Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Finn's warship glided into port, cutting through the morning mist that clung to the harbor. The familiar sight of the massive fortress loomed ahead, its white walls gleaming in the pale sunlight.
Standing on deck beside Finn were Rosinante, still nursing his shoulder wound; Hina, her usual cigarette between her lips; Trafalgar Law, the white-spotted boy who looked far too small and fragile; and Drake, the teenager who'd nearly been left behind.
Honestly, Finn had almost forgotten about Drake entirely back on Minion Island. Just as the warship was preparing to cast off, the kid had stumbled toward the gangplank clutching a gunshot wound to his chest, shouting something about not being aboard yet. Finn had assumed he was a lost Marine at first.
After questioning him on the voyage back, Finn learned the boy was Diez Barrels' son, named Drake. More importantly, the kid already possessed an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit.
If nothing else, that made him worth nurturing.
But Finn had no interest in personally training another brat. He'd dump Drake on Chief Instructor Zephyr when they arrived and let the old man's "remaining heat" be put to good use. That's why he'd brought Drake back to Marineford at all.
As for Vergo, he'd been thoroughly sidelined. Finn didn't plan to kill him, but he wouldn't invest in him anymore either. The man would serve as a liaison, nothing more. If something difficult or inconvenient needed doing, Finn could pass it to Vergo and have Doflamingo handle it through him.
Doflamingo might be scum, but he made an excellent tool.
Even though Finn already had plenty of forces outside the Marines who could handle dirty work—Queen Stussy of the Pleasure District, Smoker with his Warlord connections, Jinbe, Hancock, even Nico Robin—you could never have too many assets like that.
The more people doing the shady work, the less risk of any single operation being exposed.
It had been years since Rosinante last set foot in Marineford. Now, walking down the gangplank and standing in the harbor, looking at the base he remembered from his youth, emotion welled up inside him. Excitement mixed with shame and hesitation.
"Brother Finn," Rosinante asked for what must've been the tenth time, "Admiral Sengoku really isn't furious with me?"
"How should I know if he's angry?" Finn's tone was sharp. "Why don't you go see him yourself? You had the guts to do it, so have the guts to face the consequences."
Without waiting for a response, Finn grabbed Trafalgar Law by the collar like a bag of trash and started walking toward the Justice Fortress.
Law squirmed in his grip. "Put me down! What do you think you're doing?"
"It's because of you, you brat, that Rosinante's stuck in this mess." Finn didn't loosen his hold. "His bright future is ruined because of you. Don't you feel even a little ashamed?"
Law fell silent. The words hit home because he knew Finn was right. He understood Rosinante's true identity now.
Rosinante had a "good brother" who was a Marine Admiral. His adoptive father was Admiral Sengoku, who everyone said would become Fleet Admiral soon. Rosinante himself had carried out an undercover mission in the Donquixote Family for years. Even if he hadn't made groundbreaking achievements, he'd certainly paid his dues.
He had connections, background, relationships, and qualifications. Even if his combat strength was only average, his future in Marine Headquarters should've been blindingly bright.
But because he'd met a "doomed" kid like Law, Rosinante had lost everything.
Now, forget promotions or glory. He probably couldn't even stay in the Marines. He might end up imprisoned in Impel Down.
All of it was Law's fault.
The guilt weighed on him like lead.
"Don't blame Law," Rosinante said quietly. "It was my choice."
"Shut up," Finn snapped.
Soon, the group arrived outside Admiral Sengoku's office.
Finn didn't bother with formalities. As a fellow Admiral, he didn't need to. He shoved open the door and unceremoniously dropped Trafalgar Law in front of Sengoku's desk like a delivery package.
"Here. The Ope Ope no Mi you wanted."
Admiral Sengoku looked at Finn with weary exasperation. His own adopted son had committed a massive blunder, and Finn, as a fellow Admiral, had gone to clean up the mess. Sengoku knew the full details of what happened. If Finn hadn't been there, Rosinante would be dead. He owed Finn an enormous debt.
But Finn was already an Admiral. There was nothing Sengoku could repay him with now. He'd have to wait until he became Fleet Admiral to settle accounts.
Ignoring Finn for the moment, Sengoku's gaze moved first to Trafalgar Law, who sat on the floor lost in thought. Then it shifted to Rosinante, who lingered near the door as if afraid to enter.
Finally, Sengoku sighed. "Come in."
Rosinante nodded and stepped inside.
Hina smiled slightly, pouring Finn a cup of tea and whispering, "Aren't we leaving?"
"Leaving? This is a show." Finn's voice carried righteous indignation. "I need to see if our esteemed Admiral Sengoku, who's about to ascend to Fleet Admiral, will be fair, just, and impartial, willing to sacrifice family for justice. Or if he'll be partial and corrupt. As a Marine Admiral, I naturally have to supervise this process."
Sengoku shot Finn an irritated glare. Rosinante looked at him helplessly. Trafalgar Law still hadn't moved.
Finn ignored all of them and continued sipping his tea.
Sengoku turned his attention to Rosinante, his expression hardening. "Rosinante, you've truly disappointed me." His voice carried the weight of command, the tone of a Marine Admiral addressing a subordinate. "We nurtured you for years. Sent you undercover into the Donquixote Family with high hopes. And in the end, for your own selfish reasons, you've completely ruined years of Marine planning and jeopardized our current mission regarding the Ope Ope no Mi."
He glanced at Law. "Do I have to report to the Five Elders using this boy as an excuse now?"
