Marineford.
Sengoku sat at his desk, staring at the document in his hands like it might suddenly make more sense if he just kept looking at it. His expression had gone through several stages, and now had settled into something that could only be described as "what the actual hell."
"The World Government wants to strip Crocodile of his Warlord status?"
He read the line again, just to make sure he hadn't imagined it.
What happened?
Crocodile was stationed in the first half of the Grand Line, paradise territory. He shouldn't have even had the opportunity to meet a Celestial Dragon, let alone piss one off badly enough to warrant this kind of response.
Had something happened out at sea that even the Marines hadn't been informed about? That thought alone was troubling, the World Government keeping secrets from the Marines wasn't exactly unprecedented, but it always meant trouble was brewing.
He pressed a button on his desk. "Get me Tsuru."
A few minutes later, Tsuru entered the office.
"Problem?" she asked simply.
Without a word, Sengoku handed her the World Government's notice.
Tsuru read it carefully, her expression mirroring Sengoku's confusion. After a moment, she pulled out a Den Den Mushi from her coat and dialed a number.
Purururu. Purururu.
Gacha.
"Hina, your patrol route should be near Arabasta right now, correct?"
The snail's face shifted into Hina's features, looking mildly surprised. "Hina is curious. Did something happen?"
Tsuru briefly explained the situation.
There was a long pause on the other end of the line.
Finally, Hina's voice came back, sounding more serious than before. "Give Hina one hour. Hina will have answers."
The connection ended.
Sengoku and Tsuru sat in silence. Both of them had been doing this job long enough to know when something big was happening, and their instincts were screaming at them right now.
That's when the office door suddenly burst open without so much as a knock.
"Yo, Sengoku! I heard you just bought some premium rice crackers. How about we see who can eat more? I bet I can break my personal record!"
Garp swaggered in like he owned the place, grinning from ear to ear, completely oblivious to, or more likely, deliberately ignoring, the tense atmosphere in the room.
Sengoku glared at him. "Can't you see we're in the middle of... wait, Garp! Those are my hidden reserve crackers!"
The moment he saw Garp locate his concealed stash, he couldn't hold back anymore. He lunged across his desk to snatch the bag back.
"So stingy," Garp said, already munching on a cracker he'd somehow managed to grab. "Last time I even shared those special crackers I brought back from Loguetown with you."
"That's because you ate half my supply first!" Sengoku growled, but he was already losing the battle.
Garp just grinned and produced another bag from somewhere inside his coat, one of Sengoku's bags, naturally.
Sengoku stared at him. "When did you even... how many of my snacks have you been stealing?!"
Tsuru couldn't help but smile slightly.
Just then, the Den Den Mushi in her hand rang.
Purururu.
Gacha.
The moment she answered, Hina's voice came through.
"Hina is shocked. Crocodile has disappeared from Arabasta. There's a full-scale civil uprising happening. And the person who started the rebellion is none other than former Princess Vivi."
"..."
The message threw everyone in the room into silence.
The sheer absurdity of the report made all three of them doubt whether Hina was playing some kind of prank.
Garp was the first to break the silence, bursting into laughter. "Bwahaha! Hina learned how to tell jokes! That's hilarious!"
"Hina is not joking," came the flat response. "The information came from a Black Den Den Mushi intercept. We also captured several Baroque Works operatives and confirmed the details through interrogation."
What was the connection between the Celestial Dragons and Crocodile? And how did a princess lead a rebellion against her own kingdom?
The vague information only made Sengoku's thoughts more tangled and chaotic.
"There's more, isn't there?" Tsuru asked, her instincts telling her that Hina was holding back the really important details.
"Yes," Hina confirmed. "Baroque Works had a plan called the 'Operation Utopia,' their goal was to overthrow Arabasta's government and establish... well, they called it an 'ideal nation.' Unfortunately for them, their entire operation was stopped by a pirate crew. The Straw Hat Pirates."
"Pffft!"
Garp, who'd been in the middle of eating another rice cracker, sprayed crumbs everywhere.
His sudden reaction naturally drew curious looks from the other two.
"What is it?" Sengoku asked suspiciously.
Garp started whistling, or rather, making the mouth movements for whistling without any sound coming out.
