To be honest, Sean had always been skeptical of the Marine's intelligence system.
Sometimes, they could uncover a person's entire identity—their origin, past experiences, and everything else—in the blink of an eye. Other times, they were completely blind to things that were blindingly obvious.
Take Cocoyashi Village on the Conomi Islands, for example, or the twenty-odd villages surrounding it. The fact that the Marine remained oblivious while Arlong ruled them for so long was simply absurd.
Of course, a large portion of Marine intelligence came from the CP organization rather than their own independent sources, which played a significant role. Once a World Government official collaborated with someone like Nezumi, it became incredibly easy to bury the truth. When the source of the intelligence was compromised, the entire system was flawed.
Under such circumstances, how much could one actually expect from the Marine's intelligence department?
"By the way," Sengoku began, "I heard from Garp that there was a vicious beast on that deserted island where you used to live. Its strength is roughly between that of a Lieutenant Commander and a Commander at Headquarters."
"Old man Sengoku, what are you planning? Kuro's hind legs belong to me! Mine and mine alone!"
The moment Sengoku mentioned Kuro, Sean immediately became alert.
Sengoku's expression darkened, a few metaphorical lines of annoyance appearing on his face. "You brat, what on earth are you thinking?"
"The Elite Training Camp's annual practical examination is coming up. This time, I plan to have Zephyr take all the students to the East Blue for the assessment—specifically to the deserted island where you once lived."
Sengoku spoke with a deep, meaningful tone. "Do you understand what I'm implying?"
Sean raised an eyebrow. "Old man Sengoku, you want me to personally clean house for the Marine!"
"Don't get ahead of yourself. A brat without a rank like you isn't in a position to make such calls. However..."
Sengoku paused. "If there are Marines in the East Blue acting lawlessly and harming civilians, then even without a rank, you have an obligation to remove such parasites for the sake of the Marine. After all, Sean, you are a Marine now!"
"But remember one thing: you must have evidence of their corruption. Otherwise, stripping you of your uniform and sending you to Enies Lobby for trial will be your only outcome!"
'Good grief...'
Sean understood now. Sengoku was almost certain that Nezumi was corrupt. However, there were two problems: first, he lacked substantive evidence; second, Nezumi likely had connections to high-ranking officials within the World Government, making it difficult even for Sengoku to move against him openly.
So, he dumped the problem on Sean.
On one hand, it gave Sean the chance to kill his enemy, allowing Sengoku to look like he was doing him a favor. On the other hand, despite the dire warnings about the consequences, Sean's status meant that if he simply took out a guy like Nezumi, he probably wouldn't be sent to Enies Lobby. At worst, he'd just be forced to leave the Marine.
In the end, the Marine would be rid of a parasite, and the worst-case scenario was simply Sean's expulsion. Sengoku, meanwhile, would remain completely unscathed.
'This old man really knows how to calculate. No wonder they call him a strategic genius.'
'The only problem is that he's using that genius for all the wrong reasons!'
Still, Sean wasn't about to refuse such an opportunity.
'''
Three days later.
Sean left the Sword-Smithing Unit and returned to the Elite Training Camp.
Antonio, lying in his hospital bed, wept so loudly and miserably that an outsider might have thought Sean had done something unspeakable to him. In response, Sean clarified that his sexual orientation was perfectly normal. To prevent any further misunderstandings, he even rejected Antonio's proposal for a farewell party.
A few days after his return, Zephyr announced the plan for the end-of-year examination.
The destination: the East Blue!
"Your class is the worst batch I have ever taught!" Zephyr bellowed.
In previous years, at least one or two students would reach the strength of a Headquarters Lieutenant Commander by the end of the year. But this group? Hardly any of them had even reached the level of a Lieutenant!
"Is this a joke?"
Under Zephyr's scolding, every student hung their head in shame.
However, there was one exception. Sean disagreed with Zephyr's assessment a thousand, nay, ten thousand times over.
'Am I not human? Have I not reached the strength of a field-grade officer?'
Wait.
Come to think of it, he actually 'hadn't' reached the level of a field-grade officer.
Because currently, his strength was at least at the level of a Rear Admiral, and he was likely very close to the level of a Vice Admiral.
So, in a way, Zephyr's statement wasn't technically wrong?
'Fine, I'll forgive old man Zephyr this once,' Sean thought, nodding slightly.
"Now, I will explain the contents of this exam!" Zephyr continued. "On a nameless island in the East Blue, there is an extremely powerful beast. You will either defeat it and enjoy a wonderful bonfire party with delicious beast meat, or..."
"You will become that beast's dinner!"
"Finally, Sean will not be participating in this exam. He will serve as a temporary examiner!"
"After all, if Sean participated, I'm afraid he'd settle the matter before any of you even laid eyes on the beast!"
When Zephyr announced that Sean would be a temporary examiner, the students erupted in an uproar. After all, Sean had been in the camp for less time than any of them; how could he possibly be an examiner?
But as Zephyr explained the reasoning, the students gradually calmed down. They remembered how Sean had completely crushed Ain, who had graduated a year prior and was now an instructor's assistant. In terms of raw strength, Sean certainly had the qualifications.
More importantly, Zephyr had said there was only one beast. If Sean joined in, the exam would likely end before they even saw what the creature looked like.
The result would be that everyone except Sean would fail.
They accepted it. They had no choice but to accept it!
'''
Ten days later.
A warship carrying the instructors and dozens of students successfully crossed the Calm Belt and entered the East Blue.
Everyone wore a look of pure happiness. The Calm Belt was teeming with Sea Kings; while they were nothing to the strong, to these students, Sea Kings were absolute nightmares—monsters that didn't seem like something humans could possibly defeat.
Thus, they were overjoyed to have safely passed through.
However...
On the deck, a conversation between Sean and Zephyr drifted through the air.
"Old man Zephyr, when we head back, can we remove the Seastone from the bottom of the ship?"
"You brat, what are you planning now?"
"I'm not up to anything! I just heard that Sea King meat is delicious and packed with energy, which is great for training. It's a shame they won't come near us because of the Seastone on the hull!!"
"You little brat..."
Zephyr couldn't help but laugh in exasperation.
He wanted to rip the Seastone off the bottom of the ship while crossing the Calm Belt... just so he could eat some Sea King meat? Typical Sean.
"Fine. We'll remove the Seastone on the return trip."
"Old man Zephyr, you're the best!"
Sean was absolutely thrilled. Zephyr, on the other hand, didn't mind at all.
To him, Sea Kings were barely a threat—unless they were the Emperor-class behemoths from the deepest reaches of the ocean, measuring ten thousand meters or more.
Sean was right about one thing, though: Sea King meat was indeed rich in nutrients and energy, making it highly beneficial for training. He decided that if the students performed well on their evaluation, he would reward them with a feast.
The two of them made no effort to hide their conversation from the others.
As a result, the students—who had just been celebrating their safe passage through the Calm Belt—suddenly felt their spirits crash.
'These two... they're monsters!'
'Who wants to eat Sea Kings?! We just want to get back to Headquarters safely!'