69. Garp: Sengoku, Are You Happy?

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Marineford.

Ever since Akira initiated the "God's General Plan," things have taken a drastic turn.

Not only have the Admirals and Vice Admirals at Marine Headquarters been replicated using the Transforming Leaf, but even the Rear Admirals and Commodores are being copied—no one has been left out.

For a full seven days, everyone worked tirelessly, day and night, focused solely on replicating the powerful figures stored in their memories.

At first, they didn't realize how demanding this task would be, but once they started, it became clear that the transformation ability comes with a heavy price.

Each time a strong person is copied, it's like your physical strength drains away in torrents.

If you try to replicate someone stronger than yourself, after just one or two attempts, you have to immediately replenish food and rest, or you'll be too exhausted to even stand.

The chefs in the cafeteria are working non-stop.

The stoves burn all day, and countless calorie-packed dishes are served plate after plate, only to be devoured instantly.

The air in Marineford is no longer filled with the fresh sea breeze but with the lingering, heavy scent of meat.

Yet despite all this, everyone is still part of the army, their complexions pale, pushing themselves to the limit, as if they've been overworking their bodies for a month straight.

It's a stark contrast to the tough, all-hands-on-deck mentality when Kong was in charge...

Right now, the higher-ups at Marine Headquarters, led by Akira, have become a bunch of men who would fly away with the wind!

However, despite the immense drain on physical strength, the results are impressive.

The staff have collected several boxes of replicas and sent them out with soldiers to test them against pirates.

The battle reports that came back were summed up in two words:

Big win!

The military achievements have been extraordinary, with plentiful results.

Even without a officer to lead the charge on the warship, just a few seasoned veterans along with some recruits can easily capture pirate captains who previously required a Commodore, Rear Admiral, or even Vice Admiral to handle.

With the powerful Transforming Leaf, a warship only needs a few experienced veterans and dozens or hundreds of soldiers—there's barely any need for high-ranking officers.

This development completely addresses the shortage of mid-to-high-level combat power in the Marines.

In distant seas, some bases and warships have already received packages of Transforming Leaves, sent by Kuma, containing ten or twenty leaves each.

These sheets mimic various abilities, martial arts masters, and swordsmen.

Some of them have received Transforming Leaves of Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan, which are of particular interest.

Every day, those who use the replicas must submit a report of thousands of words detailing their experience and combat data, sending it back to headquarters.

The staff department uses this information to determine which figures need to be copied on a large scale and how many sheets each warship will be equipped with in the future.

In Vice Admiral's office:

"Is the result of the replica pirate's misty ghost disappointing? If so, there's no need to keep replicating it."

"Hey, the suggestion to copy a large number of ordinary people and order them to carry shells and die with the enemy seems feasible."

"And if it's just ordinary people, an average officer can replicate them much more efficiently."

"Hmmm... If Magma and Ice are on the same battlefield, will they cancel each other out? If that's the case..."

In the staff department, Robin was also hard at work.

Data and intelligence from all over the world were sorted by others and then passed on to her. She would compile the final reports.

Her pen moved swiftly across the blank paper, completing a report in no time.

With the finished data in hand, she quickly ran towards the office with her short legs.

The office had been specially set up for all the generals to use for copying.

Sakazuki, having just set aside a completed Transforming Leaf, found his hand trembling slightly as he gritted his teeth and rewrote the name "Kuzan" on a new leaf. His face turned pale instantly.

Acting on instinct, his hand quickly reached for a large greasy chicken leg and shoved it into his mouth. After just a few chews, he continued grabbing other food items.

Not far away, Borsalino and Kuzan, both sporting bruised noses and swollen faces, weren't faring much better. They, too, looked utterly drained.

Even Admiral Sengoku and Hero Garp were the same, their usual fierce energy completely sapped, leaving them looking like weaklings.

"When I was raising Dragon with his mother, I was never this worn out," Garp muttered, placing the Transforming Leaf with Sakazuki's name written on it aside. Leaning back in his chair, he stared hopelessly at the ceiling.

His muttering, like that of a weary old man, was tinged with nostalgia. "Back then, even though I was tired, I was happy."

"But this task Akira assigned to me—it's just exhausting."

"Sengoku, are you happy?"

Sengoku glared at him, clearly irritated.

Happy? Can't you tell?

