"Marine Headquarters..."
Glug, glug, glug...
Aboard the Moby Dick, Whitebeard held a newspaper in his massive hands. As his division commanders and crew seethed with rage, he lifted a sake jug and took a deep swig.
Smash!
The sake jug shattered as veins bulged on Whitebeard's forehead.
"That bastard Sengoku sure has some nerve!"
"Pops! The Marines think that just because they have four admirals, they can disregard you?! Unforgivable!"
"Yeah! They're playing with fire! Even though they didn't send an admiral, they still deployed two admiral candidates!"
"And that traitor Teach! The Marines actually teamed up with a pirate—those bastards!"
"Hmph! The Seven Warlords of the Sea... That bastard Teach became a Warlord, so working with the Marines is no issue for them. They're practically on the same side!"
"Damn it… Moria hadn't even been taken down for long before Teach seized the opportunity. This… this had to be premeditated!"
"Could this all be the Marines' scheme?!"
"Pops! This might be a trap set by the Marines! We have to be cautious!"
The division commanders were beginning to realize something was off. With Sengoku's years of leading the Marines, this wasn't a decision made on a whim.
Gurararara…
Whitebeard let out a deep, hearty laugh.
"Of course, it's a trap... I can even guess whose handiwork this is!"
A golden-haired young figure flashed through Whitebeard's mind. His eyes narrowed slightly.
"I should've expected this… That young admiral possesses strategic insight and vision on par with, if not greater than, Sengoku's…"
"From the moment Marco and the others set out for their second attempt to capture Teach, the Marines' two branch bases in the New World suddenly took an aggressive stance, forcing us to split our attention..."
"And those two branch bases belong to none other than Admiral Wright's direct subordinates. If you think their movements weren't authorized by the 'Orange Horse' himself, you're a fool!"
"Wait… this wasn't Sengoku's doing? That admiral is still new to his rank!"
Some commanders were confused. The three long-standing admirals were known for their combat prowess, but none had been heard of spearheading major strategic operations. Most of the crucial operations had always been orchestrated by Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Chief Strategist Tsuru.
But now, a strategy aimed at one of the Four Emperors had been devised by the youngest admiral?
Whitebeard clenched his fist, feeling the overwhelming strength coursing through his body. Even as the man known as "The Name of an Era," he couldn't help but admire this young admiral.
When had he ever admired a youngster before?!
"Not only does he possess formidable strength, but his strategic mind and command ability are equally outstanding..."
"Sengoku, this kid might even surpass you in your prime… Are you grooming him as your successor?"
Whitebeard's towering form rose from his seat, his colossal Supreme Grade blade Murakumogiri slamming into the deck with a resounding thud.
"This trap is too obvious. The Marines are openly declaring war on me!"
"Then let's give them what they want!"
Gurararara!
Whitebeard's laughter echoed through the air. The sea around the Moby Dick trembled, waves surging violently as dark clouds loomed overhead, an omen of the storm to come.
"No one touches my sons and gets away with it!"
"Not even Marine Headquarters!"
"Seems like the Marines have forgotten the terror of Whitebeard!"
"That bastard Teach… Just because he became a Warlord, he thinks he can do as he pleases?!"
"My sons! We're going to raze Marineford to the ground, kill that traitor Teach, and bring your brothers home!"
"I am WHITEBEARD!"
"YES, POPS!"
"Raze Marineford!"
"Kill the traitor Teach!"
"Bring them back!"
"Pops is invincible!"
The division commanders grinned, their eyes filled with anticipation.
It had been years since they had seen Whitebeard go all out.
Marineford… do you have any idea what you've just provoked?
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
"Given Whitebeard's current state and his usual temperament, his attack on Marineford is almost inevitable."
Sengoku eyed Wright, who stood before him with a composed smile. He, too, allowed a satisfied grin to form.
"Well done, Wright... Even I didn't expect Rosinante to have grown this much."
"The first phase of the plan is complete, and everything has played out exactly as you predicted… Even I didn't expect it to go this smoothly."
Wright shook his head and glanced at Tsuru, who was sipping tea nearby.
"This plan was initially suggested by Granny Tsuru—I merely refined the details."
"The key was Blackbeard. He proposed an alliance, which led to this outcome. Even if he hadn't, I would have ensured he clashed with Marco's group. Worst case scenario, Kuzan and I would have stepped in to take them all down."
"I only provided a concept. The meticulous planning and execution were all yours—don't be so modest."
Tsuru chuckled and nodded at Sengoku.
"Looks like us old folks can finally take it easy. This new generation of admirals finally has someone we can rely on."
Sengoku stroked his braided beard, nodding in satisfaction.
"Now, all that's left is to prepare for Whitebeard's inevitable assault… Time is not on our side."
"We began preparations halfway through the plan, but this is Whitebeard—the strongest man in the world!"
"And now, he's at his peak. We can never be too prepared!"
"Indeed."
Wright pulled out two sets of documents and handed them to Tsuru and Sengoku.
"These contain all the strategic placements I've established in the New World. While we prepare Marineford's defenses, we must also keep a close watch on the other Emperors."
"Oh? You stationed your flagship Dawn at G-10?"
Sengoku flipped through the documents and nodded.
"It makes sense. This will be a battlefield engagement—Dawn's full potential won't be utilized in Marineford. But in the New World, it can serve as a reconnaissance vessel."
"Kuina is leading the unit? That means Dawn will be an airborne battleship capable of detecting any movements from the other Emperors. I have a feeling they'll make a move."
Wright, of course, couldn't outright state that Shanks would appear to end the war. And with Ace out of the equation, this war was now solely about eliminating an Emperor. There was no guarantee Shanks would even show up.
But given his balance-preserving nature, he most likely would.
How, then, would he arrive so quickly?
Could Kuina and Dawn uncover any clues?
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