Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Finn sat at his desk, methodically sorting through intelligence reports on the Roger Pirates. Papers covered every available surface, each document another fragment of the puzzle that was the world's most notorious crew.
A knock sounded at the door, but before Finn could respond, Kuzan pushed his way in without ceremony.
"Here, today's newspaper." Kuzan tossed the publication onto Finn's desk with casual indifference. "The seas are about to lose their minds."
Three days had passed since Finn's return to headquarters. He'd participated in two high-level meetings during that time, and as he'd predicted, the Marines had no proactive countermeasures. No plan existed that could stop what was coming.
Finally, at Admiral Sengoku's suggestion, Fleet Admiral Kong had agreed to officially recognize Roger as the "Pirate King" and use that acknowledgment to incite infighting among other pirate crews. A political maneuver born of necessity rather than strength.
Roger's coronation as Pirate King was now official fact.
Finn picked up the newspaper and scanned the headline announcing Roger's conquest of the Grand Line. He shook his head, a wry smile touching his lips. "It was inevitable. Still, as someone who predict the birth of the first Pirate King, there's something almost profound about living through this moment in history."
"Nothing profound about it," Kuzan said, dropping onto Finn's sofa with the same casual energy he'd entered with. "If anything, it's just another failure of justice."
"Don't talk like everything's over." Finn set the newspaper aside. "In my opinion, this might just be the real beginning."
Finn didn't know how the Marines had responded to this news in the original timeline. Probably panic, confusion, and chaos. After all, the situation would have blindsided them completely.
But this time, thanks to his interference, the Marines had received advance warning. The senior officers had mental preparation, at least. They weren't exactly calm, but they weren't drowning in panic either.
"The real beginning?" Kuzan murmured, but didn't pursue the thought further. What good would overthinking do? Things had already happened. Better to take it one step at a time.
"Come to think of it, why are you so relaxed?" Finn asked with a slight smile. "Didn't Vice Admiral Garp drag you off to capture Roger?"
Kuzan shot him an exasperated look. "Don't forget, I'm Admiral Sengoku's assistant now, not Mr. Garp's."
"Ah, right. I actually did forget."
"Mr. Garp left for the New World this morning. He asked me to tell you something." Kuzan shifted, getting comfortable. "He hopes you can compile the Roger Pirates' intelligence as quickly as possible and provide effective support for his operation. He thinks if we can capture Roger soon after this announcement, we might be able to turn this disaster into an advantage for the Marines."
"That's going to be difficult." Finn shook his head, then paused, his expression growing more serious. "Actually, there's something I've been wondering about..." He met Kuzan's eyes directly. "Kuzan, now that Roger's become Pirate King, what do you think his next move will be? What's his new goal?"
"Obviously, he'll..." Kuzan started to answer immediately, then stopped mid-sentence, his brow furrowing.
He'd been about to say Roger would rule the New World and turn everything upside down. The obvious answer for any pirate who'd reached the summit.
But the words died on his tongue as he realized something crucial: the Roger Pirates weren't a crew dedicated to domination.
As Garp's former assistant, Kuzan had encountered the Roger Pirates frequently. He understood them better than most. Unlike ambitious men like Shiki, the Roger Pirates showed no interest in ruling anything.
So what would Roger's goal be now that he'd conquered the Grand Line?
Finn's voice cut through Kuzan's thoughts, calm and analytical. "The more I study the Roger Pirates, the more convinced I become that they're not a group seeking to establish their dominance. They've committed countless crimes, yes. They're unforgivable by any legal standard. But their behavior patterns suggest something else entirely." He paused.
"They're adventurers. Lawless, reckless adventurers who happen to fly a pirate flag."
Kuzan sat quietly for a moment, then nodded slowly. "You're right. They don't show the ambition we'd expect from a Pirate King."
"So what do you think they'll do next?" Finn pressed.
Kuzan thought it over, then shook his head. "I can't say. Should we hold a meeting? Discuss it with the Fleet Admiral Kong and Admiral Sengoku?"
"Of course we should. But I've already developed two working theories." Finn leaned back in his chair, fingers steepled.
"I'm listening." Kuzan leaned forward with interest.
"First possibility: they've conquered the entire Grand Line, which means they've achieved their initial goal. If they maintain their current trajectory, they might evolve into a pure adventure crew, dedicated to hunting legendary treasures. The Land of Gold, the Sea of Gems, the Emerald City, Pure Gold, and so on."
Of course, they'd already found the Land of Gold, but no one knew that except them.
Kuzan's eyes brightened. "That actually makes sense. Given their personalities and past behavior, there's a high probability of exactly that kind of evolution..."
He paused, then asked, "And your second theory?"
"Second scenario..." Finn let the words hang for a moment. "The Roger Pirates will disband."
