One Piece: Marine to Warlord to Conqueror-Chapter 137

Chapter 137: Chapter 137
Kuzan accepted the Documents handed to him by Fleet Admiral Sengoku with a look of confusion, lowering his head to scan the contents.
A moment later.
He fell completely silent.
.
Looking utterly bewildered, he raised his head, glanced at the Fleet Admiral, looked back at the Documents, and finally fixed his gaze on Sengoku.
"What is this? Hidden Name ’D’?"
"It is indeed incredible, isn’t it? To be honest, I just saw it myself." Sengoku sighed deeply and nodded. "I always thought Mock was just an ordinary Pirate. I never expected that he was actually part of the ’D Clan’!"
"..."
It was indeed incredible.
’Mock who spends all day rotting in Romance Dawn actually has this kind of identity?!’
Kuzan frowned, fell into deep thought for a moment, and asked, "Where did this Intelligence come from?"
"The Marine 16th Branch Base Commander!"
’Ah. No wonder.’
The corner of Kuzan’s mouth twitched. He said nothing more, he just stared at the Documents in his hand.
’Could Dante have blown this out of proportion himself?’
"Although Captain Dante is only voicing a suspicion and isn’t entirely sure, still..." Sengoku continued, his expression grave. "We at Marine Headquarters must pay close attention to this!"
No wonder this guy was so dangerous, and no wonder his strength was somewhat unexpected! Although it was merely a suspicion, Sengoku was eighty percent sure in his heart... that Mock definitely possesses the Will of D.
One had to consider the factors...
East Blue.
Will of D.
When these two elements collided, it often represented a highly unstable factor.
Especially since that man had become the Mock. In less than a year, he had already garnered a Bounty of 1.1 billion berries. Furthermore, his movements were erratic, entering the Grand Line one moment, returning to the East Blue the next, and now entering the New World again.
It was impossible to guess what he actually intended to do!
Seeming to notice Kuzan’s distraction, Sengoku frowned slightly. "Admiral Aokiji, what’s wrong?"
"Oh, nothing!" Kuzan snapped back to reality, looking at Sengoku with his usual laziness as he stood up. "So, you called me here just to show me this? Is there anything else? If not, I’m going to rest. The Dressrosa incident really wore me out."
"Wait a minute, and try to be serious." Seeing Kuzan’s slothful demeanor, Sengoku’s face reddened, though he seemed resigned to it. He tapped the table, speaking helplessly. "This Intelligence was just something I received by accident that I wanted you to see. I actually called you over because the submitted states that you discovered the Secret of the Donquixote Family while pursuing Mock."
He paused briefly.
"I want to ask, what do you think... how is the strength of Mock?"
Hearing the question, Kuzan froze for a moment, then furrowed his brow. "Should be... alright, I guess?"
"As expected... even you think he’s decent?" Sengoku nodded, his tone solemn. "No wonder Doflamingo evaluated him so highly. It seems the World Government really should raise his Bounty!"
’Is that what I meant?’ Kuzan’s mouth opened as he hesitated. He considered correcting him, but decided against it.
Anyway, it was already 1.1 billion, another one to two hundred million wouldn’t change much.
He yawned again. "If there’s nothing else, I’ll go back to sleep."
"I haven’t finished yet!" Watching Kuzan stifle another yawn, Sengoku sighed internally.
Although Mock didn’t pose a massive threat to Marine Headquarters just yet, the Headquarters couldn’t afford to underestimate him either. Being able to escape from the Hero of the Marines and a Marine Admiral consecutively had already proven his capability.
"One last thing!" Sengoku’s eyes narrowed sharply. "How exactly did you discover the Secret of the Donquixote Family?"
Kuzan froze hearing that question, "...".
His eyelid twitched. His lazy expression sharpened slightly, and he rubbed his forehead as if nursing a headache.
’As expected, he asked.’
After a brief moment of rubbing his temples, Kuzan spoke without hesitation. "The Marine 16th Branch Base Commander."
"Ashford Dante?"
"That’s right, it was Captain Dante!" Seeing Sengoku’s confusion, Kuzan quickly nodded with feigned seriousness. "Actually, I received Intelligence that someone found traces of the Devil Child Nico Robin in the East Blue, so I went there to investigate. I ran into Captain Dante, and he told me. At first, I was just suspicious, but since I found Mock, I thought I’d catch him in passing. I didn’t expect... to discover the Secret of the Donquixote Family instead."
