One Piece: SSS-Rank Haki at Age Seventeen

"Then if we ignore all those concerns… who would you recommend in your heart?"

Garp suddenly stopped crunching his rice cracker.

The senbei still hung from the corner of his mouth as his usually lazy eyes brightened with interest.

That question had piqued his curiosity.

He never bothered with political maneuvering or complicated decisions… but he was still curious about Sengoku's true choice.

Sengoku rested both hands on the cold Fleet Admiral's desk.

His fingers tapped lightly against the surface as his brows slowly furrowed in thought.

The room fell silent.

Only the sound of the sea wind outside brushing past the flagpoles could be heard.

Even the savory scent of rice crackers faded slightly in the heavy atmosphere.

After a long while, Sengoku let out a deep sigh.

His voice carried unmistakable exhaustion.

"Sakazuki… he's too much like me when I was younger."

"The same absolute obedience to military orders."

"The same hatred toward pirates."

"He can't tolerate even the slightest stain of piracy… and he's determined to end this damned Great Pirate Era."

He paused.

"As if he could wipe out all evil in this world."

The last sentence carried a trace of self-mockery.

Sengoku leaned back into the Fleet Admiral's chair.

His broad shoulders sagged slightly.

This chair—one that carried the weight of the entire world—

He wouldn't be sitting in it much longer.

"But you've seen the results."

Sengoku lowered his eyes.

His voice sounded weary.

"I spent my entire life fighting for justice… and in the end I accomplished nothing."

"Pirates still run rampant."

"Crime has never truly disappeared."

"The justice we talk about has never truly illuminated the seas."

He looked up at Garp.

His expression was complicated.

"I don't know… if Sakazuki takes this seat…"

"Will he end up walking the same path I did?"

"Will he eventually be left with nothing but exhaustion and regret?"

"What about Kuzan?"

Garp scratched his messy hair, looking puzzled.

Apparently choosing a Fleet Admiral involved far more complicated thinking than he had imagined.

For someone whose brain was mostly occupied by punching pirates and eating senbei, the thoughts of a strategist like Sengoku were impossible to understand.

"Kuzan…?"

Sengoku repeated the name.

He immediately pictured that tall man who wore a loose coat and could even fall asleep on the floor during serious meetings.

The corner of Sengoku's mouth twitched.

"If he becomes Fleet Admiral but still keeps that carefree, go-with-the-flow attitude…"

"Then the Marines are probably finished."

The Fleet Admiral had to carry the weight of the entire world.

The lives of countless Marines depended on that position.

There was no room for laziness.

"But—"

Sengoku suddenly changed his tone.

His eyes sharpened.

"If Kuzan can rediscover himself in that position…"

"If he can stop wandering in confusion and truly shoulder the responsibility of justice…"

"Then the Marines might actually have a different future."

"A better one."

As soon as he finished speaking, his sharp gaze suddenly locked onto Garp.

"There wouldn't be so many problems if you had properly guided Kuzan and cleared up that confusion of his."

Garp blinked.

Then he burst into laughter.

"You know my teaching methods!"

Sengoku didn't reply.

But he understood the situation very clearly.

The reason Akainu could compete with Aokiji for the Fleet Admiral position—

Seventy percent of it came from the support of the Five Elders.

After all, Sakazuki's ideology of Absolute Justice perfectly matched the tastes of those in power.

The remaining thirty percent came from support within the Marines themselves.

Especially from frontline soldiers and veteran hawkish officers.

After all—

For years Akainu had been stationed in the New World, confronting the Four Emperors and constantly battling the most dangerous pirates.

He had participated in countless battles.

His achievements alone were enough to promote an ordinary Marine all the way to Admiral, let alone become a candidate for Fleet Admiral.

Meanwhile—

Aokiji seemed almost like someone drifting through life.

Most of the time he wandered around Paradise, occasionally handling pirate incidents.

It wasn't that he had no accomplishments.

But compared to Akainu—

The difference was enormous.

People weren't blind.

The same was true within the Marines.

Who would support a seemingly carefree man…

Instead of a tireless warrior who had fought on the frontlines for years?

The shadow of the Fleet Admiral's chair fell across Sengoku's face, making his expression hard to read.

This battle for the position of Fleet Admiral was never simply a competition between two men.

It was the clash of two interpretations of justice.

And the decision would shape the future of the Marines.

"Then what about Borsalino?"

Garp suddenly picked his nose and grinned mischievously.

As if he had just remembered something extremely amusing.

He leaned closer to Sengoku.

His stubbled face nearly pressed against Sengoku's.

"You were still an Admiral back then, right?"

"That guy was your adjutant, wasn't he?"

"So what now?"

"You're just pretending he doesn't exist and refusing to consider him as Fleet Admiral?"

"That's pretty cold of you!"

"—GARP!!"

The moment the name Borsalino was spoken—

Sengoku reacted like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

The previously quiet office suddenly erupted with faint golden lightning arcs, mixed with traces of black-red Conqueror's Haki pressure.

The edges of the desk trembled slightly.

Even the air felt heavier.

Sengoku's face turned as dark as iron.

Veins bulged on his forehead as he exploded in anger.

"You actually think that lazy bastard is qualified to be Fleet Admiral?!"

"The greatest regret of my life…"

"Is letting that slacker become my adjutant in the first place!"

What was an adjutant supposed to be?

Someone who could share the commander's burden.

Someone reliable enough to stabilize the situation even when the commander wasn't present.

But whenever Sengoku thought of Borsalino, his temples throbbed.

Memories immediately flooded back.

In the meeting room—

While Sengoku struggled with mountains of urgent paperwork…

His adjutant would lean back lazily in his chair and mutter:

"Scaaary… this workload is like a monster. What a pain~"

During mission briefings to hunt pirates—

While Sengoku emphasized urgency—

Borsalino would slowly adjust his gloves and casually say:

"Well~ things will work out eventually, right?"

The man could drive people insane.

For years, he relied on the incredible speed of the Glint-Glint Fruit and his overwhelming strength.

Yet his attitude toward everything was the same:

Detached.

Unbothered.

Lazy whenever possible.

He hunted pirates depending entirely on his mood.

He delayed paperwork whenever he could.

A complete and utter slacker.

At least if Aokiji or Akainu became Fleet Admiral—

They both had clear principles.

The Marines' foundation wouldn't collapse.

But if Borsalino ever became Fleet Admiral…

Sengoku closed his eyes.

He could practically see the future already.

Within three months:

Urgent documents would pile up on the desk gathering dust.

Operations against pirates would be delayed endlessly because they were "too troublesome."

Orders would become chaotic.

Morale would collapse.

The entire Marine system would grind to a halt.

Eventually either:

The Five Elders would intervene directly, orThe Marines themselves would revolt.

And Borsalino would certainly be removed from office.

Which meant they would have to elect another Fleet Admiral anyway.

A complete waste of time.

Thinking about it made Sengoku even angrier.

He glared at Garp.

"Don't mention that idiot again!"

"Handing the Marines to him…"

"Would be worse than letting pirates run the world!"

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