Chapter 133: Appointment
It did not take long for Axel to use his ability to reduce the swelling on his face.
The bumps Garp had beaten into his head faded one after another, though the phantom pain remained. Grandfatherly love, apparently, came with excellent penetration power.
"…Official business?" Axel asked.
He did not know what Sengoku meant by that, but judging from the current situation, it could only be related to the incident at Sabaody.
"That's right."
Sengoku folded his hands on the desk, his expression far more serious than before.
"You should understand how grave your actions were. Tsuru has already reached an agreement with the World Government, but that does not mean the Celestial Dragons will be willing to let this pass quietly."
Axel nodded.
Sengoku's concern was not unfounded.
The public explanation was that Axel had assisted the Celestial Dragons and fought against the criminal Issho. But whether the Celestial Dragons believed that was another matter entirely. With their influence, arranging a private investigation would not be difficult.
If they uncovered the truth, the carefully rewritten narrative would fall apart at once.
"Enies Lobby," Sengoku continued, "the Island of Never Night, is a judicial island established by the World Government. The presiding judge there is a man who strictly enforces the law. Even the Celestial Dragons are wary of that place. So this time, I intend to send you to an island near Enies Lobby."
Axel thought for a moment.
The judge Sengoku referred to was probably the old man who had once sentenced Tom. He was indeed a man who rigidly upheld the law.
Considering Axel's current position, being stationed near Enies Lobby was not a bad arrangement.
At the very least, the Celestial Dragons would find it harder to reach in and act recklessly there.
But there was still one issue.
"What position are you giving me?"
"Water 7," Sengoku said, "has been revitalized thanks to the construction of the Sea Train, which connects it to nearby islands. However, trade between Water 7 and the connected islands—St. Poplar, Pucci, and San Faldo—still faces many problems."
He paused, then looked at Axel.
"Tsuru said you have an exceptional ability to manage matters like this. She recommended you to me personally."
Sengoku sighed.
"That is rare. Very rare."
In all his years knowing Tsuru, he had almost never heard her praise someone so directly. That recommendation was one of the reasons he had made this decision.
"So, this time, I am appointing you as a Marine Captain. You will oversee the Water 7 Sea Train project and related affairs. This is not a minor assignment. You cannot afford to be careless."
Then Sengoku's face darkened.
"And one more thing. Do not cause any more trouble. Also, try not to get involved with Enies Lobby's internal affairs."
If this had been anyone else, Sengoku might not have said that.
But after considering Garp's personality, then looking at Axel's record of "small mistakes," he could not help worrying.
Could this really proceed smoothly?
Sengoku sincerely hoped he was simply overthinking.
"Captain, huh?" Axel replied calmly.
There was no excitement in his voice.
Sengoku looked at him and thought the boy was dissatisfied with the position, so he explained, "Captain is already a very high rank. It is a position countless Marines spend their lives striving for and still may never reach. The only reason I can give you this rank is because we are publicizing your contribution. If I promoted you any higher, it would draw suspicion from the Celestial Dragons."
Marine ranks were not decorations to be handed out casually.
At this time, promotions required military merit. Even those with outstanding strength usually needed veteran officers to guide them upward step by step. The process was never simple.
Anyone of the rank of Ensign or above was already considered an officer, a goal many sailors chased for their entire careers.
Axel, jumping straight from recruit to Captain, was likely the first case in Marine history.
"I don't care," Axel said.
Sengoku fell silent.
He stared at Axel for a moment, then somehow saw Garp's shadow in him.
Like grandfather, like grandson.
Neither of them seemed to care much about rank.
To Axel, a title did not make him stronger. Aside from status and authority, it held little appeal.
Sengoku decided not to dwell on it.
"You will depart this afternoon and head to Enies Lobby first to complete the handover. I will send someone to assist you with the formalities."
"This afternoon?" Garp said before Axel could respond. "That soon? I haven't taught this brat enough of a lesson yet. Give me three to five days to discipline him properly before sending him away."
His words sounded like a threat, but Garp's true purpose was to test Axel's current strength.
To Axel, however, they sounded like a death sentence.
Was that beating just now not enough?
He answered at once, without hesitation, "This afternoon? Understood."
Sengoku glanced between the two of them, looking tired.
Then, as if explaining to Garp, he said, "If we are stopped by the Celestial Dragons' people before he leaves, the situation will become complicated. It is better to send him out as soon as possible."
"What a pain…"
Garp scratched his head.
Then he looked at Axel.
"Brat, I'm going back to see Luffy and the others in a few days. Do you have anything you want me to tell them?"
Axel thought about it.
For a while, nothing came to mind.
He had always been somewhat solitary by nature and was not particularly good at expressing himself. Even after being away for so long, what he felt toward them was only a faint, quiet longing.
He did not know whether Sabo had already set out on his revolutionary path.
He did not know how Ace was doing.
As for Luffy…
Axel's expression shifted slightly.
If there was one thing he wanted to say, it would be this.
"Tell Luffy that I won't let him off the next time we meet."
He would never forget that idiot's face after tricking him.
Garp froze for a moment.
Then he burst into laughter.
"Bwahahaha! What a good relationship!"
Axel stared at him.
What part of that sounded like a good relationship?
Garp turned proudly toward Sengoku.
"See that, Sengoku? Under my guidance, my grandsons are all loving and affectionate!"
Sengoku coughed.
"Their way of being loving and affectionate is certainly… unique."
He lowered his head and began processing documents, as if looking at paper would save him from this family.
Garp, however, was not done.
"But you, brat." His expression suddenly turned stern. "How could you be so stupid? You ruined my training plan. I was planning to train you together with Luffy and the others, make all of you into the strongest Marines, and then you went and pulled this stunt."
The greater the hope, the greater the disappointment.
When Garp had first heard that Axel was missing, he had been worried. But in front of Tsuru, he had only laughed and said, "It's fine, it's fine. Children won't grow up if they don't go missing once or twice. He needs to weather a little storm on his own."
He had thought that once Axel returned, he could train him properly.
He had not expected Axel to be sent near Enies Lobby for such a ridiculous reason.
Axel, on the other hand, quietly let out a breath of relief.
He had missed Garp's special training.
Wonderful.
Garp's training methods were not something normal human beings should have to endure.
"That matter is over now," Garp said. "But you had better not get involved with that criminal again."
The sea was not calm yet, and the Marines did not currently have the spare strength to deal with Issho properly.
But Issho had killed a Celestial Dragon.
The World Government had already marked him as someone who had to die.
Sooner or later, a hunt would begin.
Garp did not want Axel dragged into it again.
Axel's expression tightened.
"Uncle Issho is not a criminal."
"A criminal is a criminal!" Garp snapped. "In short, you are not allowed to get involved with that man again."
"A criminal is a criminal?" Axel looked at him. "Then are Marines criminals too?"
Garp's gaze sharpened.
Before he could answer, Sengoku spoke first.
"What do you mean by that?"
The Fleet Admiral's face turned serious.
"Are you saying there are criminals within the Marines?"
Sengoku paid more attention to that issue than anyone else.
He knew better than most that within the Marines—an organization meant to uphold justice—there were always people who used justice as a shield while committing crimes beneath it.
But the Marines lacked manpower.
And because of that, many internal problems remained impossible to fully investigate.
.....
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