5. Garp, You Are My Hero!

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A deserted island not far from Marineford.

Rumble.

Deep in the forest, a loud blast echoed.

Akira, bare-chested and wearing only a pair of shorts, leaped swiftly through the dense trees.

Behind him, three massive, ferocious beasts chased him, roaring wildly.

Every obstacle in their path was effortlessly destroyed by their rage-filled charge.

Ordinary people would be paralyzed with fear at the sight of such terrifying creatures.

But Akira showed no signs of fear.

Instead, a confident smile played on his lips, and his eyes gleamed with determination.

"This monster-level physique is really something else. The speed is beyond what I imagined."

Akira glanced at his iron-like calves and murmured to himself.

After enhancing his body to a "monster level" a few days ago, he left Marine Headquarters and came to this deserted island to train and familiarize himself with his newfound strength.

Although the system's enhancement came without side effects, for someone who had grown up in a technological age, the sudden "superhuman" strength felt unfamiliar.

After a few days of training, Akira was now roughly accustomed to his new body.

At least he no longer had embarrassing incidents like accidentally crushing a cup, unintentionally hurting someone, knocking down doors, or cracking the ground with a step.

"It's time."

"Thank you for the training over these past few days."

Dodging the wild attacks of the three beasts once more, Akira didn't run. Instead, he clenched his fists and tensed every muscle in his body.

Then, with a powerful stomp of his foot, he vanished from sight.

When he reappeared, he was above the head of one of the large beasts.

With veins bulging on his fist, he struck downward with unstoppable force.

Crack, crack, crack...

The sound of bones breaking pierced the air, echoing through the forest.

...

Half an hour later.

Akira stood by the railing of the warship, gazing out over the sea, lost in thought.

"My body is no longer a limitation, but it's still not enough."

"If I want those Vice Admirals to truly acknowledge me, just having a monster's body isn't sufficient." 

To become a Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters, one needed not only massive military accomplishments but also exceptional strength.

Among Vice Admirals, the vast majority have at least mastered Armament Haki or Observation Haki.

Most of them can also perform three or four of the Marine Six Styles, if not all of them.

On top of that, many Vice Admirals are either Devil Fruit users, sword masters, or martial arts experts who have risen through brutal battles.

Even if their physiques haven't reached the monster level, years of training and combat have honed their bodies to formidable levels.

Although Akira's physique is at the monster level, if all he knows is Iron Body, he'd be at a significant disadvantage in a fight against these seasoned warriors.

To put it bluntly, he has a 90% chance of losing.

If Akira were still just a Vice Admiral, losing to his peers wouldn't be a big deal.

After all, there are weaker Vice Admirals within the Marines.

But…

He's now the Acting Fleet Admiral!

As the acting Fleet Admiral, if he loses to a Vice Admiral in public, even if Sengoku doesn't remove him from the position, the other Vice Admirals would never accept it.

This world respects martial strength, and few would tolerate being led by someone they perceive as weak.

Especially since many of them are reluctant to give him the chance to prove himself as the next Fleet Admiral.

While Akira was lost in thought, the soldiers were busy hauling the beast's corpse onto the warship, preparing to treat everyone to an extra meal.

"These were all taken down by the Fleet Admiral himself. He's unbelievably strong."

"I've served under him for five years, and this is the first time I've seen him in action."

"I'd be scared stiff just being near that gorilla, and he took on three of them by himself!"

"It turns out our leader isn't lacking in strength; he just didn't want to show it before. If word of this gets out, who would dare question his ability to be Fleet Admiral?"

The soldiers were both shocked and puzzled.

It was astonishing to see that their chief, who was known for his "wisdom," had been hiding such terrifying power.

They were also curious as to why he had kept his strength hidden for so long.

As Akira's close subordinates, they had learned some things during this time.

Fleet Admiral Kong, who is recovering in the Holy Land, prefers Akira to be the next Fleet Admiral, and has been giving him opportunities to prove himself.

But the other Vice Admirals had looked down on him because of his perceived lack of strength, treating him with barely concealed disdain.

They didn't even bother with pretenses anymore.

The soldiers couldn't understand.

If Akira was being underestimated due to his perceived lack of strength, why not just showcase his true power openly? That would silence the doubters quickly.

But as ordinary soldiers, their grasp of true strength was limited.

