Chapter 57: Me? An Undercover Agent Turned Pirate?

Chapter 57: Me? Going undercover as a pirate?

"To be so young and already required to deal with those legendary, monster-like great pirates? How truly terrifying~"

Inside the spacious and brightly lit headquarters office, a sarcastic and slippery tone suddenly rang out.

Marine Headquarters Admiral Candidate, Kizaru Borsalino!

In Kizaru's hand was a thin sheet of paper detailing a top-secret plan called the "Undercover Warlord" operation. The only individuals aware of this plan were the Fleet Admiral, the two Admirals, the Chief Staff Officer of the Headquarters, and himself!

Yet, the participant in this classified mission was merely a Marine recruit, and a latecomer to boot.

Kizaru scanned the contents of the document in his hands repeatedly, his gaze sliding inevitably toward Teacher Zephyr nearby as he probed with his words.

"Could it be, then, that this poor recruit has fallen victim to internal political maneuvering within the Marines?"

"Do not make baseless speculations, Borsalino!"

Zephyr snapped coldly. He had never held a favorable view of Borsalino.

If it weren't for the fact that Kizaru was currently taking over several confidential special units—including the "Marine Science Force" and the "SWORD Unit"—Zephyr would never have initiated this visit.

"Assigning Marine recruit Zephyr Fett to execute the 'Undercover Warlord Plan' is simply because his strength and background make him exceptionally well-suited for it. There is no other reason!"

Strength and background?

Kizaru's expression turned rather peculiar.

Teacher Zephyr, are you certain you are using those words to describe a mere recruit?

"Ah, yes, yes, yes."

Kizaru replied offhandedly, as if genuinely accepting Zephyr's rationale.

"Whatever the Admiral says is certainly right."

This guy!

Such a sarcastic tone caused a few veins to instantly bulge on Zephyr's forehead, his iron-forged, mortar-sized fists tightening involuntarily.

Fortunately, a series of knocks on the door timely shattered the awkward atmosphere in the office.

"Come in!"

Following Zephyr's command, Zephyr Fett, dressed in a Marine uniform, pushed the door open and entered.

"Reporting to Admiral Zephyr—"

Zephyr instinctively raised his hand to execute a Marine salute, but immediately afterward, he caught sight of the other figure seated in the primary chair of the office, his eyes widening in involuntary shock.

"Reporting to Admiral Kizaru!"

Zephyr blurted out the wrong title simply because the scene before him was entirely too bizarre.

All the way to the headquarters building, Zephyr had pondered the reason for Zephyr's summons more than once.

Could it be because the elite training camp had concluded, and his final rank and posting were being assigned?

Or perhaps because the initial results of teaching Total Concentration Breathing had borne fruit, and they intended to award him a Devil Fruit?

Zephyr had considered many possibilities, but he had never anticipated this visual tableau.

One of the worst-kept secrets within Marine Headquarters:

Zephyr and Kizaru were at odds with each other!

Yet at this very moment, these two individuals were peacefully seated in the exact same office!

And there were only the two of them!

Had they not just started brawling...

"Admiral Kizaru!!"

Zephyr puffed out his cheeks and glared. Why hadn't he noticed before that this kid's skill at laying on heavy flattery was so "refined"?

In contrast, Kizaru's expression appeared... well... far more sleazy.

"My, my, what Admiral? I'm not one yet~"

Though he said this on the surface, in reality, Kizaru's aged face was practically blooming like a bright chrysanthemum.

Zephyr Fett immediately realized that the "Red, Yellow, Blue" trio of that era had not yet successfully ascended to their positions.

He had spoken out of turn!

Fortunately, remedying the mistake was not difficult.

"While I was on the training ship earlier, I heard from some of my comrades that Lieutenant General Kizaru has already become an Admiral Candidate. Therefore..."

"An Admiral Candidate is still not a true Admiral. You can only step up once an Admiral's position becomes vacant."

Kizaru rubbed his chin, glancing sideways at Zephyr.

"My memory of this rule isn't wrong, is it, Teacher Zephyr?"

"Do not make a laughingstock of yourself before a Marine!" Zephyr said coldly.

Kizaru refused to yield. "Yet I feel I am merely instructing a soldier in Marine regulations~"

The gazes of the two men collided mid-air, nearly sparking visible flames.

