Chapter 2. The Grand admiral’s choice
The patient’s room was too big for either his bed or the medical equipment, but the standing of the people inside made so it wouldn't be big enough regardless of how spacious it could be.
“So that rusty badge could actually overturn life and death, without it, this body wouldn’t have endured that poison’s toxicity any longer than half a day... Besides, why would people of their status worry about this captain’s fate so much? It’s truly worth being a family heirloom!”
Be it the Grand Admiral or the world’s greatest doctor, each movement of theirs could bring great changes to many countries. Due to their status, it wasn’t strange for people like them to know each other already, however their convergence was always something to behold!
“Interestingly, his fiancee is by my bedside too... Don’t worry, I’ll make sure to fulfill your vows in your stead. Wonder if that counts as netorare... Besides, Sengoku is really in a bad shape, seems like things haven’t been very smooth since Marineford.”
Had it been a few weeks ago, or if the Grand Admiral hadn’t seen his first marine badge in the young captain’s hands, he wouldn’t have batted an eye over a common marine’s life and death. Plenty of soldiers have already died and will keep on dying for justice.
However Sengoku’s current demeanour clearly betrayed his deep conviction, clenching his fists, the rusty badge gradually got smeared with his own blood.
“I’ve done what I could, now it’s up to the young lad whether he recovers or, well...”
The old witch restrained herself, hearing the young girl’s silent sobs, she felt like it would be too much for her to handle.
Doctrine already held Janna in high esteem for managing to break in such a high security facility, but what gained her approval was the young lady’s care for her beloved captain.
Still in his spiritual form, Aslan couldn’t help but snicker at this old bag of bones. It seems she had underestimated a Sage’s vitality and recovery ability. This much injury wasn’t enough to threaten his life!
“Sorry to break your expectations, old hag. However this much is not enough to deal with the Soul Rune Sect’s guardian elder. Besides, I might get a bit stronger thanks to the ordeal...”
Aslan’s spiritual sense quickly scanned his body while at the same time assessing his own cultivation. His family heirloom wasn’t damaged luckily, while his soul realm still retained its original power. However, just as he thought, there was no trace of his chakras.
“I can’t feel the elements ocean, it seems like this world isn’t connected to it... However I can sense this body does indeed have the potential to build chakras, no wonder they developed an alternate cultivation system!”
Leaving his body, his spiritual sense covered the whole room while quickly speeding up his body’s regeneration abilities. Thankfully his multitasking ability wasn’t affected by crossing over to this world.
The Grand Admiral jolted in surprise, it seemed Sengoku's spiritual perception was something to be reckoned with since he was the only one aware of Aslan’s soul wave!
"So observation haki works this way too... It's their equivalent of spiritual sense then, besides I can feel my body has already awakened something similar. Never thought being a 400 year old weeaboo would be useful one day!"
Regretfully, It seemed like Aslan would have to get his information from someone else, the young captain’s focus switched to the old doctor, overlooking her short-term memories.
“Due to her old age, this is the most I can get without damaging her brain. What a pity, the Grand Admiral should have the best grasp over the world’s affairs not only in this room but the whole world too...”
Still Aslan didn’t waste his chance, and he suddenly found himself within the old hag’s memories.
Coming all the way here from the Sakura Kingdom, Kureha thought her patient would be Admiral Sakazuki from the sheer degree of damage he endured fighting the Emperor of the seas, Aslan could almost feel her surprise when her patient was revealed to be a common captain. The poison was fairly troublesome on its own due to its rarity, but beyond that, the sheer amount of injuries had already turned him into a barely breathing sieve.
“I still can’t understand you Sengoku, there are tens of thousands of injured due the War of Supremacy, you are also facing severe shortages in manpower after Germa took the chance to conquer North Blue...”
Kureha's raspy voice seemed to age with her words, the Marine had sacrificed too much to crack down the Whitebeard pirates, yet here was the Grand Admiral worrying over the life and death of some common captain.
No matter how tremendous Aslan's sacrifice, or promising his potential, it didn’t deserve Sengoku’s attention nor was the Grand Admiral allowed to care. The seas required their helmsman! No matter what, there were plenty of challengers trying to make them their own!!
"So this is the broken balance that damned Goddess talked about? It seems like the World Government isn't the supreme entity portrayed in the manga, at least not anymore... And how am I to restore it? Do I even wish to do that? I only see opportunities in an unstable world!!"
It had been a week already since the war’s end, still the Grand Admiral had yet to rest, his glasses couldn’t hide the dark circles of exhaustion and the white hair popping out in his iconic afro let the world know no vacation could relieve the pent-up stress from bearing the world's burden.
Yet here he was holding a rusty badge!