"Impossible!" Kuzan's rejection was immediate and emphatic. "They just conquered the Grand Line and became Pirate King. Why would they suddenly disband?"
"Fame, power, status, wealth. These are what most pirates seek when they set sail." Finn's tone remained level, analytical. "The Roger Pirates now possess all of them. They've conquered the Grand Line completely. Assume they gathered together to achieve that common goal. Now that it's accomplished, disbanding would be the logical next step. After all, these people are fundamentally different from ordinary pirates."
"But that's..." Kuzan hesitated, uncertainty creeping into his voice. "That's too absurd, isn't it?"
Finn smiled faintly. "The Roger Pirates specialize in doing absurd things, don't they?"
Kuzan blinked, then slowly nodded. "You have a point there."
"I've already written summary reports on both theories. I'll submit them to Admiral Sengoku later." Finn waved a hand dismissively. "The specific situation should be handled by people above our pay grade. Even if the sky falls, there are taller people to hold it up. It won't hit me."
Kuzan sat in silence for a moment, then asked quietly, "Finn, if the Roger Pirates really do disband... what should we do?"
Finn glanced at him. "What else can we do? Find a way to dig them all out and hang them, obviously."
Whether they could actually find the scattered crew members, and what decisions the Marines would make after finding them, those were questions beyond Finn's immediate concern.
Letting the heavy topic drop, Kuzan poured himself tea from Finn's set and took a sip. "I heard you gave a seedling to Instructor Zephyr?"
"Rob Lucci. A kid from the welfare facility." Finn continued sorting documents as he spoke, not looking up. "I had to fight CP-9's commander, Stussy, to bring him back."
"Stussy? I've heard she's quite talented. She's managed CP-9 well and achieved significant results these past two years." Kuzan's curiosity was evident. "How'd it go? Did you win?"
"Of course. She may be talented in intelligence work, but in terms of pure physical strength, I'm considerably stronger." Finn paused in his sorting, then looked at Kuzan with an unusual hesitancy. "Speaking of which, Kuzan, what do you think of my strength? What level would you place me at?"
"We haven't had a proper fight, so I can't be completely certain." Kuzan considered the question seriously. "But I spar with Gion regularly. From what I've seen, although she holds the rank of Commodore, her actual strength is roughly equivalent to an average Vice Admiral. And according to her, you nearly crushed her in your match..." He shrugged. "So comparing horizontally, you should be stronger than an ordinary Vice Admiral, but somewhat below us monster rookies."
"Really?" Finn's frown deepened. "Why does that feel unreal to me?"
Kuzan made it sound like Finn was incredibly powerful, but Finn himself couldn't sense it. The disconnect bothered him.
Kuzan studied him for a moment, then spoke bluntly. "That's because you lack a real battle."
"Hmm?" Finn looked up, confusion clear in his expression.
"You participated in the Edd War and the Red Earl's capture. On the surface, you seem very accomplished." Kuzan set down his tea cup, his tone growing more serious. "But from beginning to end, Finn, you've never fought a true, all-out battle where you fully exerted your own strength. You don't know your own limits because you've never been forced to reach them. That's your biggest weakness right now." He leaned forward slightly. "Without that baptism of blood and iron, you'll never truly know yourself."
The words hit Finn like a physical blow. Although he had no concrete evidence, he felt the truth of Kuzan's statement in his bones. The reason for his confusion about his own strength was exactly what Kuzan described: he lacked a battle that would force him to understand his true capabilities.
"You've been protected too well," Kuzan continued, his voice gentler now. "You almost died at the Red Earl's hands, yes, but that was an accident. From the very beginning, Admiral Sengoku has been too partial to you..." He hesitated, choosing his words carefully. "Or perhaps Admiral Sengoku is waiting for you to realize this yourself? The fact that you're asking me this question today proves you've already sensed something's wrong, doesn't it?"
"You're right." Finn nodded slowly, the pieces falling into place.
He'd thought he was pushing himself to the limit. He genuinely had tried his hardest. But from an outside perspective, from Kuzan's perspective, it looked different. Looking at the whole picture, Sengoku really had been protecting him, shielding him from the worst dangers.
Perhaps, as Kuzan suggested, Sengoku was waiting for Finn to wake up to this reality on his own.
"If you have any difficult field missions, call me for support." Finn met Kuzan's eyes, his expression serious and determined.
"Haha, don't worry. Of course I'll take care of you." Kuzan laughed, the tension breaking.
Finn finished organizing his documents and stood. "I need to report this intelligence analysis to Admiral Sengoku. Make yourself comfortable."
Without waiting for a response, Finn left Kuzan sitting there with his tea, opened the door, and strode out into the hallway.
His mind churned with Kuzan's words. A real battle. A true test.
He needed to find one soon, before this weakness became something more dangerous than mere ignorance.
The question was: where would he find an opponent who could push him to his absolute limit?
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