One Piece: Get Stronger by Watching Battles

A surge of internal energy instantly filled his body, and the Lesser Formless Skill propelled him to unleash a slash.

"bang"

The fiercely burning magma and the powerful sword energy collided three meters in front of Zhou Ze, and then exploded with a loud bang.

Zhou Ze squinted as he was hit by the thick smoke and heat and the splashing lava.

On the other side, a figure landed on the ground, dressed in a burgundy suit, with that familiar face.

Red dog!

Zhou Ze's narrowed eyes widened instantly, and his pupils contracted sharply.

Why? Why did he attack me? Holy crap, what happened?

"We, the Navy, bear the weight of world justice and fight against pirates. Those who turn their backs to the enemy and desert their posts do not deserve to be called Marines."

Akainu stared intently at Zhou Ze, his tone firm and serious.

Huh? What is he saying? Shouldn't you explain why you attacked me?

Zhou Ze looked even more bewildered.

"Wow, did you see that? Lieutenant Zhou Ze easily blocked Admiral Akainu's attack."

"Yes, you see, Lieutenant Zhou Ze's expression hasn't changed at all."

“That’s right, I’ve been paying attention, his expression has always been very calm.”

"Is this the strength of an admiral? How terrifying."

"Truly worthy of being called the pride of the Navy, his reputation is well-deserved!"

"That's incredibly powerful!"

The surrounding marines gradually became restless, starting to discuss among themselves, and their gazes towards Zhou Ze became even more intense.

The scorching heat from the lava gradually subsided, and the air became cool again. Zhou Ze took a breath, moistened his slightly dry throat, and said softly, "What did you say?"

"Hiss, that calm tone..."

"Yes, it looks like Lieutenant Zhou Ze is angry."

Will a clash between two generals break out?

The marines watching stirred again, collectively retreating to the outer perimeter, making way for a large open space, their eyes fixed on the two figures in the arena.

Huh? Why are you all backing away?

Zhou Ze, who had been keeping a close eye on Akainu and wary of him launching another attack, noticed the unusual behavior of the marines around him out of the corner of his eye, and became increasingly puzzled.

"And why did you attack me?"

Akainu, on the other side, was also somewhat surprised. This guy, who was entangled with pirates, seemed to be much stronger than he had imagined. This person was a hidden danger and had to be dealt with as soon as possible.

Thinking this, Akainu's right arm suddenly erupted in flames, turning into magma. He threw a powerful punch and roared:

"A massive fireball!"

Chapter 9 Promotion

[Learning the Great Fire-Ejecting Technique Successfully]

Upon receiving the system notification, Zhou Ze was not pleased. He was more puzzled. It was his first time at the Marine Headquarters and his first time meeting Akainu. Why would Akainu attack him?

Just as Zhou Ze was about to deliver another slash, Garp suddenly appeared and threw a straight punch that shattered Akainu's attack.

Garp landed in the arena, first giving Zhou Ze a hearty laugh before turning to Akainu and saying in a deep voice, "Sakazuki, what do you want to do? Don't you know Zhou Ze is a warrant officer in the Marine Headquarters?"

Akainu snorted, the lava dissipated, and his right arm returned to normal. "Does he even deserve to be a Marine? He..."

"Cough, cough."

Suddenly, a slightly aged female voice coughed heavily twice, interrupting Akainu.

Is this the kind of place to talk about this kind of thing?

An elderly woman with completely white hair led a group of high-ranking naval officers out slowly, and the marines around them automatically dispersed and made way for them.

Her thin face was already lined with wrinkles, and two sapphire earrings hung from her earlobes.

Lieutenant General Tsuru!

Zhou Ze recognized the chief of staff of the Navy Headquarters at a glance; he remembered him as a strategist.

Vice Admiral Tsuru waved his right hand and said to the surrounding marines, "Disperse, everyone. Go do what you were doing."

The marines were already extremely nervous when they saw a large group of high-ranking naval officers appear, and they scattered in a flurry.

The naval sergeant who presented Zhou Ze with the sword and uniform, along with the two marines, ran a few steps, then suddenly ran up to Zhou Ze and bowed deeply.

Seeing this, Zhou Ze shifted his body slightly to the side, dodged a bit, nodded at them, and gave them a smile.

The three marines saluted again and ran off quickly.

Vice Admiral Tsuru looked at Zhou Ze's reaction with a hint of appreciation in his eyes, then said to the remaining high-ranking naval officers, "Let's go too. We can talk about it when we get back."

Akainu snorted heavily, flicked his cloak, and turned to leave. The other high-ranking Marines followed suit.

