Shortly after, Zephyr arrived at Sengoku's office. At the moment, he had no idea why Sengoku had summoned him.
"Zephyr, what's the situation with Sean?"
Hearing this and glancing at the excited expression on Antonio's face, Zephyr seemed to put the pieces together. So, this guy had gone directly to Sengoku to demand the boy?
If he had known it would come to this, he should have hit the kid harder last time—enough to keep him bedridden for a whole year.
Indeed... he had been far too merciful.
"Sean wants to learn the art of sword-smithing, so he applied for three months of leave to study with the sword-forging unit," Zephyr explained.
"Learning to forge swords? He wants to spend three months as a blacksmith? Is this some kind of joke?" Sengoku was speechless. "Send him back immediately. Don't let such incredible talent go to waste."
Sengoku had completely forgotten about the sword resting on his desk. Beside him, Antonio's excited expression instantly soured.
'Even if you are the Fleet Admiral, could you show some consideration for my feelings?' Antonio thought bitterly. 'What do you mean being a blacksmith is a waste of youth? All professions have equal dignity!'
"Sengoku, there's less than a month left in the agreement I made with Sean. Since there's not much time left, let's stick to the deal," Zephyr said, shaking his head. "That way, he can get this out of his system. If you force him back into the Elite Training Camp now, he'll only be resentful and unable to focus on his training, which would be counterproductive."
"Hmph, fair enough. Do as you suggest, but the moment the time is up, he must return to the camp immediately!"
"No problem. I'll personally bring the brat back in a month," Zephyr nodded.
Unable to hold back any longer, Antonio blurted out, "Fleet Admiral, the sword! Look at the sword!!"
"Right, the sword! How could I forget?"
"Huh? What sword are you talking about?" Zephyr was confused, completely out of the loop.
"Zephyr, look at this blade!" Sengoku pointed to the sword on his desk.
Though puzzled, Zephyr picked up the weapon and drew the blade.
'Sss...'
"A fine blade. Which of the twenty-one Great Grade swords is this?"
As a former Admiral, Zephyr had a keen eye. The moment the steel was exposed, he could determine its rank. However, he had studied the catalogs of famous blades, and this one left no impression on him. It didn't seem to be among the Great Grade swords, nor the Supreme Grade.
'Could it be a Skillful Skillful Grade Sword?' he wondered. But even then, he didn't recognize it.
"The sword-forging unit just finished making it!" Sengoku replied.
"Impossible. With their half-baked skills, they could actually forge something like this?"
These words hit Antonio harder than Sengoku's previous comments. 'Half-baked? That's going too far, hey!!'
"Ahem," Sengoku coughed. "According to Antonio, this was forged by Sean—less than half an hour ago."
"Impossible!" Zephyr denied it instantly. "Sean has only been there for two months. How could he go from knowing nothing to becoming a master smith? Besides, among the existing master smiths, few could forge a blade of this caliber."
To Zephyr, this was simply illogical. It defied all science.
However, considering the talent Sean had displayed in learning and physical training... perhaps, maybe, just a tiny bit of a possibility? Zephyr suddenly felt uncertain.
Just then—'knock, knock, knock!'
"Come in!"
"Fleet Admiral, my mission is complete. I have come to report!"
The door opened, and a tall, stunning woman stepped inside. A Marine Vice Admiral's coat draped over her shoulders. It was clear that this woman, possessing an incredible figure, was a high-ranking officer. Furthermore, she was a very special existence within the Marine—an Admiral candidate known by the code name Momousagi.
"Gion, you've returned at the perfect time. Take a look at this sword and give us your thoughts. After all, you're more of a professional in this field than Zephyr or I."
In terms of pure swordsmanship, Gion was one of the strongest in the entire Marine. Her research into famous blades far exceeded that of Sengoku and Zephyr. While there was still a significant gap between her and Hawkeye, she had nonetheless stepped into the realm of the Great Swordmasters.
Once, Koshiro had told Kuina that female swordsmen could never become the World's Greatest Swordsman due to physical limitations. In truth, Gion's very existence served as a contradiction to that claim.
Though curious, the moment Gion took the sword from Zephyr, she was shocked. She felt a connection, as if the blade were linked to her very bloodline—a feeling she had never experienced even with her own blade, Kinkunro.
"An exquisite blade. It is already very close to the level of a Supreme Grade!" Gion declared. "I happened to leave Kinkunro with someone for maintenance upon my return. This blade is mine now!"
The room fell into a dead silence.
They had asked her to examine the sword and give an opinion. Instead of an opinion, she had simply claimed it as her own. Most importantly, from the moment Gion took the sword, she hadn't flinched once.
'Could it be... the sword didn't attack her with Sword Energy, but instead chose its master?'
"Fleet Admiral, in the Marine, is there anyone more qualified to own such a blade than I?"
"That's true, but..."
"Since the Fleet Admiral agrees, this blade belongs to me from now on. Since Captain Antonio is here, I must mention that this scabbard is hideously ugly. I will draw up a design for you shortly; please have one crafted for me as quickly as possible."
"Yes, no problem—ah, wait! No!!"
Antonio had instinctively agreed before realizing what was happening. He wanted to slap himself.
"Vice Admiral Gion, to be honest, this blade was forged by Sean Campbell. It was finished only half an hour ago and hasn't even been named yet. Therefore, even if you want it, you must first obtain Sean's consent..."
"Sean Campbell?" Gion tilted her head. "Who is that?"
Gion knew almost every renowned smith in the world, but she had never heard of a name like that.
"Gion, Sean is a boy Garp picked up from a deserted island a few months ago. He's fifteen years old and currently a disciple of Zephyr," Sengoku explained.
Seeing the confusion on Gion's face, Sengoku explained, "Oh, he's a fifteen-year-old student. His talent for sword-smithing is quite impressive!"
"Vice Admiral Gion is absolutely right!" Antonio added, eager to please. He first buttered her up with a few compliments before casually revealing his true intentions. "Sean achieved this after only two months of study. If we keep him in the Sword-Smithing Unit, the Marine might even be able to mass-produce Great Grade swords, or perhaps even Supreme Grade ones!"
However...
"Keep him in the Sword-Smithing Unit?" Gion shot Antonio a glare, her voice cold and merciless. "Are you trying to ruin him? With a bunch of half-baked amateurs like you, you won't be of any help; you'll only drag him down!"
'Good grief,' Antonio thought, 'the three people in front of me are each more ruthless than the last when they speak...'
"However, you were right about one thing," Gion continued after a brief moment of contemplation. "I should indeed get Sean's consent. Captain Antonio, please lead the way."
If Sengoku had found the sword elsewhere, or if the Marine had confiscated it from a pirate, Gion would have simply taken it. As she had mentioned, no one in the entire Marine was more deserving of this blade than she was. But if the sword had been forged by a smith within the Marine, the situation was different. Out of respect, she felt she needed the creator's approval to claim it.
A moment later, Sengoku and Zephyr were left staring in confusion as Antonio was led away by Gion.
Wasn't the plan just for Gion to look at the sword and provide a professional opinion? What exactly was happening now?