_________ POV Narration_________
Enel and Hina walked down the halls of Marineford, no one stopped them as they made their way towards the Fleet Admiral's office.
They had passed by other high-ranking marines on their way there. Hina did salute them formally, but Enel didn't really bother, which earned him a few odd gazes.
Some of the more prideful marines even wanted to walk up to him and call him out on his disrespect.
But they were stopped by their peers, as many already knew who Enel was.
There were already rumours circling around of Enel, the well-dressed man with long earlobes that had taken down an entire pirate colony by himself, racking up bounties of at least 900 million in total.
This big of a catch was extremely uncommon, even better, he had cleared up an island that was considered a bastion for crime and a hotspot for pirates.
This would end up giving the pirates of the world even fewer resting places and hopefully discouraging some from taking up that profession.
Although he wasn't even a recruit yet, he already had quite a reputation. This did piss off some of the more jealous marines, but Enel wasn't exactly one to care for that.
Hina also didn't seem to care about the reactions the other marines were showing, she was just speaking to him casually while leading him to Sengoku.
The two of them reached the office rather easily. Enel could see the large door in front of him, the sign on the door clearly stating that it was the room where the most influential man in the navy worked.
Enel had retracted his observation haki while in Marineford, he didn't know if the marines had any way to detect it, Hina sure didn't, but he didn't want to take that chance with Sengoku and Garp of all people.
Walking in, Hina once again saluted her superiors. Two people were already in the room, one of them being Sengoku, of course, and the other was Garp, the hero of the marines.
The two of them usually stuck together when Garp wasn't out travelling around the 4 seas or the Grand Line, so Enel wasn't exactly shocked that Luffy's grandfather was present.
"Hina is here! This is Enel, the one Hina has been telling you about." Hina was also quick to introduce Enel to the two legendary figures in front of them
Garp looked exactly as portrayed in the show, even eating rice crackers while slouching on the couch with no regard for anything.
Sengoku's Afro was also just as magnificent as Enel had remembered it being. His serious demeanour and gaze were a stark contrast to Garp's... Well, everything.
"Thank you, Hina. You may retreat for now..." Sengoku sent Hina away, the pink-haired woman looked a bit reluctant, but she couldn't exactly disrespect Sengoku's orders, so she just nodded and left.
Garp didn't seem too bothered, although he did study the newcomer with a rather close eye.
Sengoku waited for the door to close again behind Hina, after which he stared Enel straight in the eyes.
"I will be honest with you, your appearance wasn't something we expected and it is completely suspicious." Enel raised an eyebrow at that.
He figured he would appear as suspicious to Sengoku, the man was rather well-known for being smart and calculating, he wouldn't have reached the position of Fleet Admiral otherwise.
But Enel didn't expect Sengoku to express his suspicions so openly. Even Garp looked at his old friend a bit weirdly.
"That is understandable..." Enel said, his hopes for the ensuing recruitment becoming lesser by the second.
"However, you seem to have made quite the impression on Hina, as well as quite a few other marines... I will choose to trust their instincts at this time, especially since we could use a fighter like you." Sengoku then spoke out with a smile, but the message in his words was also rather plain to see.
He wasn't sure of Enel, he knew of him only from others. He trusted his subordinates, but he didn't trust Enel. In short, he was going to be keeping an eye on Enel.
"I am thankful for even that." Enel nodded once, before looking Sengoku in the eyes.
"Good... Now, I was going to run a few tests on you, psychologically speaking, to figure out where you stand and what type of person you are.
But Hina's reports already tell me plenty about that, and I doubt you'd do something stupid enough as to contradict what you've told her..."
At this point Enel also noticed it, the Fleet Admiral was rather interested in him. Maybe it was because Marines didn't have many rising stars?
Regardless, skipping the mandatory tests showed that he did truly want to have Enel as a marine.
"Thank you, Fleet Admiral Sengoku," Enel said as he took a small bow.
"Don't thank me yet. Now we get to the point of contention... What rank would someone like you be given?" Sengoku even stroked his chin as he spoke.
Enel considered it a miracle that Garp hadn't spoken up yet, he also found it strange that the old man was still studying him.
"Making you a regular soldier would be fair to the others, but it would be a disservice to the achievements you've racked up in such a short time." At this point, Enel realised that his plan worked, and it worked perfectly.
'The marines are a lot more desperate for promising recruits than I had foreseen...'
"Get to the point Sengoku!" Garp said from the side, choking on a rice cracker as he rolled his eyes at his old friend's long-windedness.
