The Crime Investigation Bureau was quieter than expected. The secretary led the two men to the director's office.
Pushing open the slightly ajar door, they saw a tall figure seated at the desk.
The man wore a dark green suit and a Navy coat, with sunglasses covering his eyes and deep red hair.
He had the standard stern, serious face of a middle-aged man.
This was the director of the Crime Investigation Bureau, Headquarters Vice Admiral Tenma, codenamed Black Horse.
The codename spoke volumes.
In the contemporary Marines, color-plus-animal nicknames carried special significance.
Both Borsalino and Sakazuki had received similar titles during their Vice Admiral days, and now they were Navy Headquarters Admirals.
Kuzan, codenamed "Aokiji" (Blue Pheasant), was considered the hottest candidate for the third Admiral position.
...
Through Vice Admiral Tsuru's subtle hints, Griffin understood that the Marine Radical Faction wanted Tenma to become an Admiral.
Meaning this director was, in a certain sense, an 'Admiral Candidate' just like Kuzan.
With two Admiral seats, their faction would have greater influence within the Marines and could accomplish much more.
Griffin could detect the concern in Vice Admiral Tsuru's words, but such worries were completely unnecessary.
Kuzan was a monster beyond ordinary humans, comparable to Sakazuki and Borsalino.
For such monsters, the so-called 'Admiral Candidate' phase was an unnecessary process.
...
...
"Uchiha Griffin from West Blue Branch 179, and Rob Lucci from CP department."
Tenma's voice was deep and steady, devoid of any excess emotion.
"First..."
"Rob Lucci, get out first. This is an internal Marine conversation."
...
"What did you say!?"
Lucci's eyebrow twitched as he coldly responded, "I report directly to the World Government! Monitoring Griffin is my mission! You have no authority to order me around!"
Tenma slowly rose from his desk.
Standing nearly three meters tall, he loomed over the sub-two-meter figures of Griffin and Lucci like a small mountain.
"You... what are you doing? I'll have you know, your Vice Admiral rank isn't much higher than mine! In specific missions you even have to cooperate—"
Lucci couldn't help but retreat half a step, appearing somewhat helpless.
Before he could finish speaking, a hand larger than his head grabbed him.
"What are you—"
Tenma lifted Lucci like a chick and violently threw him toward the window.
Thud—
After a dull sound, the glass shattered, Lucci's figure disappeared outside the window, leaving only the twisted window frame swaying slightly.
...
...
"The director threw someone out again."
"How many times is that this week?"
"Fourth time... sigh, I really miss when Vice Admiral Tsuru was here. At least we didn't get startled suddenly."
"It's fine, I'll get used to it after a few more times."
The Crime Investigation Bureau staff whispered among themselves, their voices slipping through the door crack.
Tenma acted as if he heard nothing, sitting down on the sofa by the window.
He gestured to Griffin: "Sit. I only have issues with CP department personnel. Understandable, right?"
Griffin nodded: "Understandable. The bandages on his hands are the gift I gave him during our first meeting."
...
Come to think of it, Lucci has been either getting beaten up or threatened by the Marines these past few days. It's rather pitiful.
Tenma's mouth twitched slightly. On such a stern face, any change in expression was probably a smile, right?
"I'm aware of everything that happened to you. It was just an unfortunate stroke of bad luck."
"Originally, in a couple of months, when Instructor Zephyr's training camp opens for new recruits, you would have been able to attend for further training. But now…"
"This matter involves the Celestial Dragons, so we can't afford to go too far. At the very least, we have to maintain appearances for the World Government's sake."
"Don't worry, Sakazuki is very concerned about your situation. When the timing is right, he'll help you resolve this trouble."
Griffin was a bit surprised. It wasn't strange that Sakazuki knew about him—after all, Vice Admiral Tsuru had mentioned that Sakazuki was the one who approved his application for the Officer Training Camp.
What he hadn't expected was that a man as fiery as magma would actually care about this matter.
…
Tenma picked up the teacup from the desk, took a sip, and said calmly, "When Vice Admiral Tsuru insisted on picking you up herself, I guessed what she was up to."
"While there are indeed different factions within the Marines, our ultimate goal is the same: to maintain peace and order across these seas."
"They think our methods are too harsh; we think theirs are too indecisive. That's the only difference."
"With your potential, joining headquarters is only a matter of time."