Sengoku smiled at the irony of the situation, the five elders had been chastising him for leaving his office unattended, using one of Vegapunk’s clones as a figurehead. However they were quick to silence when said office blew up to smithereens.
Attending to Aslan’s health had already saved him from the Revolutionary Army’s schemes, owing him another lifetime debt. Yes, because he already owed his parents.
Sengoku had faced the same fate as Aslan once, Garp had been sent off to deal with Roger on his own while he had made the mistake of trusting another marine as much as his old friend. That was the first red-flag and his greatest lesson, divide and conquer, it would become one of his most reliable tricks.
Looking back, he could understand their enemies. Kong was getting old and pirates were becoming more and more overwhelming, the higher-ups were all seeking food from the tiger’s maws fearlessly, not a single though on whether it might chomp their hands off too, it was only the great Pirate Era stomped on their foolish hopes.
They were both promising recruits, Garp and Sengoku, too promising for some, so much so they became an eyesore in many people’s eyes. However, Garp’s blunt attitude towards Celestial Dragons was their nail on the coffin.
It was deep in Alabasta’s desert, in one of the many oasis adorning this unforgiving landscape, spent from the chase of a younger Shiki. It was while taking rest under a palm tree's shade that he discovered his comrade’s insidious plot. A few days earlier, he had eaten an exceptionally crunchy Desert strawberry and he would have never known if they hadn’t treated him as a living corpse.
Even though it’s a slow-acting poison, its potent toxicity would have dropped dead any lesser man once its effect became noticeable. Thanks to Sengoku's assiduous training he could endure another half an hour, yet what saved him was eating a spirally date fruit.
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Thanks to the mythological zoan, he managed to slow down the poison’s spread by lowering his heartbeat while momentarily overcoming his paralysis through sheer power of will. A projection of Alabasta’s map quickly appearing in the oasis’ searing vapours, his run to the closest settlement became flying as his survival instinct activated the Devil Fruit’s wondrous power.
Close to the village Sengoku halted his flight before drawing three verdant seals in the air, summoning three Sandora Lizards from the underground desert then the seal seamlessly entered their eyes. With a nod, the giant lizards scattered in three different directions while covering any of Sengoku’s tracks.
“Hiiip!”
With the sudden shout, the admiral’s facial bones were rearranged while his look gradually changed into a middle aged man with dull eyes and a potato nose, his hair also changed in texture now draping over his shoulder smoothly. Even his parents would have trouble recognising him now!
By the time Sengoku got to the village, he was already about to breathe his last but he managed to project a picture of the venomous spider along a short description of his current plight to an able looking youth. If his enemies came back for his corpse they might search the nearby villages spelling his doom, once his saviours carelessly handed him in to the ‘guardians of justice’.
Since it was a hidden plot, their search could at most cover the hundred mile radius close to the oasis, thinking him dead or carrion's lunch, they would spare Sengoku the precious chance to plot his enemies' demise in the shadows!!
The future Grand Admiral knew it all by heart but wasn’t aware how he could think through so many things at the time. However it was reality, the Buddha’s wisdom was already his own from the moment he ate that date fruit.
It seemed the heavens didn’t forget the future Grand Admiral, not only they did they cure him but they even hid him from the Marine’s pursuit!
Sengoku owed his speedy recovery to the doctor’s wife, everyday she would cook him the finest sea king’s meat, perfectly butchered by her life sized cleaver. If it wasn’t for his recent incident, he always thought it was a waste of a good blade to not become a Marine. However the Desert Strawberry’s venom had already seeped deep within his marrow, and while they tried their best his only hope for complete recovery was the Drum Kingdom’s legendary witch, Dr. Kureha!!
Gripping the rusty badge, the Grand Admiral couldn’t help but reminisce thinking of the day he left his saviours’ home, they had just become parents and made him their firstborn’s Godfather.
Back then the most he could leave them was his badge, fully confident he could repay them back one day. Ironically, as the Marine’s lofty Grand Admiral he wasn’t as confident as his young self.
Shaking his head, the Grand Admiral drove away the negative thoughts dragging him down. Regardless, he had done the utmost within his possibilities, sparing nothing to chance.
Still, was there truly nothing they could do anymore? He truly wanted to see that cleaver in action one more time...
It seemed the heavens had heard his prayers, the Grand Admiral felt a sudden burst in the young captain’s vitality, hope finally. Janna’s weeping, or the lack thereof, quickly caught Doctrine’s attention.
“What is it? Has the lad breathed his last? We wouldn’t be surprised, It’s a miracle already for...”
This time not even Kureha's hundred year expertise could save her from the shock, right in front of her, she could see the medical snail going wild as everything from heartbeat to cell activity were off the charts.
“Impossible!? Is it a devil fruit or one of Vegapunk crazy ideas?!?”
