At The Peak of One Piece

After seeing off the female army, Victor fixed his gaze on Rebecca. 

"I didn't have a choice! Victore Admiral Gion insisted on coming!" Rebecca said defensively. 

Victor considered this—with a Vice Admiral and Rear Admiral wanting to visit, Rebecca truly couldn't have stopped them. 

He nodded slightly. There were more pressing matters at hand. 

Tonight, Victor had to prepare dinner at Garp's place. He planned to bring some ingredients—Sea King meat would make an excellent gift, though he wouldn't bring too much. This wasn't about stuffing themselves; it was about savoring good food and reminiscing. 

"Handle things here. I'm going to gather ingredients." 

With that, Victor used Moon Walk to soar away, heading to more distant waters to hunt Sea King. 

Unfortunately, he hadn't spotted any quaggas near Marineford—their tender meat would've been perfect. But the creatures weren't native to these waters. 

After catching a massive Sea King, Victor swam back with it. He kept the choicest cuts and left the rest for Rebecca, Wendy, and himself. 

Naturally, Victor ate the most—Rebecca and Wendy, being girls, had smaller appetites. Rebecca's appetite hadn't increased much lately, though it still surpassed Wendy's. 

Victor often mused that these people were missing out. 'So much spiritual energy right in front of you, yet you can't absorb it.' No wonder strength in this world correlated so closely with how much one ate and drank. 

--- 

Carrying the prepared ingredients, Victor and Rebecca arrived at the officers' residential area. 

After clearance, they were let in. Having visited once before, Victor knew the way—unlike a certain three-sword-wielding swordsman. 

Entering Garp's courtyard, they found everyone already present: Sengoku, Zephyr, Garp, Tsuru, and Gion. 

"Everyone's here. Shall I start cooking?" Victor asked the assembled elites. 

"Hurry up, brat! I've been waiting!" Garp barked through a mouthful of rice crackers. 

'Right, you're all big shots here.' 

Rebecca was whisked away by Tsuru, leaving Victor without even a kitchen helper. 

With a wry smile, he headed to the kitchen—his true domain. 'Ah, the hardships of life.' 

While others sat, he stood. While others chatted, he cooked. At least he wouldn't be watching them eat—he'd get to join the table too. 

Before long, Victor had prepared a lavish spread: ten dishes and a soup, each showcasing his mastery of knife skills, heat control, and seasoning. The interplay of ingredients and spices elevated each dish to perfection. 

The aromas had everyone salivating. Victor could guarantee none present had ever tasted such exquisite flavors. 

Today, he'd cooked seriously—no unwieldy giant ingredients to complicate things. This was cooking at his full capability. 

As the dishes were served, wine was poured. Each bite drew praises, the diners' bliss evident. 

Garp even clapped Victor on the shoulder, declaring him the official chef of the 'Dogtooth Battleship'—"Think of the budget savings! You can fish and cook yourself!" 

Laughter erupted—except from Victor, who looked like he regretted his culinary generosity. 

(Of course, this was a joke. Sengoku would never allow such waste of combat potential. Any Marine officer would leap at having Victor on their crew—except maybe Onigumo.) 

--- 

"Gion, has Tokikake proposed to you lately? Haven't seen him around HQ!" Garp boomed. 

The others perked up—this was juicy gossip. 

Only Rebecca, seated between Tsuru and Victor, was out of the loop. Victor whispered an explanation: in the original timeline, Tokikake was obsessively infatuated with Gion, proposing repeatedly despite constant rejection. 

Rebecca's eyes widened. 'Such persistence!' 

Gion's charm attracted many, but only Tokikake matched her in strength and talent—hence his shameless perseverance. 

'Probably too ugly for her tastes,' Victor mused. 'What does power matter when she's plenty strong herself?' 

"Last time... after I rejected him publicly, he seemed really down," Gion said, flushing. "Said he'd go drinking with some gambling buddy. No idea after that." 

This topic always surfaced at gatherings, much to her chagrin. 

'And I can't even stab these people for bringing it up,' she thought bitterly. 

Then, unbidden: 'Tokikake does nothing for me... but Victor?' 

Her gaze flicked to Victor—quickly away. 

