Аs evening fеll оn thе finаl night bеfore Rogеr's еxeсution, a burlу mаn with а full hеаd оf purplе hair аrrived in а hurrу. It was Zеphуr, whо had bеen urgentlу dispаtсhed.
Тоmоrrow wаs thе dаy of Rоgеr's eхесutiоn. Sеngoku had his оwn dutiеs and соuldn't accompаnу Mаdаrа with Gаrp. То рrevеnt Uсhihа Madаrа frоm turning аgаinst them and suddenly starting a dаnсe оf his оwn when the time cаme, Sеngоku dеcided tо summоn Zерhуr аt the lаst minute. Twо mеn with thе cоmbat роwеr of аn Admirаl would now аccоmpany (аnd guаrd) Uchihа Mаdаrа.
Zeрhyr was completely bewildered. He was originally supposed to be in charge of security at the Twin Capes during the execution, but one urgent notice from Sengoku had called him over.
He rushed to the Marine garrison in Loguetown, only to find Sengoku chatting with a man in ancient-looking battle armor. Every so often, they would burst out laughing.
Sengoku looked up and saw the newly arrived Zephyr. He smiled.
"Ah, Zephyr. You're here."
He then began to introduce the man beside him.
"This is Mr. Madara, an extremely honored guest of the Marines. I called you here so that you and Garp could accompany Mr. Madara to watch tomorrow's execution."
Zephyr's pupils contracted. A man who required both him and Garp to guard him? Did that mean this man, Uchiha Madara, possessed at least Admiral-level combat power?
Uchiha Madara, for his part, showed no unusual reaction. He now understood how important the execution of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, was to these Marines. For a person of his unknown origins to be in such a place, it was only natural he'd be monitored. He expressed no dissatisfaction with the arrangement.
"Hahahaha! Zephyr, you're here too! Did you come for Old Man Madara as well?"
Garp had also arrived, just in time for a meal. It was no wonder the three of them got along so well, as they all popped up the second food was involved. The moment Garp appeared, however, Uchiha Madara's expression suddenly darkened, his aura growing unstable.
Zephyr froze, then shot a wary glance at Uchiha Madara. That terrifying presence was not something just anyone could emit.
But before Uchiha Madara could act, a small figure popped out from behind Garp.
"Yo, Master! Did you miss me?"
Uchiha Madara's aura hitched. Why was this little brat everywhere? Still, it wasn't so bad. At least this time she wasn't carrying that so-called Will of Fire scabbard.
"Hahahahaha! Old Man Madara, look how much Gion likes you! Why don't you join the Marines?"
Garp seized the opportunity. Coming from Sengoku, the words would have sounded too serious, but if Garp was the one to say it, a rejection wouldn't matter.
"I refuse."
Garp paid it no mind, casually slinging an arm over Madara's shoulder and starting to ramble.
"Come on, Old Man Madara, the benefits in the Marines are great! For a powerhouse like you, stick around for a bit and a Vice Admiral rank is guaranteed. If you want, Admiral isn't out of the question either. But I wouldn't recommend being an Admiral. You'd have to protect those trashy Celestial Dragons."
"Garp!!!" cried two voices in unison.
Garp just laughed and waved his hand dismissively.
"Hahahahaha, my bad, my bad! Forget I said that last part. Just pretend you didn't hear it."
The two subordinates who had followed Zephyr were dumbstruck by Garp's outrageous statement. Was this really something they were allowed to hear?
Madara, however, was intrigued. He had some information about the Celestial Dragons, but Gion was still young and only knew that they were not to be provoked. Now that Garp and the others had brought them up, his curiosity was piqued.
"Celestial Dragons? Like daimyo? Why would you fear such ants? Why not just kill them?"
Zephyr and Sengoku: !
Garp, on the other hand, started laughing again. He had to admit, Madara's lawless, thorny personality was really to his liking.
After a lengthy explanation from Sengoku, Madara finally had a rough understanding of why the Celestial Dragons were not to be trifled with. But Sengoku failed to notice the ever-brightening glint in Uchiha Madara's eyes.
So they're ants who can summon powerful opponents when you hit them? Interesting!
