"Garp, that damned old bastard!
Talking behind my back again—'cunning old fox,' is it?
Fine! Next time I'll show you cunning!"
The more Sengoku thought about the things Garp had probably said—more than once—
the darker his expression became.
Seeing Sengoku's increasingly dangerous aura, Kong silently mourned in his heart:
Garp… forgive me. I've done you dirty. Next year I swear I'll burn you some incense.
There was no helping it.
He might be the Fleet Admiral,
but even he feared what Sengoku might do if he got irritated.
Some people simply weren't safe to provoke.
"Ahem—anyway, if you intend to wipe out those pirate crews,
what forces do you plan to deploy from headquarters?"
Kong quickly changed the subject.
As expected, once work was brought up, Sengoku dismissed his irritation and spoke calmly:
"If Zephyr and I go in person,
it may give the pirates the wrong idea—that the Marines intend to fully invade the New World.
In that case, it might trigger a backlash and unify them against us."
"That's why my plan is to send Sakazuki and Borsalino as reinforcements.
Kuzan and Dorag are already there.
With this lineup, even if a full-scale war breaks out with the Whitebeard Pirates…
we'd still have considerable odds of wiping them out."
Kong nodded thoughtfully.
"Garp may fool around with little things,
but he's reliable when it matters.
With him leading Dorag and the others, this war shouldn't be an issue."
"But I don't quite understand Sakazuki's request."
Kong stroked his M-shaped mustache.
"This new recruit—Longinus.
I heard some rumors about him while I was recuperating,
but he's only been in the training camp for a year.
This level of war seems far too early for him."
He paused, then muttered to himself:
"Could it be that Sakazuki is intentionally… no, that doesn't make sense.
With his personality, if he disliked someone, he'd sooner execute them outright."
"Fleet Admiral Kong," Sengoku sighed helplessly,
"you only read the Impel Down portion of the report before calling me, didn't you?"
Kong's hand stiffened mid-stroking of his mustache.
He coughed lightly.
"With such a major incident, I naturally had no heart to keep reading…"
"In the prison riot," Sengoku explained,
"Longinus single-handedly suppressed every pirate attempting to escape from both Level 4 and Level 5.
He even defeated Jin—one of Impel Down's three rising stars.
If Bundy Waldo hadn't intervened at the end,
the mastermind of the riot wouldn't have escaped at all."
"This—this was done by a recruit who's only been in training camp for one year?"
Kong nearly ripped out his own beard in shock.
"Aren't the pirates on those levels all worth at least fifty million?
And Jin…
him I remember.
A supernova groomed by the Government itself after the three 'monster recruits.'
Exceptional talent, training longer, and yet soundly defeated?"
Kong exhaled sharply.
"So headquarters has produced another monster…"
"Longinus' strength now surpasses ordinary Vice Admirals," Sengoku said.
"I originally thought he'd only reach this level in his third year—
he surprised even me."
"So you favor approving Sakazuki's request?" Kong asked.
"Yes.
With his current power,
only a war of that scale can temper him further."
"You performed outstandingly this time.
Not only is Impel Down singing your praises,
even the Government has issued a commendation."
Zephyr looked at his composed disciple with satisfaction.
"It wasn't much," Longinus replied with a mild smile,
as if such achievements barely touched his heart.
"You… I really can't tell whether you're too humble or too proud,"
Zephyr sighed, though his eyes softened with approval.
"Most would brag about deeds like these for a lifetime—yet you hardly give them a thought."
His expression abruptly hardened.
"You're really set on going to the New World?
Your strength may not be weak,
but on that kind of killing field, anything can happen.
Even if someone told me tomorrow that Garp died in battle, I wouldn't be shocked."
"I don't know what Sengoku's exact arrangement is,
but I have a feeling—the struggle for supremacy in the New World
may be nearing its end.
If I miss this chance,
I don't know when I'll ever join a war of that scale again."
Longinus' voice was firm.
In this world of pirates,
the fastest way to grow stronger was always through battle.
Lying low and waiting simply did not work here.
Crocodile and Moria in the original timeline were the best counterexamples—
hide too long, and you fall from the ranks of the strong.
Zephyr exhaled.
"That intuition of yours…"
He shook his head, then gestured.
"Since you've decided, come with me."
Longinus followed him toward the training grounds.
"I hear you depart tomorrow," Zephyr said as they walked.
"That gives me only today to teach you.
But with your talent and understanding of Haki,
one day is enough for the fundamentals.
The rest… you'll have to grasp on the battlefield."
"Haki is the power hidden within all humans.
To draw it out, the only thing you can rely on is your own will."
"Most people can learn the techniques and gain some form of Haki—
but that shallow level is barely more effective than ordinary firearms."
"Of the three types of Haki:"
"Observation Haki corresponds to the spirit.
At first, it enhances the senses.
At mastery, it grants a sixth sense—intuition, foresight.
And pushed to the extreme… a seventh sense:
the perception of the future."
"Armament Haki corresponds to the body.
Haki is 'consumed', while the body is its vessel.
The stronger the physique, the more Haki it can hold—
and the stronger the quality drawn out by belief."
"Conqueror's Haki corresponds to one's presence, one's kingly spirit.
I can't teach you much there—
I don't have it myself."
"So the three Hakis correspond to essence, energy, and spirit?" Longinus asked.
"That's… a fresh way to put it," Zephyr chuckled.
"For Armament, its two core applications are coating and hardening.
Their essence: soft and hard."
"Haki lies deep within everyone.
Belief draws it out.
And Armament is also the embodiment of belief."
"Imagine your will turning Haki into supple threads coiling around your weapon—
or into hardened armor covering your flesh.
The stronger the belief, the easier it becomes."
Zephyr stopped, his tone deep.
"One last thing before we begin.
Never forget this—
Unshakable conviction is strength."
"The moment you doubt yourself,
you fail.
You rot.
Once belief is forged,
even if the path seems wrong in others' eyes—
you walk it unwaveringly."
PS :
Fleet Admiral Kong (Steel Bone Kong) — Fleet Admiral of the Marines.
Sengoku — Admiral/Chief Strategist.
Garp — Marine hero.
Zephyr (Zéphyr) — Former Admiral, now instructor of the training camp.
Sakazuki (Akainu), Borsalino (Kizaru), Kuzan (Aokiji) — Admirals.
Dorag (Dragon) — Leader of a Marine special force (in this timeline).
Longinus — Marine prodigy, main character.
Jin — Former Head Jailer of Impel Down, Ancient Zoan: Pteranodon.
Bundy Waldo — "World Destroyer," Momo Momo no Mi.
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