Sengoku’s answer was swifter though, with a snap of his finger, all the monitoring snails fell asleep, his eyes lit with hope at this unexpected twist.
“People of Juba, it seems like I can finally repay my debt!”
Doctrine’s eyes were thoroughly scanning the patient’s body, looking for the source of this exceptional transformation while readjusting the therapy’s dosage to the unexpected turn of events.
Under the stress of such a speedy recovery, smoke began to cloud their vision while both bedsheets and bandages burnt to cinders revealing the war scars underneath.
“Kyaaaa!?”
Janna leaped away in embarrassment, the smoke growing increasingly thicker, filling her lungs until she couldn’t stop coughing. Unexpectedly she landed almost ten meters away, the Grand Admiral’s glasses flashed as he wondered at the girl unexpected display of agility, now he knew how she managed to break in noiselessly!
“Quick we have to lower the heat timely or the extreme temperature will damage his brain!! Go fill the bath!! We don't want your fiancée burning to cinders on my watch!”
Soon, they could hear water running fast, Sengoku couldn’t help but sigh in relief now that the situation could be managed.
“Water... wat...”
However, that wasn’t the end of their worries, with a sudden jump Aslan left a smoking trail behind him, while with each stride the patient would leave an ashen footprint on the marble floor, leaving both Grand Admiral and Dr. Kureha flabbergasted.
“I need not mention that this whole thing stays between us, Doctrine?”
Sengoku’s amiable smile looked a bit threatening, especially after the loud splash, the steam from the bathroom made his eyes unreadable behind the glasses.
“You wouldn’t doubt the reputation of the whole Sakura Kingdom, do you Sengoku-kun?”
The old witch’s words triggered the Grand-Admiral quite a bit, watching The Buddha’s eye corners twitching madly filled the world renowned doctor with a deep sense of achievement.
“Ah, treat it as an old friend’s visit. I wouldn’t want people to link me with such a freakish individual...”
Pushing up his glasses, the Grand Admiral found the recovery process was definitely abnormal, but that didn’t faze him in the least. In fact he became expectant about what kind of surprise could Aslan bring him in the future!
“Glad we could find an agreement... Then shall we go for a walk, old witch? I think things got a bit steamy in the bathroom... Also, let’s say that the patient got transferred to your Kingdom’s facilities for further treatment. I wouldn’t want people wondering how could a cripple recover so speedily.”
Taking the newspaper along he realised that he didn’t actually have time for any walks at all, nor would the unbearable exhaustion allow him to enjoy Kureha’s mad look.
The Marine had won the war, but the price they paid was steep enough for many to finally bare their fangs against them.
“Then, I won’t send you off, take care Sengoku, it wouldn’t be bad to hand it all to the next generation. You have already done more than enough for your retirement, both Sakazuki and Aokiji have shown plenty of grit during the war. Remember you don’t have to bear it all by yourself...”
There was real concern in the old witch’s voice this time, she could see beyond the few white hairs that had popped out here and there, the sheer exhaustion. It wasn’t something just a vacation could handle, and the world wouldn’t wait for him.
The heartfelt words struck him differently this time, especially when it came from an old acquaintance, a doctor to Booth, and for once Sengoku found the idea of retirement much more appealing!
This wasn’t the first time he heard these words, Garp had already taken the lead, fully dedicating himself to raising the young recruits, and the Five Elders had shown their concern over his successor more often than usual lately. Maybe he really needed to take a step back.
“Indeed I’m too old, but look at you Kureha, you are well past your hundreds and show no sign of retiring!! You know, I always wanted to see those cherry blossoms that crazy doctor raved about, it seems is well past the time for me to visit the Sakura Kingdom once more.”
Now that West Blue was in chaos, due to the mafia clans colluding with Germa, Drum Island was the only place where an ex Grand Admiral could enjoy cherry blossoms in peace. Wano was of course off the charts.
Sengoku could almost feel like a heavy load was dropped from his back, he couldn’t help but feel grateful for her wise words!
“You are right... And thanks to you, now I also have a disciple to train for once, I’ll be sure to stock on plenty of delicacies throughout the Grand Line before visiting the Sakura Kingdom, beside. I’ll have a warship escort you home. Wish you a smooth journey!”
A wrinkled smile spread on Kureha’s aged face, her steps were too light for someone who was well beyond his hundreds yet he could still see it. The bend of her back seemed much heavier, She had worked too hard over the last week.
Still, listening to the boisterous action in the bathroom, the ex Grand Admiral couldn’t help but chuckle!
“Youth these days... Guess I should give them some time.”
With a snap of his fingers the surveilling snails in the emergency room fell off the ceiling before following him away. There was never enough privacy when it came to these matters!