One Piece: Get Stronger by Watching Battles

……

"Boom, boom."

At Marine Headquarters, there was a knock on the door of the Fleet Admiral's office. Sengoku looked up from his desk piled high with documents, glanced at Garp snoring on the sofa next to him, and sighed helplessly.

"Come in."

"Report, Marshal, the 16th Branch has sent back an urgent message!" A marine pushed open the door, saluted, and reported loudly.

"Say"

"Colonel Rat of the 16th Branch exposed Navy Headquarters Warrant Officer Zhou Ze for colluding with pirates. These are photos and Colonel Rat's report."

As the marine spoke, he handed over a document with both hands.

Zhan Guo suddenly stood up from his seat, grabbed the documents, and quickly flipped through them, his expression becoming uncertain.

He waved for the marines to retreat, then looked at Garp, who was still fast asleep with his mouth open, and roared, "Garp!"

Karp's snoring suddenly stopped, and he groggily woke up, letting out a big yawn.

"Warring States Period, what are you shouting about?"

Sengoku slammed the documents in his hand on the table. "Look at this! This is what you meant by a navy with the potential to become an admiral, which has now become entangled with pirates!"

Garp paused for a moment before realizing that Sengoku was referring to Zhou Ze. He stood up from the sofa, picked up the documents, and began to read them, making "tsk tsk" sounds of admiration as he looked.

"This kid actually managed to beat Ah Long!"

“His companions seem alright.”

Sengoku looked at Garp flipping through the documents and listened to him muttering to himself. A row of black lines appeared on his forehead, and his face darkened. "What are you talking about?"

Garp gave a nonchalant "Oh," skipped over the information about the Straw Hat Pirates, and flipped to the next section. "I can't tell anything from these photos. Wasn't Zhou Ze sitting obediently to the side?"

"He didn't do anything, and this is not enough to prove that he colluded with pirates."

Sengoku was even angrier by Garp's attitude. "Didn't you see him beat up his superior and retreat without a fight when faced with pirates?"

Garp waved his hand casually, "Sengoku, he's just a warrant officer. Didn't you question his abilities before?"

"A strategic retreat is understandable when faced with a pirate capable of defeating Arlong!"

"As for the matter of assaulting a superior, there is probably more to it than meets the eye. We'll ask him about it when he gets back."

Garp didn't take any of this to heart. Zhou Ze was just a branch colonel, while he was a warrant officer appointed by him. So what if he fought? It wasn't a big deal anyway.

His hair and beard bristled with anger, "You..."

Garp raised his hand and pressed it down. "Hey, hey, don't get excited, old man. One-sided views lead to darkness. Let's hear what Zhou Ze has to say before making a decision."

Sengoku turned his face away from Garp, snorted, and frowned as he looked at the banner that read "Justice of King's Landing" hanging on the wall beside him.

"Don't worry, you'll know once you meet him. He's a very nice little guy and won't cause trouble on purpose."

Garp continued to appease Sengoku.

"Fine, then I'll give him a chance." Sengoku snorted again, looking at Garp who seemed completely unconcerned.

……

Naval Headquarters.

"Have you heard? Zhou Ze is coming back soon."

Who is Zhou Ze?

"It's the pride of the navy! You don't even know that?"

"That naval recruit who's supposedly got the strength of an admiral?"

"I heard it's a strength above that of a general."

"Yes, that's what I heard too."

"Are the newcomers these days really that good?"

"That's no ordinary newcomer; he's the one who sent Hawkeye packing."

“That’s right, an entire ship’s worth of marines saw it.”

A group of marines huddled together in the corridor, chattering noisily about gossip.

Two menial workers were listening intently nearby: one was a short man with pink hair and a slightly chubby face, and the other was a tall man with yellow hair and a thin build.

The two looked at each other and saw the shock and envy in each other's eyes.

What are you all arguing about in such a chaotic way?

A majestic voice rang out, followed by the appearance of a burly figure.

He was tall with a well-defined face and a resolute expression. He wore a burgundy uniform with a pink rose pinned to his left breast and a cloak symbolizing his naval admiral status.

Chapter 8 Battle! Zhou Ze vs. Akainu

"Wow……"

The marines were startled and scattered in a panic, trying to run away.

The newcomer let out a muffled groan, and the marines froze, no longer daring to move.

A marine timidly spoke up: "Admiral Sakazuki!"

