Chapter 20: Shocked Sengoku

Babs reported everything about his trip to the Sorbet Kingdom to Sengoku. After listening carefully, Sengoku rested his chin on his hand, deep in thought.

"A small country like Sorbet attracting this much attention… I've heard of Spandam. His status in the World Government isn't low, but he's not exactly well-liked."

Babs nodded in agreement. Throughout the trip to Sorbet, he had lost count of how many times he had wanted to kick Spandam into the sea.

Sengoku picked up the document on his desk and glanced at it one last time before tossing it to the white lamb beside him. The lamb let out a small bleat and promptly ate the paper, like a living shredder.

As the lamb swallowed the document with a satisfied grunt, Sengoku gently stroked its head and said,

"Well, since the World Government has made its decision, it's no longer our concern. Babs, is there anything else?"

"Yes, Admiral Sengoku!" Babs responded eagerly. He pulled out three resumes from his coat, his excitement barely contained, and placed them neatly on the desk.

Sengoku leaned back in his chair and gave them a passing glance before raising an eyebrow.

"Resumes? Recruitment is Zephyr's responsibility, isn't it? Why bring them to me?"

"Admiral Sengoku, among these three recruits, two are Devil Fruit users. And one of them…" Babs paused for dramatic effect, grinning. "Has a Logia—Dark-Dark Fruit!"

"Nani!? Logia!?"

Sengoku bolted upright, instantly interested. He leaned forward, his eyes scanning the resumes before landing on Carl's.

"Dark-Dark Fruit…?" he murmured. "A darkness element opposite to Borsalino's Glint-Glint Fruit? Babs, you've really brought me something special this time!"

For context, when Ginny spread information from the Valley of the Gods, only the Paw-Paw Fruit and the Azure Dragon Fruit were made public. Other fruits were kept under tight security.

The World Government had no intention of involving the Marines in the Valley of the Gods incident, and the existence of certain Devil Fruits remained a heavily guarded secret.

As far as Sengoku knew, the only confirmed fruits were his own Buddha Fruit (obtained through Garp) and the two mentioned earlier.

He had no knowledge of the Dark-Dark Fruit's origins. In reality, it had been stolen by the World Government from Rocks D. Xebec's hidden vault and was considered one of the most powerful and dangerous Devil Fruits.

Since Carl hadn't prominently displayed its abilities in the Valley of the Gods, Sengoku had never connected the dots.

Right now, his mind was racing with only one thought—Marineford had just hit the jackpot.

With Carl, the Marines now had three young Logia users: Glint-Glint, Magma-Magma, and Dark-Dark. Anyone with a bit of common sense knew how terrifyingly powerful these three elements were.

Once they matured, the power balance in the world would shift dramatically.

Unlike when he later became Fleet Admiral, at this stage, Sengoku was still fueled by passion. He didn't have to spend as much time dealing with the World Government's politics—that was Fleet Admiral Kong's headache.

His focus was purely on strengthening the Marines and crushing piracy.

Staring at Carl's photo on the resume, Sengoku's expression grew more intense.

Babs had been watching Sengoku closely. Seeing the normally composed Admiral showing such raw enthusiasm, he couldn't help but feel proud. However, he scratched his head awkwardly and said,

"Admiral Sengoku, technically speaking, recruitment isn't under my jurisdiction, but… Carl is only fifteen. That's below the official age requirement. Zephyr might not be happy about this."

Sengoku scoffed. "Rules? What rules? Look at this kid—he's nearly two meters tall! Why should we care about his age when he's built like that? Besides, this is the Dark-Dark Fruit we're talking about! Zephyr isn't stubborn enough to let something this important slip away."

Hearing this, Babs sighed in relief. "That's a load off my mind, Admiral. But… there's another thing. Carl's background isn't simple. You should've seen how Spandam, of all people, acted around him. He was practically groveling."

Sengoku waved dismissively. "It doesn't matter. If Carl has chosen to join the Marines, it means he's a young man who believes in justice. Besides, how deep could his background be? Unless…"

He chuckled, shaking his head at his own absurd thought.

"Unless he's a Celestial Dragon? Now that would be the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard!"

As he chuckled at the absurdity of the idea, Sengoku turned his attention to Kuma's resume.

"Hmm? Paramecia… Paw-Paw Fruit?"

His expression shifted slightly. Suddenly, the memories of the Valley of the Gods resurfaced.

He recalled Charlotte Linlin being blocked by Saint Garling, and how the fruit ultimately ended up in the hands of a tall child. That child had then vanished along with three others.

Sengoku narrowed his eyes.

Could this Kuma be that child?

Judging by his height, it was very likely.

A former Celestial Dragon slave?

This could be troublesome.

Though Sengoku had no doubts about Carl's legitimacy—he assumed Carl came from some World Government-affiliated family—Kuma was different.

Pointing at Kuma's photo, Sengoku asked, "What's his relationship with Carl?"

"The three of them are close friends," Babs explained. "From what I observed, they have a strong bond. Kuma and Ginny both call Carl their big brother."

Hearing this, Sengoku's expression softened. He was reminded of his own younger days with Garp and Tsuru.

With a nostalgic sigh, he nodded. "I see… That's fine. Take them to the accommodation area and let them settle in. In two days, bring them to Zephyr for training."

"Yes, Admiral!"

"Oh, and one more thing, Babs."

"Sir?"

"You've done well. Recruiting talents like these is a major achievement. I'll report this to Fleet Admiral Kong personally."

Babs' face lit up with excitement. He snapped a sharp salute. "Thank you, Admiral Sengoku!"

Grabbing Carl's resume, he turned and left with a bounce in his step.

Once Babs was gone, Sengoku paced his office, hands behind his back, deep in thought.

Things always got complicated when the Celestial Dragons were involved.

If it weren't for Carl's value, he would've sent Kuma straight to Mary Geoise rather than allowing him to join the Marines.

But the Dark-Dark Fruit was too important.

A powerful Logia Devil Fruit was equivalent to a nuclear weapon. And Sengoku wasn't about to let this weapon slip away.

He exhaled and muttered to himself, "The Celestial Dragons already have more than enough slaves. It's been years… If we cover this up properly, they probably won't notice..."