"Dante?" Sengoku was stunned, then nodded slowly, frowning. "I did hear that the Donquixote Family was cooperating with Mock. I assumed their partnership soured and that’s how you got the news. I didn’t expect that Dante was the one who uncovered their secret first!"
"That’s right. That brat’s Intelligence connections is pretty good."
"Intelligence connections..." Sengoku mused, frowning in deep thought. He muttered to himself, "Perhaps it is time to let him come back. That way, even if the World Government... Zephyr’s heart should feel a bit better."
Kuzan, catching the murmur, froze. "Come back?"
"Yes. Because of the various accidents and major events happening one after another recently, the severe lack of manpower at Marine Headquarters has been exposed!" Sengoku nodded, sighing. "So, I’ve been thinking about establishing a Marine Officer Training Camp within the organization. We will promote potential Marines from the branches for specialized training. Perhaps it can supplement our numbers, especially regarding high-ranking officers. Therefore, I was thinking... maybe we can take this opportunity to transfer Dante back?"
He paused again.
"Of course, it’s not decided yet. We still have to hold a meeting to discuss-"
"I agree!"
The originally lethargic Kuzan narrowed his eyes, sitting up straight with a sudden, serious expression. "This method is excellent!"
’Why did he suddenly get serious?’
Sengoku was taken aback. He frowned, looking at Kuzan as if realizing something. "But considering what happened back then, plus these past few years... and his current will... How would you rate that brat’s strength now?"
"He has the potential of an Admiral!"
’Such a high evaluation?’ Sengoku was stunned again, his frown deepening. "I heard he has been a bit... Corrupt these days?"
"...I think that brat still holds Justice in his heart!"
"Holds Justice? You don’t think he has gone corrupt?" Sengoku nodded, contemplating. He breathed a sigh of relief and smiled. "So, those rumors about him playing with female Pirates are false. That makes sense. How could a student taught by Zephyr do such-"
However.
He didn’t finish the sentence.
Noticing the strange look on Kuzan’s face, Sengoku paused. His tone turned serious. "Is that brat really messing around with female Pirates in the East Blue?"
"Although there are some problems with his lifestyle, it’s not that severe!"
"Problems? Not severe? So? Did he mess around or not?"
"He probably... did!"
"That’s not considered severe?!" Sengoku’s shouted. "Do you hear what you’re saying? And since when is your understanding of corruption so tolerant?!"
He covered his face and sighed, waving his hand dismissively. "Forget it, you go! Let me think about this properly!"
Sengoku watched Kuzan leave, the Admiral looking regretful as if he wanted to say more but decided against it. Once he was alone, the Fleet Admiral looked down at the personnel profile on his desk, specifically at the handsome headshot attached to it.
He frowned, muttering the name. "Ashford Dante!"
’Did he do it or not? Not severe? Even if she’s the most evil female Pirate, as a Marine, you shouldn’t do such outrageous things!’
’He actually did it?’
Thinking of this, his eyes steeled with determination. "Fine. I’ll consider it for Zephyr’s sake! After he comes back, let Zephyr teach him properly."
--**--**
A few days later.
East Blue, 16th Marine Branch Dock.
*Achoo!*
Dante sneezed violently. He rubbed his nose, frowning as he muttered to himself, "Why do I feel like someone’s out to get me?"
Just as the words left his mouth, and while he was pondering who might be coming to cause trouble, a wretched voice called out.
"Boss, how about Romance Dawn? My treat!"
Dante’s thoughts snapped back to the present. He looked down to see Mock leaning in sneakily, a ruby pinched between his fingers, grinning with a meaningful, sleazy expression.
Dante’s eyelid twitched. A smile bloomed on his face as he plucked the ruby directly from Mock’s hand.
Mock’s face lit up, thinking the Boss had agreed-
"Forgot what I said?"
Dante’s expression shifted instantly. He planted a kick squarely on the pirate, then shouted to Kuma and Kuro. "Watch him! Make him train properly during this time. Don’t let him run off to Romance Dawn again."
"With pleasure!"
"Yes, boss!"
"No! Boss!"
"Spending all day at Romance Dawn... what does that look like? Do you have any demeanour of an East Blue Overlord left?" Dante harrumphed coldly, ignoring the entourage following behind him, Robin, Kuina, Nami, as well as the visiting Princess Vivi and Princess Violet.
"Can’t you learn from your Boss and be a bit more serious?"
Looking at the familiar base in front of him, Dante breathed a sigh of relief. He smiled, stretching his arms wide.
"Finally back!"
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