Merry's Point of View
Since the beginning of the confrontation, Merry had been taking her role as camerawoman extremely seriously. Thanks to her unique nature as a spirit bound to the Vogue Merry, she wasn't required to remain on deck to observe the battles. She could freely rise into the air, taking advantage of her small size to move around without attracting the fighters' attention.
The recording Den Den Mushi that Charles had entrusted to her was almost as big as her head, but she held it firmly in her tiny hands. She fully understood the importance of her mission: to record this battle and preserve evidence of what had truly happened between the Straw Hats and Germa 66.
"Oh! Luffy's starting!" she exclaimed, immediately pointing her Den Den Mushi toward the first confrontation.
She managed to capture the entire exchange between Luffy and Ichiji, from the Vinsmoke's initial light-based attack to the moment Aspida brutally smashed into his face. The fight had been so short that Merry spent several seconds staring at the unconscious prince, as though she were still expecting something else to happen.
"Already over?"
She shook her head before searching for the other fighters. Her gaze quickly settled on Zoro, who was facing the blue-haired brother. She barely had time to frame the two opponents before they crossed paths in a flash of speed, followed by a spray of blood that marked the end of the battle.
"Two!"
Merry immediately turned toward Kuina.
This time, she was treated to a much more spectacular sight. A gigantic phoenix made of flames erupted from Masamune and engulfed Yonji in an explosion so bright that the Den Den Mushi had to briefly close its eyes. When the image became clear again, the third Germa prince was lying on the ground, completely blackened.
"Three!" Merry announced with a satisfied smile.
She had just recorded the successive defeats of Judge's three sons, who were renowned throughout the North Blue as some of its most formidable fighters. Each possessed extremely advanced military equipment and physical abilities far beyond those of an ordinary human, yet none of them had managed to last more than a few moments against their opponent.
Merry then climbed even higher to obtain a panoramic view of the battlefield. Nami's fight against Reiju and Sanji and Kazuki's confrontation with Judge had not truly begun yet, as the various opponents were still positioning themselves among Germa's buildings.
She therefore took the opportunity to turn her Den Den Mushi toward the rear of the enormous floating kingdom.
And what she discovered made her eyes widen.
"Wooooah!"
A gigantic whirlpool was literally devouring part of Germa's fleet. From her elevated position, Merry could clearly make out the ships being dragged into a monstrous spiral, their hulls smashing against one another as the ropes connecting some of the vessels snapped under the strain.
Dozens of ships disappeared into the depths, followed by others desperately attempting to escape the center. The soldiers still aboard the decks were scrambling in every direction, but the water currents had become far too powerful for their maneuvers to have any effect.
And somewhere beneath this natural disaster was Jordan.
Merry continued filming for several minutes, capturing the gradual destruction of approximately a quarter of Germa's enormous fleet. Even the vessels that weren't directly swallowed by the whirlpool suffered considerable damage as they collided with neighboring ships.
"Daddy Jordan really needs to be careful not to break the entire ocean…" she murmured with adorable seriousness.
She was about to turn her attention back to the other battles when movement on the horizon caught her eye.
Ships were approaching.
Lots of ships.
Merry narrowed her eyes and rose a few more meters into the air to get a better view of her surroundings. Several groups of vessels were converging on the area from different directions. Some carried no distinctive flags, making it difficult to determine whom they belonged to.
However, another formation was much easier to recognize.
Around twenty Marine warships were advancing in tight formation, their white sails and emblems clearly visible.
"Oh… Looks like even more people are coming."
She immediately pointed her Den Den Mushi toward the newcomers, recording their approach before turning her attention back to the gigantic whirlpool.
Jordan's Point of View
I was still swimming in circles underwater when my Observation Haki detected an unusually large number of presences approaching the outskirts of the battlefield.
At first, I simply assumed they were Germa reinforcements. However, as I extended my perception further, I quickly realized that the newcomers weren't part of Judge's army.
