Capítulo 287: Chapter 287: Mythical Zoan
(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
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Although he was not honest at all, Koushirou pinched his nose and let it go.
Colt and Nami thus started staying at the Isshin Dojo.
Every day, after Koushirou finished instructing his students, he would take Colt to a small island not far away.
The two wouldn't return until late at night from their swordsmanship training.
When they did, however, Koushirou would immediately go back to his bedroom tired beyond measure.
That was the routine that was established.
****
Grand Line.
After spending some time in the windmill village, Garp set off, bidding Luffy a 'painful' farewell. Cough, he meant a tearful farewell.
Naturally, he took Naruto with him when he left.
As far as Naruto, Garp was entirely satisfied with that kid.
Not only was his personality very similar to his, but his unyielding nature was precisely the quality that the Marines needed most.
On top of that, Naruto wasn't as extreme as Akainu nor as lazy as Aokiji.
For those in need, Naruto would not hesitate to lend a hand.
He could also control his strength when dealing with criminals, avoiding unnecessary killings.
Garp even felt that, compared to Luffy, Naruto was more suitable as a grandson.
What surprised Garp the most was that Naruto's strength was immense.
During their conversations, he was shocked more than once by Naruto's impressive physique.
Even more impressive, Naruto could transform into a Demon Monster Fox form.
Mythical Zoan: Kitsune-Kitsune no Mi, Model: Demon Monster Fox (This is what Garp had started calling it in his mind.)
With this, Garp believed he'd found the perfect future Admiral for the Marines!
Back at Marineford, after settling Naruto in, Garp couldn't wait to rush to Sengoku's office.
Bang!
The door swung open without hesitation.
"Sengoku! I've found a perfect... huh? Oh, Tsuru-Chan, Aokiji, you're here too," he said, stopping mid-sentence upon seeing the others.
In the office, not only were the people he'd greeted present, but also the other Admirals, and several Vice Admirals.
They all looked serious, clearly discussing a weighty topic.
Sengoku nodded and motioned for Garp to sit next to Tsuru.
"You're just in time. We've only just begun. Sit down and listen."
Reluctantly, Garp sat down.
He was always annoyed by Sengoku's meetings, and he rarely paid attention to anything longer than a few minutes.
"Now, let's continue with the matter of the Art Pirates."
Sengoku sighed.
"The headquarters has received intelligence that Gecko Moria from the Seven Warlords of the Sea has been killed by Deidara of the Exploding Pirates and Sasori from the Eternal Pirates."
"The two have taken over Thriller Bark and have merged to form the Art Pirates. How do we handle this?"
He looked to his subordinates for their input.
"Humph! You called me back from the New World for this nonsense? It's just pirates fighting amongst themselves," Akainu grumbled, puffing on his cigar, clearly dissatisfied.
To him, all the pirates deserved death.
He didn't care whether it was Moria or anyone else, as long as they wiped each other out.
Sengoku set down the report in his hand and sighed again.
"That might be true, but Moria is a Shichibukai, and this is a challenge to the authority of the World Government."
While Sengoku didn't personally care about pirate infighting, Moria's position made the situation more complex.
Sasori and Deidara killing Moria was a direct affront to the World Government, and the potential consequences were grave.
The World Government had long asserted that the Shichibukai existed to balance the power with the Four Emperors.
But now, one had been easily defeated by two newcomers.
If the Shichibukai couldn't even handle fledgling pirates, how could they possibly stand against the Four Emperors? It was laughable!
Although only Moria had died, it had shaken the stability of the Shichibukai system.
Before the meeting, Sengoku had already received a call from the Five Elders.
They berated him for letting this happen and demanded that the situation be resolved quickly before it escalated further.
That was the reason for this meeting.
"If they're pirates, we should just capture them, right?" Aokiji yawned lazily, removing his blindfold.
"We could send Kizaru. He's the fastest, after all."
"Kuzan, you're always pushing your work onto others. I just got back from Mariejois. Can't I take a short 'one month' break?" Kizaru complained, his mouth twisting into a sarcastic smile.
Even Garp felt a little creeped out by his expression.
