Aokiji really liked the oath, "Dark Blade, Guardian of Justice." He specially took out paper and pen from his desk drawer and began to diligently copy it down. The sound of writing rustled continuously in the admiral's office. During this interval, Sturm stared at the "Clay Fruit" in his hand. Lines of text that only he could see emerged from the void.

[Name: Clay Fruit]

[Star Level: None]

[Description: Paramecia-type Devil Fruit]

[Effect: The user can turn any part of their body into clay and can also create clay from nothing.

Note: Devil Fruits symbolize a non-natural evolutionary path; the user will thus be cursed by the natural sea.]

[Comment: I'm playing with mud in the sea.]

The specific effect of the Clay Fruit didn’t exceed Sturm’s expectations. It was indeed a "special Paramecia-type" Devil Fruit, just like Charlotte Katakuri's "Mochi Mochi Fruit." Not a Natural type, but surpassing it.

‘Now, Clay Fruit, lend me your power!’ Sturm secretly drew the supernatural factors contained within the Clay Fruit through the "Devil's Ring," absorbing and sealing them away. This process happened silently. A Devil Fruit that appeared intact lost its extraordinary abilities. Through the "Grand Cup," Sturm could continue to observe the current information about the Clay Fruit.

[Name: Powerless Clay Fruit]

[Star Level: None]

[Description: A bizarre-looking, disgusting-tasting Devil Fruit.]

[Effect: Apart from being inedible, it has nothing else.]

[Comment: This is crap!]

‘The side effects are gone; it has completely turned into an empty shell…’ Sturm lifted the Clay Fruit. Although he hadn’t eaten this special Paramecia-type Devil Fruit, he could still clearly feel a newfound power within himself. It was as if with just a thought, he could create some soft, white clay on the spot…

Just as Sturm was carefully feeling this strange and novel supernatural power, Aokiji finally finished writing the oath. He looked up and saw Sturm still holding the Clay Fruit.

“Sturm, eat it.” Aokiji's voice brought Sturm's attention back.

“Huh?” Aokiji looked at Sturm, who seemed a bit slow, and slightly emphasized his tone. “Sturm, eat it!” Sturm realized that Aokiji was signaling him to eat the already useless Clay Fruit. He had originally wanted to continue observing whether the powerless Clay Fruit would undergo any special changes in the future. But now, he thought, why not just eat it!

Sturm raised the oddly-shaped Powerless Clay Fruit and took a big bite. In an instant, an indescribable feeling of nausea spread from his mouth to every nerve cell in his body. It was like chewing wax—no! It was like chewing "rubber"! Could it be that Devil Fruits are all rolled up by the Sun God?

Sturm found humor in his misery. He quickly finished the Clay Fruit, leaving not even a shred of peel behind. Aokiji looked at Sturm's pale face and seemed to recall the scene when he had eaten the Ice Fruit.

“Ah la la.” Aokiji chuckled lightly. “The taste of a Devil Fruit is something you’ll never forget in this life. Want to try your ability, Sturm?”

“Of course!” Sturm eagerly agreed—or rather, he could hardly wait! A ball of white clay appeared out of nowhere in his palm, quickly transforming into multiple shapes. From a head to a torso, then a tail, and a pair of flat, wide wings… Aokiji watched with interest as the chubby white clay creature formed in Sturm's hand.

“Is that a penguin? I actually like penguins too.”

“Penguin?” Sturm’s mouth twitched, almost awakening the "sleeping dragon's wrath." “This is a dragon!”

Pongreli Sturm, also known as the Stormborn, dreamed of raising a giant dragon. As of now, Sturm couldn’t raise a giant dragon, but making a clay white dragon was not a problem. Though this little white dragon was a bit small and round-bellied, with no visible scales or horns… it shouldn’t be mistaken for a penguin, right?

Feeling mocked, dark thoughts arose in Sturm’s heart. Under his control, the fist-sized little white dragon slowly transformed into a small fat chicken. No! This was not a fat chicken. This was a "clay" pheasant, a "white" pheasant, an "ice" pheasant. In any case, it was not a "blue pheasant."

“Ahem.” Aokiji glanced at the little fat chicken that might have been a subtle jab and lightly coughed. Sturm decided to stop while he was ahead. He clapped his hands, and “Little Blue Pheasant” turned into “Little Bian Que,” then disappeared.

“Admiral! I’m willing to accept the undercover mission!” Sturm straightened his back and actively suggested. “Now I need to become a pirate. So, should I just defect from headquarters? The charge will be ‘theft of a Devil Fruit’?”

No, why are you so eager? Aokiji’s eyes widened slightly. Moreover, why did you say "defect" so fluently?

“No! It’s not urgent yet!” Aokiji quickly called for a stop, trying to dissuade Sturm from his dangerous thoughts. The Navy headquarters established the Blade Force, carefully selecting candidates with clean backgrounds and actively providing them with valuable Devil Fruits. They weren’t meant to send them directly to their deaths in the New World!

In Aokiji’s view, with Sturm’s current strength, going to the second half of the Grand Line’s New World would be tantamount to seeking death!

