One Piece: I am the Fleet Admiral?

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"Fleet Admiral-sama, hello!"

"Akira-sama, long time no see."

When Akira walked into the office on the floor below, it immediately caused a great commotion.

Many people stood up and greeted him respectfully and excitedly.

In their eyes, Akira's main body and his clone were easily distinguishable.

The Fleet Admiral medal hanging on the main body, along with the uniquely colored shoulders of the justice cloak, were one of a kind in the Marines.

The Vice Admiral attire of the clone, however, was the same as most ordinary Vice Admirals.

At this moment, when they saw the Fleet Admiral's outfit walk in, they immediately knew their Marine boss had arrived in person.

"Where's Sengoku?" Akira scanned the room but couldn't spot who he was looking for.

"Fleet Admiral-sama, Director Sengoku received a report two days ago. A Vice Admiral from headquarters not only got drunk and dishonored the mayor's daughter but also killed the entire family to prevent the news from spreading."

Someone raised their hand and shared the information: "Director Sengoku angrily led a team to investigate."

"I see! Alright, carry on with your work."

Akira let out a long breath, greeted them, and then turned to leave.

"Akira-sama, do you need any assistance?"

At that moment, a voice suddenly spoke up.

Everyone turned to see the source of the voice.

It was Vice Admiral Tokikake, who had been recovering at Marineford after his time on Fish-Man Island.

Akira looked at him silently, then nodded and said, "To catch a big pirate, we really do need skilled hands."

"Then please let me go with you."

"Come on."

Akira thought about it and didn't refuse. Although Tokikake wasn't as strong as the current Admiral candidates, he was still a powerful Vice Admiral.

If Rayleigh tried to escape, he could buy time by fighting seriously.

Since he was just hanging around headquarters anyway, it made more sense to bring him along and put him to use.

Akira took him, first heading to the personnel department, where he grabbed ten transformed leaves of Sakazuki, and then they walked out of the office building.

"Hey, Fleet Admiral-sama, this isn't the way to the port," Tokikake asked, puzzled.

"Well, just to be on the safe side, I'll bring Teacher Zephyr along too."

After Akira said this, Tokikake took a deep breath.

Catching a big pirate with just the two of them and ten Sakazuki-level transformation leaves wasn't enough? Now they were bringing Admiral Zephyr into the mix as well?

Who were they going after? Whitebeard?

He was puzzled and wanted to ask, but when he saw the serious expression on Akira's face, he swallowed his question.

Marine Academy, located in the quieter and more remote area of Marineford, wasn't too far away. 

It didn't take long for the two to arrive at the academy and find Zephyr in the Chief Instructor's office.

"Teacher Zephyr, are you free? I need your help with a mission," Akira said as he opened the door.

Zephyr, who had been grading papers at his desk, looked up and stood immediately upon seeing Akira.

"Akira, as the Fleet Admiral, you don't need to be so formal. Just tell me what you need."

"Hehehe, you'll always be my teacher, no matter what."

"But I'm also your subordinate now," Zephyr replied with a shake of his head.

Even though Akira had already secured his position as Fleet Admiral, Zephyr, being as rigid and principled as ever, didn't feel the need for pleasantries. Akira understood this about his former instructor and didn't waste any more time on formalities.

"It's like this. I've been thinking about something important today."

"To truly curb this era of great pirates, we can't just rely on instilling fear by killing them. There's another approach we need to take."

Akira wasted no time and explained his plan to both Zephyr and Tokikake, sharing the strategy he had discussed with his clone earlier in the office.

As Zephyr and Tokikake listened, their faces grew more surprised.

"So, we're going after Rayleigh... No wonder this lineup is necessary."

"To face someone like him, everything needs to be perfectly arranged, or he'll slip through our fingers easily."

Tokikake finally understood Akira's meticulous preparation.

If someone like Rayleigh really wanted to escape, it would be far too easy without perfect planning.

Once he realized the significance of the mission, he couldn't help but feel a rush of excitement.

Catching Rayleigh, the Dark King, would be a massive achievement to add to his record. It would be something to boast about for years to come.

"Are you sure Rayleigh is actually in Sabaody?" Tokikake asked, still in disbelief.

Zephyr, short of breath, asked again for confirmation just to be sure.

Akira nodded confidently.

Beyond the fact that Rayleigh had settled there in the original story, there was also the recent rumor. Soldiers had sent in a specific piece of intelligence: someone in Sabaody was suspected of being a former crew member of Roger, and they believed Roger wasn't actually dead, even offering a million berries to support the claim.