He didn't bother to reply and instead, after heavily inscribing the name "Edward Newgate" on another Transforming Leaf, he turned his attention to the food prepared beside him and began eating voraciously.

...

The thunderous growl of his stomach was quickly silenced by the food.

"Huh? Sengoku, how are you able to copy that Newgate guy?"

"The Transforming Leaves Akira gave us shouldn't be able to handle that."

Garp, noticing the name, was so surprised that he momentarily forgot his exhaustion.

That guy, Whitebeard, who is currently in his prime, is undeniably stronger than Sakazuki.

However, the Transforming Leaf given by Akira should only be capable of replicating up to three top-tier fighters. No matter how strong the leaves are, they shouldn't be able to handle more.

But now, Sengoku had actually copied Whitebeard right in front of him.

"The ability of the Dog-Dog Fruit Model: Monster Racoon is actually quite powerful, and the function of the Transforming Leaf is highly practical. You just need to use your brain more," Sengoku said between bites of food. "Although this Newgate guy went to sea at a very young age, from what I can tell, his true strength only became prominent later. Copying him in his younger days uses about the same energy as Sakazuki."

"And when facing pirates at sea, the Tremor-Tremor Fruit is far more effective than Logia abilities."

"I'm confident that when pirates see a large number of Whitebeards appearing, their morale will shatter."

The thought of this scene brought a weird smile to Sengoku's face, even as calm as he usually was.

When the time comes, these replicated Whitebeards won't offer a warm "be my son." Instead, they'll strike with their naginata and unleash tremors.

Garp's eyes widened.

With a loud bang, he slapped the table and stood up: "Brilliant! If this works, couldn't we replicate Kaido, Big Mom, and Rocks too?"

Sengoku replied, "As long as your body can handle it."

"Then I'll get a Rocks and give it a try later."

"Oh, by the way, don't you miss your wife a lot?"

"Hey~~~ Suddenly, this ability seems a lot more fun. I really do miss those happy times," Garp said, his eyes lighting up with a nostalgic gleam as a grin spread across his face.

Sengoku shook his head, exasperated.

Ignoring his old friend's wild ideas, he closed his eyes to begin recovering his strength.

"How many S-level characters have been copied so far?"

Suddenly, the door burst open, and an anxious Rosinante came running in.

Six days ago, as the number of replicas increased, Akira organized a meeting with all the senior officers of Marine Headquarters. After an entire night of discussion, they roughly divided all replicas into several levels:

- S-level: This includes copies of the three monsters, like Kuzan, as well as Whitebeard. These are the most powerful replicas and will be assigned to soldiers operating in the second half of the Grand Line.

- A-level: These replicas are stronger than most Vice Admirals and are comparable to high-ranking pirate officers. Examples include King, the All-Star of Beasts Pirates, Katakuri, the Sweet Commander of Big Mom, and Momousagi, along with other high-ranking Vice Admirals.

- B-level: This category is broad, ranging from ordinary Vice Admirals to pirates with bounties of around 100 million berries.

- C-level: These are the least powerful, covering those whose bounties do not exceed 100 million berries.

"It's all here!" Kuzan said, staring blankly at the sky and pointing to the leaves next to the table.

"Take them yourselves. I made them even with these injuries," Borsalino groaned, slumped over the table as if he might collapse at any moment.

"Why the rush? Weren't we supposed to collect them at night?" Sakazuki asked suspiciously, still gnawing on his food.

Rosinante hurried forward, collecting all the Transforming Leaves copied by everyone. As he did, he explained, "A reporter came to interview today, and Fleet Admiral Akira decided to start publicizing this to the world."

"Huh?"

This statement immediately drew everyone's attention.

"Does that mean our mission is over?" Borsalino perked up instantly, a clear look of relief on his face.

These seven days of intense work had been nothing short of hell for someone as laid-back as him. The worst part was being stuck between two hard-working counterparts—Sakazuki and Kuzan, both equally powerful, were relentlessly focused on fulfilling Akira's orders. Every night, when Borsalino was exhausted, he was practically carried off by the soldiers.

With such diligent comrades around, there was no way he could slack off. Even worse, Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr had been keeping a close eye on him, ready to dole out "Fist of Love" education if he slacked off.

This pressure not only prevented him from taking it easy but also forced him to match the others in the amount of copying every day. Hearing that he might finally be free from this nightmare, Borsalino's wrinkled face visibly relaxed.

