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.

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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."