Starting from One Piece with the Rinnegan

A few days had passed since Kaito was officially named as an Admiral Candidate, and Kalifa, Ain, and the others had also returned to Marine Headquarters with their fleet.

As soon as Kalifa and Ain arrived, they headed straight for Kaito's office—they'd already heard that he'd come back earlier than them.

But when they opened the door to his office, they found it completely empty. All the furnishings had been cleared out, making it look like an abandoned room.

The two women were puzzled. After confirming multiple times that they hadn't gone to the wrong place, they ran into a soldier who was cleaning nearby.

It was from him that they learned Kaito had already been assigned a new office after being promoted to Admiral Candidate. His new office wasn't far from Sengoku's.

Upon hearing that, the two women were initially thrilled for Kaito's achievement—then immediately fell silent with exasperation.

No doubt about it—Kaito had deliberately kept this from them, just to watch them hit a wall when they returned.

Understanding his intention, Ain pouted and muttered gloomily,

"Kaito's getting more and more devious!"

Kalifa adjusted her glasses without saying anything. She was long since used to her boss's twisted sense of humor.

Under the soldier's guidance, the two of them found Kaito's new office. When they opened the door, they were greeted by the sight of Kaito smiling at them.

Ignoring him, the two women immediately began surveying the new office.

Compared to the old one, this space was definitely larger and more refined. The furnishings were more elegant, but the most eye-catching part was the large calligraphy scroll hanging on the wall behind Kaito's chair.

"Justice to Protect Peace."

It had been custom-made at Kaito's request. After all, becoming an Admiral meant having a clearly defined view of justice, didn't it?

Of course, that "peace" could easily be interpreted as "nuclear peace," depending on the situation...

After their little tour, Kalifa gracefully walked up to Kaito's desk and said with a smile,

"Congratulations, boss!"

Ain also offered her congratulations. Kaito smiled and replied,

"It's just Admiral Candidate for now. We'll celebrate properly once I actually become an Admiral."

Kalifa and Ain exchanged speechless glances.

"Just" an Admiral Candidate? If it weren't for your ridiculously young age, you'd probably already be an Admiral!

Besides, Kaito was currently the only Admiral Candidate in the entire Marine force—there was no need to spell out what that meant.

Still, as they looked at Kaito's absurdly youthful face, both women couldn't help but sigh inwardly.

This was a true prodigy blessed by the heavens.

After showing off just enough, Kaito stood up, stretched lazily, and said,

"The full Shichibukai will be gathering here over the next few days for their first official meeting. You two are coming with me. A few of them have... pretty odd appearances. Think of it as a trip to the zoo."

Ain didn't care much about their appearances, but she was curious about their strength. She asked,

"I heard these pirates are incredibly powerful. Especially that Mihawk—they say he's the strongest swordsman in the world."

Kalifa shook her head and glanced at Kaito.

"No matter how strong they are, they're no match for the boss. Mihawk loves challenging strong opponents. Kaito might not be a sword user, but it's still possible he'll be targeted. Hopefully, things won't get out of hand."

"Yeah, Kaito, do you think you'll end up fighting Mihawk?" Ain asked.

Kaito spread his hands and shrugged nonchalantly.

"If he wants to fight, I don't mind."

He wasn't really into swordsmanship, but his Susanoo did wield a giant blade over a hundred meters long. And as they say—the longer the reach, the stronger the blade.

Just then, there was a knock at the door, and Momonga walked in.

Seeing him, Kalifa and Ain respectfully stood to Kaito's left and right, falling silent.

Momonga gave them a polite nod. He knew these two had a special relationship with Kaito, and it wouldn't hurt to be courteous.

Kaito's position had already surpassed that of veteran Vice Admirals like him.

And besides, Momonga was aligned with Aokiji's faction, and since Aokiji and Kaito had a good relationship—and the two of them had even gone on a mission together—Momonga's impression of Kaito was among the most favorable in the Vice Admiral ranks.

Turning to Kaito, Momonga reported,

"Vice Admiral Shikiryū, the full Shichibukai lineup has arrived. They're currently gathered at the harbor, and things are getting a bit rowdy. We hope you'll go take a look."

Now that Kaito had an official codename, the other Marine officers addressed him as "Shikiryū" to reflect his special status—after all, he was an Admiral Candidate.

"Oh? That fast? Alright then. Thanks for the heads-up, Vice Admiral Momonga. I'll head over now."

Kaito called for Kalifa and Ain to come along and began walking toward the harbor. Momonga followed behind.

...

At the harbor—

Doflamingo had grabbed a Marine officer by the collar and lifted him up, sneering in his usual bizarre tone,

"What's this? You're the one they sent to greet us? What about the Admirals? Where's Sengoku?"

The other six Shichibukai stood nearby.

Boa Hancock glanced at Doflamingo with disdain and scoffed,

"Disgusting man."

Mihawk stood quietly, arms crossed. He had zero interest in this petty drama.

The only one in the current Marine force who piqued his interest was that young powerhouse.

Naturally, he was referring to Kaito—the one who had just taken down Golden Lion Shiki. Shiki was also a master swordsman, and rumor had it he lost to Kaito in a head-to-head sword duel?

If that was true, as the world's greatest swordsman, Mihawk definitely wanted to see Kaito's strength for himself. That was his primary reason for coming to Marine HQ.

Jinbe was thinking the same. Hachi had already told him about Arlong's fate.

Jinbe was deeply pained by Arlong's death, but given Arlong's actions, he couldn't deny that the man had brought it upon himself.

He wasn't here for revenge. In his eyes, the fact that Kaito had spared Hachi already spoke volumes.

He just wanted to meet Kaito in person, to get a feel for what kind of Marine he really was, and what attitude he held toward fishmen.

Meanwhile, Moria, Kuma, and Crocodile were basically treating this as a sightseeing trip, each lost in their own thoughts.

As for the Marine officer being held by Doflamingo—he wasn't backing down. Even as his face turned purple from lack of oxygen, he glared fiercely at Doflamingo and spat out through gritted teeth,

"You're just a pirate! This is Marine Headquarters. We don't tolerate trash like you running wild here!"

His words made the rest of the Shichibukai pause and glance his way.

Even Mihawk and Jinbe showed a hint of appreciation in their eyes. They weren't offended by the outburst—just different sides of the same war, after all.

Doflamingo's brow furrowed before twisting into a sinister smile.

"Fufufufufu... Still got a spine, huh? I like guys like you."

As he spoke, he suddenly raised his other hand. If you looked closely, you'd notice five shimmering threads stretching from his fingers—he was about to attack.

Mihawk and Jinbe both frowned. Jinbe, the "Knight of the Sea," summoned a droplet of water into his right hand, ready to intervene.

This was Marine Headquarters, after all. No matter what, he wasn't going to let a straight-laced Marine officer die in front of him.

Just then, a cold voice came from behind Doflamingo.

"Do I have to tell you not to move again?"

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Pls Drop some Power Stones

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