Two Years of Change

After a few words, Garp led his men onto the battleship.

Borsalino strolled over to Jon Lyons, winking playfully. "So, how was that? Watching me teach Wittes a lesson—aren't you grateful?"

"Grateful my ass." Jon scoffed, clearly unimpressed. "And what was that nonsense about me being your 'little bro'? Are you joking? I'm your creditor, not your little brother."

Borsalino clicked his tongue. "Tch, I'm way older than you. Of course, you're my little bro. But honestly, Jon, you let Wittes trash-talk you like that and didn't even punch him? That's not like you."

He was genuinely puzzled. He knew Jon wasn't the type to just take insults lying down. Today, Wittes had practically shoved the provocation in his face, yet Jon had held back.

Dragon spoke up. "Jon is keeping a low profile. He doesn't want to attract attention or cause unnecessary trouble. Unlike you, who does whatever you want without thinking twice."

"Is that so? Haha." Borsalino scratched his head, looking completely unfazed.

He then grinned proudly, puffing out his chest. "Jon, it's finally time for us to fight side by side again. This time, I'll be the one looking out for you!"

Patting Jon's shoulder confidently, he expected some gratitude.

Instead, Jon shot him a side glance and said, "I've been stuck at Lieutenant Colonel for three years now, but what's your excuse? Two years have passed, and you're still just a Colonel?"

Indeed, two years ago, Borsalino had already been a Colonel, yet here he was, still at the same rank.

Borsalino huffed. "'Just a Colonel'? Do you think it's easy to get promoted? Becoming a Rear Admiral isn't as simple as you imagine. There haven't been any major battles to earn promotions in the past two years."

Dragon chimed in. "What about Sakazuki?"

"He's already boarded the ship. I just came to see Jon before we depart."

Borsalino and Sakazuki both served under Admiral Sengoku, so they were on a different warship from Jon and Dragon.

"Alright, time for me to head back. Jon, if we end up fighting pirates in the New World, make sure to team up with me. You and I are the perfect duo—together, we're unstoppable."

Jon waved him off impatiently. "Yeah, yeah, just go already. We need to board our ship too."

Despite his tone, Jon understood what Borsalino meant. They were a formidable pair—Borsalino's abilities significantly enhanced Jon's own Devil Fruit powers, making their combined strength much greater than when they fought alone.

"Let's go."

Jon and Dragon had just stepped onto their battleship when they saw Kuzan swaggering toward them.

"Dragon, Jon!"

Young Kuzan was just as carefree as ever. Even though he and Jon weren't close, he greeted him like an old friend.

Dragon explained, "Kuzan has been working under the old man (Garp) for two years now. The guy's completely been corrupted."

"Oi, Dragon, that's your father you're talking about. Isn't that a bit disrespectful?"

"Shut up. No more nonsense."

"Fine, fine. Not my problem anyway."

Kuzan then turned his gaze toward Jon. This was only the second time he had met him—the first was back at the training camp, where Zephyr had pointed out Jon as a potential rival.

But after Kuzan graduated, Jon had seemingly vanished, and he only heard occasional mentions of him from Garp and Dragon.

"Jon Lyons."

Jon extended his hand first.

Kuzan was momentarily surprised, then quickly composed himself, dropping his usual lazy demeanor and shaking hands seriously.

"Kuzan."

Jon smiled. He had a favorable impression of Kuzan.

Among the three future Admirals, Kuzan wasn't as extreme as Sakazuki or as indifferent as Borsalino. He was the most balanced—and definitely a worthy Admiral.

The fact that Sengoku and many top Marine officials later supported Kuzan for Fleet Admiral spoke volumes about his abilities.

Jon never aspired to be Fleet Admiral—his goal was simply to become an Admiral.

In that sense, Kuzan was actually his biggest competitor.

Once they got comfortable around each other, the three of them started chatting.

Kuzan, however, talked the most. He was full of random topics, speaking about anything and everything that came to mind.

A Large-Scale Deployment

Before long, the Marine forces had completely assembled.

With a command from Admiral Sengoku, ten battleships set sail simultaneously.

For this operation, Marine Headquarters had deployed a total of ten warships.

While this number might not seem huge, one had to remember—

This was only the force dispatched from Marine Headquarters.

The additional forces from New World Marine bases hadn't even been counted yet.

Though this was technically a conflict between pirate crews, the Marines were treating it as seriously as a full-scale war.

The legendary trio of Vice Admirals—Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru—had all personally mobilized.

Adding to that, ten warships and the forces from New World bases—

This was no less significant than the battle against Golden Lion Shiki two years ago.

Besides Sengoku, five Vice Admirals from Headquarters had also been deployed—

This was essentially a Buster Call-level military force.

The Roger vs. Shiki Conflict

Upon reaching the G-1 Marine Base in the New World, Jon felt a wave of nostalgia.

This was his second time here.

The last time he left this base, he had suffered a bitter defeat.

Returning now, he couldn't help but feel a mix of emotions.

Speaking of G-1, Jon suddenly recalled Captain Whitt.

Two years ago, after returning to Headquarters, Jon had sought out Rear Admiral Lucien from the logistics department.

To Jon's surprise, Lucien had actually given him face, arranging for Whitt to be transferred to Marine Headquarters' logistics division with a solid position.

Jon had owed Lucien a favor for that, but Whitt had been extremely grateful, treating Jon like a lifelong benefactor ever since.

Strategic Briefing

While Jon and his team were stationed at G-1, Sengoku gathered the Marine officers for a strategy meeting.

A Vice Admiral from G-1 briefed the situation:

"Based on our intelligence, the Roger Pirates have repeatedly escaped Golden Lion Shiki's forces and are still on the run in the New World."

"Shiki has gone to extreme lengths to hunt them down. He has deployed a fleet of over ten pirate ships and mobilized more than ten thousand men, all to trap and annihilate the Roger Pirates. However, Roger and his crew have managed to outmaneuver them every time.

"Currently, the two sides are still locked in a high-seas chase."

"Roger may only have one ship, but their combat power is immense.

"In my opinion, unless Shiki manages to completely surround them with his fleet—and with his Flying Pirate Armada also present—the true decisive battle has yet to begin.

"But that moment… may not be far off."

"...."

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