"Zzzzzz!!!"
"Crack!! Crack!!"
"Aaaaaaaaagh!!!"
Aramaki screamed like his soul was being torn apart.
Every coherent thought in his mind dissolved into pure, indescribable agony.
Blood splattered onto Caesar and Judge's faces, making them look like deranged killers who took joy in slaughter.
The boss had said it himself—this man wasn't going back alive.
Wasn't that just giving them permission to do whatever they wanted?
...
Navy Headquarters. Marineford.
Headquarters Hospital.
"Khak!"
With a groan of pain, Sakazuki jolted awake.
He blinked up at the unfamiliar ceiling, the pungent scent of antiseptic stinging his nose, leaving his mind completely blank.
"Where... am I?"
It felt like his skull was about to explode. His thoughts and memories came in fragments.
Then—an enraged roar burst out of him.
"KAAAAIDOOOO!!!"
It came back to him in a flash—Kaido's club had struck him square in the head.
But now…
Why was he here? At headquarters?
What the hell had happened after that?
"Sakazuki!"
The moment his voice echoed through the room, several figures burst in from outside.
Doberman, Dalmatian, and a few of the other hardliners rushed in, eyes full of concern as they looked at Sakazuki lying in the hospital bed.
"You're finally awake, Sakazuki!"
"Can you move?"
"..."
"Tell me what happened after I passed out."
Clutching his throbbing head, Sakazuki forced himself upright, veins bulging with the strain.
The others exchanged uneasy glances. No one wanted to provoke him while he was in this state.
"You should wait until you've recovered... Sakazuki."
Their hesitation only deepened his sense of foreboding. His heart sank. He braced for the worst.
He clenched his fists and growled, voice low and rough.
"Tell me! What happened?! How the hell am I still alive?!"
"...Borsalino pulled you out," murmured Dalmatian. "As for Instructor Zephyr… Instructor Ze—"
Dalmatian couldn't bring himself to say it.
"Zephyr-sensei is dead."
The voice came from the doorway.
Borsalino stood there, holding a tray of fruit.
His reflective lenses made it impossible to read the emotion in his eyes.
BOOM!
Sakazuki erupted in fury. The bed beneath him caught fire instantly, sheets reduced to ash.
But Borsalino wasn't finished.
"Back then, Admiral Sengoku was locked in battle with Kaido. Vice Admiral Garp was being held off by Big Mom."
"The fight dragged on too long. Zephyr's old wounds flared up… and he was killed by Doflamingo."
"Kuzan fell to him as well."
"Strawberry's dead too."
Sakazuki's face turned a deep, livid red. His voice came out like venom.
"Doflamingo...!!!"
...
A year ago—
After the execution of Pirate King Roger, and the capture of Patrick Redfield...
The Navy, under Fleet Admiral Kong, had reached an all-time high in morale.
Everyone believed that once the three "Monster Vice Admirals" matured, this generation would finally bring lasting peace to the seas.
But now, just after the Battle...
Navy morale had plummeted to the other extreme. Despair had replaced pride.
Not only had Admiral Zephyr been killed by the Heavenly Yaksha, Doflamingo—
One of the Monster Vice Admirals, Kuzan, had also died by his hand.
And the worst part? There were three more monsters just as terrifying as Doflamingo still lurking in the New World.
Confusion and sorrow now weighed heavily on every Marine's heart.
What future did the Navy have now?
Even Kong wasn't immune. Sitting in the Fleet Admiral's war room, his thoughts were scattered and disordered.
Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru were also seated at the table.
After a long, heavy silence, Kong finally spoke.
"The World Government has cut support for our New World bases."
"With Kaido and the others growing stronger by the day, and our forces stretched too thin, I've decided... we'll only hold onto the G1 base at the New World's entrance."
In the current state of things, the Navy simply couldn't endure an all-out war against Emperor-level pirate crews.
And with the Government slashing their military funding, there was no other choice.
The Navy still had mouths to feed.
Knock knock!
"Come in."
"Fleet Admiral Kong, Vice Admiral Sakazuki has regained consciousness!"
"Understood. Dismissed."
"Yes, sir!"
Sengoku frowned at the official decree slashing the Navy's funding. He couldn't help feeling dissatisfied with Kong's decision.
"Is this really unavoidable?"
"It is," Kong replied, clearly just as frustrated.
The Gorosei had once been willing to negotiate—but now they acted like they were ready to start a war themselves.
Garp, lost in his own world, had no interest in speaking.
"Let's focus on stabilizing the Four Seas for now."
"The East Blue and South Blue remain relatively calm."
"But the North Blue is already tangled up in Doflamingo's web. And in the West Blue—"
"His subordinate, Gecko Moria, has already conquered Branch 166."
"It's clear that Doflamingo is after the last survivor of Ohara… Nico Robin!"
Tsuru sipped her tea, her expression calm.
To her, the Four Seas were always more important than the so-called New World.
Over 60% of the world's population lived in the Four Seas.
At the mention of Robin, Sengoku stiffened slightly—he had been the one who launched the Buster Call on Ohara.
But Tsuru wasn't finished.
"The most urgent task now is to restore morale within the Navy."
Tsuru had struck at the heart of the problem.
A military force doesn't fear weak combat power, or outdated gear—
What it fears most is a total collapse of morale and fighting spirit.
"Let Zephyr serve the Navy one last time."
Kong stood and looked out toward the central training yard.
"In five days, we'll hold a memorial for Zephyr... and every soldier who fell in the recent battle."
No one mentioned the so-called "last survivor of Ohara."
The Navy knew better than anyone what was really going on.
The World Government had them by the throat.
So if a few "details" slipped through the cracks, so be it.
What could one orphaned girl possibly do to threaten the world?
...
West Blue.
Nico Robin's wanted poster hadn't just stirred up the West Blue—it had sent waves rippling through the entire Grand Line.
Not because she was accused of "destroying six Marine warships."
No, it was because someone had slapped a 79 million Belly bounty on her right out of the gate.
And she looked... easy to catch.
Everyone with half a brain had the same thought: capture Nico Robin and hand her over to the World Government.
Easy money.
Well, most people thought so.
But there were exceptions.
Cameron Island, the closest West Blue island to Reverse Mountain—
Now littered with the shriveled corpses of bounty hunters.
The few survivors—those lucky (or smart) enough to stay out of the way—watched the man at the center of the carnage with terrified eyes.
Praying he wouldn't decide they were next.
"The Desert King—Crocodile!"
"One of the legendary Seven Warlords of the Sea!"
"The man who challenged Whitebeard and lived!"
"What the hell is he doing here?!"
He had served five years as a senior Warlord.
And he hadn't just survived a confrontation with Whitebeard—he'd walked away from it.
His reputation echoed across the seas.
But... wasn't he supposed to be playing hero in Alabasta?
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Fanfic is finished 527 chapters in total on p@treon/tambeerg