"Isn't that even more infuriating?!"
Onigumo slamd his fist on the table, eyes bloodshot as he roared,
"To release that many prisoners—causing tens of thousands of our soldiers to die… Imu…
How can that bastard treat the lives of so many people like a ga?!
What right does she have to place herself above everyone else?!"
He was explosive and straightforward by nature—he always spoke exactly what he thought.
Words this blasphemous and direct would, on any normal day, earn him a harsh reprimand.
But right now, not a single person in the room refuted him—not even Sengoku, who was normally the strictest about "decorum" and "propriety."
Cigar tips glowed. Smoke drifted.
In the cold, oppressive atmosphere, a suffocating surge of fury seed ready to erupt.
No one questioned whether Nao's information was true.
No one asked where he obtained it.
Ten years of fighting side-by-side—ten years of life and death.
Everyone in the room had absolute, unquestionable trust in the one who bore the na White Dragon.
After a long silence—
"Wait until tomorrow."
Sengoku finally spoke, voice hoarse:
"Give tonight. I will draft a strongly worded letter of protest.
Tomorrow morning, I will send it to the World Governnt and demand an explanation—what exactly are they trying to do…"
"A protest letter?"
Garp interrupted Sengoku,
"And what good is that? Even a letter personally written by you, the Fleet Admiral of the Marine, is no different from toilet paper to those bastards."
Sengoku fell silent.
"You're old, but still that naïve? Effective protests are never made with words—only with fists!"
Garp picked his nose and snorted.
"No—this isn't naïveté. You just don't want things to escalate to that point.
Even now, you're still trying to smooth everything over like you always have!"
"Don't forget, Sengoku—it's them who keep pushing us, again and again.
At this point, do you really think we have any choice left?"
Sengoku still said nothing.
And he couldn't refute it.
Garp hadn't spoken this harshly in years—yet Sengoku understood every word.
But…
He lifted his head and looked at each silent face in the room.
When he t their eyes one by one, a sudden clarity blood in his heart.
Things had changed.
Marine Headquarters—had truly changed.
Four months of patience… no—decades, centuries of endurance.
Every Marine who carried "Justice" in their heart had long since had enough of those people above.
And now…
The truth of the Impel Down incident was the final straw that broke the cal's back.
Garp was right.
At this point, and he was still hesitating…
Perhaps he was now the odd one out in today's Marine.
Change never happens all at once.
It builds, grain by grain, year after year… until it finally becos an unstoppable tide.
And when did this change begin?
Sengoku's gaze slowly shifted to Nao.
"Nao." Sengoku stared for what felt like an eternity, then finally sighed deeply and said in a low voice,
"You decide."
Nao looked at Sengoku with mild surprise, then nodded.
He originally thought he would need to persuade certain "doves" among the high command.
But things were progressing far smoother than he expected.
After all—
The blood debt of tens of thousands of elite soldiers was far too heavy.
And the World Governnt—those arrogant tyrants in the Holy Land—
And Imu, who fancied herself a god…
They would pay for their arrogance.
"I don't have much to say."
Nao spoke in a deep, steady voice:
"For this day, I have waited eleven years.
I don't want to wait anymore—and there is no need to wait anymore!!"
"So the plan is simple.
To avoid any complications, I intend to depart tonight."
"By dawn, we'll reach the Holy Land.
In Mary Geoise, I will settle things—once and for all—
with the Celestial Dragons, and with Imu herself!"
"I'll be grateful to those who are willing to accompany on this journey. For those with concerns who are unable to co along, that's fine too. After all, this is sudden. I understand everyone. When this is all over, we will still be comrades, brothers-in-arms."
Nao smiled and swept his gaze across the room.
"Everyone—what do you say?"
"Hey now, I really don't like how that sounds."
Garp casually rolled the booger he'd just picked into a ball and flicked it away.
"What do you an 'accompany you on this journey'?
You make it sound like you're the only one who wants to pick a fight with those bubble-wrapped lizards.