"Fine, fine. If not you, then Akainu can go, he's always excited about destroying any pirates" Aokiji shrugged nonchalantly.
Akino's eyes locked onto Kuzan.
"Why should I go?! You're the most suitable admiral for capture." He replied while glaring at him.
It wasn't that he didn't want to destroy pirates, but he wasn't going to let Aokiji order him around.
The three Admirals bickered, while the other Vice Admirals remained silent, focusing on the table in front of them, not daring to intervene.
They knew better than to get involved in an argument between the Admirals.
Meanwhile, Garp had already fallen asleep, a comical bubble forming at his nose.
Bang!
The loud popping noise startled Garp awake.
"Bastard, Sengoku! You scared me to death! I was dreaming that my grandson became an Admiral. You owe me for that!" Garp grumbled, rubbing his eyes and yawning.
He didn't care about Sengoku's image and directly scolded him.
"Shut up, Garp!" Sengoku barked, then turned his attention back to the bickering Admirals.
"What the hell are you three doing?! Are you really going to argue about who is going to capture pirates?! You all should be ready to do so at any moment,"
The Admirals fell silent under Sengoku's glare.
"Kizaru, you're the fastest, so you'll head to Thriller Bark and capture Sasori and Deidara."
"As expected…" Kizaru muttered quietly, though he did get up to leave the office.
As he walked out, he was already plotting how to finish the mission quickly, so as to not put too much effort.
For example, maybe he would get injured, and couldn't pursue…
If he did, even Sengoku couldn't scold him too much.
Just as he was thinking up his next scheme, Sengoku's den-den mushi rang.
He greeted the other side respectfully while gesturing for the others to stay silent, and then said.
"I've already sent Kizaru to handle the Art Pirates. They'll be brought to justice soon," Sengoku said, quickly taking the call.
But to his surprise, the voice on the other end of the line had a different order.
"No need for the arrest. Send someone to negotiate with them and see if they'd like to join as a new Shichibukai."
Capítulo 288: Chapter 288: Naruto's Challenge!
(T/N: There is now a p.atreon for this work, and any new work I add will be dropped there first. check it out for an early release of up to 30 chapters edited smoothly. https://www.p.atreon.com/INeedRest)
****************
The sacred grounds of Mariejois, within a majestic palace.
Five elderly figures stood there.
Their figures differed between tall, short, hefty, and lean.
But they all, sat leisurely on a luxurious sofa. Except one who was left standing.
These were the Five Elders, the ultimate authorities of the World Government.
After informing Sengoku of their decision with minimal explanation, the elder with a beard and a birthmark on his forehead hung up the Den-Den Mushi.
"Sengoku dares to question our orders. The Marines should be reminded of their place," muttered the blonde Elder, irritated.
To him, the Marines, CP units, and even the pirates were merely tools to maintain the World Government's dominance.
When these tools begin to develop a sense of autonomy, that spells trouble.
"Calm down," said the Elder with a sword resting on his lap.
"Sengoku is simply perplexed by the abrupt change in orders from what we originally gave him."
Turning his attention to another figure in the room, he addressed him.
It was a white-haired handsome man, and he had been there since a while ago.
"Tobirama…"
"We've granted your request. But if it fails, you know the consequences."
Senju Tobirama, standing nearby, nodded.
"I understand. The Art Pirates will definitely be better Shichibukais than Moria ever was. Moria's cowardice and refusal to act beyond the safety of his ship have long undermined the authority of the Shichibukai system."
Indeed, it was Tobirama, now a member of CP9, who had successfully infiltrated the World Government.
His extraordinary skills had eventually caught the attention of the Five Elders, though his initial infiltration was modest, joining the convoy of a minor nation within the Grand Line.
From there, he meticulously crafted his identity, creating and erasing any possible inconsistencies that could arise if investigated, down to the day of his birth.
Eventually, Tobirama aligned himself with Spandam, the Chief of CP9—a decision that amused him to say the least, but it was needed.
Spandam, being incompetent and easily manipulated, made Tobirama's rise much easier.
A few words here, a favor there, and soon Spandam had introduced him to the Five Elders.
This time, however, Tobirama was in a tight spot.
Sasori and Deidara's involvement risked triggering an unforeseen series of events.
