Such a force could easily sweep through the New World, yet Fleet Admiral Sengoku was using it just to deal with the Whitebeard Pirates.
Things about my Fleet Admiral being ridiculously strong yet overly cautious...
Oh, and now there's also Gion. The Whitebeard Pirates might really be dood this ti.
"Gion, your oolong tea."
Nami placed the tea and a cold drink on the table, then shot Kizaru a look of disdain.
That damn scumbag was charming another girl again. How did such a great woman like Gion end up in his hands?
"Thank you, Nami."
Gion smiled sweetly. She had long known about the relationship between Kizaru and Nami, but she saw no issue with it.
To Gion, Nami was like a little sister, and Kizaru was the man she loved. Being together like this wasn't so bad.
Besides, Gion had no idea how to take care of Kizaru—having Nami handle it for her was actually quite convenient.
"No need to thank . Didn't you already acknowledge as your little sister?"
Nami, for once, showed a ladylike deanor. She only acted this "gentle and considerate" in front of Gion.
Their relationship was so good that, at tis, even Kizaru felt like the outsider, as if Nami and Gion were the actual couple.
"Kizaru… why do I feel like you've gotten even stronger?"
Just as Kizaru was silently grumbling, Gion, sipping her oolong tea, suddenly turned to him, eyeing him curiously.
In her impression, her fiancé had always been incredibly strong—but "hardworking" was never a word associated with him.
Only Zephyr had ever ntioned that Kizaru had once been a training fanatic long ago. But at so point, he fell in with the wrong crowd and beca the lazy bum he was today.
Every ti Zephyr brought it up, he was filled with regret. The stronger Kizaru beca, the more Zephyr lanted the wasted potential.
If Kizaru could reach such heights while slacking off, his talent was clearly terrifying. If he had trained as relentlessly as Sakazuki, he might have already surpassed the limits of their generation.
"Ah, that's because I've been training hard. Every bit of strength I've gained is the result of my sweat and toil…"
Kizaru coughed awkwardly. His Requiem Form ability was too overpowered—just basking in sunlight made him stronger. To be honest, even he wasn't sure how powerful he had beco at this point.
"I want to fight you and see for myself!"
Gion's large, bright eyes shone with determination. Her goal had always been to catch up to, or even surpass, Kizaru.
But he was simply too strong. No matter how hard she trained, she had never once defeated him.
Every ti she felt she had closed the gap, she would face him again—only to find that the distance had grown even wider.
Still, she wasn't discouraged.
On the contrary, she was genuinely happy for Kizaru and more determined than ever to keep up with him.
"There's no need for that. Fighting isn't a good look for a lady…"
Kizaru had just fought Esdeath. Though the battle wasn't exhausting, he really wasn't in the mood for another fight so soon.
He wasn't so battle junkie. And Gion wasn't the Rear Admiral he had first t—she was now only a step away from being a top-tier powerhouse.
Even though Kizaru was still a level above her, he wasn't completely confident he could hold back properly in a fight.
If he got carried away and one of his flying slashes slipped past her guard, Marine Headquarters might end up needing ergency repairs.
"We are Marines!"
Gion said seriously. Despite being a woman, she had an unusually strong battle-hungry nature. If Sengoku hadn't assigned her to oversee Marine training programs, she might have already gone to the New World to challenge top-tier fighters.
"Fine, fine. But let's keep it controlled this ti, okay? Last ti, you got so into it that you forgot who I was!"
Kizaru flicked Gion's forehead in annoyance. She might be gorgeous, but when she fought, she had absolutely no rcy.
If Kizaru weren't as strong as he was, he'd have been diced into pieces by now.
"Then let's go to our usual spot! I've developed a new sword technique—I'll show you!"
Gion could barely contain her excitent. She wanted to fight Kizaru with everything she had.
As she sat in Kizaru's lap, she could feel the overwhelming sense of power radiating from him.
It had been a long ti since she last experienced this feeling. The last ti was when she had faced Big Mom at sea, before she beca a Marine Vice Admiral.
But if she fought Big Mom again now, she wouldn't feel that sa pressure.
She still wouldn't be a match for Big Mom, but she wouldn't be defeated so easily either.
Just how strong had Kizaru beco?
Gion tilted her head, glancing at Kizaru as he lazily sipped his cold drink. She shook her head, trying to dismiss the impossible thought in her mind.
Even if Kizaru had been training, he couldn't have surpassed the limit that Zephyr once described as the "ceiling."
That overwhelming pressure she felt earlier… was probably just an illusion.
Now that she was pressing against him, she couldn't sense it anymore.
Brrr… Brrr…
Just as Kizaru resigned himself to his fate, ready to take Gion to the training grounds, the Den Den Mushi on the table rang.
"Hold on. Let see who's calling… Moshi moshi, this is Kizaru."
As expected, it was the ruler of Marineford—Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
"Co to my office."
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's voice carried a trace of exhaustion. Although the initial cause of the Paramount War had nothing to do with the Navy, once they took on Ace, a dangerous burden, Sengoku had no choice but to exhaust himself preparing for the imminent battle.
In the original tiline, he had nearly succeeded but ultimately failed. Even though Whitebeard was killed, his final words only served to push the Great Pirate Era to new heights.
