One Piece: I am the Fleet Admiral?

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What the hell?

Someone is accusing me, the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, of a crime?

Akira took a deep breath of thick smoke but couldn't exhale it.

Even Tsuru and Rouge looked at Sengoku in surprise.

"This is the letter sent by the other party," Sengoku said, pointing to the document on top.

Akira took it without a word.

He wanted to see who had the audacity and foolishness to accuse him of crimes against the Fleet Admiral within the Marine Search Bureau that he himself established.

And he really wanted to know—what crime had he supposedly committed without even knowing it?

"Dear Fleet Admiral of the Marines,"

"Akira-sama, hello!"

"I am stage star Victoria Cindry from West Blue. You might not remember me, so let me explain. 

A few months ago, you arranged for soldiers to ask me to cooperate with a voluntary performance, and personally announced to the world through the newspaper that I only admire the heroic soldiers of the Marines. At that time, I fully supported your request.

In this hateful era of the Great Pirates, if I could contribute even a little...

But your 'brave soldier,' Hogback, has harassed me too much...

I really don't like him!

Forgive me for accusing you of 'deceiving young girls,' but there was no other way to reach someone as high up as you.

I hope you can help me."

Akira read through the entire letter and fell silent, unsure of what to say.

When he implemented the matchmaking plan, he hadn't thought much of it.

Asking male and female celebrities from all over to support it publicly was just a way to brainwash the populace, making them see marrying Marines as an honor, without resistance.

But he hadn't expected Hogback, who would later become a member of the Warlord Moria's crew, to follow the trend and join the Marines.

And he had indeed earned the title of "Brave Soldier," using it to pursue Victoria Cindry, who was still single.

Akira honestly had no knowledge of this.

At the time, there were so many heroic soldiers reported in each issue, it was impossible for him to keep track of every one.

And he was extremely busy, with many plans to implement and countless romantic stories to review.

Busy!

As a result, Victoria Cindry, an unbearably pursued star, had come directly to him.

"Hogback just happens to be at headquarters, though he should've been on the Grand Line," Sengoku observed, noticing Akira's embarrassment.

"Huh? Why is he at headquarters?" Akira asked, puzzled.

"That's in the second document I'm going to report," Sengoku said, handing over another file. "His name is on the list of talents recommended by various bases to the headquarters."

Akira took the file, his expression growing more complex.

"He's a genius, a surgical genius. The brave warriors fighting at sea are in great need of his medical skills."

"The data shows that the casualty rate has been reduced by more than 80% on all the missions he's participated in."

Tsuru's eyes widened in surprise.

Over 80%—what does that mean?

In other words, out of a hundred soldiers who were likely to die after fighting pirates, eighty survived.

This... 

Even Tsuru had never heard of such a success rate in saving lives.

Akira was also slightly surprised, but he quickly accepted it.

You must understand, this guy's future reputation would be so great that it would spread from West Blue all the way to Drum Island on the Grand Line.

In the era of the Great Pirate, transportation was very inconvenient. For his reputation to spread so far speaks volumes about his exceptional medical skills.

"There's a shortage of instructors for surgical operations at the academy, and he would be a perfect fit," Akira said.

For someone with such talent, it would be a waste if he didn't train a large number of students for the Marines and justice, like Zephyr did.

"I thought so too, but..." Sengoku hesitated, looking uncomfortable.

"What's the problem?"

"This guy believes the reason Victoria Cindry rejected him is because he didn't earn the Brave Soldier medal by killing pirates."

Sengoku let out a long sigh, speaking in a conflicted tone: "So now he insists on using his limited strength to fight a hundred pirates!"

Tsuru: "..."

Rouge: "..."

Akira: "..."

It felt as though a few crows flew across the ceiling of the Fleet Admiral's office.

"Ah, love really makes people do crazy things," Akira muttered, shaking his head as he started thinking.

If Hogback hadn't joined the Marines, that would've been one thing. But now that he had, Akira couldn't let him go off the rails—not until his full value had been extracted.

If he allowed Hogback to recklessly fight pirates, it could easily turn into a situation where the Marines would suffer a huge loss if something went wrong.

So, he needed to find a way to keep Hogback focused on teaching and training future talents at the academy.

But... who would Hogback listen to?

Akira tapped his fingers on the table, deep in thought.

As he pondered, everyone present involuntarily turned their eyes toward Victoria Cindry's letter.

