And so, Saul's incident was quietly suppressed.
Nico Olvia, meanwhile, was secretly detained by Finn and sent back to G-7 under heavy guard. The scholar would remain there, out of sight and out of mind, a card to be played at some future date.
With Saul no longer able to serve in the Buster Call fleet, Admiral Sengoku made the necessary adjustments. He assigned Tokikake Chaton to replace the giant vice admiral, filling out the required roster of five vice admirals for the operation.
Soon after, the Buster Call fleet departed from Marineford, bound for the West Blue and the island of O'Hara.
Without Saul's interference or Olvia causing complications, no urgent news had arrived from O'Hara. The Marines felt no particular pressure to rush the voyage. They moved at a measured pace, conducting routine patrols and eliminating any pirates foolish enough to cross their path.
As the Admiral Candidate, Finn naturally served as its overall commander. His warship functioned as the flagship, leading the formation across the open sea.
At this moment, Finn sat on the deck of that flagship, a lit cigar clamped between his teeth, enjoying the salt breeze and afternoon sun. Behind him stood Chaton, and the two appeared to be engaged in casual conversation.
Their relationship was complicated, to put it mildly.
The primary source of tension was Chaton's persistent habit of confessing his romantic feelings to Gion at every available opportunity. The man had proposed to her dozens of times, making a spectacle of himself repeatedly.
Gion had rejected him every single time with barely concealed irritation. She'd grown so tired of his advances that she'd gladly accepted the posting to G-7 with Finn, putting considerable distance between herself and her unwanted suitor.
Chaton had picked up on the fact that Gion seemed interested in Finn, which naturally bred a certain amount of jealousy.
But that was the extent of it. There was no deep-seated hatred between the two men. Just awkwardness, rivalry, and the occasional barbed comment.
"So when are you planning to return to Headquarters?" Chaton asked around his own cigar, smoke curling lazily into the air.
Finn's eye twitched with annoyance. "Why do you keep asking me that? What business is it of yours when Admiral Sengoku decides to transfer me back?"
Chaton exhaled a deliberate puff of smoke, then continued with poorly concealed intent. "You've done exceptionally well at G-7. Your results speak for themselves. Even I have to admit you're qualified for the Admiral position at this point. Want me to put in a good word with the Admiral or Fleet Admiral? I'd be happy to recommend you."
Finn nearly laughed. Obviously, Chaton had no idea just how complicated the path to Admiral had become. It wasn't simply a matter of Fleet Admiral Kong or Admiral Sengoku making the appointment anymore. The position required approval from multiple layers of authority, political considerations, timing.
But Finn didn't bother explaining any of this. He waved his hand dismissively. "Don't think I don't know what you're scheming. You figure if I return to Headquarters, Gion will come back with me, right? Then you'll have another chance to harass her."
"You bastard, how can you call that harassment?" Chaton bristled with indignation. "That's an expression of genuine affection!"
"Sure, sure. Keep telling yourself that," Finn rolled his eyes dramatically. "Gion doesn't want anything to do with you, and you're still 'expressing affection' at her."
"Hmph!" Chaton snorted, his pride clearly wounded. Then his expression shifted to something more pointed, almost accusatory. "By the way, speaking of which, you and Gion..."
"Mind your own damn business," Finn cut him off sharply. Then, just to twist the knife a little, he added casually, "Even if I do return to Headquarters, I won't be bringing Gion with me. When I transfer back, I plan to promote her to Vice Admiral and have her take over command of G-7. So you might as well give up on whatever you're imagining."
"Can you please act like a decent human being?!" Chaton exploded, his voice rising with genuine outrage.
But then, after his initial anger faded, something strange happened. A smile slowly spread across his face. "Actually... that's good. I think that's an excellent idea!"
Now it was Finn's turn to feel confused. He turned his head, studying Chaton with genuine puzzlement.
Although Finn hadn't actually developed anything explicitly romantic with Gion, there was definitely some ambiguity between them. Occasional moments. Meaningful glances. That sort of thing.
Without quite meaning to, Finn had developed a certain possessiveness toward her. Which explained why he enjoyed needling Chaton whenever the opportunity presented itself.
Seeing Finn's bewildered expression, Chaton's smile widened. He didn't bother explaining his reasoning. Instead, he simply flicked his half-smoked cigar into the sea, turned on his heel, and said, "I'm done wasting time talking to you. I'm leaving."