They had never ventured into the New World, and in their six years of service, they had always admired their commanding officer. After witnessing him take down three massive beasts without injury, they likely equated Akira's strength with that of an Admiral.

Akira, however, paid no attention to the soldiers' thoughts.

Once the beasts' corpses were secured on board, he ordered the warship to return.

...

Early the next morning.

Akira pushed open the door to the exclusive office of the Fleet Admiral.

With a calm demeanor, he strolled over to his chair, sat down, and pulled out a special cigar from the drawer. Lighting it up, he took a deep drag.

He picked up the newspaper on the desk, nudged his chair back a meter with his toe, and kicked his feet up, crossing his brand-new leather shoes on the table.

A new day of baiting and fishing had begun.

Ever since assigning Garp his mission, Akira had taken a hands-off approach, avoiding involvement in military affairs.

Aware that the other officers were dissatisfied and disapproved of his decisions, he wisely chose not to force his involvement.

Unless someone from the staff came to him directly or a general specifically requested his input, he didn't initiate any military actions.

Even his meals were delivered by the soldiers.

The officers under his command were all seasoned adults. After being publicly humiliated that day, they were on the brink of openly opposing him.

For now, they wisely sought out Sengoku for their orders, avoiding Akira entirely.

And truth be told, this lifestyle was much more relaxed than his days as a Vice Admiral.

The "refusal to cooperate" faction had a straightforward plan: as long as Akira didn't cause any trouble, they would let him serve as acting Fleet Admiral for two months, ensuring he made no significant achievements that might enable him to replace Admiral Sengoku.

The "wait and see" faction had no strong opinions. They were content to support whoever became the Fleet Admiral, but they had no desire to take sides and risk offending anyone.

The "people first" faction, though small, might have hoped for Akira to prove himself. But after many days of inaction on his part, even they had given up.

As Akira flipped through the newspaper, various shocking headlines caught his eye.

"The End of an Era! In just half a month, several kingdoms have been destroyed by pirates. People are displaced, resorting to eating tree bark to stave off hunger."

"The Era of Pirates Has Come! Who will claim the One Piece?"

"Experts Predict: The ever-present pirates will devastate trade between islands and kingdoms. Kings are urged to prepare for internal economic cycles."

"Many Kings Petition the Five Elders, Requesting an Early 'World Summit' to Discuss Strategies Against This Unprecedented 'Great Age of Evil.'"

Marine soldier disabled while upholding justice, scorned and despised by girls in his village after returning home.

...

Akira read the headlines closely.

In this world of the seas, to truly understand the situation in various places, besides firsthand experience, newspapers are a reliable source.

Every article painted a picture of the chaos and brutality of the current era.

While Akira had anticipated this, he could only shake his head in dismay.

But as he turned to the next headline, his expression changed to one of anger.

Breaking News! According to an insider at Marine Headquarters, Acting Fleet Admiral Akira spends his days "rewarding himself," leaving all responsibilities to Admiral Sengoku. What is Kong thinking?

"What? Rewarding myself every day? Which bastard is slandering me?"

He had expected some level of slander, and it wasn't entirely surprising.

When he was appointed Acting Fleet Admiral, Kong had only announced it to the high-ranking officials, so not many people in the lower ranks were aware.

But newspapers have a way of digging up information. If the Marines didn't actively suppress the news, it was bound to leak out.

And for the sake of boosting sales, the newspapers would sensationalize any headlines and content they could.

On top of that, the "refusal to cooperate" faction within the Marines, who didn't want him to succeed, would certainly not miss an opportunity to throw dirt on his name.

So, he had expected to be slandered and ridiculed, but...

What enraged him was the claim that he was "rewarding himself."

Come on, let's not even talk about my rank and status—just based on my looks, I don't lack female attention, alright?

Ding! As an Acting Fleet Admiral, it's crucial to establish your authority. The current slander could undermine public trust in you. It is recommended to prepare for public relations to reduce or eliminate the impact.

The system in his mind issued a warning.

"Don't let me find out who's behind this, or they're going to pay," Akira muttered, crushing the newspaper and tossing it into the trash.

Suddenly, the office door was kicked open with a loud bang.

Garp burst in, dust flying off him as he carried a strong wind into the room. He slammed a long wooden box onto Akira's desk with a heavy hand.

"Akira, I brought you the Devil Fruit you asked for."

"And I even brought you an extra one."