"Vice Admiral Adams Dillon, the formalities still need to be completed. Although Magellan doesn't like Shiryu, we can't just let him leave without any basis."
"Ah... I know."
Adams Dillon took out a Transponder Snail.
"Fleet Admiral? Dillon here."
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's voice came from the Transponder Snail, which had transformed into a glasses shape: "What's wrong? You haven't started fighting already, have you?"
"Am I that kind of guy in the Fleet Admiral's heart?" Adams Dillon joked, then directly stated his purpose: "I need to transfer Shiryu, the Warden of Impel Down, to the G-5 Base. I've already communicated with him and Director Magellan."
"Shiryu, huh... Dillon, Shiryu isn't an ordinary swordsman. I hope you can suppress him and not let him be controlled by his desire for killing."
Sengoku stated the problem bluntly, not caring whether Shiryu himself was nearby.
"Of course, Fleet Admiral. Unless he becomes more powerful than me one day, he will always be the Navy's blade."
"Remember your words, Dillon."
As the Transponder Snail went dark, Adams Dillon looked up at Magellan. Seeing the other party silently nodding, he looked at Shiryu, who was much taller than him.
"You have one chance to challenge me every year. If you win, I'll let you go free. You can even take my life. If you lose, you must unconditionally obey all my orders for the next year. Any problems?"
"Straightforward, huh..." Shiryu exhaled a puff of smoke: "But... I accept! Following a man as strong as you, my blade won't be lonely."
Walking outside the gates of Impel Down, Adams Dillon looked at the sky and said to Shiryu, "You go to the G-5 Base for now. I have to go out for a bit."
"Understood."
Adams Dillon looked back at the bottomless Great Prison Impel Down, then disappeared in a flash of lightning. Shiryu grinned at Magellan before boarding the departing warship.
Watching the departing duo, Magellan frowned.
Marineford.
Training grounds.
"Haa!"
"Hah!"
Bellemere was sparring with a middle-aged Marine, both covered in Armament Haki.
Adams Dillon sat on a bench outside the field, watching their offensive and defensive moves.
"You stayed in the East Blue for so many years. Why are you only thinking of training her now? To be honest, after adolescence, no matter how much you train, her achievements might be limited."
Aokiji walked to Adams Dillon's side with a deck chair tucked under his arm.
Adams Dillon looked at Aokiji, who had already collapsed into the deck chair, and couldn't help but complain in his heart.
As expected, besides Akainu, everyone in the Navy was a slacker.
"Not necessarily. After all, the sea is full of miracles, isn't it?"
"Miracles, huh?" Aokiji muttered, then didn't refute Adams Dillon, but pulled down his eye mask to block the sunlight.
"Oh, by the way, there's a case in Water 7... Go take a look for me. Don't cause any trouble."
"Water 7!?" Adams Dillon frowned and thought for a moment: "Tom's trial?"
"Arara! You even know that? I have to go out for a trip. I'll leave the Water 7 matter to you."
Aokiji had become lazy and decadent ever since the Ohara incident.
In his early years, he believed in "Hot-Blooded Justice," but after witnessing Akainu attacking Navy personnel and civilians for the sake of a mission, he began to doubt the Navy's "Justice."
He no longer cared about many things.
Except for his little loli!
"Okay, I'd also like to see the guy who built the Oro Jackson for Roger... But Kuzan, if I encounter something that goes against 'Justice', how should I handle it?" Adams Dillon casually asked, staring at Bellemere sparring on the field.
Aokiji's originally limp body stiffened: "Goes against 'Justice'? That question has been bothering me for many years. Why don't you give me the answer?"
"Understood."
Adams Dillon stood up and shook his cloak.
In the training ground, Bellemere saw Adams Dillon getting up, stopped sparring, and turned into a blur, arriving in front of Adams Dillon.
"'Soru' is mastered pretty well," Adams Dillon looked at Bellemere, who was like a delinquent: "Armament Haki Coating has also improved. You have two months left. Report to the G-5 Base in two months."
"Yes, sir." Bellemere gave a very serious salute, then said with a grin: "How serious, Vice Admiral Dillon. But... when will we get paid? I'm almost out of money for cigarettes~"
"..."