We've been pushed this far— even if you weren't leading the charge, this old man would still take a stroll through Mary Geoise."
"You talk too much. If you're going, just say you're going."
Zephyr shot Garp a disgusted look, then turned to Nao with a grin.
"Count this old man in!"
Then he turned again—to his once most prized disciple.
"Oi, Kuzan, you don't even need to say it, right?"
"Ah la la…"
Aokiji squinted at Nao.
"I thought sothing big was going to happen today the mont you suddenly showed up—but I didn't expect this big…"
He scratched his hair, then suddenly laughed.
"With sothing this huge going down, not joining in would be a real sha."
"Borsalino." Zephyr looked toward Kizaru. "What about you?"
"Another big war? How troubleso."
Kizaru crossed his legs, lazily cleaning his nails.
"Toppling the Celestial Dragons… such a scary idea. Tsk.
And what benefit would that bring ?"
"You won't have to escort them anymore?"
Aokiji cut in cheerfully.
"And you probably won't have to clean up their sses either.
You might even get two extra months of vacation every year."
"That's true."
Kizaru chuckled, shrugging.
"Alright, count in too.
Sakazuki, what about you?"
"A soldier's duty is to obey orders."
Akainu brushed a speck of dust from his Marine cap.
Expressionless, he said,
"Sengoku-san is the Fleet Admiral. Since he has already decided, would I still go against it?"
"And then there's…"
Kizaru narrowed his eyes and looked toward Gion, raising a brow.
"Ah, no point asking you, right, Gion?"
"Obviously." Gion scolded him with a smile.
"I'm going too!" Chaton declared firmly.
Aokiji sighed speechlessly beside him.
Dude, can you please control yourself? She's been married for years; why are you still acting like a love-struck puppy in front of everyone?
…
The Admirals and Admiral-Candidates had all made their stance clear.
And at the slightly lower rank—Headquarters Vice Admirals like the hot-tempered Onigumo, Doberman…
and Nao's forr subordinate, Momonga—there was nothing to discuss. They were already determined.
In that massive conference room, not a single person opposed the plan.
Not a single person hesitated.
On normal days, each of them might hold a different interpretation of "Justice."
But the core—the bottom line—
At this mont, they were one.
Seeing this—
Sengoku let out a quiet sigh.
And he couldn't help thinking:
His earlier choice… had been the right one.
Marine Headquarters…
Had truly, completely changed.
…
That night.
The port of Marineford was silent.
A standard Marine warship slipped out of the harbor, heading straight toward the Holy Land of Mary Geoise.
Inside what looked like an ordinary ship…
was almost the entire upper echelon of Marine combat power.
Marine Headquarters' Chief Instructor Zephyr.
Legendary Hero Garp.
Admirals: White Dragon Nao, Aokiji Kuzan, Akainu Sakazuki…
Plus Admiral-Candidates Kizaru, Gion, Chaton.
And this—was only the first wave.
Sengoku himself remained in Marineford, commanding elite Vice Admirals and mobilizing the entire Headquarters.
Once Nao and the others landed at the Holy Land and stabilized the situation—
Marine Headquarters—the largest war machine in the world—
would fully mobilize under Sengoku's command,
its force exceeding even a Buster Call several tis over,
and descend upon the entire Holy Land of Mary Geoise!
…
Under the starlit sky, waves rolled.
Inside the cabin—
Marine top brass gathered in the command room, listening to Nao analyze the World Governnt's forces.
"So the Five Elders themselves aren't much of a threat.
Aside from Imu, the main concerns are those two—
one called the strongest spear of the Celestial Dragons, and the other the strongest shield?"
Aokiji rubbed his chin, then looked over at Akainu.
"The strongest spear is nad Hephaestus, a Logia-type Fla-Fla Fruit user.
Seems like he's using the inferior version of your fruit, Sakazuki.
Shouldn't we leave him to you?"
"Just what I wanted."
Akainu narrowed his eyes and let out a cold laugh.