Several distinct groups were converging on our position.
And some of them were particularly large.
"Seriously? Looks like the entire region has decided to pay us a visit."
I gradually slowed my movements before leaving the center of the whirlpool. The gigantic mass of water continued spinning despite my departure, sustained by its momentum and the currents I had created. It would naturally lose its power eventually, but the ships still trapped in its pull weren't going to find themselves sailing on calm waters anytime soon.
I cast one last glance at the hulls disappearing into the depths.
"Well, that should cost them a few more ships."
I then quickly moved away beneath the surface, taking advantage of my crocodilian form to travel through the ocean at tremendous speed. My first destination was obvious: the Marine warships, which were getting dangerously close to the area where my companions were fighting the Vinsmokes.
I didn't know whether they intended to intervene, observe, or take advantage of the chaos to capture a few pirates, but I had absolutely no intention of giving them the opportunity to interfere with our battles.
When I reached the front of their formation, I suddenly surged toward the surface.
BOOOOOSH!
My gigantic head burst out of the ocean in an explosion of sea spray.
The leading ships rocked violently from the wave caused by my emergence. Several soldiers lost their balance as startled cries echoed across the decks. Within seconds, my armored jaws were level with their masts, my glowing blue eyes observing the vessels that suddenly looked ridiculously small.
"MONSTER OFF THE STARBOARD SIDE!"
"IT'S THE GIANT CROCODILE!"
"HEARTLESS D. JORDAN!"
I allowed their cries to spread for a few seconds before slowly opening my jaws.
"Listen carefully, Marines!"
My voice thundered across the waves with enough power to be heard even aboard the ships at the rear of the formation.
"You will stop advancing immediately. Germa 66 has declared war on my crew, and we're currently settling that matter. If you move any closer to the battlefield, I'll consider it a hostile intervention."
I brought my snout slightly closer to the leading warship.
"And I'll sink your entire fleet."
The silence that followed was particularly satisfying.
Thanks to my Observation Haki and my ability to see people's hearts, I could perceive the reactions of the men before me quite clearly. Most of the soldiers were terrified, but none of them seemed to have any genuine desire to fight me.
Even the captains commanding the various vessels understood the situation.
They had already witnessed, at least partially, the destruction of a massive portion of Germa's fleet. And now, the creature responsible was standing directly in front of them, close enough to shatter their ships with a single movement.
I sensed several officers preparing to issue the order to retreat.
Unfortunately, there always had to be one idiot who decided to stand out.
"DON'T LET YOURSELVES BE INTIMIDATED BY THAT CREATURE!"
A colonel suddenly appeared on the deck of the leading warship.
He wore the uniform of a high-ranking officer and seemed particularly offended that his subordinates were hesitating to attack me. His eyes were filled with an arrogance that sharply contrasted with the concern displayed by his own men.
"We are the Marines! We don't take orders from pirates!"
"Colonel, wait!" a captain shouted.
Too late.
The man leaped forward.
His fist was immediately coated in a black layer of Armament Haki as he pushed off the railing, propelling himself straight toward my face.
"I'LL MAKE YOU EAT THOSE THREATS!"
I watched him approach.
Then I sighed inwardly.
"Another idiot who mistakes courage for stupidity."
I concentrated my own Armament Haki around my jaws.
The enormous black armored plates already covering my snout took on an even darker, almost metallic appearance. My Haki was considerably stronger than the colonel's, and the difference became obvious when he got close enough to feel the overwhelming pressure radiating from my jaws.
His expression changed instantly.
His gaze shifted from his Haki-coated fist to my gigantic fangs, then to the armored plates protecting my face.
Fear abruptly replaced his arrogance.
But it was already too late for him to stop his momentum.
I didn't even need to bite him.
A green flame appeared between my fangs.
At first, it was small, almost insignificant compared to the size of my enormous mouth. Yet its sinister glow was enough to make my opponent react, as his Haki began to burn away upon contact with the flames.