Adams Dillon turned his head to look at Aokiji on the deck chair: "Hey! Kuzan! We're all your subordinates. It shouldn't be a problem to get an advance, right?"
"Arara... you don't have any money? I know that. Although you distributed most of the spoils from clearing out pirates in East Blue to the poor, the remaining portion must be an astronomical figure, right!?"
Adams Dillon spread his hands: "That's right, but... it's not on me. We'll have to send someone back to get it after the G-5 is built. So you're not going to pay your cute subordinates, you bastard?"
Looking at Bellemere's expectant face, Aokiji didn't know what to say: "It's not that... It's just..."
"Go to the logistics department and collect 100,000 Berries," Adams Dillon said to Bellemere: "Tell them it's the salary Admiral Kuzan is giving you in advance!"
"Yes!" Bellemere flashed away, appearing in the distance even faster than before.
"Hey hey!" Aokiji scratched his head: "Like this... ah... whatever. I don't have many people here anyway... do as you please."
After speaking, Aokiji lay back down.
Adams Dillon smirked: "Then I'm going, Kuzan. If I encounter any trouble on my path to pursuing 'Justice', you have to help me share some of it."
"Yeah, yeah." Aokiji waved at the air, seeming very impatient.
After Adams Dillon's aura disappeared, Aokiji murmured to himself: "Different 'Justice'? What will it be like?"
...
Water 7.
The famous shipbuilding holy land. Besides Pluton, one of the three ancient weapons, the Oro Jackson, the ship of the Pirate King Gol D. Roger, and the Thousand Sunny, the future ship of Luffy, were built here.
In the sky, Adams Dillon overlooked the Sea Train whistling across the sea and couldn't help but praise:
"An amazing invention."
Not far away, a judicial ship was stopped on the sea surface.
A purple-haired guy with an ugly and strange face was holding a Transponder Snail.
The current CP5 Captain Spandam.
"Pluton!?"
"Yes, the 'lost ancient weapon'. The blueprints should still be in the hands of the people of Water 7. The most likely candidate is Tom. After all, he built the Oro Jackson for Roger. Once this mission is completed, you'll be promoted to CP0 early."
"C... CP0!!!???"
Spandam, holding the Transponder Snail, trembled with excitement.
"That's CP0!!"
"Damn it, that old man's crimes will be offset in three days!"
"Damn it! Damn it! I absolutely can't miss this opportunity!!"
Adams Dillon floated in the air, 'watching' Spandam's every move.
A unique training method from Skypiea, the Observation Haki "Mantra", allowed him to perceive every move of weaker beings without any obstacles, even what they were thinking.
"The agreement between him and the 'World Government' can't be broken, but... I definitely can't just let him regain his freedom..."
Spandam rolled his eyes and thought of the two children next to Tom.
"Heehee... heehee... Since the crime of building the Oro Jackson is going to be offset, then... I'll add another crime for you!"
Adams Dillon coldly watched Spandam grinning evilly in the cabin, took out a Transponder Snail from his pocket, and transmitted the recording to Aokiji.
After receiving the recording, the Transponder Snail went silent, then turned off silently.
"Still avoiding it, Kuzan..."
Back then, the Ohara Buster Call was orchestrated by Spandam's father, Spandine, and Aokiji was also involved.
Adams Dillon put the Transponder Snail back in his pocket, and his whole body slowly rose towards the high clouds.
"Spandam... you can also be considered one of the few top-notch bastards in this world."
Adams Dillon's eyes narrowed slightly, then suddenly opened.
Countless lightning bolts emerged from around his body, and the already cloudy weather instantly became even more oppressive.
"Huh~?"
Spandam opened the cabin door, looking at the rolling thunderclouds overhead.
"Does Paradise have weather like this?"
"Commander, something's not right." A CP5 member walked to the cabin door: "It's not a normal weather change."
"What do you mean!?"
Spandam looked around: "What do you mean it's not a normal weather change?"
"Maybe... some creature is controlling the weather. I think we should leave this sea area as soon as possible."
"Leave!???"
Spandam screamed.
"Leave?"
A voice appeared on the deck: "Where are you going?"