For Madara, the fact that attacking a Celestial Dragon would draw out an Admiral-level fighter was extremely appealing. Did that mean that whenever he got bored in the future, he could just find a Celestial Dragon to kill, and a powerhouse on Garp's level would come dance with him?
Seeing Madara's eager expression, Sengoku felt a wave of bitterness. He was starting to get a headache. If they actually managed to recruit Uchiha Madara into the Marines, would it be a good thing or a bad thing? With that arrogant personality of his, he was no different from pirates like Shiki or Roger.
Sengoku could already picture it: on a beautiful, sunny afternoon, Uchiha Madara, clad in a Marine Admiral's uniform, would get bored from the lack of pirates to hunt. With a look of disdain, he would stomp a Celestial Dragon under his foot, just to force Garp into a fight.
The thought alone made Sengoku's head throb. Looking at Garp, who was laughing with his arm around Uchiha Madara, he felt that one Garp was already more than he could handle. If they added an Uchiha Madara to the mix, he might just collapse in the Fleet Admiral's office without ever getting the chance to retire.
Uchiha Madara wasn't feeling particularly comfortable himself. He just couldn't get used to the people of this world. Why was everyone's personality like that idiot Hashirama's, so boisterous and utterly clueless? But to fly into a rage over something like that felt like an overreaction.
Since arriving in this world, he had no clear goal. He didn't even have any desire to return to the world of Ninja; he felt his performance there had already concluded. In this world, the only people he knew were Garp and this bunch of lunatics.
The group noticed Uchiha Madara, lost in thought before the campfire, and a tacit understanding led them to fall silent. Sengoku and the others felt a knot of tension in their chests. They knew Uchiha Madara was seriously considering the feasibility of joining the Marines.
Gion hugged her knees and crouched in front of Uchiha Madara, watching him think with a curious gaze.
After a long while, Madara let out a long breath.
"Sorry, I will not join the Marines."
Hearing this, Sengoku's face fell with disappointment, though it was within his expectations. After all, they had only known each other for a few days. How could they so easily win over a powerhouse of Uchiha Madara's caliber?
Just as Sengoku was about to say something to ease the atmosphere, Uchiha Madara continued.
"I am a ninja. I plan to inherit my dear friend's will and establish a ninja village."
Sengoku paused. It seemed there was still a chance. He quickly asked, "Mr. Madara, what do you mean by that?"
Madara held Gion's Father-Slaying Filial Sword and used it to poke at the campfire. The flames danced across his face, casting it in shifting light and shadow.
"I hope to cooperate with the Marines. Ninjas need to eat. We can form a partnership with the Marines as mercenaries. The commissioned missions would include, but not be limited to, assassination, escort, infiltration, warfare, intelligence gathering, and so on."
Sengoku's eyes lit up. Wasn't that just like a Cipher Pol division? The Marines' own Cipher Pol! Fleet Admiral Kong himself had once told him that there were some unsavory matters the Marines simply couldn't get involved in. If not for certain people forbidding it, he would have loved to establish a CP division exclusively for the Marines.
And now, looking at Uchiha Madara… Admiral-level combat power, a skilled fighter. As a ninja, he was a professional at handling things that couldn't see the light of day!
Sengoku immediately understood what "cooperation" meant. Uchiha Madara wanted to make a name for himself, but he had no money, no land, and no connections. To build a force, he'd need territory, right? He would surely have to use Marine territory. Second, he'd need a stable supply of high-quality members. How about the Marine recruit training camps?
Using my land, eating my food, using my people… he calls it a partnership, but isn't this just a slightly more loosely-affiliated special division of the Marines? And I get a guaranteed Admiral-level fighter for free? He gets paid by the job, so he won't be a drain on the payroll. Could there be a better deal?
This was like being handed a pillow when you were sleepy. To put it bluntly, they would just be giving Uchiha Madara a title; everything else would still belong to the Marines. Thinking this, Sengoku spoke to Uchiha Madara with grave sincerity.
"Mr. Madara, I can represent the Marines in discussing the details of our cooperation. I hope we can reach a pleasant agreement."
To be continued...