Chiga followed Sengoku to his office. The two had barely stepped inside when Garp trailed in after them.
Garp hung his head low, looking like a wilted eggplant. He shot Sengoku a resentful glance, then plopped down on the sofa with his arms crossed, face stern and silent.
Sengoku wasn't swayed by the act. Pretending not to notice Garp, he turned to Chiga with a beaming smile.
"Chiga, you did well on this mission."
Chiga returned a polite smile and replied,
"It wasn't a big deal. I was just going to inquire about the Op-Op Fruit. Running into Kaido was a complete accident."
The moment Chiga mentioned Kaido, Garp's ears perked up from where he sat, quietly eavesdropping. He was clearly interested in what happened.
Sengoku didn't bother with small talk and got straight to the point. He wanted to confirm something.
"That battle with Kaido must've been intense, right? But it's good you came out on top."
He looked at Chiga with clear anticipation. Although Sengoku already knew Chiga had won, he wanted to hear it straight from him.
Chiga didn't disappoint. He nodded and said casually,
"It went fine. I should actually thank Kaido. During the fight, I grasped Conqueror's Haki Infusion. That technique really packs a punch—I used it to beat him."
"Nani!? You learned Conqueror's Haki Infusion!?"
Sengoku and Garp shouted at the same time.
In that moment, whatever grudge they had seemed to vanish, dwarfed by the sheer weight of what Chiga had just said.
Especially Sengoku—he knew how rare and difficult it was to master that technique.
While the number of Conqueror's Haki users was already small, mastering Infusion took it to a whole different level. Only a few elite powerhouses—Roger, Rayleigh, Kaido, Shanks—had ever pulled it off.
Chiga had already been considered top-tier. Now that he'd mastered Conqueror's Haki Infusion, how far had he climbed?
Sengoku was certain now: Chiga had surpassed even him. And maybe… even Garp.
Facing their stunned expressions, Chiga added with a humble tone that still somehow managed to brag,
"Yeah, so I owe Kaido one. I got the inspiration during our fight."
"…"
Sengoku and Garp stared at him, speechless. Since when did grasping one of the most advanced forms of Haki become so casual? What was Kaido now—a Haki teacher?
Of course, they knew he was just downplaying it. Kaido's power was monstrous. Just surviving against him was an achievement. Defeating him? That was world-shaking.
Sengoku took a deep breath, remembering something Corazon had mentioned—Chiga had brought back a few new recruits. He was eager to meet them.
He asked,
"Chiga, I heard from Corazon that you brought some new recruits with you. Are they here? Can I see them?"
"Yes. I'll bring them out now."
Chiga opened the Door-Door Space, and Yamato stepped out first. Ace followed slowly behind her, throwing a sideways glance at Garp filled with open disdain.
Garp didn't notice the look. His eyes widened in disbelief, and he even rubbed them a few times as if trying to clear an illusion.
What was this? Ace… had come to Marine Headquarters? And with Chiga, no less?
Was he going to join the Marines!?
Garp's face flushed red—not with shame, but with excitement.
He had long since given up on trying to get Ace and Luffy to join the Marines. Those two were as stubborn as sea-kings. If they wanted to be pirates, no one could stop them.
But Chiga had somehow managed it. Even though Luffy wasn't here, just having Ace show up was a shock beyond anything Garp had hoped for.
The usually loud and gruff Garp now had tears glistening in his eyes. Ace, too, was stunned—he had never seen Garp like this. To him, Garp had always been the epitome of the hard-nosed Marine.
Sengoku watched the scene silently, a small smile tugging at his lips.
He and Garp were lifelong comrades. And Garp couldn't hide secrets from him, not for long. Sengoku had known for years that Ace was Roger's son.
At first, he had been furious. But seeing Garp stand there silently with his head down had changed his mind.
He hadn't betrayed Garp. He'd turned a blind eye and said nothing.
Over the years, he'd quietly learned bits and pieces about Ace's journey. Like Garp, he had felt both frustration and helplessness about Ace's pirate ambitions.
But now? Chiga had brought Ace back. That alone erased years of stress.
The gratitude in both Sengoku and Garp's eyes needed no words. If not for the World Government, Sengoku might've handed the Fleet Admiral title to Chiga right then and there.
For someone like Sengoku, who was famous for his restraint, to even consider such a thing said it all.
Chiga stood there a bit awkwardly, caught off guard by their reactions.
The atmosphere grew heavier with emotion—until Yamato broke it.
She blinked her large eyes and looked from Chiga to Garp and Sengoku. She felt like she was being completely ignored.
What a joke. She was 2.6 meters tall and far from ugly. Why were they acting like she didn't exist?
Annoyed, Yamato pulled out her spikeless kanabo from seemingly nowhere and slammed it down with a thud.
"Damn it! Don't you see me? I'm Uchiha Yamato!"
"Uchiha? Where did that come from?"
At the mention of "Uchiha," all three—Chiga, Garp, and Sengoku—snapped their heads toward her, eyes locking onto Yamato's face.
Caught under the weight of their stares, even Yamato faltered. Her expression froze, and she swallowed hard, her voice dropping several octaves.
"Uh… I was just introducing myself… You can just call me Little Yamato…"
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