Zeff

The Calm Belt, that maritime zone flanking the Grand Line, lay in its usual deceptive stillness. No wind, no waves, a mirror of water reflecting a relentlessly blue sky.

But beneath that seemingly peaceful surface lurked the Sea Kings.

In the heart of the Grand Line rose Marineford, the imposing Marine Headquarters.

The fortress island was a monument to strength and order, with its enormous white stone walls rising towards the sky, defying any pirate who dared to approach.

Deep within this fortress, in a conference room overlooking the military port, Fleet Admiral Sengoku stood in front of a window.

With his imposing figure, wearing his characteristic seagull cap. His furrowed brow reflected in the glass as he observed the warships anchored below.

Turning slowly, his gaze swept across the room until it settled on the central table.

There, scattered like pieces of a puzzle, lay reports and photographs of wrecked ships. His eyes, normally serene, showed a spark of concern.

"Garp!" Sengoku bellowed, his voice echoing off the walls of the room. "For the love of all horses, stop stuffing yourself with donuts and pay attention!"

Sitting at the other end of the table, with his feet up on it and dangerously reclined in his chair, was Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp.

His cheeks were so puffed out that they looked like a hamster's, struggling to chew the mountain of donuts he had stuffed into his mouth.

"Mmph? Mmmph mmf?" Garp tried to respond, but only managed to spray crumbs all over the table.

Sengoku closed his eyes, counting to ten in his mind. "Garp, if I hadn't known you for decades, I'd swear you were a child trapped in an adult's body."

Garp, making a superhuman effort, managed to swallow the mega-bite. "BWAHAHAHAHA!" His laughter exploded like a cannon shot.

"Come on, Sengoku, don't be so uptight. Life is short, we must enjoy the little pleasures!"

With a vein visibly throbbing on his forehead, he grabbed one of the photographs and planted it in front of Garp's face.

"Does this look like a 'little pleasure' to you, Garp?" Sengoku growled. "Look at these marks! No pirate cannon did this!"

Garp squinted, bringing his nose so close to the photo that he almost touched it. Suddenly, his eyes widened like saucers. "By Neptune's beard! That looks like... my grandson's bite after not eating for an hour?"

Sengoku dropped his head, banging it against the table. "It's the bite of a Sea King, you bastard!"

Garp leaned back in his chair, a grin from ear to ear lighting up his face. "BWAHAHAHAHA! A Sea King with a taste for metal? We should recruit it for the Marines! Imagine, we could save you a lot!"

Sengoku, on the verge of an aneurysm, exploded: "THIS IS NOT A JOKE, GARP! This is not just any Sea King. Reports say it speaks, it seeks treasures, Berries, it has even dared to attack World Noble ships!"

Garp, unfazed by Sengoku's outburst, stuffed another donut into his mouth. "Mmph... A talkative and greedy Sea King? Sounds like a pirate with scales."

Sengoku, his hands shaking with frustration, grabbed Garp by the collar of his shirt. "Listen to me carefully, Garp. I need you to handle this personally. You're one of the few who can face such a creature and come out victorious... or at least crazy enough to try."

Garp, still chewing, managed to free a hand to scratch his chin thoughtfully. "Hmm... sounds like an interesting adventure. But you know what? I have other matters. My grandson is waiting for me. The boy needs me to teach him to be a strong and just marine."

Letting go of Garp and dropping into a nearby chair, Sengoku sighed in defeat. "Garp, for the last time, your grandson is five years old. And the last time you tried to 'train' him, you almost threw him into an abyss."

Garp jumped to his feet, shaking off donut crumbs as if they were confetti. "Exactly! He's already five years old, it's time to move on to active volcanoes! BWAHAHAHAHA!"

Sengoku, with his face in his hands, muttered: "Sometimes I wonder if you're the real sea monster, Garp."

______

Meanwhile, somewhere in the vast Calm Belt, a pirate ship sailed silently.

Its captain, Zeff, known as "Red-Leg," was on deck, his long blonde mustache waving in the nonexistent breeze. His eyes scrutinized the horizon in search of something.

The unnatural silence of the Calm Belt made Zeff nervous. He knew these waters were Sea King territory, and the lack of wind meant they were at the mercy of the currents... and the creatures lurking beneath the surface.

"Captain Zeff!" a sailor shouted in distress, his voice cracking with panic. "The ship isn't moving! We're more still than my grandmother in her coffin!"

Zeff, with a vein throbbing in his temple, turned slowly. "Thanks for the mental image, idiot. Does anyone else have brilliant observations to share?"

Another pirate, trembling like a leaf, timidly raised his hand. "S-sir... I think we're in the C-Calm Belt."

Zeff rolled his eyes so hard they nearly popped out of their sockets. "You don't say! What gave you that idea? The sepulchral silence? The total lack of wind? Or perhaps the fact that we're more still than the neurons of a World Noble?"

"B-but captain," The pirate swallowed hard, pointing towards a reef. "That reef, sir. It's been in the same place for the past hour. And the shadow of the Marine ship that was chasing us... it's moving away."

Panic began to spread through the crew like wildfire.

"We're going to die!" squealed a pirate, clinging to the mast.

"The Sea Kings will devour us!" shouted another, already pulling out a quill to write his will on his shirt.

"Silence, you bunch of chickens!" Zeff roared. "Are you pirates or a group of crying babies? Nobody's going to die today! Not while I'm the captain of this ship and have these legs."

A stunned silence followed his statement. Then, timidly, the ship's cook raised his hand. "Uh... captain, wouldn't it be more effective to use your legs to swim and escape?"

Zeff stared at him blankly for a long moment. Then, with a sigh of resignation, he muttered: "Sometimes I wonder why I didn't become a cook instead of a pirate."

________

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