The flames I had acquired after my confrontation with Maleficent possessed a particularly terrifying property: they could burn Haki itself.
"Bad choice."
I unleashed a short burst of flames.
The colonel was engulfed before he could even reach my jaws.
His Armament Haki vanished almost instantly, devoured by the green fire, before the flames consumed the rest of his body. When they finally dissipated, nothing remained of the officer who had attempted to attack me.
For several seconds, nobody said a word.
Then several soldiers collapsed.
Some simply fainted from sheer terror, while others stumbled backward so hastily that they fell over their comrades. One young Marine even dropped his rifle, unable to tear his eyes away from the spot where his colonel had just disappeared.
I slowly turned my head toward the other warships.
"I'm only going to repeat my order once."
The captains straightened almost simultaneously.
"Turn your ships around. Get your vessels away from this area, and do not interfere with our battle against Germa. Is that perfectly clear?"
The captain of the leading warship was the quickest to react.
He immediately snapped to attention.
"YES, SIR!"
The other officers instantly followed his example.
"YES, SIR!"
I blinked slowly.
"...You do realize I'm not your superior officer, right?"
Nobody dared to answer.
I decided not to press the matter.
"Good. Now get moving."
Orders to maneuver rang out almost immediately. The warships began changing course, their crews carrying out their instructions with an efficiency I found almost admirable.
I had to admit that fear could sometimes be an excellent motivator.
I let them sail away before turning my attention toward the second group of ships.
These vessels were much more scattered.
Around thirty ships were approaching from another direction, without any particular military formation. Some had reinforced hulls, others were clearly repurposed pirate ships, and several were equipped with gear designed for boarding enemy vessels.
Bounty hunters.
I immediately remembered the information Xurok had given us before our encounter with Germa. Several groups of bounty hunters had begun actively searching for our crew throughout the North Blue, exchanging information and attempting to determine our route.
Judging by what Judge had said, he was the one responsible for mobilizing them against us.
And now, around thirty ships had appeared at the exact moment Judge intercepted us. The coincidence was suspicious enough to catch my attention, especially considering Xurok's earlier intelligence about the bounty hunters actively tracking our crew throughout the North Blue.
"This whole situation is starting to smell fishy…"
I moved close enough to distinguish the men standing on their decks. My original intention was to give them the same warning I'd given the Marines, but I quickly changed my mind when I examined their hearts. Most were black or red, with some displaying that particularly filthy shade I had already encountered in criminals who had committed atrocities without feeling the slightest remorse.
Their intentions left no room for doubt, either. They hadn't come to observe the conflict or protect potential civilians, but rather to take advantage of the battle to capture pirates and collect their bounties. Some even seemed particularly eager to see Germa weaken us before making their move.
I looked at the thirty ships, then at the ocean stretching beneath me. A particularly simple idea had just crossed my mind, and it had the advantage of solving two problems at once.
"You know what? I think I'll save my breath."
I suddenly plunged beneath the surface, sending up an enormous wave that made the nearest vessels rock dangerously. The bounty hunters barely had time to watch my gigantic body disappear into the depths before they began wondering what I was planning.
Several dozen meters beneath their hulls, I opened my shadow and discreetly released a few of my aquatic Heartless. Several Aquatanks and Torpilots appeared around me, awaiting my instructions without making the slightest sound that might alert the men above.
Contrary to what the bounty hunters might have imagined, I had no intention of using these creatures to attack their ships directly. Their mission was much more unusual: to collect the hearts of those swallowed by the whirlpool, oversee their transformation into Heartless, and bring them back into my shadow.
I mentally transmitted my instructions to them. They were to remain in the depths, invisible to the crews above, and intervene only when men were dragged underwater. Those unfortunate souls might catch a glimpse of the creatures at the very moment their hearts succumbed to darkness, but by then, it would be far too late to warn anyone.
"Perfect. Now, let's get to work."