"It seems we all had the same thought," Akira said calmly.

"Indeed, if we want to keep Hogback in line, she might be our only option."

"A lovestruck guy can be quite predictable."

"But considering she wrote the letter to get rid of him, you might be setting yourself up for trouble by pushing her back into the situation. It's almost like committing the same crime of deceiving a young girl again."

Akira's face remained expressionless.

His plan was simply to let Victoria Cindry string Hogback along, like Poseidon playing with fish.

Not only could she contribute to justice, but she wouldn't suffer much loss either.

After all, an instructor at the Marine Academy doesn't come home often.

"Tsuru, I'll leave the task of persuading Victoria Cindry to you. Make sure she agrees."

"I understand."

Tsuru nodded and took the letter.

"Anything else?" Akira asked Sengoku.

Sengoku shook his head.

He had come for these matters, and there was no need to trouble the Fleet Admiral with other trivial issues.

Seeing this, Akira picked up the talent list in his hand.

It was standard practice for various bases to recommend talents to headquarters every year.

Those who were selected would enter the academy, receive training from Zephyr, and then serve directly at headquarters.

Six years ago, Akira entered Marine Headquarters through the same process.

So he didn't think much of it.

But suddenly, a name flashed before his eyes.

Akira's pupils narrowed slightly, and he pulled back the documents he was about to hand over.

After a serious look, he found the name that had caught his attention.

"Vergo?"

Akira muttered to himself.

Sengoku heard him and immediately responded, "This young man is on the list of talents. He's incredibly gifted and has a great personality."

"I've observed him—he's very righteous, friendly, and often helps his colleagues selflessly."

"As for his strength, I'm not entirely sure yet, but reports from the branch indicate that his martial arts and physical fitness are exceptional."

"A few days ago, while on vacation in a certain kingdom, he happened to encounter a pirate crew led by a Donquixote Family officer trying to invade, and he miraculously repelled them all by himself. His performance was impressive."

As Akira listened, the corners of his mouth twitched involuntarily.

A member of Doflamingo's crew who's friendly and approachable? That has to be a joke.

And "just happened" to encounter pirates while on vacation, then repelled them single-handedly?

This sounded all too familiar.

Damn, isn't this just copying his own past deeds?

There was no doubt in his mind—this was all staged by Vergo and the Donquixote Family.

What a scumbag!

But Akira also understood that Vergo was likely sent in advance by Doflamingo to infiltrate the Marines.

Tap, tap, tap, tap!

The crisp sound of fingers tapping on the table echoed through the room.

Sengoku and Tsuru exchanged puzzled looks, unsure why Akira was so focused on Vergo.

They could see he was deep in thought but had no idea why.

So, they waited quietly.

After a long pause, Akira snapped back to reality and looked at Sengoku and Tsuru. "I recall that when Zephyr wiped out the global mafia, we confiscated a lot of their assets, right?"

"Yes, but some were too tainted, so we abandoned them. The rest, the headquarters didn't have time to manage," Sengoku replied.

"So... Rosinante is about to go on a mission around the world. Let him take Vergo along," Akira suggested, adjusting his glasses and smiling slightly. "Tell him I have a good impression of this kid who has a similar background to mine, and that I'm keeping an eye on him."

"If he helps Rosinante clean up the global mafia operations and successfully brings back 100 billion berries, then..."

Akira paused before continuing with a smile, "As Fleet Admiral, I'll personally train him."

Sengoku's breath hitched. "Are you serious?"

Being personally trained by the Fleet Admiral would not only greatly enhance Vergo's strength but also give him a powerful background. It was clear that if Vergo ended up by Akira's side, his future would be incredibly bright.

"Of course. Go ahead and have Rosinante take him."

"Understood. I'll handle it immediately."

Without another word, Sengoku turned and left.

As Sengoku disappeared down the corridor, Tsuru, who had been silent until now, finally spoke up.

"What's the issue with Vergo?" she asked.

If there wasn't something wrong, it was hard to explain why Akira would be so deliberate, even when he only knew Vergo by name.

"The 'similar background' explanation might work on others, but it doesn't fool me," Tsuru said.

Akira didn't want to hide it from her.

He dealt with significant events every day, but it was impossible to keep track of every small detail. It was better to have Tsuru take precautions on his behalf.

"Well, he does have some issues, but it's nothing too serious—just keep an eye on him," Akira said.

