Navy Headquarters, Marshal's Office.
Sephiroth knocked once, then pushed the door open and stepped inside without waiting for a reply.
Sengoku set down the documents in his hands. He nudged his glasses up the bridge of his nose, a flicker of surprise in his expression.
"I didn't expect you back at Marineford so soon."
Sephiroth shrugged and dropped into the chair across from Sengoku's desk. "You said you were promoting me. Giving me a raise. Shouldn't I hurry back?"
He leaned back, casual. "So I took the warship straight across the Calm Belt."
The Calm Belt—the sea that separated the Grand Line from the Four Blues—was a place of stillness and terror. Its greatest threat lay beneath the surface: Sea Kings that could rise without warning to crush a ship.
Unless, of course, you had someone on board who could kill Sea Kings with ease.
To men like Hawkeye or Rayleigh, the Calm Belt was a minor inconvenience. They crossed it freely. And Red-Haired Shanks was even bolder—he and his crew would sometimes row the *Red Force* back and forth through it on a whim.
To the weak, it was a death trap. To the strong, it was just another stretch of water.
The distance from the Navy's 16th Branch to Marineford wasn't far in a straight line. Cutting across the Calm Belt from East Blue had taken him just over a week.
"Your three-year disciplinary period is over," Sengoku said, his tone shifting to something official. "I am prepared to promote you directly from Commodore to Vice Admiral. You will be appointed Commander of the G-4 Branch. What do you say?"
Sephiroth let out a low whistle. "That's a bold move. Uprooting Major Mouse and his gang a few months ago was a decent merit, but using it to jump me to Vice Admiral? A bit of a stretch, but I'll take it."
He tilted his head. "But making me the Commander of a first-half Grand Line G-Branch right out of the gate? A lot of people won't like that. How many Vice Admirals are waiting for a posting like that?"
On the Grand Line, every G-Branch—except the rogue-infested G-5—commanded serious power and territory. The ones in the first half, Paradise, were especially prestigious.
A G-Branch Commander could mobilize over two thousand soldiers from their own base, plus call upon the forces of every regional branch along their assigned sea route to hunt Pirates.
The Navy might seem helpless against the Emperors in the New World, even permissive at times.
But in Paradise? They held nothing back. Fleets were mobilized, encirclements launched. It was that relentless pressure that forced so many Pirate crews into the New World—a meat grinder where the weak were devoured.
Not every Pirate crew dreamed of challenging Emperors and claiming the throne. Most just wanted to survive.
Given Sengoku's usual preference for seniority and procedure, promoting an officer into the General ranks without the proper tenure or overwhelming achievement was unlike him.
Sephiroth's skepticism must have shown.
Sengoku sighed. "Alright. I'll be straight with you. This is Fleet Admiral Kong's idea."
He met Sephiroth's gaze. "He wants you to do a good job. To let go of the past. To look toward a new future."
"..."
Sephiroth scratched his head, thinking it over.
Alright, fine. He'd admit it—he'd probably annoyed the old Commander-in-Chief Kong by calling so often, pestering him about resigning. No wonder the man was fed up.
So instead, Kong had given him a fat promotion and a raise. A bribe, really, to make him sit down and shut up.
"Sephiroth," Sengoku continued, "the Commander-in-Chief has always held you in high regard. I hope you understand that. Since he wishes for you to leave the past behind and embrace a new future… I, too, hope you will sever all ties with certain corrupt elements within the Marines and return to the proper path. One day, the mantle of Fleet Admiral may very well fall to you."
Sengoku spoke grandly, painting a glorious future. Whether it was possible didn't matter—what mattered was making Sephiroth settle down.
*Heh. Even a dog would shake its head at the Fleet Admiral's seat. Only a ghost would want it.*
But a powerful Vice Admiral posting at Marineford? That was exactly what Sephiroth wanted.
Lately, he'd been wondering how to locate the Marines' hidden stash of original moving stone, steal it all, and leave no trace. Staying far from the center of Marine power would make that… tricky.
If the theft were discovered, the Marines would investigate everyone. They wouldn't miss a single clue.
And Sephiroth, having actively inquired about the stone, would stand out. He'd be the prime suspect instantly.
But as a Vice Admiral commanding a G-branch, he'd rank just below the Fleet Admiral and the Admirals. He'd have logical—even mandatory—access to most of the Marines' confidential files.
If he served as Commander of Marine G4, he should be able to find information on where those original moving stone were hidden.
Really, with strength like Sephiroth's, Sengoku ought to have stationed him in the New World as a base commander. That's where a top-tier combatant could exert real deterrent power.
But…
Just over half a year ago, Sephiroth had provoked the Beasts Pirates and got the Marine G5 Branch destroyed. After that, neither Sengoku nor Kong dared to toss him back into the New World. Who knew what fresh chaos he'd stir up?
Shipping him off to the East Blue to command the 16th Branch had been a temporary fix.
The Marines couldn't waste a high-end combat force in the peaceful Four Seas forever, surrounded by small fry.
So, all things considered, they were bound to give him an important post in the first half of the Grand Line sooner or later.
Sure enough, the moment Sephiroth's punishment period ended, Sengoku and Kong used his "merit" in cleansing the 16th Branch of corruption to appoint him as Commander of G4.
Thinking it through, a smile as bright as the sun broke across Sephiroth's face.
"Heh. Don't worry, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. I won't let you or Commander-in-Chief Kong down."
"It's good you understand our intentions. I'll issue the official announcement shortly. Then you may proceed directly to G4 to assume your post."
Sengoku nodded slightly, took out the appointment letter that had been prepared long ago from the desk drawer, and handed it to Sephiroth.