Chapter Thirty-Three: The Street Racing Crew

"Yes! Admiral Kizaru!"

The stunned marine, upon hearing Borsalino's command, quickly stood at attention and responded loudly.

Every warship capable of crossing the Calm Belt is, without exception, a capital ship of the Navy, and each is equipped with more than one Den Den Mushi. Before long, the marine returned, clutching a Den Den Mushi.

"Hmm, that's fine. You may leave now. Do not come in without my orders."

Borsalino spoke with a hint of impatience.

The marine, suspecting nothing, had just stepped out of the cabin when he faintly heard Admiral Kizaru calling out "Little Nami" into the receiver.

Unfortunately, before he could hear clearly, the cabin door was shut, leaving him wondering exactly whom the Admiral was speaking to.

The Navy’s capital ships are quite fast, especially when operating under the direct orders of Fleet Admiral Sengoku.

Traveling at full speed, the warship took only three days to cross the Calm Belt and arrive at Marineford, the Navy Headquarters.

"Sigh, I told you there was no need to be in such a rush. Do you not understand that safety comes first?"

Standing on the ship's main cannon, Borsalino spoke with a disgruntled tone as he looked at the Navy Headquarters, which was now visible to the naked eye on the horizon.

"It was Fleet Admiral Sengoku's order, after all; we dared not disobey..."

The acting captain nearby tried to smile apologetically. Even though he knew Borsalino was unlikely to harm him, he still felt immense psychological pressure in the presence of such a top-tier powerhouse.

"Hmm? Are you trying to use Fleet Admiral Sengoku to pressure me?"

Borsalino glanced at the acting captain, nearly scaring the poor man into wetting himself. He was terrified that he would receive a transfer order the next day, either to be sent to the New World to hunt pirates or to be thrown into a Yonko's pirate crew as an undercover agent.

"Of course not! How could I possibly dare to..."

The acting captain stammered in a panic. This was a battle between gods; a small fry like him had no business being involved.

"Enough nonsense. Go to my office later to report. For now, fire the cannons!"

Borsalino said irritably.

Although he was annoyed by this guy rushing the journey as if his life depended on it, he did appreciate the man's ability to drive a large warship at the speed of a clipper.

Such a talented individual definitely needed to be kept on as a dedicated warship pilot. He could "lend" him to Sengoku whenever the Fleet Admiral needed to catch Vice Admiral Garp or Kuzan.

In the workplace, there is no such thing as camaraderie between two slackers. If Vice Admiral Garp hadn't returned to the East Blue to slack off, Sengoku wouldn't have been calling for Borsalino to return to Marineford like a vengeful spirit.

"Yes! Fire!"

The acting captain, unaware that Borsalino had already mapped out his future for him, was just relieved to be out of the Admiral's sight and quickly gave the order to fire.

*BOOM!*

The moment the cannonball left the muzzle, Borsalino stepped lightly onto it, speeding toward Marineford.

Although Borsalino was fully capable of moving at the speed of light and reaching the Navy Headquarters in the blink of an eye, he certainly couldn't let Fleet Admiral Sengoku discover that capability.

Otherwise, he would undoubtedly be reduced to Sengoku's favorite "tool man"—the captain of the Navy's mobile support unit, required to be on call twenty-four hours a day.

Well, a unit where he was the only member.

At that point, forget about slacking off; he wouldn't even have time to play with the young ladies. Borsalino had already imagined the excuses Sengoku would use—something about "justice," no doubt.

What was even more terrifying was that no one in the Navy's top brass stood on Borsalino's side. Workaholics like Sakazuki would love for the entire Navy to follow a 996 schedule with him.

Slackers like Kuzan and Garp would be only too happy to let Borsalino do more work so they could have more time to loaf around.

Even Vice Admiral Tsuru wouldn't object. With her personality, upon learning of Borsalino's new ability, she might immediately prepare a career plan for him that would keep him working until he was in his coffin.

Retirement?

Don't even dream of such a nice thing! It didn't exist. With an ability as heaven-defying as that, failing to squeeze every last drop of labor out of him until his final breath would be considered dereliction of duty by the Navy's top brass.

Just imagine: with mobility like Borsalino's, why would the Navy need to worry about any "Worst Generation" supernovas?

They could just have agents confirm the target's location, then call Admiral Kizaru via Den Den Mushi for a dimensional strike.

With Borsalino's strength, would it take him a minute to bully a supernova?

It would be one kick per person. Even if he solved one supernova per minute, that would be sixty an hour, or 1,440 a day.

Just thinking about it made Borsalino shiver. He quickly made up his mind: he must never let anyone find out he could move at light speed!

Especially not Fleet Admiral Sengoku!

*POOF!*

He arrived over the Navy Headquarters while still stepping on the cannonball.

Borsalino casually kicked the cannonball until it exploded, then used Geppo (Moonwalk) to land on the plaza in front of the Navy Headquarters.

"Admiral Kizaru!"

"Mr. Borsalino!"

"Salute!"

...

Seeing Borsalino descend from the sky, the marines in the plaza weren't too surprised; they had seen it often enough that it was hardly a rarity.

"Everyone has worked hard."

Borsalino nodded, acknowledging the group before walking toward Fleet Admiral Sengoku's office.

The Den Den Mushi had been urging him back as if the pirates were about to storm Marineford, but upon his return, he found... the Navy Headquarters was calm and peaceful. This was bullying an honest man!

"...Alright, let's do it that way. Remember to notify the construction crew to speed up the progress. It must be completed before the deadline!"

When Borsalino walked into the office, Fleet Admiral Sengoku was still discussing the renovations of Marineford with the Navy's engineering department.

Although Marineford was already the most solid maritime fortress in the Navy's arsenal on the Grand Line, with the upcoming Summit War, there was always room to further reinforce such a vital stronghold.

Beyond that, there were some secret projects aimed at the Whitebeard Pirates.

However, aside from the relevant officers in charge and the high-ranking officers at the level of Vice Admiral and above, very few people knew about them.

"Yo, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I've returned to report. I hope I'm not too late?"

Borsalino knocked on the office door. The head of the engineering department, who had been reporting to Sengoku, hesitated, unsure whether he should continue.

"You may leave first."

Sengoku rubbed his forehead. Ever since he violated their tacit agreement and forcibly summoned this guy back, he had been mentally prepared for this.

If he wanted this guy not to engage in passive sabotage, he would have to offer compensation that would satisfy Borsalino.

"Yes!"

Soon, the "unauthorized personnel" were all gone. Only then did Sengoku cough dryly and pull a file from his desk.