Hiding in Sabaody, possibly believing Roger was still alive—Akira couldn't think of anyone else but Rayleigh.

Before Roger turned himself in, he had said to him: "I won't die, brother!" With those words, it wasn't hard to imagine Rayleigh might truly believe in something like "I, Roger, need money!"

"Then what are we waiting for? Let's go now!" Zephyr, now fully confident, became excited.

Just as Akira knew him well, Zephyr also knew Akira wouldn't joke about such serious matters. If Akira said Rayleigh was there, he was definitely there.

Capturing any of the Pirate King's crew was the duty of any Marine. And capturing Rayleigh would have an enormous impact on curbing the era of great pirates, something that filled Zephyr with a sense of righteous justice. He couldn't sit still any longer.

Zephyr grabbed his justice cloak, his eyes gleaming as he looked at Akira. 

"Let's go, destination: Sabaody Archipelago."

Akira smiled, turned around, and led the way out.

Their super-large warship, which could carry more than a thousand soldiers, slowly set sail under the watchful and curious gazes of many Marines.

"Did something happen again? The Fleet Admiral is heading out with a whole crew again," one soldier murmured.

"I don't know, but judging by the scale of this, it's gotta be something huge," another replied.

The soldiers could only speculate, as none of them knew the true mission. Akira was being very cautious in his efforts to curb the Great Pirate Era. The news of Rayleigh's potential capture, only Zephyr and Tokikake knew the details.

Honestly, Naval Headquarters was like a sieve—leaking information everywhere. The Five Elders had their people within the Marines. Doflamingo, in the future, would plant Vergo right in their midst. And no one knew whether there were any other spies lurking around, possibly placed by someone like Shakky, who'd been an intelligence officer for over 20 years. It was one of the major flaws of such a large organization. There were simply too many people to fully screen out the traitors. This was one of the problems Akira intended to solve in the future.

The super-large warship moved swiftly, and the Sabaody Archipelago wasn't far from Marineford. Akira hadn't even finished his cigar before he saw the towering trees come into view.

"According to the plan, I'll go first," Akira said.

"Teacher Zephyr and Tokikake, you two lead the soldiers and bring the transformation leaves. Be ready to surround the area at any moment."

The moment Akira finished speaking, he vanished on the spot.

Zephyr had wanted to stop him. After all, Akira was still the Fleet Admiral, and though his strength was formidable, he hadn't yet reached the absolute pinnacle. Going alone to confront someone as dangerous as Rayleigh, the Dark King, was risky. But before Zephyr could say a word, Akira's sheer speed left him speechless.

So fast!

Zephyr didn't even have time to react.

His thoughts raced as he instinctively tried to search the distance towards Sabaody Archipelago, but there was nothing—no sign of Akira, no trace of movement.

"This... Teacher Zephyr, did you see how the Fleet Admiral left?" Tokikake, standing beside him, was still stunned, his expression frozen in shock. He couldn't even sense Akira's aura anymore, as if he had vanished entirely.

Zephyr: "..."

Should he admit the truth, or keep his dignity as a teacher and pretend he had seen it?

He found himself torn between the two.

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Sabaody Archipelago, Grove 13.

Shakky's Rip-off Bar

"This is the place," Akira muttered as he stood at the entrance of the establishment, glancing up at the bar's distinct and eye-catching sign.

With such a unique name, there couldn't be another like it in all of Sabaody. Akira had decided to come alone, to prevent alerting Rayleigh with the presence of a large number of Marines. Given the circumstances, only Akira's speed could ensure he'd have a chance to stop Rayleigh if he attempted to flee. Even Zephyr wouldn't be able to keep up.

At that moment, a mature voice called from within the bar. 

"The strong man standing outside, can I help you with anything?"

Akira raised his hand to adjust his glasses, parting the curtain as he stepped inside.

"I thought I came quietly," Akira said, his tone calm but firm.

"Your powerful aura is impossible to hide..." replied Shakky, the bar owner, who was wearing a V-neck shirt and cleaning a goblet behind the counter. She spoke casually, but when her eyes landed on Akira, her expression changed immediately.

Click.

The goblet in her hand shattered on the floor. The cigarette hanging from her lips fell as well.

Akira scanned the empty bar. No other figures were in sight.

"It seems he's really out enjoying his free time," Akira said with a faint smirk. "The famous right hand of the Pirate King, Mr. Pluton Rayleigh... isn't home."

He glanced at Shakky. whose face had turned ghostly pale in a matter of seconds, and spoke in a low, deliberate tone.