Not long after walking out of Chief of Staff Tsuru's office, Finn reached the turning point in the corridor.
He saw Dragon leaning against the wall alone, as if waiting for someone.
Without giving it much thought, Finn smiled and greeted him. "Hey, waiting for Mr. Garp?"
"No, I'm waiting for you. Besides, I already know you forced him to jump off the building..." Dragon smiled. After a brief pause, he said teasingly, "Perhaps all of Marineford knew about you forcing the Marine hero to jump off a building while you were talking to the Chief of Staff."
Finn's expression darkened. "He jumped on his own!"
"You were going to chop him with a sword, weren't you? Hahahaha." Dragon laughed.
"That's your biological father. Why are you making fun of him like this?" Finn said helplessly.
Hearing this, Dragon's expression paused slightly, but he quickly adjusted himself and waved his hand. "Okay, let's not talk about him anymore. Do you have time? Let's go have a drink together."
It could be seen that this guy's mood seemed much better, not as restless as in recent days.
Finn was also curious about what Dragon wanted to say to him. Since he had nothing else to do at the moment, he nodded. "I have time. I officially take over tomorrow."
"Oh? It seems you're going to work for the Intelligence Staff..." Dragon asked with a smile.
"Yes. I serve as assistant to the Chief of Staff and concurrently as Deputy Chief of Intelligence Staff," Finn admitted frankly.
Dragon was stunned momentarily, then said, "The Chief of Staff really thinks highly of you."
But he wasn't particularly surprised. Deputy Chief, though it sounded very high-ranking, wasn't actually an extremely powerful position. After all, the Marines were a military organization, and real power lay in military rank.
Finn was only a Rear Admiral after all, and the title of Deputy Chief was like authority granted by his superior.
But it did reflect how much the Chief of Staff valued him.
"Come to think of it, I haven't congratulated you yet, sir Rear Admiral," Dragon said with a smile as he and Finn walked out.
"I'm not worthy of being called 'sir' by a Vice Admiral," Finn said with a smile.
Marineford was a large island. The square in front of the Fortress of Justice alone could accommodate more than one hundred thousand Marines.
In addition to the military area, Marineford also had a large residential district. Most people living there were military dependents. Marines stationed at Headquarters for extended periods had the right to bring their families to live in Marineford.
This was also a hidden benefit of Headquarters Marines. After all, the seas were so chaotic, and Marineford could be said to be one of the safest places.
Of course, there were exceptions. Zephyr's family had died in Marineford.
There were naturally no taverns in the military area, so Finn and Dragon walked into the residential district while chatting.
The 'Marine Club' was the most famous pub in Marineford. Many high-ranking Marine officers were regular customers and members here.
For example, Garp, Zephyr, Sengoku, Kuzan, and Borsalino were all regulars. Finn didn't know if Sakazuki had ever been here, but he probably had, right?
When Finn was a Commodore, he'd come here to drink with Dragon, Kuzan, and others, and naturally he'd also applied for membership.
As soon as he entered, he saw many Marines who weren't on missions sitting inside drinking in groups of three or five, chatting and gossiping. It was very lively.
The owner of the tavern was a retired Rear Admiral with a long scar on his face and slightly hunched posture. He was about fifty years old. Everyone affectionately called him "Boss Po," and he never got angry about it.
Anyway, he knew many people in the Marines and seemed to be good friends with Admiral Sengoku.
As soon as Dragon and Finn entered, the Marines drinking there stopped what they were doing.
But before they could greet them, Dragon waved his hand. "Continue. We're here to drink too."
"Hahahaha..." Everyone in the tavern laughed.
At that moment, a brave soul suddenly asked, "Finn, I heard you beat up the Fleet Admiral. Is that true?"
Finn, who'd been smiling, suddenly changed his expression when he heard this and cursed, "Rumors! They're all rumors. I, Finn, respect the Fleet Admiral so much. How could I hit him?"
"Hahahaha..." Everyone laughed again. The air was filled with a happy atmosphere.
Ignoring these soldiers, Finn walked to a table in the corner with Dragon and sat down, still cursing under his breath.
Boss Po limped over, threw the drink menu on the table, and said with a smile, "That's impressive, Finn. Last time I saw you, you were a Commodore. Now you're wearing Rear Admiral insignia? Truly worthy of being a ruthless man who dares to fight the Fleet Admiral..."
Before leaving Chief of Staff Tsuru's office, Finn had already changed the insignia on his Justice Coat to Rear Admiral rank.
"Boss Po, you probably don't want to stay in Marineford anymore. If the Fleet Admiral hears this, he'll definitely punish you," Finn said, glaring at the old man.