Garp walked up to Zhou Ze and slapped him hard on the shoulder. "Good lad, I knew I hadn't misjudged you."

He winked at Lieutenant General He and gave him an exaggerated smile. "Little He, am I right? Aren't you also very satisfied with this kid?"

Lieutenant General Tsuru glared at Garp's smug face, then ignored him and turned to Zhou Ze with a gentler look. He beckoned to him, "Little guy, come with me."

Zhou Ze quickly tidied his uniform and sword and followed.

Behind him, Garp burst into loud laughter.

…………

Naval Headquarters, Marshal's Office.

Zhou Ze relaxed a lot after entering the office. No matter what, Akainu wouldn't make a move here.

So his first reaction upon entering was to observe the seagull above the Sengoku Marshal, or more accurately, the seagull above Sengoku's head. He had always thought it was just a decoration when watching the anime, but now he realized it was actually a live seagull.

Aren't you afraid that seagulls will suddenly poop on your head?

Zhou Ze had this strange thought, and his gaze toward Sengoku became somewhat odd. This naval admiral, with frog-like eyes and a long beard braided into a twisted shape, had black eyes and black hair, just like Zhou Ze.

Although his black hair will turn completely white in two years, Zhou Ze still feels a sense of familiarity with him now.

"Warrant Lieutenant Zhou Ze, we've received intelligence that you're colluding with pirates. How do you explain that?"

Seeing Zhou Ze's strange look, Zhan Guo felt somewhat displeased and asked in a deep voice.

Zhou Ze was taken aback. Pirates? You mean Luffy and his crew? I didn't do anything, did I?

"Tell us everything about your trip to that island. Don't hide anything. Don't worry, we will judge the truth and won't wrong you."

Seeing Zhou Ze lost in thought, Lieutenant General He gently offered a word of comfort.

Zhou Ze then came to his senses and slowly began to speak, picking out the things he could say.

"That's how it is. You can verify what I've said with the marines."

Zhou Ze recounted what had happened in Cocoa West Village.

"I told you long ago that there was something more to Zhou Ze's assault on his superior. What's the story now?"

Karp, who was reclining on the sofa, was the first to jump up and speak.

"Even so, it is a fact that he allowed pirates to roam freely."

Marshal Sengoku slammed his fist on the table behind his desk.

Akainu, who had been standing proudly by the window with his back to everyone, snorted coldly, "They all deserve to die!"

Zhou Ze: "..."

Has Akainu taken some kind of gunpowder?

Oh right, he seems to believe in some kind of "absolute justice." Then Zhou Ze looked at the "Justice of the King" hanging on the wall behind Sengoku and suddenly remembered that the three admirals of the Navy seemed to have similar inscriptions.

It seems that Vice Admiral Tsuru also has one, but does Garp have one?

Zhou Ze was completely oblivious to the change in the atmosphere inside the room; his thoughts were wandering back to recalling the righteousness of the various naval leaders.

Lieutenant General He had been watching Zhou Ze's expression closely. Seeing his completely unconcerned and calm demeanor, and even having the leisure to appreciate the calligraphy on the wall, he secretly admired him.

"Warrant Lieutenant Zhou Ze, you can go and rest now. We need to discuss this. Don't worry, it'll be fine."

Lieutenant General Tsuru spoke softly to Zhou Ze.

Zhou Ze snapped out of his daze, "Uh, oh, okay," and then left.

After Zhou Ze left, Lieutenant General Tsuru clapped his hands lightly, "Alright, things should be clear now."

She cleared her throat. "The 16th branch's rat colonel was dismissed, imprisoned for three years, and later transferred to the menial service, never to be promoted again."

"He got off too easily."

Garp grinned.

Zhan Guo nodded. "Agreed."

Akainu, standing by the window, gave a soft hum, but did not object, which was taken as tacit agreement.

Seeing that they had no objections, Lieutenant General Tsuru nodded. "As for Zhou Ze, there is no evidence to support the claim that he colluded with pirates. Coupled with Colonel Rat's actions, I am even more convinced that this is a frame-up."

"Therefore, no action will be taken."

Garp chuckled, "That's more like it, Tsuru!"

Vice Admiral Tsuru glared at Garp. "Furthermore, given that Zhou Ze upheld the Navy's image in front of the civilians of Cocoyasi Village, I propose that he be promoted to Navy Lieutenant."

"No."

Before Garp and Sengoku could say anything, Akainu suddenly turned around and loudly objected.

"Merit should be rewarded; why shouldn't it be?"

Garp retorted with a furious shout.

"you……"