Rosinante lowered his head in shame. He had no defense.
But then Sengoku's tone shifted completely, softening. "As your father, Rosinante, you've remained kind. You didn't stand by and watch an innocent child die. You risked everything—your future, your honor, your achievements—and gave it all to save a young life. For that, I'm very proud of you."
The moment the words left Sengoku's mouth, Rosinante broke down. He was twenty-six years old, but tears streamed down his face like a child's.
Trafalgar Law, standing nearby, felt his own eyes burn with tears. His heart suddenly filled with overwhelming gratitude toward this great Admiral he'd never met before.
Of course. Only someone like this could raise a good man like Corazon.
Finn looked at Admiral Sengoku with genuine surprise. He'd expected polite words meant to comfort Rosinante, nothing more. But seeing the relief in Sengoku's eyes, Finn realized the words were sincere.
"Humans are such complicated creatures," Finn murmured. He stood up. "Let's go."
Hina looked at him curiously. "Admiral, this just started. Don't you want to watch?"
"No need. It's boring." Finn waved dismissively.
Without saying goodbye to Sengoku or acknowledging anyone else, he turned and walked out of the office. At the door, he found Drake waiting nervously in the hallway.
Finn studied the teenager for a moment. "When you were on the ship, you said you wanted to be a Marine. Did you mean that?"
"Yes!" Drake answered without hesitation.
But anxiety flickered across his face. His background wasn't exactly clean. His father had been a Marine Rear Admiral who'd defected and become a pirate. It would be perfectly reasonable for Finn to reject him outright and tell him to get lost.
Instead, after sizing him up for a few more seconds, Finn turned to Hina. "Take this boy to Chief Instructor Zephyr. Tell him I'm recommending a promising recruit."
"Yes, Admiral." Hina nodded immediately.
Drake stood frozen for a moment, then overwhelming gratitude surged through him. "Admiral Finn, I'll become an excellent Marine! I won't let you down!"
"I never had any expectations of you in the first place, so there's nothing to let me down." Finn walked past Drake, reaching out to clap him once on the shoulder. "Just be a good person. Don't end up like your father, making mistakes you can't take back. That's all I ask. Understood?"
"Yes, Admiral!" Drake's voice was firm.
Hina smiled at Drake. The kid was nineteen years old but looked barely fifteen or sixteen, still gangly and awkward.
"Come on. Let's go see Chief Instructor Zephyr." Hina gestured for him to follow.
The reason Drake felt such profound gratitude wasn't just that Finn had accepted him. It was because Finn had recommended him to Zephyr specifically.
Drake had lived in Marineford before, back when his father was still a Marine. He'd heard plenty about the place. When his father got drunk, he'd beat Drake and curse, saying things like, "If I'd been one of Instructor Zephyr's students, no one would dare treat me like this."
Becoming Zephyr's disciple meant his background would be cleansed. No one could use his father's disgrace against him anymore.
More than that, the connections, resources, and prestige represented by Zephyr's students were enormous. Upon graduation, all the senior officers in the Marines would be his senior brothers and sisters. That was a fast track to promotion if there ever was one.
Hina led Drake away to meet Zephyr. Finn returned to his own office to catch up on sleep.
Meanwhile, Admiral Sengoku dealt with Rosinante's situation.
First, the mission assigned by the World Government had undeniably failed. Under normal circumstances, Rosinante would face execution or life imprisonment. But Sengoku couldn't bring himself to condemn his adopted son to death. Instead, he arranged for Rosinante to be detained in Impel Down's prison for at least five years.
After release, continuing as a Marine would be impossible. His career in the Marines ended here.
As for Trafalgar Law, Sengoku absolutely couldn't hand the boy over to the World Government. He knew full well what would happen. Those people in Mary Geoise would brainwash Law into a tool, then sacrifice his life to perform the immortality surgery on some Celestial Dragon.
Was he supposed to let that happen? After Rosinante had staked his entire future and life on saving this boy? After finally rescuing him, was Sengoku supposed to throw him back into the fire?
Then wouldn't all of Rosinante's suffering have been for nothing?
What kind of father would that make him?
So Admiral Sengoku simply decided to pretend the Ope Ope no Mi situation didn't exist. Screw Mary Geoise.
Without quite knowing how it happened, Trafalgar Law began regarding Rosinante as a father figure. Because Rosinante had loved him, protected him, saved him.
And since Rosinante was Admiral Sengoku's adopted son, Law unconsciously developed a natural affection for Sengoku as well. Coupled with Sengoku's earlier words of pride, something shifted between them.
The relationship that formed resembled that of grandfather and grandson.
Just as Garp had always wanted to find a successor, didn't Admiral Sengoku also hope his descendants could become excellent Marines?
The name Rosinante might be tarnished now, but what about Trafalgar?
Casually, almost as an afterthought, Admiral Sengoku asked Trafalgar Law if he'd like to become a Marine.
Before this moment, Law would've refused without hesitation. He had no love for the Marines, and after the tragedy of Flevance, he despised the World Government even more.
But now, Finn's words on the journey back suddenly echoed in his mind.
He, Trafalgar Law, had ruined Corazon's life. His bright future at Marine Headquarters. Because of Law, Corazon had to go to prison in Impel Down.
He owed Corazon everything.
He should help Corazon reclaim everything Corazon had given up and sacrificed for him.
So Trafalgar Law agreed to Admiral Sengoku's proposal without hesitation, his voice ringing out clear and determined.
"I want to be a Marine!"
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