<h4>Chapter 108: Seven Admirals? The Marines'' Elite Lineup!</h4>


    udius had initially nned to visit Prehistoric Ind to catch some pets, but unforeseen circumstances forced him to abandon that n. While on the edge of Prehistoric Ind, he made a call to Dragon via a Den Den Mushi, arranging to meet upter.


    He instructed Dragon to contact him once he was done with his matters.


    Dragon didn''t push back on this. While it was an urgent matter, it wasn''t immediate. The dy wasn''t significant, and, as udius mentioned, he knew Dragon wanted to learn ancient scripts from the books.


    It was almost absurd, but there was no alternative; even if it seemed foolish, one had to give it their best shot. Better that than doing nothing at all, right? Who knows, maybe there''d be a miracle?


    Although udius didn''t share the details of what had happened, Dragon could guess that whatever it was that caused him to miss the meeting must have been significant. He''d just have to wait for thetest papers to find out more.


    The Prometheus, once at full speed, was incredibly fast. The ship was self-sufficient, with enough provisions tost a year without needing to resupply.


    With the vessel running at maximum power, udius quickly made his way back to Mariejois.


    Vice Admiral Garp seemed to have been waiting for udius at the harbor. When he saw the Prometheus docking, he stepped forward to greet them.


    udius and his crew disembarked quickly. Stussy stood beside him, while Nia held little Ace. Enel, carrying his fishing rod, already looked like part of the group.


    ording to their arrangement, udius would let Enel set out on his own in a year''s time, simr to how he had let Crocodile go off on his own.


    The young girl Robin showed no intention of disembarking, still holed up in the library. Nothing much to add there.


    The moment Garpid eyes on Ace, his face lit up. Without a word, he grabbed Ace and rubbed the boy''s cheeks with his bearded face.


    "Grandpa, that tickles! You''re so annoying," Aceined, trying to push Garp away with a look of mock disgust.


    "Hahahaha! Ace, it''s been a while. Did you miss Grandpa?" Garp asked with a heartyugh.


    "No, not at all," Ace replied mercilessly.


    Garp''s grin faltered slightly, and he shot a disapproving look at udius. "What kind of upbringing is this? Haven''t you taught him to respect his elders?"


    udius returned the look, somewhat exasperated. "What does that have to do with me? Ace is a bright and well-mannered kid. If there''s an issue, it''s on you."


    True enough, udius had trained Ace well. The boy had received an excellent education and inherited udius''s love for reading. Though his personality remained a bit "untamed," likely due to Roger''s adventurous blood running through him, he exuded a natural aura of adventure.


    Still, he was far better behaved than his original wild-child self. Now that he was growing older, udius had even started developing his strength.


    Garp knew better than to argue with udius, so he just let out a grumble, showing a hint of dissatisfaction. "Alright, time''s ticking. Let''s not waste any more time. Are you ready to go?" he said.


    udius nodded and turned to Stussy. "You have your own business to handle here, right? Go take care of it."


    "Of course, Your Highness. I wish you sess in your endeavors," Stussy said with a smile.


    udius acknowledged her and then turned to the head steward, Nia. "Nia, stay in Mariejois and take care of Ace until we return."


    "Yes, Your Highness. I''ll look after the young master," Nia said with a nod.


    Next, udius looked at Enel and smiled. "A year from now, you''ll set off on your own. Think of this as an opportunity to prove yourself."


    Enel grinned, his eyes filled with excitement. "Your Highness, the standards you set for me are really high. But don''t worry, I won''t let you down."


    With that settled, udius and Enel departed with Garp.


    They didn''t take the Prometheus this time. With time being short, taking the Prometheus, which would have to pass through Fish-Man Ind, would take at least a week for preparation and transit. By then, they might as well beying flowers on Dous Bullet''s grave.


    Crossing Mariejois, they arrived at the port on the New World side, where a Marine warship was already waiting.


    Wasting no time, udius and Garp boarded the ship together, a peculiar vessel with a dog-head design. udius could never quite figure out where Garp''s strange sense of humor came from.


    Once on board, Garp, in a ceremonious fashion, took a dog-head cap from an aide and ced it on his head, leaving udius momentarily stunned.


    "What''re you looking at? Jealous? I''ve got extras if you want one," Garp said, adjusting his hat.


    udius quickly waved his hands. "No thanks. I''m just... surprised at your unique taste."


    "You just don''t get it. This is called personality. Do you even know what fashion is? Marines shouldn''t be so dull," Garp said, pulling out a bag of senbei and munching on it.


    Soon, the dog-headed warship set sail toward the New World.


    After a few bites, Garp spoke up again. "Sengoku and the others set off two days ago. But my ship''s been modified; we should be able to catch up."


    "Yeah, I can tell. This thing looks like it''s got the speed of a racing hound," udius joked, eyeing the dog-head bow.


    "Is that a hint of sarcasm I''m hearing?" Garp asked, raising an eyebrow.


    "You''re imagining things. I''m genuinelyplimenting your ship," udius replied, not entirely sincerely.


    Garp scratched his neck but didn''t press the issue. udius then asked, "I heard from Fleet Admiral Kong that you''re using a Buster Call for this mission. Seems like you''ve been triggering those more often these past few years."


    Garp nodded, letting out a sigh. "Yeah, the increase in Buster Calls just shows one thing, the threats out at sea are getting worse."


    "So what''s the lineup for this one? I''m guessing Kong wants to make sure everything goes smoothly. He''s noting along, is he?" udius asked.


    "No, Kong is staying back at Mariejois. Sengoku and I are leading the operation, with CP units participating as well. And of course, you''ve got your CP-X involved. On the Marine side, we''ve got me, Sengoku, Tsuru, Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan, Gion, plus the likes of Vice Admirals like the Momonga and Doberman."


    udius''s eyes widened at this. "A lineup like that? What do you even need CP-X for? With that kind of force, you could take on the Whitebeard Pirates!"


    He mentally tallied the power: while Sengoku was the only official Admiral, Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan, and Gion were all Admiral-level in strength. Not to mention, Tsuru''s strategic brilliance and Garp''s unmatched battle prowess were also part of the mix.


    More than half of the Marine''s highmand was deployed. Seven Admiral-level powers in one mission, it seemed overkill for handling Dous Bullet and Byrnndi World.


    "Well, better safe than sorry. This is a big deal, and we can''t afford any slip-ups. If even one of them gets away, it''ll be chaoster on," Garp said matter-of-factly.


    ***


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