One Piece: Mandala Swordsman

Chapter 39 Eagle and Dove (Exams are coming up soon, will update again in April)

Currently, only Sengoku is serving as a naval admiral, and the main reason for this situation lies in the subjective will of the other two.

In the words of the Warring States period, "Iron Fist" Garp is an indispensable bastard.

He repeatedly refused the rank of general because it was too troublesome. And he himself caused quite a bit of trouble.

When it comes to shifting blame, the somewhat eccentric Garp has an amazing keenness. His words, "Isn't there still Sengoku?" infuriated Marineford's only admiral to the point that his beard turned white. Although he was already black and white, Sengoku was constantly dyeing his hair for the sake of his image.

The other one, however, is much more poignant.

"Black Wrist" Zephyr.

After his wife and son were killed by pirates in retaliation, Zephyr, who was originally an admiral, resolutely stepped down to the second line and began to dedicate his life to educating the next generation of naval personnel.

His "no killing" principle was thus changed.

In short, since neither of them was willing to take the position of general, Sengoku became the only general. This meant that the future marshal had already been decided, and the transition of power would be very smooth, which was a stroke of luck amidst misfortune.

However, as a "strategist," Sengoku clearly wouldn't limit his vision to just a few short years. After all, now that his position as marshal was secured, he had to consider the longer-term future, which is the very reason for the marshal's existence.

He is still considering future generals, but it's practically a done deal.

Barring any unforeseen circumstances, Borsalino, Sakazuki, and Kuzan will be the three future Admirals.

Even though the average age of the three is only in their early thirties, Sengoku clearly understands that seniority is not so important in the face of monstrous strength.

At least apart from the older generation of naval personnel, almost no one could rival them.

However, all three of them had very prominent personality flaws.

Sakazuki was a typical hawkish general with an extremely radical understanding of justice, preferring to kill a thousand innocent people rather than let one guilty person go free.

Kuzan was a typical dove general, slow-paced and lazy, and always nowhere to be found when it mattered most.

Borsalino is a very typical neutral representative, and has maintained an almost absolutely neutral stance for many years. He is carefree and only does things that benefit himself.

Of course, that's not to say they have no merits.

Although Akainu's sense of justice is extreme, under his leadership, the Navy will be more courageous, which will be a good way to curb the arrogance of the pirates.

Although Kuzan is unreliable most of the time, he cares a lot about civilians. He prioritizes protecting civilians over capturing pirates. If he could lead the Navy, it might have a more approachable image and gain a wider following.

Borsalino... is also quite strong.

In short, all three have very prominent strengths and weaknesses.

Perhaps it's too early to think about that now. Let's eat some rice crackers instead.

He found the paper bag empty.

"Kapp!!!"

An angry roar echoed throughout the entire building.

"Well, well, the Sengoku general is so energetic so early in the morning! He's old but still vigorous, it's terrifying." Wearing a yellow striped suit, with a leisurely posture, he spoke irresponsibly. It was Borsalino.

As one of the navy's strongest combat forces, although he was not an admiral, he was able to thrive in his new position and live a very comfortable life.

On a sunny morning, teasing a hot-tempered guy can also be a great experience.

He was obviously referring to Sakazuki.

Sakazuki has been in a bad mood lately, which is normal, since even his adjutant has rarely seen him happy.

As one of the most extreme hawks in terms of personality and actions, Sakazuki possesses astonishing courage.

He used honorifics to directly berate Garp, who was fast asleep during the meeting; he used honorifics to directly berate Tsuru's unreliable advisors; and he used honorifics to directly criticize Sengoku's plan to avoid pirates.

Of course, even after Sakazuki did such an "outrageous" thing, he still held the position of lieutenant general and was even a popular candidate for future general. Apart from his strength, the biggest reason was that he was a true corporate slave.

In terms of proactiveness in handling affairs within the Navy, he ranks second to none.

Moreover, compared to Borsalino, who slacks off whenever things happen, and Kuzan, who is always nowhere to be found, Sakazuki is much more reliable. In particular, the missions assigned to Sakazuki to fight pirates are almost flawless, except for the fact that no one survives.

It's really hard to find talented people who are also reliable and hardworking.

Sengoku, who suffered greatly at Garp's hands, didn't completely agree with Sakazuki's extremism, but he still admired him.

Surprisingly, Borsalino, who always liked to slack off, was able to maintain a long-lasting friendship with Sakazuki, who was serious about his work. The truth behind this is quite intriguing.

Many people have speculated about this, and there are various rumors circulating, but the most reliable explanation is that the two were classmates at the Zephyr training camp, during which they developed a deep friendship.

But whatever the truth may be, Borsalino has to go inside and find Sakazuki.

Although the Navy's working hours start at 8:00 AM, if you see Sakazuki already with his office door open at 6:00 AM, it can only mean that he was held up by something else and was late.

Then, at 7:59, you will see Borsalino appear in the office.

As for Kuzan, whether he'll even show up at the office is up to fate. If you're lucky, you might see a yawning Kuzan walk into his dusty office at midnight and then go back to sleep.

"You're really diligent, aren't you? I brought you breakfast and juice, would you like some?" Borsalino teased, looking at Sakazuki who was engrossed in military affairs.

The reason it's juice is because Sakazuki has strict rules: during working hours, not only can he not drink alcohol, but his subordinates are also not allowed to bring alcohol.

"What are you doing here?" Although it was a reply, Sakazuki didn't give Borsalino a second glance and continued to review his documents.

"I'm doing this for your own good. The people we recruited are almost at Marine Headquarters."

This was a topic that interested Sakazuki, and sure enough, his pen paused for a moment, but then he pressed it down a little harder.

"Did you bring in those scumbags again?" After saying this, Sakazuki started to flare up.

"This is a desecration of justice!!!"

The surrounding documents had already begun to curl and bend; if Borsalino hadn't reacted quickly, they would have been reduced to ashes.

"How terrifying, Sakazuki. Don't be so rigid. They're a much more reliable bunch than the recruits, if you can handle them."

Borsalino understood, of course, that these recruits all had some dark pasts, and apart from not having the title of pirates, they had done a lot of dirty work.

However, the justice he obtains is ambiguous; as long as it serves his purposes, the past is irrelevant.