"You can think whatever you like."
Lucci swept his gaze calmly across the Elite Camp recruits ahead of him and spoke in an utterly indifferent tone.
"I only have one question right now—are you the strongest new recruits of Marine Headquarters?"
His tone made it clear that he did not take anyone present seriously. From beginning to end, he carried a cold, aloof, and condescending attitude.
Hearing this—
The Elite Camp recruits could not help but sneer.
Coming here uninvited and speaking in such a manner, the intentions of these World Government people were already crystal clear.
They were here to cause trouble.
Very Good let out a cold laugh and took a few steps forward, staring sharply at the World Government group.
"Looks like you're here looking for trouble."
"Heh heh."
Kaku—standing behind Lucci—let out a mocking laugh and said with a hint of ridicule:
"You guessed right. We are here to cause trouble."
---
Top floor of the Marine Headquarters.
Inside an extremely spacious hall, nearly all of Marine Headquarters' top brass had gathered.
Marine Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
The three Marine Admirals—Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu.
Marine Headquarters' Chief of Staff Tsuru.
Marine Hero Garp.
And the Chief Instructor of the training camp, former Marine Admiral Zephyr.
In addition to Marine Headquarters' leadership, several others were present, wearing attire completely different from Marine uniforms—officials from the World Government.
"That is the full situation."
"I understand."
Sengoku nodded calmly at the World Government officials before him.
As Fleet Admiral of Marine Headquarters, Sengoku's rank was second only to the Commander-in-Chief and the Five Elders. In terms of formal rank, these World Government officials were beneath him. However, they answered directly to the World Government and had come bearing orders from the Five Elders, so Sengoku treated them with courtesy.
Off to the side—
Kizaru sat leisurely, sipping tea with an expression of total indifference.
Aokiji rested his chin on one hand, looking half-asleep.
Akainu stood behind Sengoku, listening steadily to the exchange between Sengoku and the World Government officials without offering any comment.
After some discussion and the exchange of several documents, Sengoku ended the conversation.
The World Government officials stood up, preparing to leave.
At that moment, one of them suddenly remembered something and turned to Zephyr.
"Oh, right—Zephyr. It seems our CP reserve members have already gone to find the elite Marines you're training."
"Hmm?!"
Zephyr frowned.
"They've already gone? Why wasn't I informed?"
"If we were present, wouldn't that prevent them from having a proper 'exchange'?"
The World Government official smiled faintly.
"No need to worry. They won't go too far. I've already given them instructions."
Then, with a slight smirk, he added,
"You seem rather anxious, Zephyr. Don't tell me you lack confidence in the elite Marines you trained?"
Zephyr stared coldly at the official.
"You notified them, but you didn't notify me. If any of your people die, you'll bear the consequences yourselves."
"Heh heh heh…"
The World Government official said nothing more, merely chuckled before taking the lead out of the hall. The remaining officials followed, and Zephyr left soon after as well.
Only Sengoku and the others remained in the hall.
"Well, well… an 'exchange' between CP reserve members and Marine Headquarters recruits."
Aokiji's eyes flashed with interest as he stood up.
"That actually sounds kind of fun."
He then walked out of the hall.
At the same time, Garp—who was munching on senbei—also stood up.
"I've got something to take care of. I'll head out too."
Sengoku watched Garp and Aokiji leave, shaking his head slightly without saying anything.
"Tch, Zephyr-sensei's recruits get worse every year."
Kizaru finished his tea, stood up, and flashed his trademark lazy smile.
"But I hear this batch includes Vice Admiral Garp's nephew. That alone makes it worth a look. What do you say, Fleet Admiral—care to go watch together?"
Sengoku showed a visibly weary expression.
What a headache.
The Five Elders held positions far too high and regarded this matter as trivial. In reality, however, CP—the World Government's intelligence apparatus—and the Marines, though both under the World Government, did not have particularly good relations.
A stunt like this could easily spiral into trouble.
Zephyr was clearly displeased already. And Garp's nephew, Roya, was also among the new recruits. This now involved Garp as well. If Roya ended up injured, Garp definitely wouldn't sit still.
Zephyr might remain restrained—but Garp was another matter entirely. Once Garp lost his temper, the situation could easily explode. If something truly serious happened, even Sengoku himself might not be able to keep things under control.
Thinking of this, Sengoku took a deep breath.
"Fine. Let's go take a look."
---
Second floor of the Marine Headquarters, on the open training ground.
"Is that all you've got?"
Jabra stood in the center of the field, holding an irregularly shaped round object in his hand, sneering mockingly as he spoke.
Upon closer inspection, the object was none other than Very Good's head.
Scattered across the ground were numerous balls, still rolling about.
"So strong…"
"Very Good didn't stand a chance at all."
The Elite Camp recruits felt their hearts tighten, their gazes toward Jabra now filled with apprehension.
Very Good's strength ranked solidly in the middle of the Elite Camp, yet he had been defeated almost effortlessly—completely overwhelmed.
The strength of the man before them clearly surpassed that of most of the Elite Camp recruits present.
"State your purpose."
Smoker stepped out from the crowd, two cigars clenched in his mouth, smoke swirling around him as he spoke in a low voice to Rob Lucci and the others.
Lucci did not answer.
Instead, Jabra flashed a cocky grin at Smoker.
"Beat me first, and I'll tell you!"
Hmph.
Smoker's expression darkened slightly. After letting out a cold snort, he wasted no words and charged straight at Jabra.
Jabra tossed aside the head in his hand and met Smoker head-on. The two clashed instantly.
Bang!!
After only a few exchanges, Jabra suddenly landed a punch on Smoker's body—only for his fist to pass straight through as Smoker's body turned into smoke.
Jabra froze for a moment.
In that instant, Smoker's weapon smashed into him, sending him flying.
Clang!!
At the moment of impact, Jabra activated Tekkai from the Rokushiki to defend himself. Even so, Smoker's strength was formidable. Tekkai could not fully block the blow, and Gabra was still sent flying, half his shoulder going numb.
"Damn it!!"
"A Logia-type Devil Fruit user?"
From that brief exchange, Jabra realized he was no match for Smoker. He did not press the attack further, instead glaring at Smoker with frustration.
Smoker did not pursue either. Standing in place with his cigars, he stared at Jabra and asked in a deep voice:
"What is your objective?!"
"You think I'd really tell you?"
A sly glint flashed in Jabra's eyes, his tone tinged with mockery.
Smoker frowned, staring coldly at him.
At that moment, Rob Lucci—who had been standing silently—stepped forward toward Smoker.
"Our purpose in coming here is to assess the strength of you Marine Headquarters recruits."
Lucci answered Smoker's question, then stopped in front of him and calmly asked:
"So—are you the strongest recruit in the Marine Headquarters training camp?"