"Hahahaha, I have some friendship with the Fleet Admiral. He's open-minded and won't care about the nonsense I say," Boss Po laughed.
At that moment, the tavern door was flung open. A Marine Captain rushed in excitedly, shouting, "Hey, here's the latest news! Commodore Finn has been promoted to Rear Admiral. After beating up the Fleet Admiral, not long ago, he chased Vice Admiral Garp with a sword, forcing him to jump from the third floor. Now everyone's calling Rear Admiral Finn the 'Violent Tiger'... They say he has a fierce temper and is incredibly powerful. He'll lose his temper with anyone who dares to provoke him. He's even brave enough to hit the Fleet Admiral and Vice Admiral Garp..."
The Marine Captain excitedly shared this gossip, and everyone in the tavern had strange expressions on their faces.
Finn in the corner nearly vomited blood.
You bastards, you have nothing to do all day but gossip. Can you tell right from wrong? Can you live up to the Justice on your backs?
What Violent Tiger? He was Rodriguez Finn. He'd been in Marineford almost three years. He'd always been kind to others, strict with himself. The people in the Sixth Officer Training Camp all said he was a rare good man, a true gentleman.
How had he become a Violent Tiger in just a few days?
How was he violent?
Dragon beside him laughed out loud.
"Hahahahahaha! Finn, the title of Violent Tiger seems to suit you very well. You're worthy of it. In less than three years, you've made such a big name. I grew up in the Marines. Those with titles have always made names for themselves by targeting pirates. It's the first time I've seen someone like you who got a name by targeting Fleet Admirals and Marine heroes. Hahahahaha..." Dragon laughed with schadenfreude.
When he laughed, all the Marines in the tavern, including the gossipy Captain, looked over and saw Dragon, who was laughing so hard he could barely breathe, and Finn, whose face was extremely dark.
"R-Rear Admiral F-Finn...?" the Marine Captain stammered in panic.
This guy was a genuine ruthless person. When he got angry, he even dared to hit the Fleet Admiral and the hero. And this Captain had just been here gossiping and spreading rumors... Was he still alive now?
Finn finally sighed. "Get lost, damn it! Sooner or later, I'm going to kill all you bastards!"
There was no need to think about it. Rodriguez Finn's reputation in Marineford was completely tarnished.
Seeing that Finn didn't actually lose his temper, all the Marines in the tavern burst into laughter.
Though rumors spread and he'd even been given the title of "Violent Tiger," it seemed the Rear Admiral had no intention of bothering with them.
Boss Po also laughed. "Violent Tiger, today's drinks for you and Dragon are on me."
"Then give me ten bottles of Heart of Justice!" Finn said viciously.
"I'll satisfy you," Boss Po responded generously.
After a while, all the drinks were served, and the tavern returned to its previous bustle. No one wanted to offend Finn anymore.
Dragon was very considerate and poured a glass for the resentful Finn. Then he raised his glass. "Come on, drink first and calm down."
"Dragon, have you ever thought about killing your father?" Finn asked after clinking glasses.
Dragon froze momentarily, then said, "To be honest, it's happened more than once."
"Hahahaha..." Finn felt considerably happier now.
"Redfield is incarcerated in Impel Down?"
"Yeah. The lowest floor. There's no getting out."
Finn and Dragon chatted casually about Redfield. Initially, Finn had wanted to kill him but failed. Now he wasn't bothered anymore because he was certain Redfield couldn't hear him as long as he activated Iron Will, so it didn't matter.
After a few drinks and a bit of tipsiness, Finn asked, "Tell me, what's your purpose in getting me out for a drink?"
Dragon glanced at Finn. "You're talking as if I haven't invited you to drink alone before..."
"So?" Finn didn't buy it at all.
Dragon sighed, drank the entire glass in one gulp, then asked, "What is your justice?"
"Didn't I say before? I haven't found my own justice," Finn glanced at Dragon.
Dragon looked at Finn with some suspicion. "Others may not know, but how could I not know the inside story? You forced a confrontation with the Red Earl at G-1 and almost died there. If you didn't have justice and faith, I find it hard to believe you'd fight to the death there and even attack the Fleet Admiral."
"If you mention beating the Fleet Admiral again, I will turn on you!" Finn cursed.
Dragon didn't speak, just stared at Finn.
Finn said helplessly, "Really. To be honest, I just think that if you want rewards, you have to pay the price. If I don't work hard, how could I become a Rear Admiral today?"
Without waiting for Dragon to speak again, Finn asked directly, "You, on the other hand, have been acting strangely lately. What kind of messed-up thoughts are you having?"
Dragon's face twitched slightly. He picked up the wine glass and took a sip to cover his reaction. He shook his head. "Nothing..."
But his eyes told a different story.