Before Finn could respond, Chaton launched himself into the air with Geppo, leaping gracefully from Finn's flagship back to his own ship in the distance.
Finn finally understood.
"So you think this makes things fair between us? Hah..." He shook his head, muttering to himself.
The logic was straightforward enough. Right now, Finn and Gion were stationed together at G-7. They saw each other constantly, worked together daily, had countless opportunities for their relationship to develop naturally.
Chaton felt this was fundamentally unfair. He couldn't compete when Finn had such overwhelming proximity advantage. But there wasn't anything he could do about it.
Now, learning that Finn would return to Headquarters while Gion remained at G-7, Chaton saw a reset. Back to the starting line. Fair competition.
Of course, Finn found the entire concept ridiculous. There was no such thing as "fairness" in matters of the heart. Even if Chaton got himself transferred to G-7 and spent every waking hour following Gion around, the most likely outcome would be her finding him even more insufferable than she already did.
Before Finn could dwell on this further, a small boat approached the warship. Several figures climbed aboard using the deployed ladder, their footsteps echoing across the deck.
A few minutes later, Spandine appeared, wearing an immaculate black suit despite the sea voyage. He practically jogged up behind Finn, slightly out of breath, and asked with exaggerated respect, "Vice Admiral Finn, you wanted to see me?"
Technically speaking, the Cipher Pol agency and Marine Headquarters operated on the same hierarchical level. As the commander of CP-9, Spandine held authority equivalent to a Marine Vice Admiral.
Logically, there was no reason for him to be so obsequious, so eager to please.
But Spandine was, fundamentally, a coward and an opportunist.
In his assessment, although Finn only held the rank of Vice Admiral, in terms of actual combat strength he was already operating at Admiral level. More importantly, Finn was the only Admiral Candidate the Marines had produced, not just some ordinary Vice Admiral.
In Spandine's worldview, Finn would inevitably become a Marine Admiral sooner or later. How could he possibly afford to act arrogant with someone of that caliber?
Much safer to simply grovel and stay in his good graces.
"Thank you for coming. Sit down," Finn gestured to a small stool positioned beside his chair.
Spandine didn't seem to mind the humble seating. He sat with an eager smile. "It's no trouble at all, just a matter of changing ships. I was actually thinking I should find opportunities to build rapport with you anyway."
"Hahahaha..." Finn laughed, genuinely amused by the man's shamelessness.
After the laughter faded, he slowly exhaled a stream of cigar smoke and adopted a more serious tone. "Admiral Sengoku has entrusted you with the Golden Den Den Mushi for this operation. You absolutely cannot let the Admiral down."
"Please rest assured, Vice Admiral," Spandine nodded vigorously, his expression all business now.
"What procedures does your CP side need to follow? Can you walk me through the operational plan?" Finn asked.
"There's nothing wrong with sharing that information," Spandine replied without hesitation, launching directly into explanation.
"Once we arrive at O'Hara, the warships will surround and blockade the island completely. No one enters or leaves. Meanwhile, we CP operatives will go ashore to search for evidence. After all, no matter what, it would be best to catch the criminals in the act, so we can properly justify our actions to the outside world." He paused, adjusting his collar slightly. "At the same time, the Five Elders apparently want to communicate with Dr. Clover of O'Hara directly. They want to assess just how far these scholars have progressed in their research into the Poneglyphs."
Finn's expression remained neutral, but internally he noted the significance. This was the fundamental difference between Cipher Pol and the Marines. Spandine, at most equivalent to a Vice Admiral in the military hierarchy, had direct access to the highest power in the World Government: the Five Elders themselves.
On the other hand, even though Finn had already achieved Admiral Candidate status, he'd never actually met the Five Elders face to face. Never even seen what they truly looked like.
The disparity was obvious. There were inner circles and outer circles, trusted operatives and useful tools.
"I see," Finn responded evenly. Then he shifted topics. "Actually, I called you here because I need your assistance with something. We in the Marines intend to preserve O'Hara's accumulated knowledge. After all, it represents the intellectual wealth of all humanity. So when the time comes, I'd like you to help transport all those books to my warship while your people are conducting their search."
"That's no problem at all. Just a small matter," Spandine agreed instantly, without even a moment's hesitation.
