One Piece : From Slave to Fleet Admiral

The senbei crackers crumbled under Garp hard teeth, most falling into his mouth while tiny fragments scattered onto Sengoku's desk nearby.

Seeing the evenly spread crumbs on his documents and embedded in the seams of his leather chair, Sengoku could no longer contain his rage.

Veins bulged on his forehead as his hair stood on end, roaring at Garp.

"GARP! You bastard! What do you think this place is? Hand over those senbei!"

Even as he spoke, Sengoku seized the mostly full bag of senbei before Garp could react, opening his mouth wide to shovel all the crackers in at once.

"Ah! Sengoku you bastard! Those were my senbei!"

After Garp's exaggerated eye-popping expression faded, the two finally ended their farce.

Zephyr sighed, then said to Sengoku.

"Why bother with Garp? Finish this discussion already. You've been ignoring the Marine's future hope this whole time!"

Hearing Zephyr's weary tone, Sengoku coughed and quickly composed himself.

Whenever near Garp, he always lose his composure.

This time he'd lost composure before juniors he'd never even met before.

Damn it, rebuilding his authoritative image would be difficult now!

The thought made Sengoku's head throb, but to prevent further damage to his dignity, he turned to Jake with solemn expression.

"You're Jake Lawrence, correct? User of the Mythical Zoan-type Seraphim. The future pillar of the Marine who uncovered the Donquixote Family's plot and saved Gourmet Town from the Big Mom Pirates."

Jake didn't respond with excessive humility—these were indeed his accomplishments, nothing to be ashamed of.

As long as he avoided arrogance while stating facts clearly, it would count as above-average performance.

"Uncovering the Donquixote plot was a joint effort with Monet. Defending Gourmet Town involved me and other Marines. Crediting me alone would be exaggeration."

Sengoku nodded subtly at Jake's reply—neither groveling nor boastful, not hogging credit while protecting others' interests.

A flawless response showing promise.

Nodding slightly, Sengoku's voice softened.

"No need for such modesty. Others' contributions won't be forgotten. Every Marine's merits receive due reward. Your and Monet's multiple-rank promotions follow proper regulations."

"The main reason for summoning you early this time is to grant you some additional rewards beyond just a promotion in rank."

Hearing Sengoku's words, Jake was surprised.

In his view, being promoted so many ranks at once had already far exceeded his expectations.

Now there were even more rewards, making him momentarily doubt if he had misheard.

Subconsciously, he asked.

"There are more rewards?"

Seeing Jake's expression, Sengoku smiled slightly.

This was exactly the reaction he had hoped for.

Strictly speaking, the extraordinary promotion in rank alone would have been sufficient—even excessive—for Jake's merits.

But when dealing with such a talented and outstanding Marine, generosity was essential in winning his loyalty.

The extra rewards were meant to strengthen Jake's allegiance to the Marines.

"Saving the lives of an entire town's residents and avoiding direct conflict with an Emperor Crew—either of these alone would warrant such rewards. Aside from the promotion, you and Monet will now have a fully furnished two-story villa near the central gardens of Marineford, complete with a private garden. You can move in immediately without needing to worry about purchasing furniture."

"Secondly, in recognition of your and Monet's outstanding performance, you will each receive personal bonuses—6 million Berries for you and 4 million for Monet. That should allow you both to live comfortably in Marineford for a while. Lastly, there's a reward related to the elite training camp, but this one is a choice."

"First option: Considering neither you nor Monet have undergone extensive training, your first three elite training camp assessments can be waived and you'll be automatically marked as passing. This will give you ample time to rest and relax."

"Second option: There are still about two weeks before the elite training camp officially begins. During this time, you can train in advance under Admiral Zephyr, as well as consult any high-ranking Marine officers—including myself—on matters of training. As long as they're present at headquarters and not on a mission, they are obligated to answer your questions without reservation."

"Which of these two options would you prefer?"

After finishing, Sengoku simply watched Jake quietly, his expression unreadable.

Faced with the choice, Jake hesitated for barely a moment.

After glancing at Monet, who subtly raised two fingers, he make his decision.

"We choose the second option."

Hearing this, Sengoku showed no outward reaction, but inwardly he nodded in approval.

Both options had their merits, but the second clearly offered the advantage of building closer ties with the Marine's top brass.

While choosing the second option would increase training pressure, the benefits far outweighed the disadvantage.

"Since you've chosen the second option, there's one final matter to confirm. Regarding your Devil Fruit abilities and your progress in Haki—especially Conqueror's Haki—I'd like you to demonstrate them as fully as possible. I understand this might feel intrusive, but it's crucial for many reasons."

Jake nodded upon hearing this.

He naturally understood why he was able to stand here and knew he needed to demonstrate sufficient value at this moment.

Without hesitation, Jake mobilized the Holy Light Energy within his body.

After long-term training, his Holy Light attribute had reached an astonishing 23 points and he had also learned several other active and passive skills.

Sacred golden light blossomed from behind Jake as several feathers shimmering with golden radiance slowly descended from the sky.

An indescribable sense of comfort and reassurance rose from beneath their feet.

Though the power wasn't particularly strong for them, its effects were astonishing enough to leave them in awe.

[As for why Jake can turn into a seraphim, you might check Dungeon and Fighters : Female priest Crusader path second awakening]

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