Sword

Chapter 39

Nearly ten minutes before docking at Marineford, Garp summoned Shoko to his quarters on the ship.

"Officer Gozen, as soon as we dock, I would like you to bring this letter to Fleet Admiral Sengoku."

Shoko narrowed her eyes at the letter in Garp's hands then looked suspiciously at her mentor. He's making me deliver the report on our mission so he doesn't have to say anything to Sengoku in person, isn't he?

Shoko pursed her lips and tried to keep her voice as respectful as possible when she said, "Vice Admiral, shouldn't you deliver this letter yourself?"

Garp laughed. "Don't be so worried about meeting Sengoku! He's not such a scary guy when he's not in front of the press."

"That's not what I mean, Sir. Am I going to get in trouble when the Fleet Admiral finds out we didn't capture the Straw Hats?"

Garp waved a dismissive hand. "I explained everything in that letter. Old Sengoku will understand."

Shoko raised her eyebrows, skeptical, but took the letter from his outstretched hand.

Garp beamed and stretched his arms behind his head as he chirped, "Thank you very much, Officer. Dismissed."

When the ship docked, Shoko stood on the deck for a moment, watching the bustling soldiers all trying to complete their tasks for the regular docking procedure.

Just to make sure everything goes smoothly without my help, of course. I'll leave as soon as I make sure things look normal.

Just as the thought finished crossing her mind, her eyes slid over a window on the opposite side of the ship that looked over the deck. There she noticed Garp, staring right at her, his brows raised expectantly.

She didn't wait another moment—it wasn't worth the risk of his temper. She'd much rather face Fleet Admiral Sengoku's frustration over a mission failure over Garp's impatient wrath. She hurried off the ship and made her way onto the streets of Marineford.

As she neared the Fleet Admiral's office in the HQ building, she noticed the steady increase in security. Guards were stationed in every hallway on the floor where Sengoku's office was located.

Shoko couldn't help the tingling anxiety that built up in her chest and she silently cursed Garp for sending her on this task which would certainly irritate such a globally important figure. Hopefully Sengoku wouldn't be the type to shoot the messenger.

Two soldiers were standing guard outside of the Fleet Admiral's door. When one of them asked Shoko her business, she kept her voice level as she responded that she was delivering a report from Vice Admiral Garp. She showed the letter as proof. The soldier who had spoken inspected the envelope before allowing her to pass.

Shoko stepped inside and stopped just inside the door. Fleet Admiral Sengoku was seated behind a semi-circular wooden desk. His expression was grave as he scribbled away on a sheet of paper, and he was bent so low over the desk that only a couple inches of his long, braided goatee was visible above the surface.

Shoko waited patiently for him to acknowledge her before speaking, only daring to stare straight ahead at the Marines' logo framed on the wall behind him. She refused to let her eyes wander to the bounty posters tacked to a corkboard, or the shelves that held binders and piles of what were likely pages and pages about government operations Shoko had never heard of.

Finally, Sengoku set his pen on the desk and looked up at Shoko. Eyes trained on hers, he clasped his hands together and rested them on his desktop.

"And who are you?"