"Not yet."
Tsuru lifted her teacup and took a sip.
"I was the one handling this matter. For the past few months, I've been urging the higher-ups at least once every week. Their answer has never changed—always the sa excuses like 'insufficient funds' or 'still being arranged.' This ti is no different."
War is always cruel.
In the Paramount War, the pirate alliance was wiped out, but the Marines also paid a heavy price.
Just the number of dead alone reached 13,000, with more than 30,000 grievously injured.
Such a massive loss naturally required a massive amount of compensation money.
But the problem was—Marine Headquarters had already exhausted nearly all of its savings preparing for the war. After the conflict, additional cleanup and reconstruction drained even more. Headquarters simply had no money left, and could only request a special allocation from the World Governnt.
This should have been a matter of course. For the World Governnt, the required funds were practically pocket change.
Yet almost four months had passed, and not a single berry had been approved.
Just as Tsuru said—every reminder was brushed aside with one excuse after another.
It was infuriating.
"No need to urge them anymore. I'm guessing the funds will arrive very soon," Sengoku suddenly said.
"What?"
Everyone turned to him in surprise.
"Didn't I tell you all already? The higher-ups have been deliberately vague about my resignation."
Sengoku said calmly,
"But they can't stall forever. They'll give a definitive answer this month. And most likely, they'll appoint one of their people to take over as Fleet Admiral. When that happens, the compensation funds will naturally be approved."
"You're saying…?" Momonga asked, stunned.
"Exactly. The compensation funds and my resignation are the sa matter."
Tsuru let out a cold laugh.
"Once the new Fleet Admiral takes office, they'll imdiately approve the payouts. That way they can boost the new Fleet Admiral's prestige among the rank-and-file while also reducing resentnt over Sengoku's removal. Two birds with one stone. If the World Governnt knows nothing else, they certainly know how to manipulate people."
"A bunch of bastards!"
Vice Admiral Doberman slamd his fist on the table.
"So many Marine families are desperate for that money! So many soldiers risked their lives—what for?! To protect a bunch of conniving pigs who only know how to calculate benefits?! Do the higher-ups even see the Marines as humans anymore?!"
"When have they ever seen Marines as humans?"
A calm voice suddenly echoed through the room:
"Other than those Celestial Dragons high above, when have they ever cared whether anyone lived or died?"
The eting room instantly fell silent.
Because that voice was far too familiar—yet slightly unfamiliar from not hearing it for months.
Everyone turned toward the door in amazent.
In the morning sunlight, a tall, lean figure draped in a white cloak of justice stood there without anyone knowing when he had arrived.
"Nao-san!"
"Admiral Nao!"
Several people called out.
Momonga, Onigumo, and the others—his longti subordinates—stood up in excitent almost reflexively.
Even Shiryu, who had been silently puffing on his cigar, lifted his head and grinned.
After the war, he had voluntarily transferred to the Marines and now served as a Vice Admiral of Headquarters.
"Sit down, all of you. It's only been a few months, not years."
Nao waved his hand lightly and took the seat next to Sengoku.
This seat had been left empty for months—always reserved for him.
"Nao, you…"
Sengoku looked at him, suddenly noticing sothing. His eyes widened.
"Huh?"
Beside him, even Garp gave a soft grunt of surprise.
Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru exchanged glances, each showing a trace of shock and uncertainty.
They were all the strongest figures in the world, and at this mont they could faintly sense that sothing about Nao—who had been absent for months—had changed.
It was a very subtle feeling.
If previously, when Nao stood before them without suppressing his aura, they could clearly feel a terrifying pressure radiating from him—proof that he was a peak-level powerhouse, stronger than them but still within the sa general realm.
But now…
Nao clearly wasn't suppressing his aura, yet standing there, he seed no different from an ordinary person.
There was no pressure at all. Only by focusing their full perception could they faintly pick up the slightest trace of sharp, near-imperceptible danger.
"Mm."
Nao smiled and nodded slightly, acknowledging Sengoku and the others' suspicions.
He had indeed broken through again.
And not just in one area—he had achieved a full, comprehensive advancent in every aspect!
Four months ago at Marineford, after the battle with Whitebeard, Nao had sensed a loosening at his bottleneck—especially in swordsmanship, where he had vaguely touched upon a new realm.
Not daring to waste a mont, he imdiately entered seclusion.
After months of training, he broke through the final bottlenecks of Armant Haki, Observation Haki, and swordsmanship.
At the sa ti…
As news spread and his reputation soared to its peak, Nao's accumulated points skyrocketed—surpassing thirty million over the course of a few months.
That astronomical number finally allowed him to use the attribute-point feature again, elevating all his basic stats to a higher tier.
Now, his status panel looked like this:
[Na: Natsuya Nao]
[Age: 28]
[Strength: 41 (Current stage: 10,000,000 points per attribute)]
[Agility: 41 ( 4) (Current stage: 10,000,000 points per attribute)]
[Stamina: 48 (Current stage: 10,000,000 points per attribute)]
[Intelligence: 16 (Current stage: 5,000,000 points per attribute)]
[Charm: 24 (Current stage: 10,000,000 points per attribute)]
[Current Points: 20,560]
[General Skills: Logia—Rumble-Rumble Fruit; Close-Quarters Combat (Master); Two-Sword Style (Grandmaster); Rokushiki (Master); Firearms Profiency (Advanced); Self-Discipline (Master); Armant Haki (Grandmaster); Observation Haki (Grandmaster); Painting (Advanced); Fishing (Master); Swimming (Master)…]
[Innate Skills: Conqueror's Haki; Petrifying Gaze; Adamantine Body; Voice of All Things; Radiant Smile; Craftsman's Spirit; Wind Barrier (Advanced); Thick-Skinned (Advanced); Iron Head (Advanced); Limb Regeneration; Amphibious Breathing]
[Currently Equipped: Guardian Angel, Boots of Lightness, Thornmail]
…
A status panel luxurious to the extre.