No one noticed—except Victor, whose Observation Haki caught it. 

'Why's she looking at me? Plotting something?' 

His mind raced. 'Does she want to use me as a shield against Tokikake?' 

--- 

"Tsuru, that flamingo in North Blue still giving you trouble? Need me to bag him?" Garp asked. 

The higher-ups all knew about Tsuru's pursuit of the "Flamingo." 

Sengoku watched Tsuru; Zephyr just drank, lost in thought. 

"He's no match for me yet," Tsuru said. "But with that Conqueror's Haki potential... slippery as an eel. Best not force it—former Celestial Dragon, after all."

"I feel this guy poses a significant threat, Sengoku. I hope you take this seriously. Right now, I can still keep him in check in the North Blue, but if he makes it to the New World, things will get complicated." 

Tsuru spoke with concern to Sengoku. 

"Conqueror's Haki, huh? That is indeed a threat. And his former Celestial Dragon status makes it even harder to handle!" 

Garp fell silent at the mention of Celestial Dragons—he had never held any fondness for them. 

Sengoku, however, recalled this particular individual and realized there was some history between them. Quickly, he formed a plan. 

"Here's what we'll do, Tsuru. I'll send an undercover agent that Doflamingo will absolutely trust. That way, we can gather accurate intel on them and track his movements at any time. The initiative will be in our hands. We'll wait and see how the higher-ups react before taking action. What do you think?" 

Sengoku laid out his idea. 

Tsuru pondered for a moment, glancing at Victor, then at Garp, before finally locking eyes with Sengoku. 

"I think Victor is the most suitable for this mission. He's still a rookie—very few know he's a Marine. If we arrange things properly, his cover will be flawless. Plus, Victor is incredibly strong. Even if something goes wrong and he's exposed, he won't be in any real danger." 

Tsuru's choice for the undercover role was Victor. She believed he was the perfect fit. 

Victor, however, was baffled. 'This wasn't part of my job! Someone else should handle this! I just came here to cook—why is this suddenly my problem?' 

Garp studied Victor but said nothing. After some thought, he had to admit Victor 'was' the best candidate—a rookie with a clean background and formidable strength. This was official business, and he couldn't oppose it, even if he wasn't keen on sending Victor out so soon. 

Gion stared silently at Victor. As a female soldier, she had never been assigned undercover work. She was curious about how Victor would fare as a pirate, and a few other thoughts crossed her mind. 

Rebecca, however, grew anxious. She didn't want to be separated from Victor. After spending so many years together, their bond went beyond simple camaraderie. She didn't want to stay behind at Marine HQ training alone—she felt unsafe without him. Victor was the one she trusted most. 

Sengoku considered the situation. If this undercover mission succeeded, it would be a major accomplishment. In matters of identity and connections, raw strength wasn't always the deciding factor. 

'If he goes, he'll definitely earn their trust. I've kept him under wraps all these years, and his background is clean. Once he completes this mission, he'll get a promotion.' 

Victor was strong—there would be plenty of opportunities for him to earn merits later. But this timing was perfect. It suited him, so he should go. 

Having made up his mind, Sengoku turned to Tsuru. 

"I have someone in mind—someone Doflamingo would never doubt, with a completely clean background. He could start feeding us information immediately. As for Victor… while he fits in many ways, his strength might make Doflamingo hesitate to recruit him. Even if he does, gaining his trust would be a major hurdle. At first, they'd definitely be wary of him, and that uncertainty could delay our progress. Also, Victor hasn't even graduated from the new recruits' training yet. So, let's not send him." 

Sengoku listed his considerations—though how much of it was personal bias, only he knew. 

Seeing how confident Sengoku was in his own candidate's ability to gain trust, Tsuru didn't argue further and simply nodded. 

Victor let out a sigh of relief. Garp remained indifferent. 

Rebecca unclenched her fists, while Gion looked disappointed. 

'I was looking forward to Victor becoming a pirate—then I could challenge him openly without holding back. Now I still have to deal with his attitude.' 

Zephyr quietly set down his drink. He, too, was against sending Victor out so soon. 

'He hasn't even officially joined my elite training squad yet. If he becomes an admiral or fleet commander in the future but isn't one of my graduates, it'll be a real shame.'

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