"That is indeed the case. The person we're trying to recruit this time is truly troublesome. Even Garp and I don't have much confidence that we can persuade him."
Sengoku rubbed his aching temples, his tone full of helplessness.
"But this is also the only method we could think of that would allow the Marines to quickly establish a foothold in the New World."
"Hm? Someone who can give even Fleet Admiral Sengoku a headache? Who exactly is it?"
Cain frowned, his mind rapidly working through the possibilities.
But no matter how he thought about it, he could not recall anyone like that existing in the original story.
Could they be talking about him?
The moment his words fell, a hurried set of footsteps drew closer.
"Fleet Admiral! Vice Admiral!"
An orange-red figure quickly ran over, carrying a thick stack of documents in her arms.
She stopped in front of them, and Cain immediately noticed the striking burn scar on her hand.
The moment he saw her, Cain suddenly understood.
He finally realized who Sengoku and the others wanted to recruit into the Seven Warlords, and he also instantly understood why they said both Garp and Sengoku needed to come personally.
Garp grinned and reached out to pat the newcomer on the shoulder, introducing her to Cain.
"Let me introduce you. This is Marine Ensign Isuka."
"She was the one responsible for chasing Ace back then. The proposal to have Ace join the Seven Warlords was also submitted by her."
"Unfortunately, because she got dragged into the mess caused by that bastard Draw, she's had to stay behind the scenes all this time, and her rank still hasn't been promoted."
"In a certain sense, she and Ace can be considered enemies and friends at the same time."
Cain nodded at that.
This Ensign Isuka could also be considered one of Ace's rumored girlfriends from outside the main story.
He still clearly remembered that in the official side novel, the two had both held feelings for each other.
They simply did not understand what those feelings were.
Back then, after Ace defeated Vice Admiral Draw, the man who had destroyed Isuka's hometown, Isuka's belief in justice had already begun to waver.
Ace believed she could no longer carry out her duties as a Marine, so he had said something to Isuka that almost sounded like a confession.
"Of course, I won't force you to become a pirate. You can become a bounty hunter. You're strong, so it suits you. Then you can keep aiming for my head. On the same ship…"
Isuka had smiled and teased him.
"What an idiot… Fire Fist, what kind of bounty hunter and target hold hands?"
When Ace said those words, his tone had been so open and sincere that it sounded as if he were simply inviting a friend to sail with him.
He had not noticed the ambiguity in his words at all.
But in the end, when they parted, Isuka still chose to stay behind alone and did not go with him.
In the heart of the Ace from back then, he had always believed he was not worthy of being liked by anyone.
And whenever that point was exposed, a shadow would instantly fall over his face and eyes.
So at that time, he had silently accepted Isuka staying behind.
But Isuka did not see it that way.
In her eyes, Ace was a man like the sun.
Everyone admired him. Even his enemies could not help looking at him differently.
He would always be the center around which people gathered.
Yet because he shone too brightly, the sun was destined to be lonely. No one could approach him, and he could not approach anyone either.
The moment someone stood too close, they would be set aflame.
After that, Ace entered the New World, and the two parted ways.
That vague, hazy affection was left unresolved all the way until now.
…
After Cain snapped back to himself, he looked toward his grandfather with a hint of understanding in his voice.
"You're not planning to make Ace join the Seven Warlords, are you? You came all the way to the Sabaody Archipelago to find me because you wanted to ask about his whereabouts?"
Garp scratched the back of his head and burst out laughing.
"Bwahahaha! You saw through that too? This time, the proposal to have Ace join the Seven Warlords was still Isuka's idea. This girl did her homework properly! She put together a comprehensive, systematic analysis of the pros and cons and actually convinced the entire Marine high command."
"It was nothing, Vice Admiral Garp."
Isuka hugged the documents in her arms, her face faintly red.
"When I heard that Ace was going to be executed, I hurriedly organized all of those materials. I only wanted to save him, but I also couldn't betray the justice in my heart… so I used every legal method permitted by the World Government."
"Bwahahaha! That drive of yours is exactly what this old man admires! You really are a qualified Marine!"
Garp laughed loudly.
Cain, however, could not help feeling a headache coming on.
No, wait.
The one who should have a headache was Ace.
Isuka had practically maxed out the old man's favorability already!
"That is true."
Sengoku took over from the side, his expression serious.
"The situation in the New World is now in chaos. The Marines must make arrangements as early as possible. If we can have Fire Fist Ace join the Seven Warlords, not only can we establish the Marines' authority, but we can also—"
"We can also let that brat Ace be protected by this old man, so he'll never repeat what happened during the Summit War again!"
Garp abruptly interrupted Sengoku and snorted irritably.
"In the end, wasn't that whole mess at the Summit War your fault?"
"Hmph. That was my duty! You bastard Garp, I gave you so many hints. Didn't you notice any of them?"
Sengoku immediately snapped back.
"What hints? You were asking this old man all kinds of questions every day. How was I supposed to think that deeply?"
"Hah. Is your brain growing inside your fists? You ran to my office every day to drink tea, and yet you didn't notice a single thing wrong."
"This old man went to your office because I cared about you!"
"You were slacking off. Stop using that as an excuse."
Isuka stood to the side, watching as the Fleet Admiral of the Marines and the Hero of the Marines wrestled together with absolutely no dignity.
"It's fine. Those two old men have been like this for a long time."
Cain spoke at just the right time to smooth things over.
But Isuka suddenly turned her head, her eyes shining as she looked at "Cain's" refined, delicate face.
"You're that famous songstress Uta who's been making waves recently, aren't you…"
Before she could finish, Uta had already quickly stepped in front of Cain.
She reached out, wrapped an arm around his head, and pressed him against her shoulder, looking as if she were declaring ownership.
Then she turned toward Isuka and asked loudly, "SO? WHAT BUSINESS DO YOU HAVE HERE, MISS MARINE?"
Only then did Isuka come back to herself and hurriedly speak.
"Oh, I almost forgot the important matter."
By coincidence, Garp and Sengoku also stopped wrestling at that moment and both turned to look over.
"After the war ended a few days ago, Marines from all over the world had to return to their respective branches."
"Although the Marines have a dedicated cable car that can cross the Red Line, quite a few Marines are still stranded at the Marine base on the Sabaody Archipelago."
"Right now, the base is seriously short on beds. Even the warships are almost full. Of course, that includes the one you two came on, Fleet Admiral and Vice Admiral."
"In other words, if you plan to stay overnight tonight, then even with your identities as Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp, the base can only free up one bed."
"What did you say?"
Sengoku instantly panicked.
It had not been easy for him to get out of Marineford. If he had to return tonight, whether he could get out again would be a problem.
On top of that, there were people sleeping on the warship, so they could not even sail it.
Just as he was worrying, Garp had already made the decision.
"What about you, little girl? Your bed hasn't been arranged yet, has it? In that case, the bed specially prepared for us will be yours."
"How could I possibly accept that, Vice Admiral?"
Isuka hurriedly waved her hands.
"Hey, don't be so distant. Those materials you organized helped us solve a huge problem. Just accept it with peace of mind! Besides, the two of us have somewhere to sleep."
As Garp spoke, he turned to look at Cain.
Cain immediately understood and nodded with a meaningful smile appearing on his face.
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