"I didn't get to finish things with Kaido last ti. Hopefully this ti, I can enjoy myself properly."
"And as for that 'strongest shield,' let test his weight first.
If I can't take him down quickly, then I'll ask Mr. Garp to help.
A Mythical Zoan user, the Bixi-Bixi Fruit—na unknown.
But from what you said, he was a Fleet Admiral a hundred years ago?"
Aokiji beca thoughtful and looked at the transponder snail on the table, from which Sengoku's voice spoke:
"I rember him."
Sengoku sighed.
"He was known as the 'Wise Fleet Admiral'—Muse.
He was once praised as the strongest Fleet Admiral in Marine history. Records say he retired on his own due to old age.
I never expected he'd still be alive… or living there, of all places."
After learning the truth about Muse from Nao, Sengoku's tone carried unavoidable complexity.
That man—once a Fleet Admiral who shook the seas, a legendary hero of his era—
for the sake of the justice he believed in,
for the sake of demanding fairness for Marine Headquarters,
stord the Holy Land and confronted the World Governnt.
Yet in the end…
he chose to submit, reduced to becoming one of Imu's gatekeeping slaves.
Back then.
Just like right now.
Were they not walking the very sa path Muse once walked?
With such similar fates… could the ending really be different?
"…Don't overthink it, Fleet Admiral."
Kizaru poured himself a cup of tea and spoke lazily.
"Even if both carried the 'strongest in Marine history' title, I don't think that old guy could compare to Nao… This fellow here is a full-on monster."
"And besides, Muse went alone. That was way too reckless."
Kizaru lifted the cup, blowing on it lightly.
"But on this ship, we've got a full eight top-tier—"
"No. Nine."
Nao suddenly interrupted.
"Eh?" Kizaru froze.
The others—aside from Gion—also stared at Nao in surprise.
"I didn't get a chance to introduce him earlier, but now seems like a good ti."
Nao smiled and turned toward the door.
"Fujitora-san, you can co in."
Creak—
As the door opened, a blind swordsman in a violet robe, wooden geta clacking, stepped into view.
"I am Issho."
Sensing the focused gazes, the blind swordsman smiled gently.
"A pleasure to et you. I look forward to working with you all."
…
A few minutes later.
Nao had finished introducing Fujitora's background.
"So it's because of that old wager… I see."
Aokiji clicked his tongue in admiration.
"But Brother Issho—
I think you're a bit older than , so I'll call you that—
it's a great honor for Headquarters that you joined.
Unfortunately, you ca at the worst possible ti.
Don't be fooled by how impressive we look now… we're actually at our most dangerous mont."
"No."
Fujitora shook his head gently, running a hand over his bamboo cane-sword, and gave a humble smile.
"I, on the contrary, believe this is the best possible timing."
Aokiji froze for a mont.
Then, looking at Fujitora, his gaze gained an extra layer of respect.
…
As for the agreent between Nao and Fujitora—
That traced back to Nao's honeymoon travels with his wives.
Fujitora loved gambling, so Nao had proposed a ten-year wager:
that within ten years, he would completely abolish the Shichibukai system—
the first major step toward reforming the Marines.
If Nao won, Fujitora would cast aside his prejudice toward the Marines,
co to Marineford,
and join Marine Headquarters as one of them.
This was an agreent almost impossible to fulfill.
Back then, Nao had only just settled into his position as Vice Admiral.
Even though Fujitora trusted Nao's character deeply,
he held no optimism toward that promise.
However—
No one expected it.
That day not only arrived…
It arrived far sooner than anyone could've predicted.
Shortly after the Paramount War four months ago,
the Shichibukai system was officially abolished.
The once-infamous "legal right to plunder"
was finally dumped into the trash heap of history.
Surprisingly, this event caused little disturbance around the world.
After all, the Shichibukai system had originally been created
to maintain balance on the seas.
But with the Great Pirate Era coming to an end,
there was no longer any need for the Shichibukai.
Its abolition was sothing many had long expected.
Fujitora heard about it only days later,
while wandering through city streets and alleys.
