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Chapter 12 - Chapter 12

Seeing Garp still acting like a carefree fool, Sengoku nearly burst a vein.

In his mind, this bastard's unserious attitude was exactly why his family had become a den of criminals.

A rebellious son, a pirate grandson...This so-called Hero of the Marines had raised two of the biggest traitors alive!

And yet, here he was, still cracking jokes—Sengoku wanted to beat him to death.

"Hahahaha!"

Garp laughed boisterously, playing dumb to avoid accountability.

But deep down, he was full of regrets.

His son's dreams had already been crushed, so he had placed all his hopes on his grandson.

But who could've guessed... that damn Red-Haired Shanks would brainwash the kid!

One stunt with a missing arm, and suddenly that naive brat decided to become a pirate.

He'd barely left shore and already knocked out Captain Morgan of the 153rd Branch, then followed it up by dealing with both Buggy and Captain Kuro.

His grandson had sky-high potential as a pirate.And that was... a massive headache.

ε=(′ο`*) sigh

"We can't suppress it anymore. A bounty must be issued. The most I can promise is we won't actively hunt him… yet."

Sengoku took a deep breath and threw a side-glance at Garp, who continued pretending not to care.

"Also, go talk to your student. Kuzan only listens to you. Tell him to get his act together!"

"He's a Marine Admiral, not a slacker who fights his colleagues for fun. Where's his sense of duty!?"

"Frankly, I think it's you who ruined him!"

Back in the day, Kuzan (Aokiji) was all about "Burning Justice," passionate and devoted to the cause.

Now? He looked like a completely different man—lethargic, aimless, doubting everything.

It was a dangerous transformation.

"Hahaha! You better hurry—I'm about to eat the last of your senbei, Sengoku! Thanks for the treat!"

"BAKA! Garp, you bastard—stop eating my snacks!!"

"Hey, I'm trying to have a serious conversation here!"

Sengoku lunged toward Garp, furious as the latter wolfed down senbei like a starving beast.

That was his snack stash! Scraped together with his meager salary!!

"You stingy old man! What's the big deal—just some rice crackers."

"Shut up!!"

Inside the Fleet Admiral's office, the two Marine legends squabbled like schoolboys.

Meanwhile, outside the door left ajar, passing Headquarters officers stood dumbfounded.

"Aren't they a little too old to be fist-fighting in the office...?"

At that moment...

A white-haired elder woman wearing the official "Justice" cloak walked in, trailed by a young lady.

It was none other than Vice Admiral Tsuru, wielder of the Wash-Wash Fruit and the Navy's famed "Great Strategist."

Behind her stood a striking young woman.

She had long golden hair, vivid green eyes, and full lips.Dressed in a strapless pink dress under a Marine coat, her hot and curvy figure was proudly on display.

She was Vice Admiral Tsuru's granddaughter—the rising star Rear Admiral Peacock, a Devil Fruit user of the Whip-Whip Fruit, known for her "disciplinary control."

"Tsuru? What brings you here?"

Garp immediately straightened up, the mischief vanishing from his face.

"Ahem~ Tsuru, Peacock. Please, take a seat."

Sengoku cleared his throat, smoothing his robes to cover his embarrassment as he gestured for them to sit.

He glanced at his long-time comrade across the desk.

Time had weathered Tsuru's face, her silver hair and deep-set wrinkles speaking of years gone by.

Once upon a time, she was a beauty who had stolen the hearts of countless Marine officers—including him and Garp.

The legendary "naval flower"... now touched by age.

He sighed internally.

If only we hadn't chosen our careers over love...

By the time they realized what they'd lost, Tsuru had long since married.Now, her granddaughter was already all grown up and... hot as hell.

Every time he saw her, Sengoku couldn't help but feel regret.

Suppressing those thoughts, he looked at Tsuru.

"So, what brings you here, Tsuru?"

He wasn't going to voice the past, especially not now.

Garp, having long moved on, had enough on his plate with Dragon and Luffy.

"Two things." Tsuru began crisply."First, this girl wants to join the classified special ops unit, Blade. Sengoku, please put in a word for her."

She massaged her temples, clearly weary.

She knew how dangerous Blade was—but her granddaughter was stubborn, and there was no stopping her.

Sengoku cast a curious glance at Peacock.

Though he was the Fleet Admiral, Blade wasn't fully under his command.

He noticed the sly smile on her lips and replied with a measured tone:

"Blade's first trial is to capture a pirate with a bounty over 100 million. You can give it a shot."

Peacock's grin widened."No worries. I'm not asking for special favors."

"Alright."

Sengoku nodded, then looked at Tsuru again.

"What's the second matter?"

"Three hours ago, the Navy's 16th Branch was wiped out. Here—these are clipped from the paper. Take a look."

She pulled a few photos from her coat pocket and spread them across the table.

Sengoku and Garp leaned in.

The moment their eyes hit the pictures, their pupils shrank.

"That's...!"

A shirtless, muscular man was shown standing mid-air.Huge dragon-scale wings sprouted from his back, while fire, water, and lightning elements danced around him.

He stood upon blazing clouds, the aura around him like a demonic god from hell.

"A Mythical Zoan Dragon Fruit user... the photos didn't even capture his full form."

Tsuru was blunt.

She believed this person's Devil Fruit abilities were incredibly dangerous.

If not captured early, he could become a world-level threat in the future.

"A dragon-form Mythical Zoan…" Sengoku's expression turned grim.

Even from the photo, he could feel the immense danger.

"Tsuru, how did someone like this appear in the East Blue? Did you check his identity?"

"...His name is Joe Lin En. Reports list him as the Straw Hat Pirates' vice-captain."

Tsuru's calm eyes turned to Garp.

"In other words—your grandson's right-hand man. Though it seems they've had a falling out."

"NANI!?"

Sengoku's face turned dark.

"Your grandson again... GARP!!!"

His complexion turned green as rage exploded within him.

He grabbed the stunned Garp by the collar and reeled back.

A massive, Haki-wrapped fist came down on his head.

"BOOM—!!"

"OWWWWWW!!"

Ignoring Garp's lumped-up head, now letting off steam like a teapot...

Sengoku ground his teeth and sat back at his desk, issuing the order:

"Effective immediately, place a bounty on Joe Lin En. Tsuru, you determine the amount!"

Tsuru nodded.

But before he could continue—

Peacock, still staring at the photo, suddenly spoke:

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, may I use him as my Blade qualification target?"

"It's my first time seeing such a deliciously built man. I'd love to... train him a little."

"Wha—?!"

The room fell into stunned silence.

Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru all froze.

"Tsuru... your granddaughter's... not quite like you, is she? Very forward, huh?"

"Hah? I haven't even had a boyfriend! How is that forward? Besides—"

"You don't know my grandma. She's even more... hardcore than me."

"PEACOCK!! SHUT YOUR MOUTH!!"

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