After half an hour, the meeting ended.
Sengoku slumped in his chair; next to him were Tsuru and Garp, who remained silent.
The three of them were silent, submerged in a heavy, oppressive atmosphere.
Sengoku turned his head to look outside the window.
There, the Marines flag fluttered in the sea breeze at the highest point of Marineford.
For a moment, Sengoku's mind wandered back to his previous arguments with Zephyr.
Although every argument had ended in a stalemate, now, looking back, he felt differently about it.
"You guys think that to establish a stable system, there should be unchecked and unrestricted power? Should there be someone who stands above all else?"
Tsuru froze for a moment; then her pupils contracted: "Sengoku, what are you trying to do?"
Sengoku didn't answer but continued on his own: "I always thought that the Marines's strength should be unified, that there shouldn't be two voices."
"But now I suddenly feel that the Marines might actually need two voices, at least two visible ones."
"Tell Zephyr to return quickly. I think this time, he and I have a lot to talk about."
"If he has his ideas, then I'll give him this opportunity!"
… … …
Late at night, somewhere in Paradise.
The storm gradually rose, the clouds were thick, like lead ink, the strong wind rolled up huge waves, but it was difficult to shake the warships that were like steel monsters.
The sea in the distance was dark, only a few Sea Kings jumped out of the water from time to time, with their scarlet bloodthirsty eyes wide open.
It may be because of the instinct of Sea Kings or because of fear of the figure on the warship; none of them dared to cross the line.
Suddenly, a golden light rose from the deck, and in an instant, it slid down the night sky, rushing towards the end of the sea.
"That guy Borsalino left first and went to the New World to stop Kaido, the beast. Has the battle situation at the headquarters become so tight?!"
Zephyr looked at the dark sea in the distance; his eyes were flat, and it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.
"Of course."
"After all, that thing is the legendary Pluton. The real mystery this time is the World Government. How have they managed to sit back and relax until now?"
Aokiji stood at the bow, letting the wild wind blow through his hair.
His eyes were hidden beneath his sunglasses, and his voice grew colder, the frost under his feet gradually spreading.
"But no matter what..."
"Issuing the Buster Call right now is absolutely wrong!"
Aokiji said decisively.
Even without seeing his face, Zephyr could feel the turmoil inside Aokiji.
It was like the surging sea in the distance, a feeling so overwhelming that even its surface didn't show one ten-thousandth of its depth.
"So what are you going to do?"
"If you act now, you'll be pushing yourself to the opposite side of the Marines. Have you considered the consequences of that?"
"The justice stamped on your coat will be ripped away."
"The gods standing in the clouds will cast you down as a heretic!"
Aokiji withdrew his gaze and turned to look at Zephyr.
The current situation in Water 7 was eerily similar to that of Ohara.
The same kind of decision lay before Aokiji. In just a moment, he had already made his decision: "The justice stamped on my coat may disappear, but the justice engraved in my heart will not."
Zephyr's lips curled into a faint smile: "Seems like your meeting with White Knight Gawain has made you realize something new?"
"Even that brat Borsalino is becoming harder and harder to read. Looks like it's about time for our old bones to step back from the stage of history."
"But who doesn't want to exit on a high note?!"
"Heh."
Aokiji gave a faint smile, then took off his sunglasses.
Crack!
A thunderclap rang out, lighting up the world.
The sea was still as deep and dark as ever, dark and despairing.
But at that moment, Aokiji's gaze became incredibly resolute: "I will never stand idly by for the same mistake to happen again."
"There should only be one tragedy like Ohara. No, there shouldn't have been even one!"
With those words, Zephyr looked up and found Aokiji's figure was already gone.
In the distance, the sea froze, and a pathway toward the darkness spread out.
"Tch!"
"You show off, brat!"
Zephyr laughed and cursed under his breath as Aokiji's figure grew faint in the distance.
"Zephyr-sensei, if I make it back and return to the headquarters, maybe we can join forces and see if we can change the Marines."
"Good!"
Zephyr responded, then turned to face the confused marines on the warship.
"Now, full speed ahead, back to headquarters!"
"I want to see what Sengoku wants to talk to me about."
"Looks like the Buster Call really shook him up."
"Hahahahaha!"
In the midst of hearty laughter, the fleet vanished into the turbulent sea.
... ... ...
At the same time, a streak of golden light cut through the sky.
Kizaru moved at a speed beyond human comprehension, racing at full speed toward the battlefield in the New World.
"Ko~wai~ne."
Kizaru's tone remained as casual as ever, lethargic to the extreme.
But his eyes were filled with caution.
This was because the opponent waiting for him in the New World was none other than Kaido, the beast, who was known as the world's strongest creature, and in this age where the legendary figures were falling and the world's strongest man was aging, Kaido was subtly considered to be the strongest in one-on-one combat.
"Just the news of the blueprint, even Kaido can't sit still?!"
"No!
"Even without the Pluton blueprint, Kaido's temperament would never allow him to sit idle in a conflict of this scale."
"Seriously..."
"These so-called four emperors, each of them is so strong they're like monsters, no, they're literally monsters!"
"Even the current White Knight Gawain is no match for Kaido!"
... ... ...
The next day, New World.
A massive warship plummeted from the sky to the coast of Wano Country, crashing into the sea like a meteor, sending water splashing hundreds of meters into the air.
The impact created a giant wave that spread out in all directions.
The naval ships that had been positioned around the area were nearly capsized by the shockwave, but with the help of the fleet's Rear-Admiral, they barely managed to stabilize the ships.
But the expressions on everyone's faces showed no relief. Instead, they grew more tense as they looked toward the figure standing on the deck of the warship in the distance.
"That guy is... Kaido of the beasts!"
"What an overwhelming sense of oppression!"
Rear-Admiral Hozan stood at the bow of the ship.
In the past, no matter the situation, he always wore a reassuring smile, but facing the man in the distance, he couldn't smile at all.
Suddenly, an inexplicable feeling of oppression surged from Kaido, and Hozan instantly gripped the sword at his waist, feeling a soul-shaking chill.
"Something's coming!"
"Be ready to dodge—"
Before Hozan could finish his words, Kaido's thunderous roar echoed: "Thunder Bagua!"
Hozan stiffened and turned to look.
He saw Kaido surrounded by red lightning, and in his hand, the infamous Kanabo, Hassaikai, swung forward with tremendous force.
Thousands of red serpents surged through the air, and a shockwave like a beam of light exploded from Kaido's center, swallowing everything in its path!
The warships at the base of Hozan's position were shattered in an instant, unable to hold off even a fraction of a second before disintegrating.
Hozan himself lost consciousness in the next moment!
"Get out of my way!"
"My target is Pluton!"
Kaido roared, and the other Marines, paralyzed with fear, lost their will to resist.
Just then, a golden flash shot toward them, speeding just above the water's surface, bringing with it a heavy blow as if it were as heavy as a mountain!