"And don't take what I said earlier as pressure to join our side. Wait until you've seen and experienced more before making a choice—or don't choose at all. That's fine too."
The Marines aren't just divided into hawks and doves. There's also the faction represented by Kizaru—the so-called "Fish Faction."
Originally called the Neutral Faction, they only do what falls strictly within the Marines' duties and nothing more.
Because of Admiral Kizaru's notoriously lazy attitude, they've been nicknamed the "Slack-off Faction."
…
…
After listening, Griffin gave a faint smile. "Director Tenma, rather than saying it's not yet time to choose, it's more like…"
"I don't yet have the strength to make a choice."
"Let me give you my answer after I become an officer. It won't take long."
…
Tenma was taken aback for a moment, then set down his teacup, this time smiling more noticeably.
"To be honest… you don't look very manly. If it weren't for that incident where you stood up to Red Hair, I wouldn't even bother talking to you."
"Still, you've got quite the nerve, kid!"
—
—
Over the following month, under the guise of surveillance, Tenma actually had Griffin serve as his personal assistant, handling affairs and clearly intending to groom him.
This led to the window frames in the director's office being replaced with increasing frequency.
They were destroyed by Lucci's spine—the bill was charged to the CP department, to be settled with them at the end of the year.
During this time, Griffin learned about the functions and operational model of the Crime Investigation Bureau.
Originally, it was just an internal oversight department within the Marines. It was only after the rise of the Revolutionary Army that its authority gradually expanded.
Hmm…
The Revolutionary Army was founded by the son of the former Marine hero, Garp. In a way, it's also a form of internal oversight.
The Crime Investigation Bureau's main focus is the Revolutionary Army, and they often collaborate with the CP department—usually with the Bureau handling investigations and CP agents carrying out the operations.
In reality, the Marines rarely engage in direct conflict with the Revolutionary Army.
The World Government deliberately keeps the Marines and the Revolutionary Army separated.
Originally, the Marines were tasked with dealing with the "Volunteer Army" that Dragon started, but as the fighting went on…
The Volunteer Army grew into the increasingly large Revolutionary Army.
…
Having understood why the World Government still chose to use the brainwashed CP organization to deal with the Revolutionary Army—the Marines just need to keep the Pirates in check.
In a normal case like Griffin's, if Fleet Admiral Sengoku hadn't vouched for him, his best outcome would have been being sent to Enies Lobby for trial and then transferred to Impel Down Prison.
Of course, Griffin wouldn't have obediently waited for judgment—he would have escaped halfway.
...
During this time, he also managed to clarify the functions of the various agencies under the World Government.
The information he had known before was very one-sided; the complexity of such a massive organization is hard to grasp without being part of it.
He also understood why Garp, despite hating the World Government so much, didn't simply join the Revolutionary Army.
To be honest…
After learning about the structure of the World Government, Griffin saw no possibility of the Revolutionary Army succeeding.
The countries they claimed to have "liberated" still obediently paid the Celestial Tribute after they left, in order to gain the protection of the Marines.
If not for the prophecy of the D Clan, perhaps the Five Elders wouldn't even care about such an organization…
To be realistic… Dragon's idea of uniting the masses of most countries to overthrow the World Government is somewhat naive.
In this world, the strength of a million ordinary people is no match for that of one powerful individual.
If one wants to overthrow the World Government, the approach of the former Rocks Pirates is more feasible—gathering the power of numerous top-tier fighters.
Perhaps Dragon has realized this too; he has been recruiting strong individuals and setting up training camps everywhere to nurture the next generation.
The Crime Investigation Bureau's assessment of the Revolutionary Army's actions is "extremely dangerous."
...
If Dragon chose to occupy and defend a kingdom after conquering it, he would be much easier to deal with. Instead, he liberates a country, takes away a group of refugees and orphans to train…
Given time, this force will surely shake the world!
Such peaceful days came to an end today.
...
"Griffin, this is great!"
That afternoon, Lucci, covered in bandages, found Griffin, his face full of delight.
"I've managed to secure a mission for you to atone for your crimes through merit! This time, it's to guard a Celestial Dragon who is attending an auction on Sabaody Archipelago!"
"This is your chance to get out of this predicament!"
Putting down the documents he had been reading halfway, Griffin looked at Lucci with a complicated expression.
...
Again…
Seriously, man, what grudge do you have against the Celestial Dragons?
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