Admiral Sakazuki, also known as Akainu, is one of the three admirals of the Marine Headquarters, representing the highest level of combat power in the Navy.

Sakazuki glared at the seemingly flustered marine, whose heart skipped a beat, snapped to attention, and gave a crisp military salute.

"Report, Admiral Sakazuki, we are discussing Warrant Officer Zhou Ze from Naval Headquarters!"

"Hmm?" Akainu raised an eyebrow. "What are you discussing about him?"

"Report! The marines are all saying that Warrant Officer Zhou Ze is the pride of the Navy, and has the potential to become an admiral..."

As the marine was reporting, he suddenly felt Akainu's aura surge, and a powerful pressure rushed towards him, instantly silencing him from saying what he was about to say.

"What 'Light of the Navy'?" Akainu roared. "Who's spreading these rumors?"

Akainu had also heard about this warrant officer named Zhou Ze, as Fleet Admiral Sengoku had told him. The Zhou Ze that Sengoku described was completely different from what he described. Why was he portrayed this way among the lower-ranking marines?

Moreover, according to the latest intelligence, this guy named Zhou Ze is colluding with pirates.

Does this guy even deserve to be called the pride of the Navy?

The marines, terrified by Akainu, shrank back, not daring to utter a single word. Akainu, seeing their fear, grew even angrier and waved his hand, "Get lost!"

The marines breathed a sigh of relief and scattered in all directions.

Akainu walked to the window, gazing at the distant sea, lost in thought.

"Warrant Lieutenant Zhou Ze is back!"

"Warrant Lieutenant Zhou Ze is back."

"..."

A sudden commotion broke out in the naval headquarters plaza below, with marines shouting loudly.

Akainu's gaze sharpened; on the distant horizon, two warships were sailing towards headquarters.

…………

"Warrant Lieutenant Zhou Ze, wake up, we've arrived at Naval Headquarters."

Zhou Ze, who was fast asleep, was woken up. He looked around blankly and asked, "Have we arrived?"

"We're here, it's just ahead." The marine pointed ahead.

Zhou Ze jumped up from the deck chair and looked ahead while holding onto the gunwale.

A magnificent building stands on the sea, with the word "Navy" carved in large characters on the outer wall of the main castle.

The main castle was surrounded by tall watchtowers on all four sides, with naval flags bearing the "seagull and wrench" design fluttering in the wind atop them.

Naval warships were moored at the docks in the open sea.

Many sailors gathered on the city wall outside the Naval Headquarters Plaza, their eyes eagerly watching the rapidly approaching warships.

Marineford!

The pinnacle of global power and justice, a symbol of peace in the "Great Pirate Era".

Zhou Ze had been observing the place where the first large-scale battle in the One Piece world, the "Marineford War," broke out, constantly piecing together fragments of the event in his mind.

It wasn't until he stepped off the warship that he was shocked to find so many people. What had happened?

Just as he was filled with doubt and uncertainty, three sailors suddenly stepped out from the crowd. A naval sergeant led two marines to Zhou Ze.

He snapped to attention and saluted. "Excuse me, are you Warrant Officer Zhou Ze?"

Zhou Ze nodded, somewhat bewildered.

When the naval sergeant saw Zhou Ze nod, his eyes instantly turned fervent. "I am here to greet you on the orders of Vice Admiral Garp."

Then he turned around and took a warrant officer's uniform and a knife from the marine behind him, and respectfully presented them to Zhou Ze.

"This is your uniform and your sword."

Zhou Ze stared blankly at the naval sergeant, then glanced questioningly at the large group of marines watching.

What's going on? It's just delivering a uniform, why do they need so many people?

He picked up the knife, pulled out a section and looked at it. Hmm, it was just an ordinary standard military knife, nothing special.

Just as Zhou Ze was about to thank the naval sergeant, a roar suddenly came from behind the crowd:

"A massive fireball!"

A raging, magma-like mass, billowing black smoke, hurtled straight toward Zhou Ze.

Zhou Ze's eyes widened instantly. "Holy crap!"

He sidestepped and swept his leg across the room, sending the unsuspecting naval sergeant and the two marines flying. It was too late for him to dodge.

He had no choice but to turn his body around instead of sideways, and in the instant he turned, he drew his sword with his right hand and slashed diagonally.

Mihawk Slash