Zephyr Fett transformed into a wooden statue, staring straight ahead and refusing utterly to participate in the celestial chess game between Kizaru and Zephyr.

Admiral position vacant!

What did that imply? It was exceedingly easy to understand.

If Zephyr died, Kizaru could step up.

Monkey, are you planning to reach for the heavens or what?!

In the end, it was the seasoned and steady Zephyr who took a step back.

No matter what, displaying the discord among the upper echelons of the Marines in front of a junior soldier...

Such behavior was simply too foolish!

"Zephyr, the reason I called you here now is that there is a mission I wish to assign to you!"

Zephyr picked up a document from his desk and tossed it across the room toward Zephyr.

By the time the document flew close to Zephyr, all excess momentum had vanished; it drifted down into his hands as lightly as a feather.

Such mastery of physical control was nothing short of breathtaking.

Zephyr lowered his head, scanning the classified document ten lines at a time, and quickly raised his head in astonishment.

"Me? Go undercover as a pirate?!"

The mission Zephyr assigned to Zephyr naturally had some modifications.

It was impossible for him to blurt out right at the start, "You are going to become a Warlord."

Becoming a Warlord was the ultimate objective of Zephyr's undercover plan!

It was not the initial assignment!

"That's right."

Zephyr nodded, explaining the origins of the directive.

"Following the dawn of the Great Age of Pirates, pirates have emerged endlessly across the world. With this year's 'Mary Geoise Incident' occurring on top of that, the World Government bypassed the Marines to establish the Warlord system, once again fueling the arrogance of the pirates!

"To curb this runaway growth of piracy, the Marine Headquarters has specially formulated this pirate infiltration plan, intending to dismantle them from within! After a rigorous screening process, you are the most suitable candidate for undercover work."

Zephyr asked doubtfully, "In what way am I suitable?"

Besides, Zephyr's consistent goal had been to secure a strong backing within the Marines.

Even though he had now advanced to C-rank and his self-preservation capabilities had improved dramatically, a long journey still remained before he could consider himself "completely safe."

To abandon a warm, comfortable, and safe Marine office...

And go out to brave the elements as a wandering pirate...

The discrepancy was simply too massive!

"In terms of strength, you are the top graduate of the elite training camp, easily comparable even to the field officers of the Marine Headquarters," Zephyr stated, highlighting two distinct traits.

"In terms of notoriety, you once suffered defeat at the hands of Kaido and yet managed to survive. The title of '[The Emperor's Defeated Foe]' holds considerable prestige among pirates!"

Here, Zephyr omitted another reason.

That was his identity!

Zephyr was the fallen prince of the Tobias Kingdom.

Outside, the intelligence regarding his enlistment in the Marines was virtually untraceable.

Compared to other Marines, going undercover as a pirate gave Zephyr an innate advantage in maintaining the secrecy of his identity!

Examples of fallen princes from small nations turning into pirates were countless across this vast ocean.

Zephyr thought it over and frantically searched for a tricky angle to refute Zephyr's assertion.

"But going undercover... I'm deeply concerned about my identity being exposed, especially since I happen to have a colleague known for having 'the tightest lips in the world' in the Marines."

"You needn't worry about that~"

Kizaru, who had been watching the show from the sidelines, suddenly chimed in.

"That child, Pacifista—ah, Sentomaru—I like him very much, and I plan to send him into another classified unit: the Marine Science Force. That child's temperament isn't suited for dealing with outsiders."

The loosest "flaw" had thus been patched up as well.

Zephyr fell silent.

The most troublesome aspect of seeking the Marines' backing had finally manifested: orders from above!

Zephyr had always wondered when he would receive commands from superiors that ran counter to his own personal desires.

He hadn't expected this day to arrive quite so soon...

Seeing Zephyr fall silent, Zephyr asked softly, "Well then, do you agree to execute this undercover plan?"

Agree?

Or disagree?

Zephyr twitched the corner of his mouth.

What meaning was left in discussing such things now?

Might as well talk about something practical!

"I personally don't have any major issues,"

Zephyr replied matter-of-factly.

"I just wonder how much support the Headquarters can provide for my undercover operations?"