He knew then:
Nao had fulfilled his promise.
It was ti for him to honor the wager.
So he traveled continuously,
and two days prior, through Smoker—the Headquarters Commodore stationed at Sabaody—
he finally contacted the just-erging-from-closed-training Nao.
He had co abruptly,
hadn't even officially reported to Marine Headquarters,
and this was his first ti eting these Marine high officers.
"Please, sit, Mr. Issho."
Aokiji pulled out a chair, and once Fujitora sat down,
Chaton couldn't resist asking:
"From what Mr. Nao just said,
you possess overwhelming strength—
enough to fight Admirals or even Yonko-level opponents without falling behind?"
"That is Mr. Nao's overpraise."
Fujitora spoke softly, then paused,
and smiled toward Chaton.
"But with a major battle coming,
if any of you wish to warm up in advance,
I wouldn't mind exchanging a few blows."
"Ah—no, no, no! No need!"
Chaton waved both hands frantically.
"I was just curious, I didn't an to question anything.
If Mr. Nao says it, then it's definitely true."
"That's right, don't listen to this brat babble nonsense."
Garp burst out laughing and pointed at Nao.
"You trust this kid—
we trust him even more.
Otherwise, how could all of us show up in a place like this together?"
"Isn't that right, Nao?!"
Nao smiled without answering.
Outside, the night was dark as ink.
Rosinante, standing guard at the door,
listened to the voices inside and couldn't help but grin.
Around him, invisible walls of soundproofing remained firm like an upside-down bowl,
enveloping the entire warship.
Not a sound leaked into the quiet sea…
A silence as cold and serene as moonlight.
…
Mary Geoise.
A paradise countless people longed to reach.
Streets paved with luxurious red carpets, wide and grand.
Magnificent, ancient buildings lined up neatly.
Gold and splendor everywhere, even the air felt cleaner—
like being in a divine realm above the clouds.
Day after day, year after year.
While the seas roiled with chaos,
while nations rose and fell,
this holy city perched atop the Red Line
remained eternally prosperous—
untouched, unmoved.
Dawn approached; night receded.
Morning sunlight slipped through the clouds,
wandering through the holy city.
The streets slowly stirred to life.
Most Celestial Dragons were still asleep,
while their slaves—gardeners, cooks, maids—
had already begun their frantic morning tasks.
The soldiers guarding the Holy Land
had also finished assembling early
and headed toward their assigned posts.
But many of them were still groggy, yawning endlessly—
especially those at the massive stairway gate to the Holy Land.
They were all elite soldiers, carefully chosen and well-trained,
but after guarding this place for decades,
it was natural that many had grown lax.
Here, a guard's life was leisurely.
Aside from watching their mouths and never offending a Celestial Dragon,
their daily routine was blissfully uneventful.
They seldom—almost never—encountered ergencies.
It was basically a post for passing ti.
After all—
Who would be so suicidal
as to cause a disturbance at the gate of the Celestial Dragons' holy city?
And today seed no different.
Thus—
When a white Marine-issue warship silently entered the harbor,
these guards only cast a lazy glance before looking away.
Nothing unusual.
Marine ships ca and went every month—eighty, a hundred—
hardly worth noticing.
However—
As one figure after another, clad in white Justice cloacks, stepped out from the harbor and silently approached the Holy Land staircase;
As guards gradually recognized that the figures leading the group included three Marine Headquarters Admirals, as well as the legendary heroes Garp and Zephyr;
As so people vaguely pondered, The Reverie isn't being held right now, so why are so many Marine bigwigs here…
These guards guarding the great staircase entrance to the Holy Land suddenly snapped fully awake, realizing that sothing was amiss!
"Halt! Who goes there!"
With fierce shouts,
two rows of guards raised their rifles in unison,
aid at the approaching white figures!
The lead soldier—massive, bear-like—stepped forward,
face frosty with anger.
"White Dragon Nao!
Garp the Fist!
What do you think you're doing?!"
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