no abilities!" Gion snapped, brushing dust from her uniform.
"Hahahaha! Without my ability, I can't beat you in pure swordsmanship," Finn said, laughing openly.
There was no embarrassment in the admission. He certainly wasn't as skilled as Gion with a blade. So what? He didn't rely solely on swordsmanship anyway.
His strength came from combining every tool at his disposal. That was how you survived in this world.