Kaito followed Sengoku to his office. The moment they stepped inside, Garp came in right after them.
He looked completely deflated, like a withered eggplant, head drooped low. Glaring at Sengoku with a sulky expression, he crossed his arms and dropped heavily onto the sofa, saying nothing with a scowl plastered on his face.
Sengoku paid him no mind at all, acting as if Garp didn't even exist. He turned straight to Kaito with a cheerful smile and said,
"Kaito, you've done well on this mission."
Kaito returned a polite smile.
"Not at all. The original goal was just to investigate the whereabouts of the Op-Op Fruit. Running into Kaido was completely unexpected."
At the mention of Kaido, Garp, who had been sitting in silence, suddenly perked up, one ear twitching as he secretly leaned in to listen more closely. He wanted to know exactly what had happened between Kaito and Kaido.
Sengoku didn't beat around the bush. He wanted to confirm the details again, so he got straight to the point.
"Fighting Kaido must've been dangerous, right? But fortunately, you came out on top."
Sengoku looked at Kaito with anticipation. Although he already knew Kaito had won, he still wanted to hear it from Kaito himself.
Kaito didn't disappoint. He nodded casually and said,
"Yeah, it was alright. I actually have Kaido to thank—I awakened Conqueror's Haki Infusion during our fight. That technique is seriously useful. I used it to beat him."
"NANI!? You awakened Conqueror's Infusion!?" ×2
Sengoku and Garp shouted at the exact same time. For a moment, both of them seemed to forget all the tension from earlier. Compared to this revelation, their petty grudge was nothing.
Especially Sengoku—he knew just how difficult that technique was to master.
Conqueror's Haki was already rare, but those who could infuse it into their attacks... that was a whole different level.
Mastering Conqueror's Infusion meant stepping into the ranks of true top-tier powerhouses. Just look at who had it—Roger, Rayleigh, Kaido, Red-Haired Shanks... every one of them was a legend across the seas.
Kaito was already among the top-tier fighters before. Now that he had this technique... just how strong had he become?
Sengoku was convinced—Kaito's power had surpassed his. Even Garp likely wasn't a match for him anymore.
As the two of them stared in shock, Kaito spoke modestly,
"Yeah, so I should really thank Kaido. He inspired me."
"..."
Sengoku and Garp stared at him in speechless disbelief.
What, it's that easy now? So Kaido's a great teacher or something?
Of course, that was just them grumbling inside. Both of them knew exactly how terrifying Kaido's strength was. Even if fighting him could lead to enlightenment, how many people could survive a single blow from that monster?
And yet Kaito not only fought Kaido head-on, but defeated him outright. That alone was enough to shake the entire world.
Sengoku took a deep breath, remembering Corazon had mentioned Kaito brought back a few new recruits. He was curious to see them.
"Kaito, I heard from Corazon that you brought back a few rookies this time. Where are they? Can I take a look?"
"Yes. I'll bring them out now."
Kaito opened the door to the spatial portal. Yamato was the first to jump out, followed by Ace, who strolled out slowly. He cast a glance at Garp on the sofa, his eyes full of thinly veiled disdain.
Garp didn't notice the look. He was too busy staring, eyes wide and bulging. He even rubbed them hard a few times, as if he couldn't believe what he was seeing.
Ace? Ace actually followed Kaito here—to Navy HQ? And from the sound of it... he was going to join the Marines!?
Garp's face flushed red—this time from excitement.
He had all but given up on getting Ace to join the Marines. He knew both Ace and Luffy were stubborn beyond reason.
Once they set their minds on becoming pirates, it was nearly impossible to pull them back into the fold. Garp had long accepted this painful truth.
But now—Kaito had actually done it. Even though Luffy wasn't here, just having Ace was more than Garp ever dared hope for.
The always-carefree Garp suddenly felt his eyes go moist.
Ace was stunned. In his mind, Garp had always been the embodiment of an iron-blooded soldier. He never imagined the old man could show such raw emotion.
Sengoku quietly watched his old friend and felt genuinely happy for him.
Given their relationship—and Garp's inability to hide things—Sengoku had long known about Ace. He was also aware that Ace was Roger's son. (Let's go with that setup.)
When Sengoku first found out, he was furious. But seeing Garp hang his head in silence, he'd softened.
Their friendship went back a lifetime. Sengoku would never betray Garp. In the end, he chose to turn a blind eye.
Over the years, he'd discreetly kept tabs on Ace through Garp. Like Garp, Sengoku had been troubled by Ace's dream of becoming a pirate—but powerless to stop it.
Now, Kaito had actually brought Ace back. Sengoku was genuinely overjoyed. It felt like a major burden had been lifted from both their hearts.
Men didn't need many words to show gratitude. At that moment, both Sengoku and Garp looked at Kaito with deep sincerity. If the World Government weren't involved, Sengoku might've handed over the title of Fleet Admiral right then and there.
For someone as steady as Sengoku to even think that—it showed just how grateful he was to Kaito.
Their reaction left Kaito speechless.
He hadn't expected such a strong response, and for a moment, he didn't even know what to say.
The atmosphere grew heavy, until Yamato, blinking her big eyes, looked back and forth between Kaito, Garp, and Sengoku.
She felt completely ignored.
What the hell? She was 2.6 meters tall—not exactly easy to miss! And she wasn't ugly either!
Why were these guys acting like she didn't exist?
Fuming, Yamato suddenly pulled out her blunt spiked club and slammed it hard against the floor, shouting,
"Hey! Are you seriously ignoring the great Uchiha Yamato!?"
"Uchiha? Who said Uchiha!?"
At the mention of "Uchiha," Kaito, Garp, and Sengoku all whipped their heads around at once, their gazes locking onto Yamato's face.
Even Yamato, known for her wild personality, froze under their intense stares. Her expression stiffened as she swallowed hard and lowered her voice by about eight decibels.
"I was just... introducing myself. You can just call me Yamato…"
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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