Sengoku looked at Garp with a scowl on his face. After a deep sigh, he looked back at Enel, who was doing his best to suppress a small chuckle.
"... In short, you will be made a Rear Admiral. But you will have to fight someone within the marines in a public match in order to solidify that role.
Many know of what you've done, but no one really knows of your strength, if you want no one to complain about your ranking, then you need to prove your strength against one of our best..."
Enel simply nodded his head, this was all still within his expectations.
"You're fighting me, kid!" Garp said to the side, making Enel's head snap towards him in that instant.
Numerous thoughts were going through his head as he looked back at Sengoku with a startled gaze.
"... You really don't know anything about subtlety?! I was getting there!" Sengoku berated his old friend for spoiling his fun.
"Ah, shut it." Garp continued stuffing his face after that.
"Yes, you will be fighting Garp. Now, no one expects you to actually win, or even do any damage. This is more so that we have an understanding of your limits."
Enel took a sigh of relief internally when hearing that explanation.
_________ POV Enel _________
Disaster dodged, huh?
But I guess it makes sense this way. They wouldn't expect a newcomer to actually beat the Marine Hero.
"I understand, thank you for clarifying the situation, Fleet Admiral," I said with a slight bow. I am rather grateful for how things turned out.
Getting the position of Rear Admiral right from the start is a lot more than I was expecting... Does this mean that I am becoming Hina's superior?
"Don't get too excited, young man. Your position will be more of an honorary one. You will still have some training to go through before you are actually leading any troops on the sea."
"I wouldn't have it any other way..."
Seriously, I don't want to lead anyone anywhere. I'm just here to learn your techniques, then I'll get out of your hair.
"Good! Well, what are we waiting for? Let's start heading for the training grounds. The rest of the marines present at this base will bear witness to this." Sengoku got up from his chair, and so did Garp.
I had forgotten how tall the leading figures of the marines are... Both Garp and Sengoku seem to be taller than me, although Sengoku isn't by all that much.
"Well, it's as good a time as any..."
__________________________________________________________________
Hope you liked the chapter! More about Sengoku's plans will be explained later :))
If u want to support me look up VeganMaster on Patre_on, you'd also get 10 chapters in advance (or 5 depending on tier)
_________ POV Narration_________
Enel and Hina walked down the halls of Marineford, no one stopped them as they made their way towards the Fleet Admiral's office.
They had passed by other high-ranking marines on their way there. Hina did salute them formally, but Enel didn't really bother, which earned him a few odd gazes.
Some of the more prideful marines even wanted to walk up to him and call him out on his disrespect.
But they were stopped by their peers, as many already knew who Enel was.
There were already rumours circling around of Enel, the well-dressed man with long earlobes that had taken down an entire pirate colony by himself, racking up bounties of at least 900 million in total.
This big of a catch was extremely uncommon, even better, he had cleared up an island that was considered a bastion for crime and a hotspot for pirates.
This would end up giving the pirates of the world even fewer resting places and hopefully discouraging some from taking up that profession.
Although he wasn't even a recruit yet, he already had quite a reputation. This did piss off some of the more jealous marines, but Enel wasn't exactly one to care for that.
Hina also didn't seem to care about the reactions the other marines were showing, she was just speaking to him casually while leading him to Sengoku.
The two of them reached the office rather easily. Enel could see the large door in front of him, the sign on the door clearly stating that it was the room where the most influential man in the navy worked.
Enel had retracted his observation haki while in Marineford, he didn't know if the marines had any way to detect it, Hina sure didn't, but he didn't want to take that chance with Sengoku and Garp of all people.
Walking in, Hina once again saluted her superiors. Two people were already in the room, one of them being Sengoku, of course, and the other was Garp, the hero of the marines.
The two of them usually stuck together when Garp wasn't out travelling around the 4 seas or the Grand Line, so Enel wasn't exactly shocked that Luffy's grandfather was present.
"Hina is here! This is Enel, the one Hina has been telling you about." Hina was also quick to introduce Enel to the two legendary figures in front of them
Garp looked exactly as portrayed in the show, even eating rice crackers while slouching on the couch with no regard for anything.
Sengoku's Afro was also just as magnificent as Enel had remembered it being. His serious demeanour and gaze were a stark contrast to Garp's... Well, everything.
"Thank you, Hina. You may retreat for now..." Sengoku sent Hina away, the pink-haired woman looked a bit reluctant, but she couldn't exactly disrespect Sengoku's orders, so she just nodded and left.
