One day earlier, Sengoku’s office.
Mosen followed Vice Admiral Tsuru in reporting their respective situations.
As the Chief of Staff of the Navy, having grown up alongside Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr, Vice Admiral Tsuru naturally didn’t need to stand while reporting as Mosen did. She sat comfortably and chatted with Sengoku as if catching up with an old friend, all while completing her work.
Mosen, on the other hand, didn’t have much to report. He mainly needed to clarify some details of his actions to be archived.
“Alright, that’s enough for now. Mosen, next we need to confirm your official duties and your rank,” Sengoku said, without any intention of keeping him in suspense. He handed Mosen an appointment letter.
“Marine Headquarters Captain, Vice-Captain of Garp’s Fleet.”
“From this moment, Captain Mosen, you are no longer a recruit.”
Mosen was overjoyed as he received the appointment letter. At this moment, his first thought was:
“Finally, I don’t have to wear that ridiculously low-quality Marine uniform anymore. I can now pair my own clothes with the iconic Justice Cloak, perfectly matching my extraordinary charm and world-class looks!”
Marine Headquarters regulations stated that all officers below lieutenant rank must wear standard Marine uniforms. Lieutenants could wear the Justice Cloak but still had to don the standard uniform. Only officers of captain rank and above could wear civilian clothes paired with the Justice Cloak.
Mosen had long been dissatisfied with the standard uniform. Now, he no longer had to change out of his casual clothes.
“Time to buy some new clothes,” Mosen muttered aloud unintentionally.
Sengoku had initially thought Mosen was taking a moment to compose himself and show some determination. Hearing this, his face darkened as if smeared with soot.
“Mosen, what exactly are you thinking?” Sengoku’s spit almost landed on Mosen’s face.
Indeed, letting him leave with Garp was the best decision ever. Sengoku had just praised him as a reliable and outstanding Marine.
Mosen realised it wasn’t the time to think about such matters and quickly corrected himself.
“Reporting to the Admiral, I was thinking that as a Marine Headquarters Captain, I will faithfully perform my duties and bring all pirates to justice,” Mosen said loudly.
Sengoku was sceptical. “Is that really what you were thinking just now?”
“Absolutely,” Mosen affirmed with utmost certainty.
He was indeed thinking about bringing pirates to justice, as that was the only way to earn money to buy clothes and dress himself up.
“I certainly don’t want to wear the same outfit until the end of time.”
He thought this to himself.
In anime, it’s common for characters to wear the same clothes for years. Mosen didn’t want that.
Besides, he tended to wear clothes during battles. It’s always better to be prepared.
Mosen seemed to remember something and quietly asked Sengoku, “Admiral, about the bounty for capturing pirates during this mission, where can I claim it?”
Sengoku felt like coughing up blood. So, his earlier thoughts about buying clothes were genuine.
As a high-ranking official managing all headquarters affairs, Sengoku felt a bit exhausted.
Sakazuki constantly had a belligerent attitude, Borsalino behaved like a lazy and lecherous uncle, and Kuzan always seemed half-asleep.
There was Smoker, a promising young officer, but he was a problematic figure, and Vergo, who turned out to be a spy.
Now, there was another genius whose head seemed filled with strange thoughts.
Why couldn’t there be someone who could let him rest easy?
“Your bounty will be duly given to you,” Sengoku replied.
“That’s good,” Mosen sighed in relief.
Sengoku took a deep breath and decided to get to the point. He couldn’t let this kid sidetrack him anymore, or he might punch him.
“I’m planning to make your promotion to Captain a major news story. You might face unpredictable dangers afterward, so I need your opinion.
Mosen was surprised. “Will it attract a lot of attention?”
“Not just a lot of people. Practically anyone in the world who subscribes to newspapers will be focused on you. If you have any concerns, feel free to voice them,” Sengoku explained. He wanted such a talent to be recovered before rising to prominence.
Mosen’s eyes lit up.
“A worldwide news story? Then what are we waiting for? This is a great chance to show off my world-class looks. Make sure the photos are filtered for beauty… ahem, I mean, make sure they look good.”
This was a chance to show off to the world. Who knows how many girls’ hearts he could win over?
Would people send love letters to the headquarters?
Completely lost in his thoughts, Mosen didn’t notice Sengoku’s face turning green. Knowing his character, even Vice-Admiral Tsuru couldn’t help but twitch her mouth.
Is this the time to be narcissistic?
Sengoku realised that discussing this with Mosen was mentally exhausting. This talented but misguided genius wasn’t on the same wavelength as him at all.
“Then it’s settled. You can leave now. Remember to report to Garp.”
Sengoku waved him off, feeling his blood pressure rising.
“Yes, Admiral Sengoku,” Mosen snapped out of it, sensing something was off with Sengoku’s expression. He decided to leave quickly.
Saluting Sengoku and Tsuru, he turned and walked out.
“Admiral, where do I collect my bounty?” Mosen suddenly remembered and poked his head back through the door.
“It will be given along with your salary, you brat.”
Sengoku’s roar echoed through the entire office building.
Mosen quickly ducked away and hurried off, going to Garp’s place for doughnuts instead.
Such a grumpy older man.
…
Marine Headquarters, Residential Area, Golden Time Bar.
This bar, as old as Marineford’s history itself, was the most popular spot in the headquarters. If it weren’t for the exorbitant prices, its popularity would be several times higher.
Of course, the quality of the liquor was also the best.
The dimly lit bar was now packed with Marines, mostly officers relaxing after a day’s work.
Due to the high prices, ordinary soldiers couldn’t afford to drink here.
In a corner by the wall, a strong man with short silver hair and two cigars in his mouth was drinking heavily.
Opposite Smoker sat a beautiful woman with pink hair parted in the middle, wearing a professional outfit highlighting her curvy figure.
She was Marine Headquarters’ Lieutenant Commander Tashigi.
“Smoker, you’re always so reckless. I’m very disappointed that you got demoted to Lieutenant.”
“What, you want me to abandon my subordinates? Tashigi, I’m not that cold-hearted. Even if it means defying orders and being demoted, I won’t go against my sense of justice,” Smoker said, exhaling smoke that formed eerie shapes in the dim light.
Tashigi was about to respond when a voice from the adjacent table shouted in disbelief, “What? Just after completing his graduation mission, at only 16 years old, he was promoted to Headquarters Captain? You must be joking!”
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