I descended even deeper before beginning to swim in circles around a point directly beneath the center of the fleet. Thanks to my gigantic size and the sheer power of my movements, I could displace absolutely monstrous amounts of water, enough to gradually alter the currents surrounding the ships.
At first, the changes were almost imperceptible. A few vessels simply began to drift, forcing their helmsmen to correct their courses. Then the currents grew stronger, and the first waves began following a circular pattern.
On the deck of the flagship, the leader of the bounty hunters watched the sea with growing concern. He was a massive man wearing a long reinforced coat, with several weapons hanging from his belt and a face marked by numerous scars. He had participated in enough hunts to recognize a dangerous situation, but he had never encountered anything quite like this.
"Captain! Our ships are starting to drift!" a helmsman reported.
"Then correct your course, you incompetent fools!"
"That's what we're trying to do, but the rudder is barely responding anymore!"
The leader approached the railing and stared at the water beginning to swirl around his fleet. He suddenly realized that the gigantic crocodile hadn't simply disappeared beneath the surface to escape the battle.
"Wait…"
His face turned pale.
"THE WATER IS SPINNING! GET US OUT OF HERE!"
It was already too late.
The second whirlpool began to form.
The ocean started sinking inward at the center of the formation, creating an enormous depression whose walls of water rapidly grew higher. The thirty ships were gradually dragged into a gigantic spiral, their hulls groaning under the strain as the currents prevented them from maintaining their courses.
Unlike Germa's clones, the bounty hunters were perfectly capable of feeling fear. And when they realized their ships were trapped in a natural disaster deliberately created by a single man, panic spread almost instantly.
"TURN AROUND!"
"RAISE ALL THE SAILS!"
"IT'S IMPOSSIBLE! THE CURRENT IS DRAGGING US AWAY!"
Some crews attempted to drop anchor, hoping to slow their drift, but the chains stretched dangerously before snapping under the pressure. Others tried to gain speed to escape the spiral, failing to realize that their own maneuvers were sometimes bringing them even closer to the center.
A few bounty hunters even jumped overboard, convinced they would have a better chance of surviving by swimming. Unfortunately for them, the currents had already become powerful enough to drag a man beneath the surface in a matter of seconds.
The first collisions didn't take long. Two vessels were hurled against each other, their hulls crashing together with a deafening impact. Their masts became entangled before snapping apart, and several men were thrown into the waves as both ships continued sliding toward the center of the whirlpool.
Underwater, I continued swimming in circles while monitoring the surrounding presences with my Observation Haki. My aquatic Heartless moved discreetly among the debris, waiting until the submerged bounty hunters were sufficiently isolated before intervening.
One man who had just disappeared beneath the surface suddenly spotted an Aquatank in the darkness. He desperately tried to swim upward, but a strange, icy sensation spread through his chest as darkness began closing around his heart.
A few moments later, a new aquatic creature appeared in the depths.
The Aquatank immediately guided it toward my shadow, where it vanished without a trace.
The same phenomenon occurred repeatedly. The Torpilots moved swiftly between the wrecks and the drowning men, collecting the new Heartless being born amid the catastrophe. Nobody on the surface could see them, and the few hunters who managed to glimpse them underwater were already on the verge of undergoing their own transformations.
Meanwhile, I continued fueling the whirlpool.
The screams above me grew more numerous.
"HELP!"
"WE'RE ALL GOING TO DIE!"
"IT'S THAT MONSTER! HE'S THE ONE DOING THIS!"
The enormous spiral grew even more powerful. Several ships began tilting dangerously toward its center, their decks becoming almost vertical. One of them capsized completely before disappearing beneath the waves, followed a few seconds later by another whose hull had been torn open during a collision.
From the depths, I could hear the wood cracking and the dull impacts of ships colliding with one another. My Observation Haki also allowed me to track the presences gradually disappearing beneath the surface, while new Heartless continued joining my shadow.
