Just then, the office door was pushed open again, and two tall, thin men walked in.
Taro's eyes widened instantly. The other two of the three Marine Headquarters Admirals, "Aokiji" Kuzan and "Kizaru" Borsalino, had entered.
"How terrifying... to have such formidable strength at such a young age. That strike of yours in the plaza..."
Kizaru, dressed in a yellow and white striped suit, spoke slowly.
Hearing that iconic catchphrase, Taro's cheek twitched slightly. He glanced at this Marine Admiral, whom countless fans suspected of being a double agent.
He quickly reacted and gave the two a military salute. "Admiral Kizaru, Admiral Aokiji."
Kizaru nodded, while Aokiji glanced at Taro, pulled up a chair, put on his sleep mask, and pretended to sleep.
The sudden appearance of the two broke the standoff between Akainu and Garp. Sengoku cleared his throat.
"Now that Lieutenant Taro has returned safely, how do you think he should be rewarded?"
"In Alabasta, he saved the Capital City Alabasta from destruction by explosion; by regulation, he should be promoted one rank. He also prevented Crocodile's escape at the Marine detention center, which warrants another promotion. Thus, promoting him to Major is appropriate."
Vice Admiral Tsuru truly lived up to being Taro's "Grandma Tsuru"; as soon as she spoke, it was a double promotion.
However, Garp was not quite satisfied. "Didn't we agree last time that Taro would be promoted to Major upon graduating from the Training Camp? I've already tested him in the plaza; he's ready to graduate!"
"Indeed, how terrifying!" Kizaru slowly chimed in from the side.
"You guys..." Akainu couldn't take it anymore, and he began to roar at the two in a rage.
Sengoku stopped him with a low voice. "Sakazuki, that's enough."
At this moment, Aokiji, who was pretending to sleep with his mask on, lightly tapped his forehead with a finger. "Gumir, the base commander of the G-2 Fortress, is planning to wipe out a group of pirates soon."
"Ah, G-2 Fortress. Come to think of it, I was the base commander there sixteen years ago when I was still a Vice Admiral!" Kizaru also remarked with a sigh.
Taro listened with a face full of confusion. Weren't they talking about my promotion? Why the sudden mention of this G-2 Fortress?
Although Taro didn't understand, the high-ranking Marines present all did.
Sengoku pondered for a moment. "Lieutenant Taro, you are hereby promoted to Navy Lieutenant Commander. You are to proceed immediately to G-2 Fortress to support Vice Admiral Gumir!"
Taro let out a confused "Huh?" before being ushered out.
In fact, if an officer from Marine Headquarters is dispatched to a branch, they are typically promoted by one to three ranks by regulation.
Taro was currently a Headquarters Lieutenant. Accumulating merits to become a Headquarters Major had already made Akainu very dissatisfied. If he were promoted to Headquarters Lieutenant Commander again, Akainu would surely explode with rage.
So, Aokiji brought this up to remind Sengoku that the issue could be resolved this way.
Kizaru mentioning that he had served as the G-2 base commander was clearly an agreement with Aokiji's idea.
With two of the Three Admirals in agreement, Garp wanting Taro promoted anyway, and Vice Admiral Tsuru seemingly not opposed, Sengoku ultimately decided to promote Taro by the minimum standard for a dispatch—one rank—so that Akainu would have nothing to say... "In other words, Vice Admiral Gumir, the base commander of G-2 Fortress, is a subordinate of Admiral Aokiji?"
On the deck of the warship, Taro lay on a beach chair, took a sip of sherry wine, and asked Ensign Mike beside him.
Ensign Mike was the former Sergeant Mike, the leader of the chore boys on Garp's ship. When Taro first joined the Marines, Mike was his superior. Having gone to sea with Garp many times, he had been promoted to Sergeant Major through accumulated merit.
Now that Taro had his own ship, Vice Admiral Garp promoted Mike to Warrant Officer and transferred him to Taro's ship. Taro went a step further and directly promoted him to Ensign to manage the warship for him.
"Yes, Lieutenant Commander Taro," Mike replied from the beach chair next to him.
Taro was relieved now. Aokiji's subordinates should be quite easy to get along with, right?
The G-2 Fortress is located near the Lulusia Kingdom on the Grand Line, also very close to an island called the Kamabakka Kingdom, and is responsible for governing the surrounding waters.
When Taro heard Mike mention Kamabakka, he felt a strange sense of familiarity. However, he was never very good with place names. After thinking for a while without coming up with anything, he soon forgot about it.
At that moment, a Marine Soldier came to report that the G-2 Fortress was almost in sight. Taro downed the rest of his wine in one gulp and walked toward the bow.
The warship slowly docked at the fortress base's pier. The Marine Soldiers lined up to disembark, and Taro finally stepped off the ship accompanied by Mike.
Hmm?
As Taro walked, he suddenly felt that a Marine Soldier in his ranks looked somewhat familiar.
He took a closer look and was startled. Holy crap! When did Ace sneak into my unit?
Taro suppressed his violently twitching brow, turned his head away, and continued walking into the fortress as if he hadn't seen anything.
"Haha, Lieutenant Commander Taro, right?" A burly, pot-bellied, bald general wearing a Marine Vice Admiral's uniform came forward to greet him, with two swords tucked at his waist. "I received Admiral Aokiji's message; I've been waiting for you for a long time!"
"Vice Admiral Gumir, Taro reports for duty!" Taro gave a salute.
Gumir grabbed Taro's arm, appearing exceptionally happy.
"No need for all that 'duty' talk. I'm very glad you could come to support us. I've long heard of your great reputation. Once we've wiped out those pirates, let's have a spar. I hope you won't hesitate to give me some pointers!"
Taro's head throbbed at the suggestion, and he could only say helplessly, "I wouldn't dare give pointers. I've heard you are a master of the Two-Sword Style; please guide me as well."
Gumir was even more satisfied with Taro's humble attitude and pulled him along.
Glancing at Ace out of the corner of his eye, Taro saw him slipping out of the ranks. His cheek twitched again. He hoped no trouble would arise; Akainu was already very dissatisfied with him.
Vice Admiral Gumir pulled Taro by the arm all the way. The two first went to the fortress's officers' mess for a meal. Because Taro was constantly worried about Ace causing a Major incident, he ate very hastily.
It had to be said that the food at G-2 Fortress was quite good, but Taro really wasn't in the mood.
Afterward, the two arrived at the operations briefing room, where several Marine officers were already waiting. Vice Admiral Gumir introduced Taro to everyone, followed by another round of mutual pleasantries.
"Well, it's about time. Is anyone still missing?" Vice Admiral Gumir sat down at the head of the table and spoke slowly.
The adjutant beside him replied that two officers had not yet arrived and that someone had been sent to notify them.
A moment later, two Marine officers walked in one after the other. Taro, who had just taken a sip of coffee from the table, spat it out with a "pfft."
Taro's eyes widened. He recognized the man following behind, wearing a Navy Lieutenant Commander's uniform with a small mustache—it was actually Ace!
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