With his attributes rising across the board, and his swordsmanship plus dual Haki reaching the Grandmaster realm, Nao's current power had stepped into what could only be described as a "Supre" level!
If he were to fight Whitebeard again now, Nao was confident he wouldn't need to battle for nearly ten hours like at Marineford.
—Even conservatively, it would take at most a few dozen minutes for Whitebeard to be completely defeated!
"You brat…"
Hearing Nao calmly admit it, Sengoku and the others exchanged glances, shaken to the core.
In their eyes, Nao had already been the strongest in Marine history—far above the rest of them—and was considered the ceiling of the world.
Yet in such a state, he could still break through…
Just how strong was he now?
"Ahh… that's absurd…"
Aokiji couldn't help clicking his tongue.
"I feel like at this point, never mind a one-on-one— even if I tead up with Sakazuki, we still might not be able to stand against you… Does anyone in this world still count as your opponent?"
Akainu's mouth twitched. Fine if you compare yourself—why drag into this?
"Of course there is."
Nao's answer shocked everyone.
He spoke calmly:
"To be honest, it's this breakthrough that finally gave the confidence to defeat her completely. A few months ago, if I fought her, the outco would've been unpredictable."
Of course there is?
Except for Gion, whose expression didn't change—clearly already aware—the others froze, confused.
Was he saying...
How could that be?
Even Whitebeard, the world's strongest man, had fallen to Nao. In the whole world, who could possibly qualify for Nao to speak about like this?
Sengoku suddenly seed to realize sothing, his brows tightening.
"You an… soone from the top?"
"That's right. Or more precisely, the true supre ruler of the World Governnt—Imu."
Nao looked at Sengoku. "Have you ever heard that na, Fleet Admiral?"
Sengoku paused, thought for a long mont, then shook his head.
"Imu?"
"Isn't the highest authority in the World Governnt the Five Elders?"
The others reacted the sa way—confusion and disbelief.
"Imu hides in the shadows and controls everything.
The Five Elders are rely puppets—public-facing figures she picked from generations of Celestial Dragons, tasked with tending to this world."
Nao didn't seem surprised at their ignorance.
He spoke solemnly:
"She's an old monster who's lived for who knows how many years. Her strength is naturally overwhelming.
I won't ntion the rest—just one point is enough.
She is also a Logia user, and the fruit she ate is the Ocean-Ocean Fruit."
"Ocean-Ocean Fruit?!"
No further explanation was needed—just hearing the na made everyone's expression change as they instantly grasped the terrifying implications.
"An ability-user who can control seawater?"
Aokiji narrowed his eyes. "That's far more dangerous than my ice… practically the natural enemy of all Devil Fruit users."
"Control seawater…" Tsuru repeated softly. Her expression darkened, and she suddenly turned sharply toward Sengoku, seated in the main seat to her left.
"What's wrong?"
Sengoku was still stunned by Nao's revelation, but when he t Tsuru's gaze, his face changed dramatically—he realized it too.
"You an… Marineford?!"
With those words—
Every high-ranking officer present blanched.
All of them instantly understood what Sengoku and Tsuru were implying.
Four months ago at the Paramount War, Marine Headquarters suffered over forty thousand casualties—far beyond predictions. The fundantal cause was the incident at Impel Down.
According to post-battle statistics, at least half of the casualties were linked to the mass breakout from Impel Down. In other words, without that event, the war wouldn't have been so dangerously close—and the casualties certainly wouldn't have been so enormous.
Everyone present knew this.
They also knew the prison break was extrely suspicious. Headquarters had investigated for months yet found no explanation.
A fortress like Impel Down, unshakable for centuries, collapsing overnight—it didn't resemble human action. It seed more like a coincidence of swirling currents causing a massive seaquake—a natural disaster.
This had beco the prevailing belief within the Marines. Headquarters had resigned itself to simply being unlucky.
However—
The information Nao brought instantly overturned that conclusion, blowing away the fog surrounding the event and exposing the true culprit in an instant!
The impact was so great no one could remain calm.
"It makes sense… it all makes sense!"
Even Sengoku, with his iron self-control, slamd the table and stood up, trembling as he muttered:
"This explains it. Everything connects—everything! Imu, the Five Elders, the World Governnt… releasing all the prisoners, disrupting the war at Marineford… all of it was for—"
"To maintain balance."
Akainu's cold voice cut in, dripping with contempt:
"The World Governnt may want to end the Great Pirate Era, but they definitely don't want the Marine becoming too powerful. Without enemies, only an old, crippled, obedient hunting dog—one that has lost its fangs—qualifies as a good dog."
"The Five Elders may think that way, but Imu doesn't necessarily."
Nao shook his head slightly and spoke with calm certainty:
"The so-called 'balance of power' matters to the World Governnt, but not to her.
To a monster who has lived hundreds—maybe thousands—of years, who has witnessed the rise and fall of eras, the Paramount War was probably nothing more than child's play.
As soone who looks down on this sea from above, she likely did all this simply to entertain herself."
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