Yet, he had managed to convince the Five Elders that replacing Moria with these two as Shichibukais was a safer bet for the stability of the seas.
This government system was called the Seven Warlords of the Sea, so both could only replace one spot, but it didn't matter. It was fitting to say that the Art Pirates were the Shichibukai replacement for Moria.
Though the Five Elders had no particular attachment to Moria, Tobirama had recommended the Art Pirates, so he was in a trial now.
One that would determine his future, and it depended and how those pirates acted.
****
At Marineford, Sengoku sat silently for a moment, staring at the Den-Den Mushi before him, then turned to one of the Admirals.
"Borsalino, you heard them. You can handle this matter as requested."
Kizaru, always nonchalant, nodded and left to carry out the orders.
Meanwhile, as the meeting began to wrap up, Garp interjected, a wide grin on his face.
He just remembered what he came here for.
"Sengoku! I've found a real talent for the Marines this time! it's a young kid, about 17 or 18 with a good sense of justice, as for his power level… Wahaha, I think he should be an Admiral"
His triumphant declaration did little to garner enthusiasm from the others.
Instead, they looked at him with a mix of disbelief and amusement.
"What's with those looks?" Garp asked, feeling slightly embarrassed.
It seemed Garp's excitement about discovering a talented young Marine wasn't reciprocated by these folks.
"Are you seriously recommending a 17 or 18-year-old kid for Admiral?" Sengoku raised an eyebrow, unconvinced.
"You think an Admiral's rank is that easy to achieve?"
Even Aokiji sighed, "Garp, are you joking?"
But Garp, clearly annoyed by their skepticism, stood firm.
"I brought him here, didn't I? If you don't believe me, just see it for yourselves! Sengoku, could it be you think I've grown old and senile, huh?"
Unable to dismiss Garp's conviction entirely, Sengoku sent for the young man.
Soon enough, Naruto stood before them all.
Everyone who laid eyes on him shared the same initial thought:
He's strong!
There was something naturally disarming about Naruto, a quality that instantly drew people to him.
Garp, grinning from ear to ear, handed Naruto a pack of donuts he'd snagged from Sengoku's cabinet.
"Here, have some donuts, kid! They're the best!" Garp chuckled.
This startled a few Marines present, as Garp rarely shared his beloved donuts with anyone unless he genuinely liked them.
Naruto, however, smiled and shook his head.
"No thanks, Grandpa Garp. I'm not really into sweets."
This small exchange warmed the room, but Sengoku still had doubts.
"Naruto, Garp claims you have the strength of an Admiral. Is that true?"
Naruto scratched his head and replied, "I'm not sure what Admiral-level strength is, but I want to be the Fleet Admiral, so I'll definitely be stronger than an Admiral!"
His audacity shocked the room, especially the Admirals present.
Akainu's face sharpened, the cigar between his lips burning quicker.
"Are you saying you're stronger than an Admiral, brat?"
Naruto, unfazed, turned to Akainu.
"Oh, you're an Admiral? Then yeah, I guess I should be stronger than you."
This casual statement made Akainu frown.
"Fleet Admiral! There's no need to waste any more time with this arrogant kid!" Akainu replied.
In his opinion, Garp had just brought some overly confident kid because he had some potential, but he hadn't yet fought any hard battles, so he thought admirals were just regular fighters.
Sengoku sighed but remained calm.
He analyzed Naruto and looked back at Garp.
Finally, he made the decision.
"If you can last ten minutes against a Rear Admiral, I'll make you a Marine Captain."
It was obvious he had reached the same conclusion as Akainu.
He said a rear admiral, just because Garp had confidence in the kid.
Naruto, grinning, replied, "What if I beat that Rear Admiral?"
"Then you'll be promoted to the same rank," Sengoku replied back without hesitation.
Why would he refuse such a talent who can become a vice admiral at 17?
"And if I beat an Admiral?" Naruto's question hung in the air.
Sengoku hesitated, knowing the weight of such a promise.
"If you defeat an Admiral… you'll become an Admiral candidate then."
Naruto's eyes lit up as he pointed directly at Akainu.
"Then I'm going to challenge the guy in red!"
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