The Navy recruitment officer gasped sharply.
As a Navy clerical officer, he had naturally seen more than most civilians and pirates.
He understood better than anyone what it meant to wield the Magma-Magma Fruit—said to have the highest offensive power among all Logia-types.
He immediately brought Sakazuki into the branch office and led him to the Base Commander's office.
Base Commander Jorrison lifted his head from the paperwork he was working on and glanced at the tall, broad-shouldered, stern-faced Sakazuki.
He then looked toward the visibly excited Yourl and asked:
"What happened? You're so worked up."
"As a soldier, you need to learn to control your emotions,"
Yourl, unable to contain his excitement, hurriedly said:
"Commander, this young man who wants to join the Navy—"
"He's a Logia-type—he possesses the Magma-Magma Fruit!"
Jorrison, the Base Commander, shot up from his seat.
His expression was no less shocked and exhilarated than Yourl's.
Sakazuki now got a clear look at Jorrison.
Around forty years old.
The crossed scar on his face and the missing left arm all told the story of this man's battle achievements.
Seeing Jorrison rush over, Sakazuki gave a sincere smile.
Jorrison slapped his own shoulder excitedly, laughing as he said:
Sakazuki allowed a faint smile to show.
Jorrison began sizing up the young man before him and said with a trembling voice:
"Pardon my rudeness, pardon me—really..."
"This is great, truly great!!!"
As he spoke, he burst into hearty laughter again. Once his laughter settled down, Jorrison said:
"Come, have a seat over here."
He took the registration form Yourl handed him, reading it while guiding Sakazuki to the sofa.
"Sakazuki, 12... Hiss, the reason..."
Once they sat down, Jorrison said:
"Sakazuki, first of all, welcome to the Navy."
"I am Jorrison, Base Commander of the 194th North Blue Branch."
Sakazuki nodded slightly.
"Nice to meet you, Commander."
"Sakazuki, a Logia-type ability user is immensely important to us."
"And one with the Magma-Magma Fruit, no less."
"I'll need to report this to Headquarters before we can finalize your assignment."
"For now, Yourl will show you around our branch and then get a dormitory arranged."
Sakazuki knew full well that his joining the Navy would cause a stir.
Even without considering the magma, just being a Logia-type made someone a strategic-level asset once they matured.
Let alone possessing a cataclysm-class ability like the Magma-Magma Fruit.
After chatting with Jorrison for a bit, Sakazuki followed Yourl out.
Meanwhile, Jorrison picked up his dedicated Den Den Mushi and dialed out.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford
In the communications room, a Navy Headquarters operator picked up the Den Den Mushi:
"Moshi moshi, this is Headquarters."
Jorrison's voice came through the Den Den Mushi:
"This is Jorrison, Base Commander of the 194th North Blue Branch. Connect me to Fleet Admiral Kong."
"This concerns a Logia-type user joining the Navy."
The operator, hearing this, dared not delay:
"Understood, please hold."
He quickly transferred the call to Fleet Admiral Kong's Den Den Mushi.
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office.
Fleet Admiral Kong was going through documents.
Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi rang. He picked it up.
After listening to the operator's report, he told them to connect him to Jorrison.
"What's the situation, Jorrison?"
Despite Jorrison being a former subordinate who had to retire to the Four Blues due to injuries, Kong still treated him with familiarity.
Jorrison's voice came through the Den Den Mushi:
"Fleet Admiral-sama, here's what happened..."
North Blue, Marine Base on Kazahana Island
Sakazuki was touring the base with Yourl.
In the distance, orderly formations and the enthusiastic training of soldiers reflected Jorrison's effective leadership.
After a few hours, Sakazuki had learned quite a bit about the Navy from Yourl.
He also got a rundown of the current infamous pirates and how power was divided across North Blue.
Around then, Jorrison sent someone to summon him, saying Headquarters had issued an appointment.
Upon entering the room—
Jorrison stood up and smiled.
"Sakazuki, your appointment has been confirmed."
"You are hereby granted the rank of Navy Lieutenant."
"For now, you'll receive basic training at this branch. Once completed—"
"You'll be sent to the Headquarters Academy for Elite Class training."
Sakazuki nodded in understanding.
"A Lieutenant, huh... I thought it'd be Warrant Officer."
"Haha! Regular ability users start as Warrant Officers."
He waved the papers in his hand.
"And even setting the Magma-Magma Fruit aside—"
"I didn't expect you to be the infamous North Blue Demon everyone's been talking about lately."
"Well done. Pirates like those shouldn't be left alive anyway."
Entrance to Reverse Mountain
A shrill alarm blared with unstoppable force.
A Navy warship rammed straight into a pirate ship at high speed, cleaving it in half.
A cold, flat voice came from the warship.
A swarm of Navy soldiers leapt from the deck onto the pirate ship, beginning a brutal boarding battle.
A complete one-sided slaughter.
The cries of battle faded.
One by one, the bloodthirsty Navy soldiers gathered their spoils and returned to their ship in formation.
"Buru buru, buru buru."
The Den Den Mushi rang.
A man picked it up, and Jorrison's hearty voice came through:
"Sakazuki, come on back."
"I've signed you up for this year's Elite Class. Time to report to Headquarters."
The corners of Sakazuki's mouth curled upward.
He hung up the Den Den Mushi and looked at the now-silent pirate ship.
His right arm began to morph into molten magma.
It transformed into a giant lava fist.