What to do with Brian — now that was a difficult question.
If it were based purely on strength, Brian more than qualified to serve as a Rear Admiral at Headquarters — perhaps even a Vice Admiral. But the man's temperament was unruly, domineering, and arrogant; if they brought him back to report to Headquarters, wouldn't the entire place be thrown into chaos?
And besides, Brian's record back at the academy was infamously bad. He'd led classmates to sneak out clubbing, drinking, and brawling, had even been caught peeping on female instructors and students in the showers — once caught red-handed by Vice Admiral Gion herself. Letting that man return to Headquarters — would the other officers accept it?
It was precisely because of Brian's terrible conduct that Zephyr had suggested leaving him stationed in the West Blue, to "temper his character," hoping he would reform and shed those vices.
Who could have predicted that once Brian reached the West Blue, he'd become even more lawless — extortion, arms smuggling, and more. Though there was no direct evidence, and Karl hadn't said much, nothing stays hidden forever. The Navy had captured smuggled arms that, after verification, were confirmed to have come from the West Blue — specifically, from the "reported losses" of the 243rd Division.
Thus even Sengoku had a headache: what to do with a man like that?
If they promoted him, giving him real power, who knew what kind of havoc he might cause.
If they didn't use him, left him idle, he'd likely stir the entire West Blue into chaos anyway.
And what Tsuru had said earlier wasn't exaggeration — there had indeed been cases of marines defecting to become pirates, most of them disillusioned with Headquarters' personnel policies. A disgruntled officer turning pirate was dangerous — they knew the Navy's battle doctrines and deployment patterns.
So Sengoku really did consider promoting Brian… but not pulling him back to Headquarters just yet.
After a moment's thought, Sengoku finally said, "Let's go with Karl's original suggestion. Promote him to Fortress Commander, and raise his rank to Rear Admiral."
"Fortress Commander? That area's nearly three times larger than his current jurisdiction! The entire coastline of the Nasia Kingdom would be under his control," Zephyr frowned. As Brian's instructor, he had known from the first day at the academy that this kid was a thorn — but Brian's parents had both served under Zephyr and had died as naval martyrs for justice. Out of compassion, Zephyr hadn't expelled him… and that one moment of mercy had raised a future scourge.
Sengoku, anticipating Zephyr's objection, tried to comfort him:
"At least under Brian's command, pirate raids on merchant ships have significantly decreased."
Zephyr's face darkened.
"That's because merchants are paying enormous protection fees! This bastard's made a mockery of the Navy's honor!"
Garp, munching on senbei, spoke through the crunching:
"Eh, can't put it that way. The merchants earn big profits — paying for safe routes is fair enough, isn't it? At least when their cargo ships pass through the 243rd's waters, no pirates dare touch them. They can reach Nasia Kingdom safely."
"Protecting civilians is the Navy's duty — the very meaning of justice!" Zephyr roared, spraying Garp with spit.
"Alright, alright, you're right," Garp grumbled, wiping his face.
"Then tell me, what's your plan? He captured Astona, and you're not going to promote him? Then he'll hold a grudge against Headquarters. What if he turns pirate—"
"If he becomes a pirate, I'll personally send him to Impel Down!" Zephyr snapped.
"Oh? I'd like to see that," Garp teased, smirking.
Seeing the two about to start bickering again — and knowing Garp's mouth could batter even Zephyr into defeat — Tsuru hurried over to play peacemaker, urging them both to calm down.
Just then, a light chuckle came from the doorway.
"What are our generals discussing so spiritedly?"
Everyone turned to see the current Fleet Admiral standing at the door — and behind him, a short, pudgy man with a round face full of fat and dark sunglasses.
The man's appearance was unremarkable, but he was a senior World Government official — the personal envoy of the Five Elders, vested with their authority.
His name was Dasso. He always smiled, but everyone — from Kong to Sengoku — knew he was a smiling tiger: a master of political games, and anyone who crossed him had met miserable ends.
The moment Sengoku saw Dasso behind Kong, he coughed lightly and shot Tsuru a look — a silent warning to keep Garp's mouth shut before he said something foolish.
No one replied right away. Dasso sauntered into the room on his own, coming to a stop before Sengoku's desk, where a personnel file lay open.
Pointing at Brian's dossier, Dasso frowned slightly.
"This young man looks familiar. I've seen him somewhere before…"
Sengoku, awkward, said,
"Mr. Dasso, during the Naval Academy's graduation evaluations two years ago, you personally awarded him the 'Most Outstanding Graduate Cadet' medal."
Pffft—!
Garp couldn't hold it in. He burst out laughing, spraying half-chewed senbei all over Zephyr's face — poetic payback for the spit from earlier.
"Oh, now I remember," Dasso said, his smile widening. "That cadet had a remarkable sense of awareness — a strong sense of responsibility…"
Sengoku's reminder had jogged his memory. Brian had indeed left a deep impression. Back then, Dasso had attended the academy's graduation examinations. During the final oral defense, only Brian's answer had stood out from the rest.
The topic had been 'How to Be a Qualified Marine.' Almost every cadet had given the same predictable response — justice, protecting civilians, upholding honor. Only Brian's answer was different.
"He said," Dasso recalled fondly,
"'The Navy's mission is to uphold the rule of the World Government — to eradicate any force that threatens it, uproot all resistance, and use absolute power to deter rebellion.' Ah, such clarity and conviction at such a young age — impressive indeed.'"
Dasso's tone was not mocking; he was genuinely praising Brian. But to Zephyr, the words cut deep — because they contradicted his own moral code and the Navy's very doctrine of "justice."
Turning toward Kong and Sengoku, Dasso asked,
"So, where is this Brian now? I'd like to meet him."
"He's currently stationed in the Western Sea… on official duty," Sengoku replied awkwardly.
"Hmm? The Western Sea?" Dasso's smile froze. Though he still appeared to be smiling, there was now a chilling shadow beneath it — a darkness that made everyone in the room uneasy.
Suspense hook: In the cold political halls above, dark forces whispered of the reckless rogue—its ripples ready to be felt far below.
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