I noticed a particularly striking difference compared to Germa's soldiers. The clones had faced the catastrophe almost mechanically, continuing to follow their orders until their ships sank. The bounty hunters, on the other hand, were screaming, begging for mercy, and desperately trying to save their lives.
Some even abandoned their own companions to reach a lifeboat or grab onto a floating piece of wreckage. Others fought among themselves for a place aboard the few vessels that were still usable.
Aboard the flagship, the fleet's leader had completely lost his confidence. He had just watched three of his ships disappear beneath the waves and now understood that neither his experience nor his reputation would allow him to escape this catastrophe.
"No… No, this is impossible! We were only supposed to capture a few pirates!" he stammered, gripping the railing. "Nobody told us he could do something like this!"
Another wave slammed into his ship.
The vessel tilted violently, throwing several men overboard. The captain tried to grab a rope, but it slipped through his fingers as the deck tilted almost vertically.
He fell into the water.
The current immediately swept him away.
Despite his physical strength, he was unable to swim back to the surface. Every movement seemed to drag him deeper into the ocean, while his lungs began to burn.
That was when he noticed something in the darkness.
Two blue eyes were staring at him.
A strange creature floated a few meters away, surrounded by darkness that seemed to ripple through the water. The captain tried to move away from it, but his body almost refused to obey him.
What the hell is that thing?!
The fear that had overwhelmed him since the beginning of the catastrophe turned into pure terror. He felt an icy presence penetrate the very depths of his being, as though something were trying to tear his heart directly out of his chest.
No… I don't want to die! Not like this!
The darkness swallowed him.
His body disappeared into a mass of shadows that rapidly contracted before taking on a new form. An enormous mouth appeared, filled with several rows of triangular teeth, followed by a stocky body covered in dark scales and particularly well-developed fins.
A few seconds later, a new aquatic Heartless resembling an oversized piranha floated where the bounty hunter leader had just disappeared.
Its blue eyes glowed in the depths.
It slowly opened its mouth, revealing fangs capable of tearing apart prey much larger than itself, before instinctively turning in my direction.
I immediately sensed the appearance of this new creature.
"Oh? This one's pretty interesting."
The giant piranha approached my shadow, accompanied by one of my Torpilots, before disappearing into my storage space. Its former identity no longer mattered: it had just joined the ranks of my Heartless army.
I continued my movements for a few more minutes, until the enemy formation had been completely scattered. Most of the ships had either disappeared or suffered considerable damage, and the few vessels still capable of sailing were desperately trying to escape the whirlpool.
Meanwhile, my Heartless continued their work in the depths. The new creatures that appeared were quickly collected and sent into my shadow, without ever attracting the attention of the survivors who remained on the surface.
"Well… I think they got the message."
I gradually slowed down before leaving the spiral. Just like the first whirlpool, the currents continued spinning after my departure, although their strength would naturally diminish over time.
I recalled my Aquatanks and Torpilots, quickly checking that all the new recruits had safely returned to my shadow. The oversized piranha was still there, swimming peacefully among my other aquatic creatures as though it had always belonged to this army.
"At least this little interruption wasn't a complete waste of time."
I slowly rose toward the surface, leaving behind a sea covered in debris, broken masts, and sinking ships. A few survivors were still clinging to pieces of wood, while the vessels farthest away were desperately trying to flee without looking back.
Marines' Point of View
Several kilometers away from the battlefield, the twenty Marine warships continued their retreat in an especially heavy silence. The soldiers had obeyed their captains' orders without the slightest protest, and nobody seemed particularly eager to question the decision to distance themselves from the gigantic crocodile that had just threatened them.
On the deck of the flagship, the captain commanding the formation was observing the horizon through his spyglass. He could still make out the silhouettes of Germa 66's vessels, but his attention had quickly shifted toward the fleet of bounty hunters approaching from another direction.
"Captain, look!" a lieutenant exclaimed, pointing toward the ocean. "The giant crocodile just dove underwater near the bounty hunters!"
