At Marine Headquarters, Marineford, a uniquely styled Dog-headed Battleship was docked in the vast harbor, drawing numerous glances from passersby.
[Bang——]
"Wahahaha, I'm back!"
The door to the Marshal's office was forcefully pushed open as Garp swaggered in like a giant crab, holding an open bag of Rice Crackers.
Ever since receiving the order from Marshal Kong, he had immediately returned without waiting for Dragon and King Taklama to finish their battle.
Firstly, he felt there must be something extremely important, and secondly, he had full confidence in his son. Once he went all out, there was no way he could lose.
"You..."
Kong glanced at the heavily damaged door, shaking his head helplessly as if he hadn't seen it. He couldn't remember how many times he had scolded Garp for knocking and pushing doors like this.
"Sit down and read the mission details first!"
Sengoku, however, wasn't as polite. He snapped at Garp as he sat down, "You idiot, where have you been running off to? Do you know everyone's been waiting for you?"
"Got it, got it~~"
Garp took a Rice Cracker into his mouth, placed the bag beside him, picked up the documents already laid out on the coffee table, and scratched his ear with his other hand, his face full of nonchalance.
This attitude made Sengoku's veins bulge on his forehead, but in the end, he could only slam the couch in frustration and close his eyes, waiting for Garp to finish reading the documents.
Meanwhile, after reading the documents, Garp's eyes widened in shock. Ignoring the half-eaten Rice Cracker in his mouth, he suddenly looked at Marshal Kong behind the desk.
"Roger's treasure has been found?!"
"Isn't it written there? It's said that CP6 found it in the 'New World,' so the Five Elders have ordered us to cooperate with CP0 to bring it back to Mary Geoise. And on the return journey, we'll broadcast it live to the entire world."
Hearing Marshal Kong's response, Garp still looked utterly incredulous.
"How is that possible?"
"Whether it's possible or not, the mission is right in front of us. Let's bring it back first," Sengoku said, standing up after opening his eyes. "The mission requires us to act as quickly as possible. Let's set off now!"
Garp looked up in dissatisfaction and complained, "I just got back and haven't even sat for five minutes. Can't you show some consideration for this old man in his fifties?"
"You bastard, I'm a year older than you!" Sengoku clenched his teeth, his fists tightening as he glared fiercely at Garp.
"Uh..."
Garp was stunned, thinking, Ah, right, I'm a year younger than Sengoku. With that in mind, he felt too embarrassed to bring up age again and stood up with a hearty laugh.
"Look at you, getting all worked up. Let's go, it's just a trip to the 'New World' to fetch something. No big deal!"
Marshal Kong couldn't help but remind him, seeing his careless demeanor.
"Garp, be careful. It's said the treasure is massive, possibly requiring two large cargo ships. We'll have to cross most of the 'New World,' and we're bound to face attacks from pirates along the way. We can't afford any mistakes!"
Garp grinned and said, "With me and Sengoku leading, plus five Vice Admirals including Borsalino and Sakazuki, ten Headquarters Battleships, and CP0 in the shadows, even 'Whitebeard' wouldn't stand a chance against this force!"
To be honest, this had already surpassed the level of a conventional Buster Call. It was more than enough to engage in a decisive battle at sea against any top-tier force.
Now, it was just being used to escort a treasure, which he felt was somewhat overkill.
Sengoku frowned and snorted, "Roger's treasure—Whitebeard is highly likely to make a move, and Charlotte Linlin too. If things escalate, that war-obsessed Kaido will probably force his way in as well. You need to stay sharp. This concerns the face of our Marines and the entire World Government!"
"Indeed, it's fortunate that Shiki, the 'Golden Lion,' has already been dealt with. Otherwise, this escort mission would have been quite precarious," Marshal Kong felt a sense of relief.
"Marshal, we're heading out!" Sengoku didn't want to waste any more time.
"Go early and return early!"
Garp, seeing that Sengoku had already walked out of the office without acknowledging him, didn't mind. He picked up the half-empty bag of rice crackers and swayed as he followed.
Inside the office, Kong, the 'Steel Bone,' rubbed the back of his head in frustration, deeply feeling the lack of capable generals under his command.
"Ah, when will Sakazuki and the others be ready to take on major responsibilities? If this continues, this old man is going to develop high blood pressure from these idiots!"
"But how did the World Government find the 'One Piece'?"
This question left even the Marine Marshal scratching his head. Could the intelligence capabilities of Cipher Pol really be that terrifying? Just as the massive fleet organized by Marine Headquarters was preparing to head to the waters of the New World.
Meanwhile, in Mary Geoise, the 'Holy Land,' within the social square of Pangea Castle.
Two stunning women, one tall and fair, the other short and dark, were curiously examining the newly constructed tennis court that had appeared before them less than ten minutes ago.
Beside them stood a rack filled with various tennis rackets and a black bucket filled with yellow tennis balls, even a ball picker was present.
These two were naturally Rear Admiral Gion of the Marines and CP9 member Stussy, who had been summoned here.
Interestingly, shortly after they arrived and before they could even introduce themselves, a group of construction workers had transformed the area into a standard outdoor grass tennis court at an astonishing speed.
Now, with the workers gone, the two were left standing there in a daze.
"What is this?"
Gion, clad in her Justice Coat paired with ultra-short shorts, took two long strides forward, curiously scanning the court divided by a net.
"A tennis court."
Stussy, dressed in the standard CP9 agent uniform—a black tight-fitting pencil skirt paired with black fishnet stockings—looked even more alluring and seductive.
The only thing was, the height difference between the two was quite noticeable, or rather, Gion was just too tall. "What's tennis?"
Gion turned her head and asked in confusion. It wasn't that she was particularly ignorant, but tennis was an extremely niche sport in this world.
Of course, any sport was the same, as these activities only occasionally appeared on a few wealthier islands, mainly as a pastime for the nobility.
"Just think of it as a plaything for the active nobility," Stussy smiled slightly. As one of the top CP9 agents, she didn't play tennis often, but she had a basic understanding of it.
"So that's how it is. It's very likely that this was ordered by that Celestial Dragon named Nerona Saint," Gion suddenly realized, her brow furrowing.
"But the mission I received was to follow and protect him during his travels."
This was a task personally relayed by Sister Tsuru, so even though she didn't like Celestial Dragons, she still accepted it.
It was said that this Celestial Dragon wasn't just any ordinary one, but a high-ranking Celestial Dragon who was very likely to become one of the next Five Elders. Therefore, there wasn't much room for refusal.
Unless she didn't want to be a Marine anymore. "By the way, my name is Gion. What's yours?"
Stussy, with her golden locks, looked at Gion with a charming smile and said, "I know you. The strongest female officer after Vice Admiral Tsuru. That sword at your waist is the famous Konpira, right? My name is Stussy. Let's get along well from now on~"