New Beginning #54

Several hours later

'Well... that was boring...' I mused as I followed Sengoku and Garp back to the fleet admiral's office. The meeting took four hours to conclude, and the participants spent a significant portion of that time talking about boring events, most of which I had zero interest in.

Still, I couldn't help but perk up my ears when they talked about multiple groups of people illegally buying weapons all over the four Blues and the Grand Line and a specific red-haired pirate rapidly gaining power in the new world.

Besides my brief interaction with Doflamingo during the meeting, I spent the remainder of the session doing my best to keep quiet and listen while avoiding further attention.

As for the warlord's offer, I might have considered it if I didn't think he was trying to pull my leg. Doflamingo might have been one of the worst human beings in the world of One Piece, but he took care of his crew, at least.

I probably would have refused either way since ditching the Marines and joining a pirate crew in the Fleet Admiral and Garp's faces would not have ended well for me, but you get the idea.

Ultimately, I still benefitted from the situation as I showed off my steel to my future bosses. I also refused to join one the most influential pirate crews out there, which would hopefully dismiss any doubts the Marine might have about considering my sketchy background.

In any case, I didn't get to overthink the meeting as the sound of a door opening snapped me out of my daze once we reached the fleet admiral's office. I waited for Garp and Sengoku to enter before following suit and closing the door behind me.

I didn't even have the time to turn around after closing the door before I felt the vice admiral's meaty palm hit me in the back in a playful slap that sent electricity flooding straight toward my pain receptors.

"You sure showed that stinking pirate what's what, brat!" Vice Admiral Garp exclaimed with a wild laugh. "What did I tell you, Sengoku? Isn't this little brat great?" He asked with a big grin, his hands resting on his hips.

In response, the fleet admiral sighed as he sat behind his desk. "I won't lie, even I enjoyed how you handled Doflamingo..." The fleet admiral said with a faint smile. "But that particular pirate is very dangerous... you should have let us handle it..." He added, his tone firm as he shook his head.

"I could only speak my mind because I knew you two would put the pirate in his place if he tried to do anything, sir," I replied, alternating my gaze between the two old marines. "I was under no illusion that I could stop him myself..." I added, shrugging my shoulders.

"You little silver-tongued brat!" Vice Admiral Garp said with a joyous laugh as he gave me a slap on the back. "That's right! If he tried anything, I would have punched that snot-nosed brat back to Marijoa with those--" He went on, pausing halfway through his sentence as the fleet admiral gave him a harsh glare.

"I shouldn't have said that..." The vice admiral said after a brief pause as he turned to me. "Forget what I said, brat..." He added, dismissively waving off his words like they were nothing.

"In any case... Garp, I asked you to assess the young man's capabilities and character..." The fleet admiral said, clearing his throat as he changed the subject. "What do you have to say about him?" He asked, crossing his arms before his chest.

"You did...?" Garp asked, scratching his head much to the fleet admiral's bemusement. "Ah, but now that you mention it, Bogard did say something like that..." He added with a grin as he reached into his marine coat and retrieved a balled-up, crumbled paper, offering it to Sengoku.

The fleet admiral sighed as he took the paper from Garp and straightened it. "Name: Cedric (forename) Strode (sirname). Ag: 16-17 years old. Origin Four Clover Island..." He remarked, putting on his glasses and reading the paper report.

"Background: we don't know much about the young man's past due to the lawless nature of his home and the lack of government presence, however..." He added, trailing off as he raised an eyebrow.

"It's safe to assume that he had engaged in heavy gang activity, gang wars, to be more specific, as it was the chief source of conflict on the island according to our limited intel..." The fleet admiral said, stopping as he gave me a questioning look.

"I could have told you that myself if you'd asked, but yeah..." I replied as I scratched my head. "I've been a part of a gang for over a year... violence and death were an everyday occurrence, and joining a gang was the only way I had to protect myself..." I added, shaking my head.

"Hah! Who cares? You'll be shocked to learn how many Marine officers used to be delinquents in their younger days..." Garp said, scoffing as he picked at his ear. "Even Sengoku here used to--" He added, stopping as he received a sharp glare from the fleet admiral.

"In any case... recent activity: Aged 15-16, Cedric Strode departed Four Clover Island aboard a merchant vessel (the Happy Squid) captained by one Wayland Jones..." The fleet admiral continued.

"During the trip, they encountered a pirate attack orchestrated by Baby-Faced Gyro (wanted pirate with a bounty of twelve million Beri) and his crew..." Sengoku went on, pausing momentarily with a frown.

"The attack ended with the death of Gyro and several of his subordinates at the hands of Cedric Strode, according to the testimonies of the survivors who were captured soon after..." He added.

"The report says that despite brutally murdering the captain, you allowed the pirates to escape... why?" The fleet admiral asked as he lowered the report and turned to me with a questioning look.

"I was only defending myself when I killed those guys..." I replied with a sigh. "I had no reason or intention to kill them, and capturing them was out of the question since the Happy Squid's crew were regular civilian sailors, and I planned to leave on the next stop..." I calmly explained.

The fleet admiral nodded as he raised the paper and resumed reading the report. "The Happy Squid shortly reached Torino Island, leaving Cedric Strode behind only to return for him one year later..." He said.

"It is unknown how the young man spent his time, but he emerged from the island with a Super Sparrow as a pet..." The fleet admiral recited with a frown. "From there, he headed to Karate Island where he trained under Liu Fan (the head of a local dojo) for almost a year..." He went on.

"We know little about the finer details of the training, but I can safely assume it was very effective after testing his battle prowess for myself aboard Vice Admiral Garp's ship and under his watch..." Sengoku concluded.

"Now that I think about it..." Vice Admiral Garp said, scratching his head as he turned to me. "How did you manage to tame that bird... I heard Super Sparrows are really vicious..." He added, his tone sounding genuinely curious.

"Well, I actually won Chuchun in a Davy Back from a pirate crew that visited Torino Island..." I replied with a chuckle. "They kept hassling me about joining them until it got too annoying..." I added, shrugging my shoulders, to which Garp chuckled while Sengoky sighed.

"It's of no consequence..." The fleet admiral said, clearing his throat as he prepared to resume reading. "Skills and abilities: during our spar, Cedric Strode has demonstrated considerable skill and aptitude with the spear in addition to decent mastery over a revolver pistol..." He added.

"He demonstrated shocking speed, strength, and agility, especially for someone his age. Most surprising was the young man's flexibility and control over his body, which I've only ever witnessed in Masters of the Rokushiki..." The fleet admiral remarked.

"Ultimately, Cedric Strode is a competent fighter, capable of contending Sea Kings, which he proved by doing precisely that..." Sogoku said. "And, though it is unknown where and how, but the young man has learned medicine and mastered it to an impressive degree as he saved Commodore Daigin's life and helped treat his grievous injuries..." He concluded.

"Well, what do you think, Sengoku?" Garp said with a grin as he looked at his old friend. "The brat's Pretty impressive, right?" He went on, sounding excited for some reason.

"Indeed. With what you told me and what I've seen with my own eyes, I have no reason to argue that..." The fleet admiral replied, prompting Garp to nod in satisfaction. "Very well, young man, I officially welcome you into the Marine Corps..." He went on, causing me to sigh in relief.

"We would need to test your abilities further to ensure we provide you the best guidance possible... but until then, I'll have someone show you to your new home..."

...

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