Perhaps this was one of the main reasons why Sengoku's hair turned completely white so soon after stepping down as Fleet Admiral.
"Well… looks like there won't be a fight now."
Kizaru shrugged at Gion. Not having to spar with her was a relief, but if Sengoku was looking for him, it definitely ant trouble.
As the true rulers of these seas, the Navy was a vast organization, with over a hundred branches, thousands of warships, and over a million personnel.
Managing such an enormous force required an astronomical amount of administrative work. Even for an experienced Fleet Admiral like Sengoku, handling such an overwhelming workload was ntally and physically draining.
"Co in."
Just as he approved a branch's request for additional funding, a knock ca at the door. Without looking up, Sengoku called out.
"Fleet Admiral, Gion reporting for duty!"
Unlike Kizaru, who casually plopped himself down on the sofa, Gion—now in her Justice coat—stood straight and saluted.
"You've worked hard. Take a seat."
Sengoku nodded at her, not minding Kizaru's sowhat impolite behavior.
Despite Kizaru still holding the rank of admiral, he had erged during Sengoku and Garp's era.
In a way, they were of the sa generation. In fact, for a ti, the prodigious Kizaru had even held a higher rank than Sengoku.
That was until Kizaru realized that no matter how hard he worked, it wouldn't change much. Accepting this, he fully embraced his laid-back philosophy and beca the undisputed leader of the "slacker faction," allowing Sengoku to surpass him in rank.
This history was one of the reasons why Sengoku tolerated Kizaru's antics. They weren't just colleagues from the sa era—Kizaru's sheer strength also made him invaluable.
No one would believe that a genius who reached admiral-level power before the age of thirty had remained stagnant for over twenty years.
After seating Gion, Sengoku turned his gaze toward Kizaru.
The admiral made himself right at ho, lounging in a single-seat sofa and calling for his aide to bring refreshnts—right in front of Sengoku.
Well, he wasn't completely overstepping. He only ordered so drinks and snacks.
The only people who could get away with this kind of behavior in Sengoku's office were Vice Admiral Garp and Kizaru.
"Please wait a mont."
Sengoku's aide, long accustod to such scenes, dutifully went to prepare the requested tea and refreshnts.
"Ahem. Kizaru, you handled the Sabaody incident well. Saint Rosward has decided to donate a special fund to headquarters. Your ship modification project can be completed using this funding."
Sengoku knew Kizaru's habits all too well. Start with a little reward, and he'd be much easier to deal with afterward.
Kizaru raised an eyebrow slightly. It seed he had underestimated Vegapunk's enthusiasm for modifying Kuma.
Of course, to keep so many marines quiet, Vegapunk must have paid a hefty price. And as expected, a certain little thief had likely taken her cut.
Just as Kizaru knew Nami all too well, the girl behind him discreetly tapped his shoulder three tis.
It ant she had only pocketed 30%—the remaining 70% was still safe in the private stash she managed for him.
"There's no need to modify my ship for now. Headquarters' budget is already tight. It'd be better to donate this fund to the Retired Marines Association as a pension."
Kizaru spoke righteously. Who would waste money fixing up a twenty-year-old ship? He had already planned to send his vessel straight to the front lines during the war.
If the Whitebeard Pirates sank it, he'd finally have an excuse to get a brand-new, top-of-the-line warship.
As for his crew? Anyone who had followed Kizaru for this long had certainly been influenced by his "slacker" philosophy. But even so, their survival skills were top-tier.
"…Vice Admiral Strawberry has completed the Warlord recruitnt mission and returned to headquarters."
Sengoku shot Kizaru an annoyed look, misinterpreting his refusal as an attempt to negotiate. Instead of arguing, he simply played another card he had prepared.
Kizaru's little stunt—pushing the Warlord recruitnt mission onto Strawberry—hadn't gone unnoticed. Sengoku had simply chosen not to confront him about it. If he really wanted to make things difficult, he could.
"Hm… That must've been tough. I'll be sure to personally thank Vice Admiral Strawberry later."
Even Kizaru felt a little embarrassed at this point. He had really put Strawberry through the wringer.
If it had been one of his own subordinates, that would've been fine. They wouldn't dare complain anyway. But Strawberry was under Sakazuki's command.
While Sakazuki probably didn't care about sothing this trivial, Kizaru was still the face of the "slacker faction"—he couldn't act completely indifferent.
"As of now, all Warlords—including Mihawk, Kuma, Moria, Doflamingo, and Hancock—have agreed to the summons. The only exceptions are Crocodile, who has already been stripped of his title, and Jinbe, who has refused the mandatory draft…"
Sengoku didn't bother dwelling on Kizaru's usual antics. At this point, he had grown numb to them.
Rather than waste ti holding Kizaru accountable, it was better to use the situation to pressure him into doing more work.
"What exactly do you want to do?"
Kizaru scratched his head. He hadn't dealt with Jinbe much before. If it were a rmaid lady, he might have been interested. But a giant blue fishman? No, thanks.
Still, he had once interacted with Fisher Tiger. Even though Tiger had been dead for years, it didn't feel right to bully one of his people.
"Send him to Impel Down first. We'll decide his fate after the war."
°°°
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