Chapter 46: Violence at Marine Headquarters!?

Marine Headquarters, Marineford — inside the Fleet Admiral's office.

Sengoku, Garp, Chief Staff Officer Tsuru, and Admiral Zephyr were all present. Not only that, but Rear Admirals Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan were there as well.

Normally, Rear Admirals wouldn't be included in a meeting of such high-ranking Marines. But these three were far from ordinary.

Each of them had close ties with the top brass. Kuzan, for instance, wasn't officially Garp's adjutant, but he was regarded as Garp's right-hand man and half-disciple, often accompanying him on missions and training together.

Borsalino, on the other hand, was Sengoku's adjutant—much like the relationship between Bogard and Garp—which spoke volumes about their connection.

As for Sakazuki, he had a certain history with Fleet Admiral Kong. With the Marine hawks lacking a leader, Sakazuki, a staunch core member of the faction, had earned Kong's respect, especially given Kong's own past as a prominent hawkish figure.

"Take a look at this. The intelligence on the clash between Roger's crew and Whitebeard's crew contains quite a few baffling points." Tsuru handed out the reports to everyone.

Garp, always interested in anything concerning Roger, quickly started reading.

"They fought for three days and three nights on a deserted island, and in the end, Roger's crew took Whitebeard's Second Division Captain? How's that possible? Whitebeard's not the kind of man who'd allow one of his own to be taken!" Garp was the first to finish reading, his voice filled with surprise.

"That's exactly what I mean," Tsuru said. "First, Roger managed to take a crewmate from Newgate. Second, the Whitebeard Pirates have yet to comment on the matter—completely ignoring it. I suspect they reached some sort of agreement with Roger, yet the Second Division Captain remains in his position."

"This Kozuki Oden—he's the son of Wano's shogun, isn't he? Does that mean he has some connection to Kaidou?" Zephyr asked.

"Wano is a black hole for information," Tsuru replied gravely. "It's always been a closed-off nation, and now the Beasts Pirates have taken control. No one knows what's really happening there, or if their shogun is even still alive. But it's true that Kozuki Oden was once the shogun's son. Our investigation confirms that the Kozuki family were stonemasons who forged the Poneglyphs."

"Poneglyphs!?" Garp's eyes widened as something clicked. "That reminds me—Ortoren once told me Roger and his crew stormed Whole Cake Island to steal a Poneglyph from Charlotte Linlin! From what I've tracked, they seem to have been collecting these things for quite some time!"

"They say no one can decipher the ancient script on the Poneglyphs," Sengoku mused, rubbing his chin. "But if Kozuki Oden is a descendant of the stonemason clan, he might be able to. Could it be Roger is aiming to uncover the truth about the Void Century?"

"I don't care about history," Kong said with a shake of his head, though his tone grew serious. "But rumor has it the Poneglyphs hold the location of ancient weapons. What worries me is if they…"

"Fleet Admiral, I know it's not my place, but Roger's crew isn't the kind to resurrect ancient weapons," Garp cut in without hesitation.

"Whether he would and whether he could are two different matters, Garp!" Kong tapped the table firmly. "From the looks of it, Shiki might know more about Roger's actions back then than we do. The reason he ambushed Roger in the Edd War Sea might be tied to the Poneglyphs—and the ancient weapons."

Sengoku took a sip of tea before speaking. "In any case, we'll need to raise the Roger Pirates' threat level. And since this involves both the Poneglyphs and the stonemason family, we'll have to report it to the higher-ups."

"After all," Zephyr agreed with a nod, "the higher-ups are wary of both the Void Century and the so-called Poneglyphs."

The Void Century might have sounded mysterious, but to most of the Marine's top brass, it wasn't particularly compelling. Part of it was their allegiance to the World Government, which made probing into such matters inappropriate. Over time, they simply lost interest.

And besides—history was history. What truly mattered was the present, and the future.

"Tsuru, keep a closer watch on this intel and make sure you track Roger's pirate crew carefully," Fleet Admiral Kong instructed.

Chief Staff Officer Tsuru curled her lips. "That guy Zephyr took all my best assistants to be trainees. I can't promise our intel will be as efficient anymore."

Everyone burst out laughing at that, and Zephyr said helplessly, "Once she finishes training and comes back, she'll be even more helpful to you, Tsuru."

Just then, Sengoku asked curiously, "By the way, while I was away, didn't you say Garp brought back a talented kid? How's he doing?"

At the mention of that, Zephyr said with some emotion, "How should I put it… Although he's only been in training for half a month, there's no doubt he's a genius. And I don't just mean in terms of physical ability or combat potential—he's also exceptional in cultural studies, with an incredible learning capacity. He's truly gifted in both the martial and the academic."

Zephyr glanced at Admiral Sengoku. After all, if anyone in the Marines embodied the title of a true all-rounder, it was Sengoku, the one known as the 'Resourceful General.'

In combat, as a Mythical Zoan and a Marine Admiral—a top-tier powerhouse—Sengoku's strength was unquestionable. And on top of that, he had earned the name 'Resourceful General,' making him the perfect Marine Admiral.

Now, Zephyr felt he saw a shadow of Sengoku in Benn Ortoren. There was a real chance Ortoren could grow into a Marine officer every bit Sengoku's equal.

"Good at cultural studies too?" Garp asked in surprise. "I've been so busy lately I haven't checked in on him…"

"Yes. And he's incredibly proactive. Most cadets are already considered impressive if they just complete their assignments. But this kid not only finishes them quickly, he also expands on the material. Despite his burly appearance, he loves books and knowledge. He's already borrowed several course-related books from me. At first, I thought he was just putting on an act, but when I later asked him some key points from those books, he answered fluently and even drew insightful connections," Zephyr said with satisfaction.

After a short pause, he added, "I originally thought Gion would be the first to graduate as top of my class, but now it looks like Ortoren might claim that spot in this first batch."

Then his expression shifted slightly. "But the past few days, something seems off with him. Yesterday, just because Doberman was talking too loudly in class and disturbing his reading, Ortoren suddenly lost his temper over such a small matter and nearly beat him up."

Kuzan, who had been listening, froze for a moment, calculated the timing, and said, "Come to think of it, we're only about a month away from the year's second full moon. That means Ortoren's probably already entering his manic phase."

"Manic phase?" Borsalino looked at Kuzan with a puzzled expression.

"Yeah. In his own words, he has intermittent mental illness. About a month before each of the two full moons every year, he becomes more irritable and harder to control. Zephyr-sensei, you'd better keep a close watch on him, or we might have a case of campus violence on our hands," Kuzan warned.

Before he even finished speaking, Gion suddenly burst into the Fleet Admiral's office, looking anxious. "Zephyr-sensei, it's bad! Doberman, Onigumo, and Dalmatian went to cause trouble for Ortoren to get back at him for yesterday, and now they're fighting at the training ground!"

"What?" Zephyr shot to his feet, stunned. He looked at Kuzan and thought, Damn, there really is campus violence!?