After tossing Enel back into the sea and watching his priests scramble to rescue their fallen Thunder God, Zephyr shook his head.
This guy could be of great use if properly disciplined—it would be a waste for Wright to simply cut him down.
Shooting a glare at Cavendish, who was making exaggerated expressions, and then glancing at a bewildered Tashigi, Zephyr understood that both of them were familiar with Enel. However, whether they knew about Wright's "arrangement" was another matter.
Tashigi was easy to figure out, but the fact that the usually outspoken Cavendish had remained silent pleased Zephyr—proof that his training was paying off.
"Let's proceed with the mission. As for that guy just now, don't be fooled by his appearance—he's a Logia-type Devil Fruit user of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, and he's far from harmless."
Zephyr knocked his knuckles against the heads of his recruits. "If I hadn't intervened just now, not a single one of you would still be standing!"
"Yes, Chief Instructor!"
...
Wright was completely unaware of Enel's misfortune.
Technically, clearing out the first half of the Grand Line wasn't something that required an admiral's personal involvement.
But the entire world knew that Admiral Wright had always been someone who despised evil. It was only natural for a newly promoted admiral to take action and make a statement.
That said, was Wright really that free?
After his promotion, Wright held a secret meeting with Garp and Sengoku—one that lasted an entire day.
For this meeting, Rosinante used his long-lost ability, the Silent Zone, to ensure that even if violence broke out, no one outside would hear a thing.
The content of that meeting nearly gave Sengoku a heart attack.
If not for Wright holding him back, Sengoku and Garp would have ended up settling their differences with their fists.
Sengoku had long suspected the peculiar relationship between Garp and Roger—both as enemies and as comrades in arms. That wasn't the real issue.
But after the Marines spent immense effort searching for Roger's rumored child and still came up empty-handed, Sengoku knew something was off.
Then, when Golden Lion Shiki escaped from Impel Down and Garp began taking frequent leaves of absence to visit the East Blue, Sengoku grew even more suspicious.
At the time, he wasn't yet Fleet Admiral, but he was already handling Marine affairs, and Garp's unusual behavior hadn't gone unnoticed.
In fact, Sengoku had even helped Garp erase numerous suspicious records—like the time an entire Marine warship was supposedly on a mission in the South Blue searching for Roger's child, yet returned with an adopted baby.
Did Garp really think the entire Marine force was blind?
Given Garp's personality, he never bothered to hide his actions. He had never held back his disdain for the Celestial Dragons, and his subordinates had long grown used to his "disrespectful" words and actions.
But Garp's prestige was simply too great. Under the title of "Hero," all his transgressions seemed trivial.
Even so, Garp's control over his subordinates was strong, and while they might have turned a blind eye to his actions, it was impossible not to leave any traces.
The reason no rumors had leaked for over a decade?
Sengoku's absolute cooperation played a huge role.
Back to that meeting—
Before Sengoku even had a chance to sit down properly, Garp casually picked his nose and dropped a bombshell.
"Ah, Sengoku, Roger's kid is with me."
Sengoku's mind went blank.
Everything he had carefully ignored for the past decade suddenly felt like a colossal waste. This bastard hadn't even attempted to soften the blow!
"If I don't beat you to a pulp today, you won't understand the consequences of speaking without thinking!"
Sengoku was already radiating golden light, preparing to unleash a shockwave, when Wright had to step in, erecting a Holy Light Wall to separate the enraged Fleet Admiral from the utterly unfazed Garp.
"Calm down, calm down…" Wright mediated between them until Sengoku finally cooled off. Realizing that a brawl would only cause the secret to leak faster, Sengoku snatched Garp's rice crackers and furiously chomped down.
"Wright—you knew about this, didn't you?!"
"Uh… not for too long," Wright admitted, shooting a glare at Garp, who was about to blurt out more details. Only after silencing him did Wright continue, "I'm that kid's teacher."
Seeing Sengoku's face go pale, Wright quickly added, "He originally wanted to become a pirate, but thanks to my careful guidance, diligent mentoring, and unwavering dedication—"
"He has decided to become a righteous Marine!"
Sengoku, who had nearly choked on his own breath, finally managed to exhale in relief.
"Become a Marine? Roger's son?!"
"Ma! Sengoku! I've always been training Ace to become an excellent Marine!"
Garp finally seized the chance to speak, laughing heartily. "With my solid foundation, Ace is sure to become a Marine as strong as Wright! Hahaha!"
"Damn it, Garp! That's not the point!"
Sengoku roared, "Even if he joins the Marines, can you protect him?!"
"Better than letting him become a pirate," Garp muttered under his breath.
"You…" Sengoku let out a heavy sigh and turned to Wright. "So, telling me this now—this is your plan, isn't it? I refuse to believe Garp came up with this on his own."
"Hey! What's that supposed to mean?!"
"It means shut up, Garp!"
Sengoku was already exasperated just looking at him. Garp wasn't stupid, but with himself, Tsuru, and now Wright around, the old man had gotten lazier in using his brain. Otherwise, why else would he choose Wright to be Ace's teacher?
"So, your plan is for the three of us to keep this buried, right?"
Removing his sunglasses, Sengoku massaged his temples. "I had assumed that getting the boy to disappear completely would be the best outcome."
"This kid isn't just strong—he's exceptional. After all, he carries that man's bloodline."
Wright smirked. "At the very least, his potential to become an admiral is undeniable."
"That strong?"
Sengoku adjusted his glasses, staring at Wright intently. "You're certain?"
"Of course… Honestly, if I hadn't told him to keep a low profile, he might have already turned the Grand Line upside down."
"He's obtained the Flame-Flame Fruit."
"!!"
This time, not only Sengoku but even Garp was shocked.
"A Logia? And a powerful one at that?! When did this happen? Why didn't I know?!"
"There's been no news of Ace in the papers. That's because I asked Morgans to keep it quiet."
Wright's relationship with Morgans was much closer than most imagined, and Sengoku and Garp were well aware of it.
After all, when Wright was promoted to admiral, Morgans had gone all out in supporting him.
"I've been keeping close tabs on him. He isn't flying a pirate flag, he isn't a pirate, he has no bounty, and he stays out of the news. The higher-ups have no reason to notice him."
"...Well done. That gives us plenty of room to maneuver."
Muttering to himself, Sengoku finally made up his mind.
"Tell me everything about that kid."
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