11 Red Right Hand

"So, Sheriff Lafitte, how've you been".

"Oh, the usual. Punishing criminals, working hard. How can a simple sheriff be caught slacking when even the younger generation of Marines is working so hard to bring peace to the seas. Your fight against the Heavenly Yaksha has become quite well known".

Now, the question I was really here to ask "So, have you thought about it? Do you want to work under me, to punish the guilty"?

"No Mr. Ranvier. I prefer working as a Sheriff here in West Blue. Punishing criminals here is its own reward, not to mention I doubt I am as strong as a marine needs to be".

"I never said you would join the marines. I wanted to ask if you wanted to join me".

Lafitte seemed to understand the implications of this statement before he replied "allow me to say no to you...for now. We shall see what happens in the future".

"Alright then. We'll meet again someday". That's all I say as I walk out of the room. What a smart man. His reputation as a dangerous sheriff has spread wide in West Blue, and in the next few years he definitely will be kicked out of his spot. He seems to know this fact too but is ignoring it, or he has too much trust in the system. Either way, the idea has been planted. Once he gets kicked out, I'll have picked up a much-needed navigator and a relatively strong combatant with balls of steel. Not a bad two for one deal, I might add. His bravery and loyalty is undeniable. No regular pirate would invade Mariejois and hop straight into a meeting between the Oka Shichibukai and the Fleet Admiral just for his Captain.

Unlike Aizen's Espada, I want my people to be loyal. Even if it takes much more time for me to gather all my members, I prefer that to a situation where I'll have to kill subordinates for betrayal. If you're in the world-domination business, killing your own people is a travesty since in the end you're the loser regardless of what reason you had for the killing. Better to prevent the situation from the start. But I digress. Lafitte will be taking his position as my 8th Espada and my right hand soon enough.

As I leave the island to sail towards my Marine Base in West Blue, I start to focus on the last missing item on my checklist, Nico Robin. Now, how to get in contact with her? She's 19 now and I would've preferred her to be younger so I could do some ideological work on her but I'll work with what I've got.

--------------GARP POV---------------

"He fought Doflamingo and survived? Sengoku, are you serious?" my surprise was immeasurable. Sure, I knew the boy had talent but to be able to fight against someone like Doflamingo even if only for less than 20 minutes and not get a single serious injury was surprising, to say the least. He was only 17 years old and had been training for less than 2 years!

"Yes, Garp. There has been some talk of promoting him to the Admiral fast-track. It's really regrettable that he's eaten such a weak devil fruit. If he had a stronger one, he could easily become an Admiral with time. He doesn't have your skill with Haki though he is talented and works hard, so Vice-Admiral is definitely on the table in his future".

I reached for Sengoku's packet of Senbei stuck under his desk while being deep in thought about the kid. It wasn't that he seemed like a bad kid, it was just my instinct and those eyes of his, telling me something was off. The kid was more than he looked like. Though I suppose that might have just been his craze for killing pirates if the report from West and North Blue are to be believed. It would be stupid to destroy his future in the Marines based on a half-assed feeling.

"Sengoku, I think you can put him on the fast track. Worst case we'll have another Akainu on our hands. In the end, we're all marines anyway" I said as I bit into his Senbei. For some reason, Sengoku's senbei taste better than mine. I think it's because he gets his specially made with his authority as Fleet Commander. As a marine who fights for justice, I cannot let this abuse of power go unpunished. I will find out the truth!

"Okay Garp, I'll move him to the fast-track for promotions. Also, stop referring to Akainu as something bad - he's an excellent marine who may just take my position in the future. And...damn it Garp, stop stealing by senbei! Believe it or not I will send you to Impel Down!"

"Well then I'll be the second person to break out after Shiki HAHAHAHA"

"Damn you GARPPP..."

---------------------SOSUKE POV--------------------------

"So Mr. Ranvier, how much longer do I and Bepo have to get hit by a stick?" the newest addition to my team, Law, complained.

"Call me Sosuke. And you have to repeat this until you no longer get hit by the stick"

"Is that even possible? Damned Sosuke-ya you just want to beat the shit out of me don't you?"

"Well, it's an added benefit".

Law and Bepo are currently on my ship. For Law, I have been training his Observation Haki, Devil fruit and some physical conditioning to build up strength and stamina. For Bepo, I've done the same except the fruit powers. Law is just 13 years old, so doing more will only overexert him. Plus, his fruit is basically a black hole in terms of consumption of stamina but it also performs at that level, so he'll need to have a very strong physique.

If someone like Kaido, Big Mom or Whitebeard with stamina and vitality in abundance had the Ope-Ope no mi and the smarts to use it they would have probably have been equal in strength to Rocks by now.

For Bepo, I considered giving him the Baku Baku no Mi, but I realized it'd be much more worthwhile to get him to master Su-Long, Electro, and the Rokushiki. He'd be, pun intended, an absolute beast if he mastered these techniques.

Future plans aside, I've come up with a plan to obtain the ability to get Robin to join my future team. It all starts with one phone call...