After picking up Kuina and Hera, Garp's warship first headed to Marineford, Marineford.
Garp said, "The recruit training camp is still recruiting and receiving personnel. I'll take you around Marine Headquarters first to get you familiar with the various Marine regulations."
Zephyr added from the side, "Going to Marine Headquarters first is a good thing; after all, it's where you'll be stationed later. This old fellow Garp brags about having a cute granddaughter every day, so I expect many people will want to meet you."
During the days of sailing, Hera and Kuina spent some time resting. Various Pirate Crews fled far away the moment they saw the dog-headed warship symbolizing Garp. Even if some blind Sea Kings appeared, they would only end up as food on the dining table. Any leftovers would be absorbed into the City of Devouring Time, becoming nourishment for Hera to grow stronger.
Amidst calm seas, they soon arrived at Marineford.
Sengoku and Aokiji had learned early on that Garp was arriving soon. Driven by curiosity about the granddaughter Garp had been talking about for so long, they waited together at the pier.
Sengoku said, "I wonder if that kid Garp mentioned really has such high potential. Since the Three Admirals emerged, the rest of the Marines haven't shown much promise."
Sengoku was deeply troubled by the current lack of successors in the Marines. After Roger ushered in the Great Pirate Era, more and more capable people chose to go to sea as pirates. The second half of the New World had become a paradise for pirates. Two years ago, Shanks burst onto the scene. Now, the New World was firmly occupied by Whitebeard, Big Mom, Kaido, and Shanks. They were known as the Emperor of the Sea, the Four Emperors.
On the Marine side, although they had the Three Admirals, Garp, and himself, Garp and he were getting old after all. One of the Three Admirals also had to protect the Celestial Dragons and the Holy Land. The Marines' control over the situation in the New World could be said to have reached its lowest point in years.
Sengoku thought sincerely, "If only there were one more Admiral or one or two fewer Emperor of the Sea." He then shook his head, tossing this somewhat whimsical thought to the back of his mind.
On the ship, Hera also saw Aokiji and Sengoku on the pier. She thought to herself, "At this moment, I want to write an essay called 'My hero of the marines Grandpa Garp'."
The ship soon docked, and Garp, Zephyr, and the others disembarked one after another.
Sengoku looked at Zephyr, who understood his meaning and said, "I've tested them. These two kids are excellent. One is a 13-year-old swordsman nearly at the level of a Master Swordsman, and the other has a monstrous Devil Fruit ability. Both are extremely talented. Once they grow up, they'll be at least Admiral Candidate level."
After that, Zephyr glanced at Aokiji and added, "If you were the same age, you wouldn't be a match for Hera. Her attacks actually forced out my Armament Haki."
Hearing this, Aokiji became a bit more serious. Originally, his curiosity about Hera was just because she was Garp's granddaughter, but now, hearing what Zephyr said, he felt a spark of curiosity about Hera herself.
Aokiji naturally wouldn't doubt the words of his teacher, Zephyr. Since Zephyr said the potential was great and she was Garp's granddaughter, Aokiji felt a desire to recruit them. He said, "That's truly terrifying. You two little ones, are you interested in becoming my subordinates after you graduate?"
Hera was also full of curiosity about Aokiji. Based on her knowledge from her previous life, this guy Aokiji let Robin go, and his personal motto changed from 'Burning Justice' to 'Lazy Justice' during the Ohara incident, before eventually leaving the Marines. Hera also remembered from forums in her past life that Aokiji was said to be part of Garp's faction.
Hera said, "Since Admiral Aokiji has said so, then the two of us will naturally follow Admiral Aokiji after graduation."
Aokiji quickly said, "No need to be so polite, you can just call me Kuzan. There's no rush about the subordinate matter; it won't be too late to decide after you've learned more about the Marines." He was afraid Garp would think he was pressuring the two to be his subordinates.
Garp waved his hand and said, "Following Kuzan? That's a good choice. That kid Akainu is too extreme, and Kizaru has to guard the Holy Land, so he inevitably has to deal with those Celestial Dragon scumbags. Following the kid Kuzan is a good choice."
Sengoku chimed in, "Indeed. Moreover, Kuzan's missions are relatively flexible. Following him will allow you two to experience more of the ocean's charm."
Then, after a thought, he added, "After graduating from the training camp and training with Kuzan for a few years, you can choose to lead your own team or guard an island. That would be a good career path for you."
As expected of the Resourceful General Sengoku, with just a few words, he had clearly mapped out Hera's promotion path. Hera immediately felt the advantage of having connections in high places.
Zephyr said, "Why think so much? Graduate from my program first. Let me tell you now, I won't go easy on you just because of Garp. On the contrary, I will be even more demanding. If you don't learn Haki in the training camp, you can expect a delayed graduation."
Hera and Kuina said in unison, "Don't worry, we guarantee the mission will be accomplished."
---------------------------------
If you'd like to read the next 40 chapters in advance, you can support me on Patreon.
I regularly post chapter previews there, so you'll always be up-to-date and won't have to wait too long.
patreon.com/SolyuraMT
And if you enjoy the story, don't forget to give me a Power Stone. Your support really motivates me to continue translating!