Sengoku's eyes narrowed further. "Talk. Now. Or I'm sending someone to your house to confiscate every single rice cracker you've ever stolen from me."
"Damn it! That's playing dirty!" Garp protested, but he knew he was cornered. He angrily stuffed two more crackers into his mouth, then said, "The captain of that Straw Hat Pirates crew... is my grandson. Bwahaha! Looks like he decided to become a pirate after all. Bwahaha!"
"GARP!" Sengoku pressed both hands to his forehead. "Your son became a Revolutionary, and now your grandson's a pirate! Didn't you swear you'd raise him to be a proper Marine officer?!"
"Bwahaha, don't worry about the details," Garp waved dismissively. "He's not the type to do bad things anyway. Trust me on this."
Though he was still somewhat bitter about Luffy choosing to become a pirate, he believed in the boy he'd raised. His grandson had a good heart, that much he was certain of.
"Hina just interrogated someone called Mr. 3," the Den Den Mushi continued. "According to his testimony, the Straw Hat crew defeated Crocodile. All of Arabasta's civil unrest was orchestrated by Baroque Works as part of their takeover plan. Princess Vivi then joined the Straw Hats, helped liberate Arabasta, and... overthrew the government. Hina is shocked."
"See? See?!" Garp said proudly, pointing at the snail like it had just proven his point. "I told you he's amazing! He just toppled an entire kingdom's corrupt government!"
Sengoku's temple vein was throbbing visibly now. He grabbed the World Government's initial report and hurled it at Garp's face.
"Read this first before you start bragging, you idiot! If I'm reading the situation correctly, he might have just ticked off the Celestial Dragons themselves!"
That statement made even Garp pause, the rice cracker halfway to his mouth.
Tsuru's expression had grown grave as well.
Just then, a Marine officer burst through the door, panting and out of breath.
"Report! Fleet Admiral Sengoku, new orders just arrived from the World Government!"
"Already?" Sengoku was surprised. They'd only just received the first notice minutes ago.
He took the document and began reading. This one contained far more detailed information about what had actually transpired in Arabasta.
After finishing, he let out a deep sigh, and then caught sight of Garp sneaking his hand into the desk drawer to steal more rice crackers.
His temper flared. "He is getting a bounty."
"A bounty, huh?" Garp munched casually. "Well, that was bound to happen eventually. He became a pirate, after all. Just make sure they use a good photo. The boy should at least look presentable on his wanted poster."
"You idiot..." Sengoku rubbed his face tiredly. "The real problem isn't your grandson."
"Huh?"
Tsuru leaned in curiously to see what had Sengoku so concerned, and then her expression shifted.
Because what she saw was unprecedented.
Within a single pirate crew, there were three individuals specifically marked for "capture alive."
First: Nico Robin, the "Devil Child," sole survivor of Ohara's destruction.
Second: Nefertari Vivi, Princess of Arabasta, who had joined the Straw Hat crew.
Third: An unknown member referred to as the "Miracle Builder," Marcus.
Having three "capture alive" targets in one crew was practically unheard of. Usually, such orders were reserved for individuals of extraordinary importance or value to the World Government.
She could understand the first two. Robin had knowledge of the Ancient Weapons and could read Poneglyphs. Vivi was royalty who'd apparently led a revolution. But this Marcus person... why was he so important?
She was still processing this when Garp noticed it too.
His face fell. "Wait a minute... this can't be right."
Sengoku gave him a curious look. Was Garp finally going to show some proper concern for his grandson? Maybe appeal emotionally to protect the boy?
"Why isn't my grandson also marked for capture alive?!" Garp demanded.
"THAT'S what you're upset about?!" Sengoku wanted to strangle him.
"Well, yeah! He's the captain! He defeated a Warlord! Why do his crew members get the special treatment and not him?"
Sengoku just stared at him, too exhausted to deal with Garp's bizarre logic. "Get out. Take your rice crackers and go bother someone else."
"Fine, fine," Garp grumbled, scooping up as many cracker bags as he could carry.
He was unceremoniously shoved out of the office, still munching contentedly.
The moment he stepped into the hallway, he nearly collided with someone.
"Oh, Garp," Kuzan said lazily, adjusting his sleep mask. "Got any rice crackers to share?"