The New World.
The new Navy Headquarters.
"Holy crap... a living steel fortress."
When the warship docked at the new headquarters, Kuro looked up at the huge fortress at the center of the many buildings and was somewhat surprised.
The stone fortress was filled with cannons of all sizes, from heavy single-barreled cannons to light double-barreled cannons, stretching from the ground all the way to the top of the fortress. And on the top, there was a three-story building that resembled a castle tower.
The other smaller fortresses were also filled with cannons, and behind these fortresses, there were two huge, magnet-like structures fixed at one end, like two entrances without doors.
This is a new world, with unusually strong magnetic field fluctuations. The existence of these two large objects is to stabilize the island's magnetic field, making the surrounding weather less unpredictable.
After all, this is the Marine Headquarters, so it can't just ignore things like those pirates; stability is what it needs most.
There were already quite a few ships docked at the port.
Navy personnel from all over the world gathered here for the ceremony.
"Kuro, so many vice admirals are on board!"
Lida tugged at Kuro's sleeve, excitedly looking around.
A vice admiral is certainly entitled to build his own flagship.
"Ah...I saw it."
Kuro glanced at the ships on the deck and spotted a dog-headed flagship among the various vice admiral-class ships.
Garp, that old man, also came.
"Hey, Kuro, why don't you apply for a flagship too? That way I can sail back to the East Blue to have dinner at Baratie!" Lida exclaimed excitedly.
"What nonsense are you talking about!"
Kuro rolled his eyes and said irritably, "Me, pilot a flagship? You might as well just customize a coffin flagship for me and lie down in it."
As they spoke, the group of people went down to the front of the port.
The navy personnel responsible for welcoming them stood at attention and saluted, greeting Kuro and his group.
Kuro simply activated the Den Den Mushi on his wrist and dialed a number.
"Moshi moshi, this is Kizaru."
The Den Den Mushi's appearance immediately turned lewd, and it emitted a flirtatious voice.
Kuro was making an office call; with such a loud noise, he was bound to hear it.
"Grandpa, I've arrived," Kuro said to the Den Den Mushi as he walked.
"Oh~ Kuro, you've come."
The Den Den Mushi pouted and made a surprised sound, then said, "Then come straight over, I'm up here."
"I understand... Wait, I'll look around first, then I'll come see you later."
Kuro glanced around and suddenly saw a familiar figure. After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, he called out to the other end, "Hey, Smoker!"
At the other end of the harbor, a familiar figure was talking to a woman wearing a floral shirt and a navy cloak, who just kept nodding with a pitiful expression.
Upon hearing the voice, the figure turned around, paused for a moment, and exclaimed, "Kuro?!"
"It really is you. You've changed quite a bit."
Kuro walked over, looked Smoker up and down, and clicked his tongue.
It had been a long time since I'd seen him, and Smoker had changed a lot. He was still wearing a navy jacket, but now he was also wearing a cape that he never used to wear.
"Ah! Major General Kuro!"
Across from Smoker, Tashigi smiled upon seeing the newcomers. She stopped, saluted, and said, "Long time no see, Major General Kuro! And Rita and Croc too."
"haven't seen you for a long time."
Kuro glanced at Tashigi, then casually pulled a cigar from Smoker's jacket and stuffed it into his own pocket.
"Tashigi, it's been so long, you've become so much prettier! But that hairstyle is risky, though I admire it," Kuro said with a smile.
At this time, Tashigi had grown her hair long and tied it into a bun, a hairstyle often seen on married women. Her face had also matured considerably, making her look like a gentle, virtuous, and intellectual married woman. Similarly, her figure had become more like that of a married woman.
"Hey, Kuro!"
Lida gave Kuro's thigh a playful slap, then said to Tashigi, "Long time no see, Tashigi."
"Kuro!"
Smoker glared at him and said, "Don't you have your own? Why do you try to take my cigar when you see me?"
"Sorry, I just happened to be passing by."
Kuro shrugged and looked at him, saying, "Looks like you had a tough time in G-5. What's with that scar on your head?"
On Smoker's sunglasses, a curved scar runs from above his right eye to his left hairline, adding to his menacing appearance.
Although this man has always looked terrifying.
"This is just a small price to pay for wiping out the pirates, nothing compared to what you've done, you bastard..."
Smoker pursed his lips and said, "But you took down Redfield."
"Let's not talk about this and we can still be good friends."
Kuro rolled his eyes and patted Smoker on the shoulder. "Come on, let's find a place to get a drink."
"You rascal..."
Smoker looked up at Kuro and smiled, "You've grown quite a bit taller!"
Kuro used to think he was a head shorter than Smoker, but now he's not just a head taller than Smoker, he can look down on him.
Smoker used to be 2.1 meters tall, and he seems to have grown a little more recently, but no more than 2.5 meters, while Kuro has reached 2.8 meters tall.
"Ah... I just grew taller for no reason, let's not worry about it," Kuro said.
"Speaking of which, aren't you going to report this to Admiral Kizaru?" Smoker asked.
"There's no rush for that, the ceremony is still a long way off."
“Alright, let’s have some drinks then. Wait… who’s paying?” Smoker suddenly became alert.
Don't worry.
Kuro put his arm around Smoker's shoulder and led him forward, saying, "I'm fucking rich right now!"
With his businesses on Pegasus Island and tax revenue from Sabaody Archipelago, he could be considered one of the world's wealthiest dog owners.
Things are different now. When he was a captain, before his business took off, he would still think about his salary as a naval officer. But now, he doesn't even care about the salary of a rear admiral.
However, once a naval officer reaches the rank of colonel, he will usually become the commander of a local base and will not lack money.
Ah...the corrupt feudal and capitalist society, how ugly it is!
Ugh! That's disgusting!
The new headquarters naturally has naval residences, but the families live in Marineford, where the defenses are quite strong. As the naval gateway to the New World, having families there actually adds a bit of a weakness.
Sakazuki wouldn't allow that to happen, so this place is mostly inhabited by the navy, though business exchanges are also permitted.
There are restaurants, pubs, and entertainment facilities where the navy can relax.
After all, a cafeteria isn't a place where you can really relax.
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