Finn's boots echoed against the stone walkway leading to Zephyr's residence in Marineford. The afternoon sun cast long shadows across the courtyard, warm but not oppressive. Inside, the former Admiral greeted him with the same rough affection he showed all his students, gesturing toward the tea already waiting on the table.
They talked for hours. Training philosophies. The state of the Marines. Old war stories that never quite made it into official reports.
Eventually, the conversation drifted to fresh recruits. Zephyr's eyes lit up with that peculiar enthusiasm he reserved for promising students.
"Heard about the kid from Loguetown?" Zephyr asked, pouring himself more tea. "Logia Devil Fruit user. Name's Smoker."
Finn raised an eyebrow. Another Logia user. The Marines were collecting them like trading cards these days. "What's his fruit?"
"Smoke-Smoke Fruit." Zephyr leaned back in his chair, which creaked under his weight. "The branch commander there sent him straight to Headquarters. Smart move. Kid's got potential, but he's too young to enlist properly."
"So you're keeping him in the military academy?" Finn asked.
"For now." Zephyr nodded. "Has him doing odd jobs, learning how things work. In a few years, when he's the right age, I'll take him as a proper student. Get him through the academy curriculum, then set him up with a good posting."
Finn filed the information away. Smoker. The name meant nothing to him yet, but Logia users had a way of becoming significant. Still, he had no intention of meeting the kid. One Logia-wielding recruit among many.
He stayed the night at Zephyr's home, sharing a simple dinner and more conversation. The next morning, he departed Marineford and set course back to G-7.
The warship cut through calm waters, making good time. Finn stood at the bow, one hand resting on the rail as the fortress came into view on the horizon.
G-7 had transformed.
The expansion project had finished weeks ago, but the fortification work continued. Even from this distance, he could see the artillery emplacements dotting the walls, new gun platforms rising from reinforced battlements. The fortress bristled with firepower now, a far cry from the modest installation he'd inherited.
The port had grown from a single dock to four separate harbors, each one crowded with warships. Dozens of them, all new construction, their white hulls gleaming in the sunlight. The sight brought a grim satisfaction. This was power. This was what the Marines needed.
Below, on the expanded docks, neat ranks of soldiers ran through drills. Fresh recruits, judging by their slightly uncoordinated movements. Good. Gion must have completed most of the recruitment drive. Another few months of training to bring them up to standard combat capability, and they'd have their base of fifty thousand troops.
Then they could start pulling experienced personnel from Impel Down's guard force. Build something truly formidable.
The military town remained on paper for now. That could wait. More pressing was the plan to develop operations in the Calm Belt. Resources there would fund everything else.
Finn pulled the Den Den Mushi from his coat, its sleepy eyes blinking as the connection established. The creature's features shifted, mimicking the person on the other end.
"So?" Finn asked, his tone casual. "Has the matter been exposed?"
"No." Stussy's voice carried through the transponder, crisp and professional. "Vice Admiral Garp moved directly into that woman's house. I have to say, she's remarkable. She's gone well past the normal delivery period, but she still hasn't given birth. The willpower must be incredible. I almost admire her."
Finn's expression didn't change, though his fingers tightened slightly on the rail. "Garp's really committing to this, isn't he? Ever since we parted ways in the South Blue that day, he hasn't left Baterilla Island. I've passed through Headquarters several times and he's never been there."
He exhaled slowly, watching seabirds wheel overhead. "That old man has his faults. Too stubborn, too set in his ways. But if he decides you're family, if he gives you his trust..." Finn shook his head. "You won't find anyone more loyal. If something happened to you, Garp would move heaven and earth."
"Yes." Stussy's agreement carried an odd note. Almost wistful.
A pause stretched between them, filled only by the crash of waves against the hull.
When Stussy spoke again, her voice had softened. "Whether it's you or Garp, I see something in both of you. Humanity. Genuine human connection." Another pause. "The CP organization is so cold and dark in comparison. It's frightening sometimes."
She laughed, but there was no humor in it. "The more I think about it, the more grateful I am that we formed this alliance. In all that darkness, I've found something stable to hold onto. Especially now that you're a candidate for Admiral. That makes everything more secure."
Finn heard the unspoken relief in her words. Stussy had gambled on him, bet her future on their secret partnership. Now that bet was paying dividends.
"I wasn't wrong about you," she added quietly.
Finn let her have the moment. Their alliance benefited them both. No need to diminish what it meant to her.
"Speaking of which," Stussy continued, her tone shifting back to business, "the search here is almost finished. We've found essentially nothing, as expected. Also, remember when I mentioned CP-0 was establishing an external intelligence agency? The framework is in place now. Several people are competing for leadership. I'm going to make a bid for it."
"Are you confident?" Finn asked.
"With my record? Absolutely." The steel returned to her voice. "I shared credit for Roger's capture. After that, I've been executing long-term search missions in the South Blue without complaint. The CP-0 Chief and the Commander-in-Chief both appreciate my work ethic and methods. My achievements speak for themselves. As long as I request it, they won't refuse."
She paused, and Finn could practically hear her smile.
"Then congratulations in advance."
"Thank you." Stussy's tone dropped to something more serious. "But Finn, tell me something. Haven't you noticed anything strange at Marine Headquarters recently?"
Finn's eyes narrowed. "What do you mean?"
"Really? You haven't felt it?" Genuine surprise colored her words. "I assumed you'd noticed. You're a candidate for Admiral now. After you complete your work at G-7, you should return to Headquarters for promotion to full Admiral. That's the logical progression, yes?"
