One Piece: I'm not Roger

The arrogant declaration left the two veterans speechless, and the mention of a birthday present only made things stranger.

Sengoku, who had already begun stepping away from Marine affairs, wanted to avoid any further bizarre conversation and quickly spoke with caution.

"This is indeed a good opportunity, but the difficult part is finding his trail. Roger is no rookie waiting for us to surround him. He's a cunning fox. Furthermore, will we really need to deploy all Three Admirals when the time comes?"

The moment the topic of deploying the Three Admirals was raised, the atmosphere became even heavier. Kizaru, an Admiral who had no desire to encounter Aether again, wisely chose to remain silent. He was already overwhelmed with work, acting like a firefighter while also overseeing the security of Cake Island.

Given the current situation across the seas, each of the Three Admirals had crucial responsibilities. After calculating the situation, Akainu realized they could not spare even one Admiral easily. Moreover, Roger's sea-destroying punch had made both the Marines and the World Government extremely wary.

At the very least, Akainu had to admit that a single Admiral was no longer enough to deal with Roger. Forcing a confrontation carried the risk of death, just like that Celestial Dragon with near-Admiral-level strength whose ashes could not even be found.

Akainu tapped his fingers against the table before turning toward the two veterans.

"Senior Garp, Senior Sengoku, could the two of you take action together? Once Roger's whereabouts are discovered, I'll join forces with you as well."

After weighing every option, he could only seek help from these semi-retired legends. Besides, considering Garp and Sengoku's current status, they had every right to refuse.

The moment Akainu stated that he intended to participate personally, Aokiji immediately advised against it. As the backbone of the Marines, Akainu could not afford to take such a risk.

"Fleet Admiral, you plan to fight personally? That's too dangerous. Why not let me go instead?"

Akainu shook his head, revealing his stern profile at a slight angle.

"Aokiji, you still have the responsibility of defending G1 Fortress. Right now, the only top-tier combat power that can be spared is me. Don't worry, I'll be fine."

Regardless of the others' opinions, Garp was the first to agree.

"Sakazuki, I can take action. Roger's growth has already reached a level where he can't be ignored anymore. Turning into a giant several thousand meters tall is obviously the result of a Devil Fruit."

Whenever Garp thought about the already monstrous Roger obtaining such a powerful Devil Fruit, even he felt uncertain about whether he could truly contend against him.

Akainu nodded politely.

"Mhm, then I'll be troubling you, Senior."

Hearing "Senior" again caused Garp's eyelid to twitch violently. With a forced grin, he spoke helplessly.

"Sakazuki, could you stop calling me 'Senior'? It sounds too weird. Just call me by my name or call me 'old man' instead."

Sengoku also nodded in agreement. Since becoming Fleet Admiral, Akainu had changed in many strange ways, including constantly calling them "Senior." Perhaps this was his way of getting back at those who had not supported him previously. After all, Aokiji had surrendered on his own initiative back then.

Seeing Garp completely at a loss, Akainu smiled faintly.

"Senior, you've been calling me Sakazuki these past few days. In order to show my respect, it's only natural for me to address you as 'Senior' in return."

"..."

Garp was rendered speechless and could only sit down helplessly. He exchanged a glance with Sengoku, and both of them clearly felt awkward.

Meanwhile, Kizaru sat with his legs crossed and arms folded, remaining silent from beginning to end while inwardly wanting to complain.

What had happened to the Marines?

In only a month, they had become almost unrecognizable.

Akainu was already fifty-three years old, yet after becoming Fleet Admiral, he had somehow become even stranger, constantly calling people "Senior." If he had the guts, why not try calling him "Senior" too? Then there were those two fools constantly staring at him. Could anyone still remain in these Marines comfortably anymore?

If he had known Akainu becoming Fleet Admiral would lead to this kind of situation, perhaps he should have competed for the position himself.

Soon afterward, not only the Marines but even the World Government's Cipher Pol organizations mobilized fully to search across the Grand Line, as though they intended to turn the entire sea upside down just to find Aether.

Unfortunately, after nearly ten days of searching, they still failed to uncover even the slightest trace of him. Some people suspected he might be hiding within the Calm Belt, but there was little anyone could do.

Leading forces into the Calm Belt required at least the strength of a Headquarters Rear Admiral or Vice Admiral. Even with Sea Stone-coated warships, attacks from Sea Kings could not be completely avoided.

If they encountered a giant Sea King over three thousand meters long, even a Vice Admiral could die within the Calm Belt.

Fifteen days later, at Dinghai Island in the New World, the base of the Aether Pirates stood proudly.

Constructed with massive investment, Dinghai Island had essentially become a giant city. Ships constantly moved in and out of its two ports each day, while the island's residents lived happily and peacefully.

That was only natural. Tens of billions of Berries had been invested into the island's construction. Furthermore, four heavily armed fortresses surrounded the island, giving everyone a tremendous sense of security.

At the bustling port of Dinghai Island, a four-meter-tall small giant sat fishing leisurely. The monk-like giant was none other than Urouge, one of the Twelve Supernovas.

The same Urouge who once dared to fight a Pacifista was now wrapped in bandages, clearly covered in injuries.

Stretching his body slightly, Urouge sensed that he had mostly recovered and muttered with lingering emotion,

"Jack of the Beasts Pirates is truly powerful. If Senior Rayleigh hadn't happened to pass by and save me, my journey would have ended there."

Over the past four months, Urouge and the other Supernovas had ventured into the territories of many powerful pirates, including the Yonko.

However, these newborn tigers had failed to make much of an impact. Some Supernovas were absorbed into other pirate crews, while others suffered crushing defeats.

Urouge was equally unfortunate. After entering the territory of the Beasts Pirates, he ended up encountering Jack, who was in the middle of training. Before much conversation could even happen, Urouge, whose Haki had not yet fully awakened, was completely overwhelmed. Both he and his pirate crew were crushed with ease.

Had Rayleigh not happened to pass by while handling business, the overly confident Urouge would most likely have died at Jack's hands.

In order to repay Rayleigh for saving his life, Urouge proposed joining the Aether Pirates as the captain of a subordinate pirate crew. At the same time, he also realized that he needed a powerful backer if he wanted to continue growing stronger.

As for Urouge joining, although forty-three years old was somewhat old for a rookie, he still possessed considerable potential. Because of that, Rayleigh naturally did not reject his request. Instead, he personally took the time to guide Urouge in properly mastering Haki.

After more than ten days of training, even Rayleigh was satisfied with the speed of Urouge's growth.

He truly lived up to being one of the Supernovas Roger had once praised.

It seemed that this generation of the Twelve Supernovas was indeed extraordinary.

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