The captain adjusted his spyglass, spotting the thirty ships continuing their advance. He frowned when he noticed that their crews didn't seem particularly worried, probably because they had no idea what Heartless D. Jordan was capable of.
"Those fools… They have no idea who they're dealing with."
A few minutes later, the first abnormalities appeared on the ocean's surface. The ships began to drift, then slowly rotate around an invisible point. The captain felt his stomach tighten as he realized what was happening.
"No… Surely he isn't going to…"
The water suddenly sank inward at the center of the fleet.
A gigantic whirlpool formed before the horrified eyes of the Marines, gradually dragging all thirty ships into a monstrous spiral. Even from several kilometers away, they could make out the vessels crashing into one another, masts snapping apart, and hulls disappearing beneath the waves.
"IN THE NAME OF JUSTICE!" a soldier shouted. "HE'S SINKING THEIR ENTIRE FLEET!"
Several Marines rushed toward the railings to watch the catastrophe unfold. Some stood there with their mouths hanging open, while others instinctively stepped backward, as though the whirlpool might somehow reach them despite the distance separating them from the phenomenon.
A young sailor swallowed nervously.
"Captain… Is that what he was going to do to us if we'd kept advancing?"
Nobody answered immediately.
The captain slowly lowered his spyglass.
"Yes."
The silence that followed was even heavier than before.
"And let's not forget that our colonel tried to attack him," the lieutenant added in a trembling voice. "He could easily have considered that a declaration of war on our part."
The captain briefly closed his eyes, remembering the officer who had leaped toward the crocodile's jaws. He could still picture the green flames consuming the man's Armament Haki before reducing him to ashes, without Jordan appearing to exert the slightest effort.
"We were extraordinarily lucky," he murmured.
Another soldier watched the bounty hunters' ships disappear beneath the waves one after another.
"Lucky, Captain?"
"Yes. Heartless D. Jordan gave us the opportunity to leave. He clearly warned us, and despite our colonel's attack, he chose not to punish the entire fleet for the stupidity of a single man."
The captain gestured toward the gigantic whirlpool that continued devouring the enemy vessels.
"Take a good look at that sight, gentlemen. That's what could have happened to us if he'd been less merciful."
Several soldiers nodded silently. Some had trembling legs, while others seemed to feel such overwhelming relief that they could barely remain standing.
"I don't think I've ever been so happy to retreat in my entire life," one sailor admitted.
"For once, nobody's going to blame you for it," his neighbor replied.
The captain, however, had already made a decision.
"Lieutenant! Bring me a long-distance Den Den Mushi immediately. I want to contact Marine Headquarters."
"Do you wish to submit a report, Captain?"
"No. I want to speak directly with an officer at Headquarters who has the authority to register an operational directive. What we've just witnessed concerns every Marine vessel that might encounter the Straw Hat Pirates."
A few moments later, a Den Den Mushi was placed on a small table inside the command cabin. The captain dialed Marine Headquarters while his lieutenant prepared a written report containing the essential information.
Purupurupuru… Purupurupuru…
Katcha.
"Marine Headquarters. Identify yourself."
"This is Captain Kanoa, commanding a formation of twenty warships currently deployed in the North Blue. I am requesting priority communication with the department responsible for intelligence and rules of engagement concerning pirate crews."
"Please specify the nature of your request."
The captain glanced at his lieutenant before answering.
"We have just witnessed a demonstration of power by Heartless D. Jordan, a member of the Straw Hat Pirates. I wish to submit an urgent recommendation regarding naval engagements against this crew."
A brief silence followed.
"Heartless D. Jordan? The one who possesses an Ancient Zoan Devil Fruit that allows him to transform into a giant crocodile?"
"Affirmative. And I can assure you that the existing reports are nowhere near sufficient to describe what he's capable of."
The operator asked him to wait a few moments before transferring the call to a senior officer in the intelligence department.
"This is the commander in charge of operational assessments. I'm listening, Captain."
The captain took a deep breath.