“You’ve just eaten the Clay Fruit, and your ability hasn’t really developed yet,” Aokiji reassured. “Your current task is to stay in the Navy and improve your strength. Furthermore, for the Navy to fall into piracy, it also requires a suitable opportunity. In short, everything needs to go step by step.”

What Aokiji meant by "step by step" was to let Sturm temporarily ignore the fact that he had already joined the Blade Force and to consider himself just an ordinary, freshly graduated Navy soldier.

For this, Aokiji even asked, “Sturm, do you want to stay at headquarters, or go to a G-series branch, or perhaps to the four seas?” The conventional “employment direction” for Navy soldiers was nothing more than these three options. Sturm was equally aware of this.

His original thought was to go to one of the ordinary branches in the four seas. The Navy headquarters is considered a super elite group within the Navy. The difference in strength between the headquarters and the outer sea branches is about three levels. Sturm could have become a "Navy Headquarters Officer." This meant that if he chose to go to the four seas branch, he would immediately become an officer-level Navy officer.

In the four seas branch, a Navy colonel is almost the highest authority in a branch, holding the greatest power over the base. To summarize in three words—local emperor. If Sturm went to the four seas branch, he would not only gain maximum autonomy but also facilitate his subsequent “money-making scheme”—aimed at purchasing a Devil Fruit.

But that was the previous plan. Now Sturm had changed his mind!

“Admiral! I apply to go to Impel Down!” The "Grand Cup" needs to be earned through combat. Sturm needed as many opponents as possible to enhance his various strengths. As a Navy soldier, the most suitable opponents were definitely pirates.

Looking across the entire sea, no place could compare to Impel Down in terms of both the number and quality of pirates! Even the New World, as the headquarters of the Emperor Pirates, couldn’t compete! The prison’s grand stage, if there’s work, just come!

“Impel Down?” Aokiji frowned; he had never considered this answer. “Why do you want to go there?”

“Because the number of pirates in Impel Down is like fish crossing the river.” Sturm answered earnestly. “I want to observe as many pirates as possible up close to prepare for future undercover plans. Additionally, Impel Down is sufficiently ‘boring,’ which is also suitable for focusing on cultivation and improving strength.”

Aokiji nodded slightly at this. He didn’t quite agree with Sturm’s first part but found some truth in the latter half. Impel Down is located in the calm belt, making entry and exit extremely difficult. The prison guards working inside also have no leisure or entertainment options. Ignoring Impel Down's special nature, it was indeed a decent place to enhance strength.

However, a thought suddenly crossed Aokiji’s mind. A prison. And the world’s number one prison. Is the difference between guards and prisoners really that significant?

“Although both the Navy and Impel Down are government agencies, they are not part of the same system,” Aokiji pondered for a moment and said slowly. “Transferring you to Impel Down will take time. At least three days, but no more than a week.”

“Yes! Admiral!” Sturm saluted loudly in response.

“By the way, there’s one more thing.” Aokiji suddenly thought of something. “This new recruit training camp, besides you, has another member who received a recommendation to join the Blade Force.”

Sturm's mind already conjured up a suspect. Before he could ask, Aokiji took the initiative to inform him. “It’s Granny Tsuru’s granddaughter, Peacock.”

Sure enough, it was that woman! Sturm secretly ground his teeth. He wondered how Zefa knew about his private discussions about the Celestial Dragons. It turned out there was a "little bird" secretly reporting behind his back. If he had known, he wouldn’t have counted stars and watched the moon with that woman Peacock that night! What a sin!

Aokiji was about to say something, probably about getting along well with Peacock. But just then, there was a loud bang. The admiral's office door was violently kicked open from the outside. Sturm hadn’t even seen the figure clearly when a loud roar echoed in the admiral's office.

“Bastard!” Sturm focused his gaze. He saw a gray-haired old man grabbing Aokiji by the collar, yelling at him. “My grandson said he wants to ‘become a pirate’ again! I absolutely cannot allow this!”

With that attitude, tone, and appearance, Sturm immediately recognized the identity of the person. Wasn’t this the famous Garp, "Garp the Hero"?

“Hey, Vice Admiral Garp, could you perform that act again?” You know, the one where you say, ‘Stop me like this, Sengoku! Otherwise, I will kill Sakazuki!’ A little play acted out in Sturm's mind, while he outwardly adopted a serene demeanor.

Aokiji frowned, his face shining, unsure if it was sweat or drool. “I’ve heard that a hundred times already!” Aokiji replied quite irritably. “Who cares about your grandson!”

While speaking, Aokiji waved his hand at Sturm. Sturm understood and quietly exited the admiral's office. Aokiji and Garp’s “argument” continued, but Sturm had already distanced himself from the “battlefield.”

‘This year is the 1518th year of the Sea Calendar.’

‘The grandson Garp mentioned who wants to become a pirate should be Portgas D. Ace!’ Sturm walked along the corridor on the top floor of the headquarters building, his mind racing.

‘It’s one year until Fire-Fire Man sets sail.’

‘It’s four years until the Sun God sets sail.’

‘The exit of the old era, the transition of the old and new orders, the awakening of the Sun God, and the great war that will split the sea in two…’

‘Time waits for no one!’