Finn found himself grudgingly impressed with the man. Say what you would about Spandine's strength (pitiful), or his character (atrocious), or his moral compass (completely absent), he was undeniably competent in certain ways. Decisive. Efficient. Willing to take initiative.
A talented scumbag, essentially.
"Haha, I appreciate it," Finn said with a pleasant smile.
After a brief pause, he continued in a more conversational tone, "Come to think of it, I have a pretty good relationship with Ms. Stussy from your CP agency. She used to be the commander of CP-9 before you, if I remember correctly. I assume you two know each other?"
"I know her! We know each other quite well, actually!" Spandine's enthusiasm doubled immediately. Before Finn could even formulate his next question, the man rushed to establish connections. "Lady Stussy was my superior and has always been very kind to me. At the same time, we're almost like siblings in a way..."
"Siblings?" Finn blinked, genuinely caught off guard.
He could understand Stussy being Spandine's former commander. Based on what Finn had observed of her operating style at G-7, it made perfect sense that she wouldn't leave CP-9 without installing a loyal confidant as her replacement.
Maybe Spandine was exactly that confidant.
But siblings? What the hell?
Is it because both your names start with "S"? That seems like a ridiculous basis for... wait, wasn't Stussy supposed to be an orphan?
"A lot of people don't know this," Spandine continued, leaning in slightly as though sharing classified intelligence, "but Lady Stussy and I came from the same training class. We've known each other since childhood, so we have an extremely close relationship in private. Lady Stussy has always taken good care of me, and since both our names start with 'S,' we sort of developed this brother-sister dynamic, you know?"
You two really decided to call yourselves siblings just because your names both start with "S"? Finn thought incredulously. That's the most arbitrary relationship designation I've ever heard.
"I see," Finn said aloud, keeping his face carefully neutral. Then he smiled warmly. "In that case, we really should develop closer ties. I have an excellent relationship with your sister Stussy..."
"Lady Stussy mentioned you to me as well," Spandine replied with another bright smile. "She specifically asked me to get along well with you."
Finn nodded, saying nothing more for the moment.
He'd called Spandine over on a whim initially, primarily to discuss the logistics of preserving O'Hara's library. But this conversation had yielded some unexpected intelligence.
Spandine and Stussy, connected. That could prove useful in the future.
After all, once both he and Stussy held genuinely high positions in their respective organizations, meeting frequently would become complicated, potentially suspicious. But if they needed to coordinate or exchange information, Spandine could serve as an intermediary. A useful go-between.
Seeing that Finn had nothing else to discuss, Spandine proved himself tactful once again. He initiated some light small talk, chatted pleasantly for a few more minutes, then stood and excused himself.
Finn watched him depart with mild amusement.
Nothing particularly eventful occurred after that exchange. As the Buster Call fleet made its way through the West Blue, they encountered several groups of pirates.
But none of the five Vice Admirals leading this operation were to be trifled with. Combined with the overwhelming firepower of ten Marine warships, these small-time West Blue pirates represented zero actual threat.
Each group they encountered was systematically eliminated.
They swept through the region like a cleaning operation, and within a few days, the distinctive silhouette of O'Hara appeared on the horizon.
O'Hara's geography was remarkably unique. The island featured valleys all around its perimeter, but rising from the very center stood an absolutely massive ancient tree. This tree had been gradually hollowed out over generations of scholarly work and transformed into an enormous library.
Despite this extensive modification, the tree remained vigorously alive, showing no signs whatsoever of dying or even declining.
This was humanity's crown jewel of accumulated knowledge: the Tree of All-Knowing.
"The Tree of All-Knowing..." Finn stood on the deck, his expression contemplative as he gazed at the island growing larger in the distance. "I'm beginning to think one warship won't be nearly enough to hold all those books."
After his brief moment of reflection, his eyes sharpened. He raised the Den Den Mushi in his hand, his voice carrying the unmistakable authority of command. "All units, listen up. Disperse into blockade formation. Seal off the waters around O'Hara completely. No one enters, no one leaves. Simultaneously, establish a perimeter around the island itself."
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writing takes time, coffee, and a lot of love.If you'd like to support my work, join me at [email protected]/GoldenGaruda
You'll get early access to over 50 chapters, selection on new series, and the satisfaction of knowing your support directly fuels more stories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~