"Sir, our formation encountered the Straw Hat Pirates while they were fighting Germa 66's forces. Heartless D. Jordan appeared before our twenty ships in a gigantic crocodilian form, standing approximately thirty meters tall. He ordered us to leave the area immediately or face the destruction of our fleet."
"And you obeyed?"
"Yes, sir. However, a colonel attempted to attack him using Armament Haki. Jordan countered his attack with superior Haki before killing him with green flames that, according to our observations, were capable of consuming his Armament Haki."
The officer at Headquarters remained silent for a few seconds.
"Continue."
"After our retreat, we observed a fleet of approximately thirty bounty hunter ships approaching the same area. Heartless D. Jordan dove underwater and created a gigantic whirlpool capable of swallowing their entire formation."
"Are you claiming that he created a whirlpool all by himself?"
"Affirmative, sir. And it wasn't the first one. We also witnessed the aftermath of a similar phenomenon that destroyed a considerable portion of Germa 66's fleet."
The commander did not respond immediately.
"Captain, are you certain these phenomena were caused by the pirate and not by some natural anomaly?"
"Absolutely certain. We watched him dive near the second fleet moments before the whirlpool appeared. This is clearly an ability he can reproduce at will, provided he has a sufficiently large body of water available."
The captain paused briefly before adding:
"Sir, I formally recommend that all naval engagements against the Straw Hat Pirates be prohibited until further notice."
This time, the silence lasted longer.
"You're asking Headquarters to forbid its own ships from engaging a pirate crew?"
"Yes, sir. A battle on land might still allow our forces to deploy their usual resources, but fighting Heartless D. Jordan at sea would be suicidal. All he has to do is dive underwater to turn our surroundings into a weapon. Our cannons, our formations, and even our numerical superiority become useless."
The captain glanced through the porthole. In the distance, the last of the bounty hunters' ships were disappearing beneath the waves.
"With all due respect, sir, sending a fleet against that man would be the equivalent of handing him ships to sink."
The commander seemed to consider his words for a few moments.
"Very well. I'll forward your report to the strategic department and request that a provisional directive be immediately distributed to our naval units."
The captain felt some of the tension leave his shoulders.
"Thank you, sir."
"Don't thank me yet. I want a complete report, accompanied by statements from your officers. Your recommendation will also need to be reviewed by the appropriate authorities before it can become a permanent directive."
"Understood."
"In the meantime, I'll have the following warning added to the Straw Hat Pirates' operational file."
The captain heard the scratching of a quill against paper.
"This information will be communicated to the relevant units as soon as possible," the commander concluded. "And Captain?"
"Yes, sir?"
"You probably saved the lives of several hundred Marines by choosing to retreat. I do not consider that an act of cowardice."
The captain instinctively straightened.
"Thank you, sir."
"Now, get your formation away from that area and don't take any unnecessary risks. We need your testimony, not twenty more shipwrecks."
"Yes, sir!"
Katcha.
The communication ended.
The captain remained motionless in front of the Den Den Mushi for a few moments before letting out a long sigh. He was well aware that his report would likely spark numerous discussions at Headquarters, particularly among officers who considered any retreat in the face of pirates to be a humiliation.
But after what he had just witnessed, he would much rather endure a few criticisms than send his men to the bottom of the ocean.
He returned to the deck, where several soldiers were still watching the last remnants of the gigantic whirlpool.
"Lieutenant, relay my orders to every ship. We're maintaining our course and leaving this area for good."
"Yes, Captain!"
The young officer hesitated before adding:
"And what if we encounter the Straw Hat Pirates again?"
The captain cast one final glance toward the horizon.
"Then we'll just have to hope that Heartless D. Jordan is as kind to us as he was this time."
(Author's Note: I know not much happens in this chapter, but it's still twice as long as a usual chapter. I'll try to wrap up the Germa storyline within the next two chapters. I'll leave you with a picture of the piranha Heartless! ^^)