Tsuru nodded thoughtfully.

But she quickly set the matter aside, placing a stack of documents on the table and pushing them toward Akira.

"Fleet Admiral Akira, it's time to deal with these emergencies."

"Is it all bad news?"

"Yes," Tsuru replied, nodding without hesitation.

Akira sighed, patting his forehead. "Then give me some good news first, so I'll be in the mood to go through the pile of bad news."

Tsuru's eyes rolled as she quickly thought of something positive.

"There's a lot of good news, but the biggest one should be about the clones."

"During your cultivation, Rehabilitation centers from various locations, the god of fortune branch, and those Impel Down's transformation leaves have been sent to various bases and warships."

"Those who received the Transformation Leaf have achieved significant victories every time!"

"Furthermore, according to data from the General Staff Department, the daily production of replicas is now balanced with their usage, effectively matching income and expenditure."

"So, the high-ranking officers at headquarters are now free to take on more assignments."

Akira smiled as he heard this and nodded, saying, "That's indeed good news."

When the output and usage of the replicas are balanced, it indicates that the plan involving the gods is progressing well.

Now, he no longer needs to focus on expanding the replication process; he can concentrate all his energy on ending the era of the Great Pirates.

"Alright, after the good news, let's move on to the bad news."

The smile on Akira's face faded.

But what must be faced cannot be avoided.

He took a deep breath, picked up the stack of documents, and began reading them carefully.

As he read, his expression grew increasingly grim.

The atmosphere in the Fleet Admiral's office became tense and suffocating.

Rouge swallowed nervously, feeling a tightness in her chest for some reason.

After a long while, Akira finally finished reading the last document.

But he didn't say a word. Instead, he lit another cigar, leaned back in his chair, and began to think.

Tsuru's expression was serious as well. She waited silently for Akira's instructions.

Meanwhile, at 5:30 AM, in Marineford Square, young talents from various bases had gathered, looking around with a mix of curiosity and nervousness.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

With his plump, oval-shaped body and long protruding nose, Hogback grinned, revealing his four devil-like fangs.

Despite being isolated by everyone because of his appearance, he didn't seem to care at all.

"This is Marine Headquarters? As long as I train here, I'm sure I can become strong enough to kill 100 pirates by myself and earn the title of a true heroic soldier," Hogback muttered to himself.

"Then, I'll propose to Victoria Cindry again."

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Seemingly lost in thoughts of a happy future, Hogback laughed loudly.

No matter how ugly this guy might be, that laugh was truly unpleasant.

He really made people want to silence him!

Not far away, surrounded by others like a star surrounded by moons, Vergo stood with bread crumbs on his face, maintaining a gentle smile. But his thoughts were far darker.

As everyone stood lost in their own thoughts, Rosinante appeared before them, his cloak of justice billowing.

The field went silent.

"Who's Vergo here?"

"Report, sir! I'm Vergo."

Though Vergo was momentarily surprised by being called out, he quickly stepped forward and left the formation, standing at attention.

"The Fleet Admiral knows of your deeds and thinks highly of you," Rosinante said after carefully looking him over. "Now, there's a mission—are you willing to accept it?"

"Please, give me the order," Vergo responded.

"Come with me on missions around the world. If you complete them successfully, the Fleet Admiral will personally train you in the future."

...

Hiss...

Before Vergo could respond, the other young recruits gasped in shock at the news.

To arrive at Marineford and be immediately recognized by the Fleet Admiral, with the promise of personal training upon completing a mission—how lucky could someone get?

"Is Vergo's family blessed by the heavens? This is too enviable."

"Damn, why didn't I get this opportunity?"

"Wow, does this mean he doesn't have to train like the rest of us?"

The murmurs and jealousy from those around him snapped Vergo out of his daze.

To be honest, even with all he had experienced growing up, the sudden news had caught him off guard.

"I swear to the death to complete the task!" Vergo responded loudly, offering a crisp salute.

There was no hesitation—he had infiltrated the Marines to get close to the top levels, gain easy access to first-hand information, and pave the way for Doflamingo's future.

With such a golden opportunity before him, only a fool would refuse it.

Rosinante then led Vergo away from Marineford.

That night, Doflamingo, who was waiting for his Log Pose to reset on an island in the Grand Line, received a call from Vergo.

The next day, Doflamingo, along with his officers, set out against the tide of the sea.