At Marine Headquarters, Marineford, a solitary, imposing warship lay anchored in the vast harbor, drawing the gazes of many passersby.
【Bang——】
"Wahaha! Old man's back!"
The door to the Fleet Admiral's office was kicked open heavily. Garp walked in unceremoniously like a giant crab, holding an open plastic bag of rice crackers in his hand.
Ever since receiving Fleet Admiral Kong's orders, he had headed straight back, without waiting for Dragon and the King of Taklamakan to settle their score.
Firstly, he felt there must be something extremely important; secondly, he had absolute confidence in his son—once someone goes all out, they cannot lose.
"You..."
'Steel Bone' Kong glanced at the heavily damaged door and shook his head helplessly, choosing to ignore it. He had lost count of how many times he had scolded Garp for his "knocking" and "gentle pushes."
"Sit down and read the mission details first!"
Sengoku, who was nearby, was not so polite. He snapped at Garp as he sat down, "You bastard, why are you running around like that? Don't you know everyone is waiting for you?"
"I know, I know~~"
Garp took a rice cracker, popped it into his mouth, set the bag beside him, and picked up the documents that had long been placed on the coffee table. With his other hand picking at his ear, his expression was one of pure indifference.
This attitude made the veins on Sengoku's forehead bulge, but in the end, he could only strike the sofa in frustration and close his eyes, waiting for the other man to finish reading.
Meanwhile, having finished reading the documents, Garp's eyes showed nothing but astonishment. Ignoring the half-eaten rice cracker in his mouth, he suddenly looked toward Fleet Admiral Kong behind the desk.
"Roger's treasure has been found?!"
"It's written right there. It is said to have been found by CP6 in the 'New World.' Therefore, the Five Elders have ordered us to join forces with CP0 to bring it back to Mary Geoise, and the return journey must be broadcast live to the entire world."
Hearing Fleet Admiral Kong's answer, Garp remained in a state of disbelief.
"How is that possible?"
"Whether it's possible or not, the mission is right in front of us. Bring it back first," Sengoku said, standing up after opening his eyes. "The mission requirement is to be as fast as possible. We depart now!"
Garp looked up dissatisfied and complained, "Old man just got back, I haven't even been sitting for five minutes. Can't you show some consideration for this fifty-something-year-old man?"
"You bastard, I'm a year older than you!" Sengoku clenched his fists, teeth gritted, and glared fiercely.
"Uh..."
Garp froze, thinking to himself, *Ah, right, I am a year younger than Sengoku.* Realizing this, he felt too embarrassed to mention age again and stood up laughing.
"Look at you, why are you getting so worked up? Let's go, let's go. It's just a trip to the 'New World' to pick something up. What's the big deal!"
Seeing his flippant and foolish manner, Fleet Admiral Kong couldn't help but instruct him.
"Garp, be careful. It is said the amount of treasure is massive, possibly requiring two large cargo ships, and we have to cross more than half of the 'New World.' We will certainly face many pirate attacks along the way. There must be no mistakes!"
Garp grinned and said, "With me and Sengoku leading the team, plus five Vice Admirals including Borsalino and Sakazuki, ten Marine warships, and CP0 operating in the shadows... with this combat scale, even 'Whitebeard' wouldn't stand a chance!"
To be honest, this exceeded the level of a standard Buster Call; it was entirely sufficient to engage in a massive sea battle against any top-tier power.
Using such force just to escort a treasure felt like overkill to him.
Sengoku frowned and snorted, "Regarding Roger's treasure, there is a high possibility that 'Whitebeard' will make a move, as well as Charlotte Linlin. If things escalate, that Kaido, who does nothing but war, will likely force his way in too. You must stay sharp; this concerns the reputation of the Navy and the entire World Government!"
"True. Fortunately, 'Golden Lion' Shiki has already been dealt with, otherwise, this escort mission would be quite precarious..." Fleet Admiral Kong felt a sense of relief.
"Fleet Admiral, we are departing!" Sengoku did not want to waste any more time.
"Go and come back soon!"
Seeing that Sengoku ignored him and walked out of the office on his own, Garp didn't mind. He picked up the remaining half-bag of rice crackers and followed him, swaying his body.
Inside the office, 'Steel Bone' Kong rubbed the back of his head in distress, feeling deeply that he had too few usable Admirals under his command.
"Sigh, when will Sakazuki and the others be able to take on great responsibilities? If this continues, I'll get high blood pressure from this bastard!"
"But how did the World Government find the 'One Piece'?"
Even as the Fleet Admiral, his head was full of question marks. Was the intelligence capability of CIPHER POL truly that terrifying?
***
While the massive fleet organized by the Marine Headquarters was preparing to head toward the 'New World' waters...
At the 'Holy Land' Mary Geoise, in the social plaza of Pangel Castle.
Two beautiful women—one in white and one in black, one tall and one short—were curiously observing a tennis court that had been newly constructed before their very eyes less than ten minutes ago.
Beside them stood a rack holding various rackets, a black bucket filled with yellow tennis balls, and even a ball retriever.
These two were, of course, the summoned Marine Rear Admiral Gion and the CP9 member Stussy.
Interestingly, not long after they arrived and before they could even introduce themselves, a group of construction workers had rushed in and, with astonishing speed, transformed the area into a standard outdoor grass tennis court.
Now, with the workers gone, only the two of them remained standing there blankly.
"What is this?"
Gion, wearing a Justice coat over short shorts, stepped forward with her long legs, curiously scanning the court divided by a net.
"A tennis court."
Stussy was dressed in the agent uniform issued to CP9—a black tight-fitting hip-hugging skirt paired with black sheer mesh tights, making her look even more sexy and charming.
However, the height difference between the two was quite large; or rather, Gion was simply too tall.
"What is tennis?"
Gion turned her head and asked in confusion. It wasn't that she was ignorant, but rather that tennis was an incredibly niche sport in this world.
Of course, it was the same for any sporting event; these things only appeared occasionally on a small number of relatively wealthy islands, primarily used by nobles for entertainment.
"Just think of it as a toy for nobles who like to stay active."
Stussy smiled slightly. As an elite CP9 agent, although she didn't play tennis often, she understood the basics.
"I see. So this was likely ordered by that Celestial Dragon named Saint Nerona." Gion realized, frowning.
"But the mission I received was to be responsible for following and protecting him during his travels."
This mission had been personally conveyed by Sister Tsuru, so even if she didn't like the Celestial Dragons, she had accepted it.
It was said that this Celestial Dragon was no ordinary one, but a high-ranking one who was very likely to become a member of the next generation of the Five Elders; therefore, there was no room for refusal.
Unless she wanted to quit the Marines...
"By the way, my name is Gion. And you?"
The blonde-haired Stussy looked at Gion seductively and smiled, "I know you. The strongest female officer after Vice Admiral Tsuru. That sword at your waist is the famous blade Kinbitaro, isn't it? My name is Stussy. I look forward to working with you~"