Chapter 24

-Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's Office.

*Knock* *Knock*

"Come in…" A low voice answered.

The escorting commodore entered first, followed by Zephyr and Victor. The office was large, at least 200 square feet, and decorated on the walls were pictures of imposing looking men, presumably former fleet admirals. The first thing Victor saw was a large desk, while in front were two large sofas facing opposite, perpendicular to the desk. Behind the desk sat an extremely muscular, broad-chested, strong-shouldered man who had his pale-yellow hair and beard arranged in an array of spikes. There was a stitched scar under his left eye.

[Alert! Power level 119,365 detected in proximity. Advised caution.] Jaya's voice rang immediately, however, Victor ignored. He expected as much.

He wore a sleeveless dark shirt adorned with medals, dark green armbands, a light-yellow scarf around his neck, a white and dark grey Marine coat draped over his shoulders. The epaulettes were like those worn by an Admiral and Fleet Admiral, fully covered in yellow as a standard color.

Victor knew very little about him, after all, Oda's suspense on literally everything revealed only little about this man, even after a thousand chapters.

"Reporting Fleet-Admiral Kong, I have brought Instructor Zephyr as per your request." The commodore rank officer said with a salute.

"Thank you, commodore Peter. You're dismissed." Responded the imposing man sitting behind the desk, now named Kong.

Commodore Peter left immediately, and just as the door closed with a "click," an audible sigh left Kong's mouth. "Sit, Zephyr." His voice was no longer commanding, rather, more tired.

"Thank you, sir…" Zephyr responded, before glancing at Victor, slightly behind to his right. "Come, let's have a seat."

Zephyr did not salute, which made it awkward for Victor. He followed Zephyr to the sofa but before he sat, Kong's voice rang, "Zephyr, aren't you going to introduce this boy?"

Victor, whether it was his soldier instinct from previous life or out of awkwardness, subconsciously saluted immediately facing Kong, followed by an introduction, "Reporting Fleet-Admiral, my name is Victor Von Doom, Ensign, from South-Blue 6th Marine Branch." Whilst in his mind, "fuck, what was that? Am I actually nervous?" he thought.

"Oh…" was all that came out of Kong's mouth.

Embarrassed and with a twitch in his eye, Victor sat down after Zephyr.

The room felt silent for a moment before Kong spoke first, "You disappeared so suddenly… Old friend, you had me worried."

Although not directly, Zephyr new he was being asked to explain.

Letting out a long sigh, "it all started about a year ago when I heard the news of my cousins' death. A notorious pirate had massacred his entire island, and I only found out a year later…"

He began explaining the events that followed, starting from Victor's survival to all the events up to the battle against the pirates near Sabaody Archipelago not long ago. The talk was brief, Zephyr did not keep any secrets and informed everything, all the events, including Victor's training with the unknown man.

It took over an hour, and Kong listened scrupulously. He had a gentler expression by the time Zephyr finished his explanation, and his eyes told the sympathy he had for his long-term friend.

Kong exhaled a long breath before his eyes fixed on Victor. "I'm sorry, boy. No one should experience what you had experienced. I'm sorry we marines who enforce justice were not there that day—"

Victor was not sure if this old man genuinely meant the apology; however, it was now time for his well-prepared script. Tapping into his divine acting realm, he cut in the middle of Kong's rant, "Fleet admiral!" he stood up abruptly, followed by a sharp salute.

"Please don't apologize. I understand that the marines cannot be at all places, all the time. And I understand that evil cannot be completely eradicated."

Victor's words made Kong and Zephyr both raise a brow. Kong was surprised because of Victor's rationality, while Zephyr, because Victor hadn't expressed something like that to him.

You must know that anybody who had lost his family, brutally killed in front of them, would show a discouraged behavior, while Victor showed the latter. However, the two old men didn't dive any further, making Victor let out an imaginary sigh of relief.

"Victor…" Zephyr murmured; he didn't know what to say.

"I'm glad you understood. Even most adult's fail to realize it. That is why we're always, always in need for talented individuals. To best prevent, or even minimize, future tragedies. And I'm happy that you had chosen the side of justice." Kong spoke with righteousness, but Victor knew better. The hypocrisy behind those words.

"Zephyr," Kong continued, this time in his commanding voice "Victor will join the elite training batch under you for half a year, and he will start from the rank of recruit." He ordered.

"Just as I had expected…" Thought Victor, while saying nothing on his face. He let the older men decide his situation.

"Although smart, strong…" Kong's eyes moved, then crossed Victor's, "you'd still need formal Marine education!" He made clear his decision.

Victor wasn't surprised by the outcome. And honestly, he wanted to begin from the recruit camp, then medal his way up.

Zephyr also nodded, accepting Kong's arrangements.

"I know you're strong, Victor. But for talents like yours, we must keep formalities." Zephyr said, thinking Victor might be disappointed, to have been demoted back to a recruit.

"I understand, Uncle, you don't have to explain." Victors' expression said it all, and that got a half-smile out of Zephyr.

Victor's eyes then followed Kong, "And Fleet Admiral… I will work hard." He said followed by another sharp salute.

"Commodore Peter!" Kong called out.

Peter entered in less than a second, to which Kong continued, "Please escort our new colleague Victor out, and show him around. Also, task someone to assign a single dormitory, and necessary amenities for him."

"Understood, sir!"

Victor and Peter then left, leaving now Zephyr alone with Kong.

"Is what you said really true? His physical strength is really that monstrous?" Kong asked without beating the bush.

"It's true, and probably more… Vice-Admiral level may be…" Zephyr answered, letting the information sink in.

Kong sat silently showing a thinking gesture.

After a few seconds, "we got two monsters that joined last year… How about we let him fight one of them?" Kong suggested. He was, and so was Zephyr, curious to find out Victor's full capability.

"They're Logia. I'm not sure if he had awakened Haki." Zephyr responded.

"Ask him. If his answer is yes, then arrange a fight with Borsalino or Sakazuki. If not, arrange with any other Vice-Admiral."

"Understood." Zephyr said with a half-smile.

Kong's gaze didn't move from Zephyr who sat in front. That last smile made him think back. "Old, friend…" His tone became gentler. He hadn't seen him smile like that ever since his family got murdered. "I'm happy for you..."

Zephyr let out a long-withheld laugh. "Haha… I'm glad too…"