"Yes..." Finn's grip on the Den Den Mushi tightened.
"So I did some discreet inquiries on your behalf." Stussy's voice hardened. "The Five Elders aren't planning to fill the vacant Admiral position. Not for the foreseeable future."
Finn processed that. "Admiral Sengoku mentioned something about it, but I didn't give it much thought."
"Well, you should." Stussy's words came rapid-fire now, urgent. "It's the CP side pushing this. We're worried your Fleet Admiral will accumulate enough merit to be promoted to Commander-in-Chief of the entire military. That would let him seize authority from us. So we convinced the Five Elders to suppress the Marines for now. That door, once opened, won't close easily."
"I'm not in a hurry," Finn said carefully. "There's still time before..."
"No!" Stussy cut him off, her voice sharp. "Finn, you need to fight for this. You must become an Admiral as soon as possible."
"Why?" Finn's jaw tightened. "Explain."
"Because your Marines have never been good at political warfare." Stussy didn't soften the blow. "You might be brilliant in strategy and combat, but in this arena, you're all too naive. If your 'not in a hurry' attitude existed in CP, you'd have been devoured completely. Bones and all."
She took a breath, gathering her thoughts. "Listen carefully. If you weren't a candidate for Admiral, this wouldn't matter. If there were no vacant Admiral position, this wouldn't matter. But you ARE a candidate, and there IS a vacancy. Logic dictates that after proving yourself at G-7, you return to Headquarters and assume the rank of Admiral. That's how it should work."
"Correct," Finn agreed.
"But according to current trends, when you finish at G-7 and return to Headquarters, you still won't be appointed Admiral. Do you understand what that means?"
Finn's eyes went cold. "Say it plainly."
"It means Marine Headquarters' authority over its own internal appointments has been compromised by outside influence. By the CP agency specifically." Stussy's words came measured now, deliberate. "Do you know what this represents? This breach cannot be allowed. The Marines cannot passively accept this. If you don't recognize the deeper implications, the CP's test succeeds. They'll become more aggressive. Your organization's authority will be eroded piece by piece. Political warfare operates on a simple principle: you either advance or retreat. You must become an Admiral in the shortest possible time to break CP's adverse influence over Marine affairs. Otherwise..."
"Otherwise it becomes normalized," Finn finished, his voice flat. "An unspoken rule. The CP gains new methods to interfere with Marine internal matters."
"Exactly." Satisfaction entered Stussy's tone. "Today, the CP agency intervened in Admiral promotion by persuading the Five Elders. If you weren't a candidate, it wouldn't affect anything. The procedure would remain normal. But you ARE a candidate, and you ARE being suppressed. That proves CP has successfully impacted Marine authority."
She pressed on. "The Marines haven't responded yet. In my assessment, you're not sophisticated enough in political struggle. Once the Five Elders and Marine Headquarters accept this as normal, it evolves into an unspoken rule. After that, if the Marines try to address it, CP can simply point to precedent and suppress you again."
Stussy's voice dropped lower. "By that time, the door is already open. It's become accepted practice. Dealing with it later becomes exponentially more difficult. This is why you cannot open certain doors carelessly. What seems like compromise today plants the seeds for disaster tomorrow."
Finn stared at the approaching fortress, his mind racing through the implications. Stussy was right. He'd been complacent. His rise had been so smooth, so protected by Sengoku and Fleet Admiral Kong, that he'd stopped watching for threats from unexpected angles.
The candidate for Admiral position, which should have been his greatest advantage, had instead created a vulnerability. A weapon the CP agency could use against the entire Marine organization.
And he hadn't even noticed.
"You're right," he said quietly.
Stussy paused. As a high-ranking CP-0 officer, she shouldn't be sharing any of this. Her loyalties should lie with her organization.
But she'd already made her choice. The CP's interests meant nothing compared to her own survival and advancement. Her alliance with Finn provided benefits and protection that far outweighed any loyalty to an organization that viewed her as a disposable tool.
She'd formed this partnership deliberately. Both sides benefited from cooperation. Both sides grew stronger together. That was worth more than any abstract organizational loyalty.
If Finn wasted ten or twenty years as a perpetual candidate, Stussy lost access to a powerful ally and patron. Lost the protection that alliance provided.
That was unacceptable.
So when she'd caught wind of CP's intentions, she'd recognized the threat immediately and sold out her own agency without hesitation.
"I'm glad you understand," she said simply.
Finn's knuckles whitened on the rail. He'd been relaxed. Confident. The most powerful candidate for Admiral in Marine history, with the backing of legends, moving smoothly toward inevitable promotion.
He'd forgotten that power attracted predators.
The CP agency had seen an opportunity and struck. Not at him directly, but at the entire Marine command structure. Using him as the pressure point. And the Marines, focused on external threats from pirates, hadn't even registered the danger.
He didn't know if Sengoku or Fleet Admiral Kong would eventually recognize the threat and respond. But Finn knew one thing with absolute certainty.
He could no longer coast on assumed inevitability.
Once G-7 showed real results, once he returned to Headquarters, he would have to fight. Even if it meant confronting the World Government directly. Even if it meant making the Five Elders bend.
How to confront the World Government... that required more thought. But two points crystallized in his mind immediately.
First, damage the CP organization's standing. Make them lose favor with the Five Elders.
Second, unite the Marine's internal factions. Create a unified front.
Without both elements, he'd fail. One candidate for Admiral, no matter how talented, couldn't change the World Government's decisions through individual action.
He needed the CP weakened and the Marines fighting as one.