Garp didn't seem too bothered, although he did study the newcomer with a rather close eye.
Sengoku waited for the door to close again behind Hina, after which he stared Enel straight in the eyes.
"I will be honest with you, your appearance wasn't something we expected and it is completely suspicious." Enel raised an eyebrow at that.
He figured he would appear as suspicious to Sengoku, the man was rather well-known for being smart and calculating, he wouldn't have reached the position of Fleet Admiral otherwise.
But Enel didn't expect Sengoku to express his suspicions so openly. Even Garp looked at his old friend a bit weirdly.
"That is understandable..." Enel said, his hopes for the ensuing recruitment becoming lesser by the second.
"However, you seem to have made quite the impression on Hina, as well as quite a few other marines... I will choose to trust their instincts at this time, especially since we could use a fighter like you." Sengoku then spoke out with a smile, but the message in his words was also rather plain to see.
He wasn't sure of Enel, he knew of him only from others. He trusted his subordinates, but he didn't trust Enel. In short, he was going to be keeping an eye on Enel.
"I am thankful for even that." Enel nodded once, before looking Sengoku in the eyes.
"Good... Now, I was going to run a few tests on you, psychologically speaking, to figure out where you stand and what type of person you are.
But Hina's reports already tell me plenty about that, and I doubt you'd do something stupid enough as to contradict what you've told her..."
At this point Enel also noticed it, the Fleet Admiral was rather interested in him. Maybe it was because Marines didn't have many rising stars?
Regardless, skipping the mandatory tests showed that he did truly want to have Enel as a marine.
"Thank you, Fleet Admiral Sengoku," Enel said as he took a small bow.
"Don't thank me yet. Now we get to the point of contention... What rank would someone like you be given?" Sengoku even stroked his chin as he spoke.
Enel considered it a miracle that Garp hadn't spoken up yet, he also found it strange that the old man was still studying him.
"Making you a regular soldier would be fair to the others, but it would be a disservice to the achievements you've racked up in such a short time." At this point, Enel realised that his plan worked, and it worked perfectly.
'The marines are a lot more desperate for promising recruits than I had foreseen...'
"Get to the point Sengoku!" Garp said from the side, choking on a rice cracker as he rolled his eyes at his old friend's long-windedness.
Sengoku looked at Garp with a scowl on his face. After a deep sigh, he looked back at Enel, who was doing his best to suppress a small chuckle.
"... In short, you will be made a Rear Admiral. But you will have to fight someone within the marines in a public match in order to solidify that role.
Many know of what you've done, but no one really knows of your strength, if you want no one to complain about your ranking, then you need to prove your strength against one of our best..."
Enel simply nodded his head, this was all still within his expectations.
"You're fighting me, kid!" Garp said to the side, making Enel's head snap towards him in that instant.
Numerous thoughts were going through his head as he looked back at Sengoku with a startled gaze.
"... You really don't know anything about subtlety?! I was getting there!" Sengoku berated his old friend for spoiling his fun.
"Ah, shut it." Garp continued stuffing his face after that.
"Yes, you will be fighting Garp. Now, no one expects you to actually win, or even do any damage. This is more so that we have an understanding of your limits."
Enel took a sigh of relief internally when hearing that explanation.
_________ POV Enel _________
Disaster dodged, huh?
But I guess it makes sense this way. They wouldn't expect a newcomer to actually beat the Marine Hero.
"I understand, thank you for clarifying the situation, Fleet Admiral," I said with a slight bow. I am rather grateful for how things turned out.
Getting the position of Rear Admiral right from the start is a lot more than I was expecting... Does this mean that I am becoming Hina's superior?
"Don't get too excited, young man. Your position will be more of an honorary one. You will still have some training to go through before you are actually leading any troops on the sea."
"I wouldn't have it any other way..."
Seriously, I don't want to lead anyone anywhere. I'm just here to learn your techniques, then I'll get out of your hair.
"Good! Well, what are we waiting for? Let's start heading for the training grounds. The rest of the marines present at this base will bear witness to this." Sengoku got up from his chair, and so did Garp.
I had forgotten how tall the leading figures of the marines are... Both Garp and Sengoku seem to be taller than me, although Sengoku isn't by all that much.
"Well, it's as good a time as any..."
__________________________________________________________________
Hope you liked the chapter! More about Sengoku's plans will be explained later :))
If u want to support me look up VeganMaster on Patre_on, you'd also get 10 chapters in advance (or 5 depending on tier)