But then, Rosinante hesitated and grinned, "Fleet Admiral Akira didn't say anything about that."

Thud.

Borsalino flopped down in his chair, looking utterly defeated.

Sengoku and the others let out long sighs as well.

"Anyway, it'll take a while to regain our strength. Why don't we go see what those reporters want to ask Akira?" Garp suggested.

Everyone nodded in agreement. Staying here had become too dull, and they were curious about how Akira planned to showcase the fruits of their labor to the world.

Slowly, the generals got up, supporting each other as they made their way outside.

At Marine Headquarters Bank, in front of the massive golden ancient city that towered like a mountain, Akira sat on a chair, legs crossed, with his cloak of justice fluttering in the sea breeze. Bathed in golden light, he looked exceptionally bright and commanding at that moment.

A well-dressed female reporter sat beside him, checking the time. She then said, "Fleet Admiral Akira, there are still five minutes before the live broadcast starts. The interview is expected to last 30 minutes, so please prepare yourself."

"Got it," Akira nodded with a smile.

Regarding the live broadcast, Kong had informed him before returning from the Holy Land. This live interview was specially prepared for the member nations. The main purpose was to display Marine's strength, with the new Fleet Admiral personally assuring the safety of the member nations, to gain the trust of their kings, nobles, and citizens.

Only by successfully addressing these concerns can we ensure a smooth collection of the Heavenly Tribute in the coming years.

While there are other aspects to this process, Akira only needed a basic understanding and largely disregarded them. After all, he knew this was a routine procedure that every new Fleet Admiral must go through.

Commander-in-Chief Kong had just completed his interview recently, and now it was Akira's turn.

However, unlike Kong, Akira had plans to include some personal agenda in today's interview.

He intended to use this opportunity to fully reveal his God's General Plan, aiming to attract powerful figures across the seas to voluntarily join the factory and help with the promotion. He also wanted to dispel any lingering doubts from his recent ascension to Fleet Admiral.

"Miss Yuki, I have a small request," Akira began.

"Master Fleet Admiral, you're too kind," the female reporter Yuki replied, blushing as she looked away shyly, flustered by the handsome and commanding Fleet Admiral calling her by her real name and title.

"Please, don't hesitate to ask. It won't be any trouble at all," she added, her voice growing louder as she emphasized her willingness.

Akira chuckled at her enthusiasm. "Hehehe, well then, I hope that during the interview, in addition to the standard questions, you could also include these..."

He handed her several newspapers.

Yuki quickly took them, but when she saw the headlines, she was stunned.

- "According to Reports from Insiders! The Culprit Behind the Recent Global Fraud Scandal is Actually the Marine."

- "The Honorable Marine, Using Such Underhanded Tactics, Is This What They Call Justice?"

- "Return Our Money! —A Plea from a Man Who Lost His Life Savings."

- "Several Who Have Battled the Shinma Akira Confirm That These Fraudulent Acts Align with His Methods."

- "Fleet Admiral Akira, Please Explain Why the Stolen Berries Ended Up in Marine Bank Accounts or Marine Bases?"

- "Why Did These Fraudulent Activities Cease as Soon as You Secured Your Position? Doesn't This Imply You Did It for the Sake of Achieving Results?"

Note: The above information comes from fan submissions, and the "World Economy News Newspaper" does not take responsibility for its accuracy.

"This can't be true," Yuki exclaimed, standing up abruptly. "You would never do something like this. This is a blatant smear, a disgusting slander."

The idea of a Marine Fleet Admiral committing fraud was utterly absurd to her. Why would someone in such a position, with no need for money, tarnish their reputation like that?

Her gaze shifted to the golden city behind them, gleaming in the sunlight. That morning, when she and her crew had arrived at Marineford, they had been awestruck by the sight of this towering golden city. It was worth tens of billions of berries—far more than any amount that could be gained through fraud.

"If the Marines needed money, they could just sell some of that gold," Yuki thought to herself.

At this point, she had already dismissed the "World Economy News Newspaper" as nothing more than a purveyor of fake news.

"Hey!" Akira sighed, raising his hand in a gesture of helplessness. "Although I shouldn't have to respond to such low-level slander, the Ministry of Intelligence has advised that this newspaper has a wide circulation. If we don't address it, the impact could be significant."

He then looked directly at Yuki, his tone calm and composed. "Miss Yuki, can I trouble you to help clear my name and restore the reputation of the entire Marine?"