The Strongest Lunarian in One Piece

"Has higher authority given their approval, Fleet Admiral Kong?"

Late afternoon.

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

Within the stately upper floors of the Marine Headquarters building, in the Fleet Admiral's office—

Steel-Bone Kong, appearing haggard after returning from the Holy Land Mary Geoise, was met by Sengoku the Buddha, who had hurried over. Concerned, Sengoku asked,

"So, Fleet Admiral Kong, did they agree?"

Deep down, Sengoku wasn't too keen on his superior regaining his youth at once. After all, given Kong's current physical age of about seventy-five, he'd likely retire in just a few more years. Then, Sengoku felt confident that the Marine's "Wild Bull" Kaido—whose reputation had steadily risen these past few years—would become strong enough to fill the gap. Garp, for his part, was stubbornly refusing promotion to Admiral, and after the retirements of Admirals BlackBear and Ironbone, only Black Arm Zephyr remained as an Admiral. One of the three Admiral positions remained vacant, and no suitable candidate had surfaced. At that juncture, Sengoku believed he could outcompete Zephyr and become the new Fleet Admiral. Then Wild Bull Kaido could ascend to Admiral. Even if Garp still declined promotion, after a few more years, that remarkably talented kid in Garp's family might reach Admiral-level and fill the last vacancy.

But on the other hand, Kong wasn't just Sengoku's superior but also something like an older brother or mentor figure. Sengoku did want Kong to recover his stolen lifespan. Thus, his feelings were conflicted.

"They agreed, yet… not fully,"

Steel-Bone Kong sighed heavily, rubbing his temples with a mix of frustration and resignation.

"Huh?" Sengoku frowned. "What do you mean?"

Agreement was agreement; refusal was refusal. There was no room for half-measures, was there?

"They intend to use the Glint-Glint Fruit as the prize for next month's triennial Celestial Dragon 'study trip,'" Kong said, clenching his fist with a bitter smile. "The Five Elders made it clear that under no circumstances would they hand it over to us Marines."

"Moreover, apparently, in response to the ever-growing threat posed by the Fallen Angel Pirates—particularly the massive risk from the Kukulkan family—they're in a hurry to strengthen the Holy Knights at any cost. This time, the scale of the hunt event will be unprecedented, and the rewards are extraordinary, far exceeding previous years!"

Although the Five Elders hadn't said it explicitly, Kong could read between the lines. That Logia Glint-Glint Fruit was reserved for the rumored top contender to win—the young genius of the Holy Knights, Saint Figarland Garling. Even he, Fleet Admiral Kong, had no chance of acquiring it—let alone using it to "bolster the enemy."

"There have indeed been rumors that several monstrous talents have emerged among Fallen Angel El's children," Sengoku murmured, then, taking a step back, he continued with a furrowed brow:

"From what I hear, the eldest son of the Kukulkan family, Thor, is a Logia Rumble-Rumble Fruit user. He's inherited Giant blood, towering as tall as an Elbaf warrior. A year ago, he easily defeated Prince Loki of the Giants, earning the full respect and support of the Giants, who now call him the 'God of Thunder'…

"They say the eldest daughter, Sul, has a Mythical Zoan Phoenix form—giving her an immortal body and the power to manipulate terrifying flames, earning her the moniker 'Phoenix Girl'…

"And the second son, Dal, who perfectly inherited the genes of both the Three-Eye Tribe and the Lunarians, is reputed to be a remarkable swordsman with some staggering abilities—reportedly right up there with his older brother Thor, the God of Thunder."

Nor were they alone. Over the past few years, other, younger Kukulkan children had occasionally gone out with the Fallen Angel Pirates' fleets. They performed well on the battlefield. A few more years, and these offspring of the Kukulkan family might indeed rival the Holy Knights—closing the gap between Totto Land's Three Kingdoms and the World Government. Faced with this, the World Government naturally felt uneasy. They had tried numerous times—through various means—to assassinate these promising Kukulkan youths, but each attempt had failed, costing many operatives their lives instead.

Moreover, not only had certain World Government officials been mysteriously killed, even Celestial Dragons suffered equal retaliation from the Totto Land. Three years ago, a CP0 agent inexplicably lost his mind and, in the Holy Land, publicly attacked a Celestial Dragon. A young Celestial Dragon—also a candidate for the Holy Knights—was killed. Fortunately, Sengoku had been stationed in the Holy Land as an Admiral at the time, stopping things before more casualties occurred. Although that CP0 agent had committed suicide by poison and could not be interrogated, the timing—just a month or so after a CP-led assassination attempt on Lunarian youths had failed—raised countless suspicions.

Thus, alarmed by the steady rise of the Kukulkan family, the World Government felt anxious. No wonder the Five Elders were so adamant; they even refused the not-unreasonable request of someone as esteemed as Fleet Admiral Kong, whom they had always favored.

"So they flatly denied you, our Fleet Admiral? That seems excessive," Sengoku said, giving Kong a firm look. "At least letting you regain twenty years of youth would lighten the World Government's burden—having someone as strong as you around eases a great deal of pressure, right? I'd assume they can do basic math."

"In theory, you're right, but…" Kong shook his head, letting out a mirthless laugh.

To the self-important, haughty Celestial Dragons, even he—a Fleet Admiral—wasn't much more than a particularly useful "guard dog." Admittedly, "guard dog" was an exaggeration, but in their eyes he was, at best, a top-level "head bodyguard."

"However, they didn't reject me outright," Kong went on, massaging his brow. "They said they'd allow us to offer the Logia Sand-Sand Fruit recently obtained by CP. That could be used to bargain with the Fallen Angel Pirates. The catch is, we don't know whether or not they'll accept. The Sand-Sand Fruit is impressive but still a step below the Glint-Glint Fruit in overall usefulness. Likely we'll need to throw in a bit more to seal the deal."

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