"Hound, you've gone too far!"
After glancing at the three men lying on the ground—Bass and his companions—Sengoku ignored the guns pointed at him from all sides and quickly approached Hound, gritting his teeth as he said.
"By killing the Chief Justice of Enies Lobby, you've crossed the point of no return in this rebellion. However, I can assure you that if you stop now, I will personally mediate with the World Goverment to resolve this matter…"
Before Sengoku could finish, Hound immediately interrupted.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, this is war, not a drill. Lord Orion has made it clear, only failure is called a rebellion! We are far from failing—we've almost completely taken control of the situation with minimal casualties. By the way, Admiral Borsalino has already been subdued. If you're trying to buy time for the Admirals to intervene, you might be disappointed!"
"What did you say?" Hearing that Admiral Borsalino had been captured, Sengoku pupils slightly contracted. He had indeed been trying to buy time, hoping to give the Marine Admirals and other officers who hadn't yet sided with Orion a chance to turn the tide.
In his view, the reason the rebellion had progressed so smoothly was due to the swift and precise actions of the officers and soldiers loyal to Orion, coupled with the fact that the rebellion had been launched in the midnight, catching many off guard.
Once the Marine Admirals or others reacted, this rebellion would be swiftly crushed.
After a brief silence, Sengoku sighed inwardly, then turned to look at Marineford Square, shrouded in darkness and echoing with the sound of alarm bells. With a grave expression, he said.
"Borsalino, even at a time like this, are you still clinging to your ambiguous sense of justice?"
As the Fleet Admiral, he naturally didn't believe that Vice Admiral Hound and a few hundred Marine soldiers could truly subdue Borsalino.
After all, Borsalino was a Logia user with the power of the Pika Pika no Mi.
If Borsalino got serious, both Hound and the hundreds of rebels who had entered the headquarters building would be taken down in an instant. The fact that Borsalino had chosen to be "captured" suggested that he was either observing from the sidelines or waiting to see the outcome of this rebellion.
Because the war unfolding at Marineford wasn't a battle between justice and evil—it was a power struggle within the Marine headquarters.
"What about Sakazuki?" Sengoku suddenly turned back to Hound, his voice heavy with frustration.
"Has he also chosen to remain silent?"
Vice Admiral Hound shook his head. "My orders were only to subdue Admiral Borsalino and to wait here for you, Fleet Admiral. However, given the current situation it's likely that Admiral Sakazuki has also been neutralized."
"Enough, enough" Sengoku waved his hand dismissively, somewhat exasperated.
"Do you really think you can subdue two Admirals at once? Such naive talk is enough to make me laugh!"
Hound smiled faintly but didn't respond. It was undeniable that if both Admirals were to act simultaneously, this rebellion would undoubtedly end in failure.
After all, neither he nor any of the other Vice Admirals, even if they joined forces, stood a chance against two Admirals. But things weren't as simple as they appeared on the surface. If sheer strength alone could achieve everything, then Sengoku wouldn't be known as the "Resourceful General," and the world wouldn't need schemes or conspiracies—power alone would suffice to crush all opposition.
After a brief pause, Sengoku spoke in a deep voice.
"Does Orion expect his former superior to stand here and wait for him?"
Hound turned slightly and replied bluntly. "Marshall, you may proceed to your office."
"Hmph"
Sengoku snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, and walked past Hound without hesitation.
Not daring to delay, Hound quickly followed him into the elevator.
As the two entered the elevator, the soldiers stationed in the lobby on the first floor immediately rushed forward to drag away the bodies of the three men, Basskerville.
Shortly after, the cleaning crew efficiently wiped away the bloodstains on the floor and swiftly laid down a red carpet.
"Marshal Sengoku, Marshal Sengoku" At that moment, an officer hurriedly rushed into the lobby, shouting toward Sengoku, who had already entered the elevator.
"Something terrible has happened"
Surprisingly, the soldiers involved in the rebellion did not stop him, allowing him to reach the elevator door. Glancing at the adjutant who had arrived at the elevator door, Sengoku shook his head with a bitter smile.
"Could things possibly get any worse than they are now?"
The soldier glanced at Hound and said in a trembling voice.
"All communications at headquarters have been cut off. Marineford is now completely isolated from the outside world!"
Hearing this, Sengoku showed no surprise and calmly remarked.
"It seems Orion has been preparing for this day for many years. Even without this trial, he would have launched his rebellion at any moment."
...
Meanwhile, at the Marine Headquarters, in the Female Officers' Dormitory.
The entire building was surrounded by a dense crowd of Marine soldiers. Leading this "rebel" force was none other than Vice Admiral Gion, who carried the renowned sword Konpira at her waist.
The tall and slender Gion stood at the forefront of the group, her cape fluttering in the wind, her expression complex as she gazed at the dormitory's main entrance.
Although she had joined the rebellion, she did not wish to cause excessive bloodshed. Especially now, with this dormitory for female officers, she hoped none of the women would step out of that door.
"Gion, why are you doing this?" At that moment, a voice filled with despair rang out. Turning toward the sound, they saw a middle-aged man in a Vice Admiral coat, handcuffed and being pushed forward by two soldiers to stand before Gion.
The man was none other than Vice Admiral Tokikake who, like Gion, was a candidate for Admiral.
Tokikake influence within the headquarters was no less than Orion, as nearly everyone knew of his affection for Gion. Despite being rejected dozens of times, he never gave up always finding opportunities to present flowers and confess his feelings to her in various ways.
Tonight marked his ninetieth failed confession. But what he didn't expect was that not only would his confession fail, but he would also coincidentally encounter Gion participating in the rebellion.
In an attempt to stop Gion from continuing down this path, he immediately intervened.
However, faced with Gion and the officers who followed her, even with his formidable strength, he was quickly subdued and handcuffed by Gion herself.
Pushed forward by the two soldiers, Tokikake appeared utterly dejected, his eyes lifeless as he stared at Gion as if the most important thing in his life had been taken away.
Meanwhile, in Room 201 on the third floor of the Female Officers' Dormitory.
A female officer in a Marine Lieutenant Commander coat and hold a cigarette between her fingers, stood by the window, her beautiful eyes fixed unwaveringly on Gion, who was leading hundreds of soldiers in controlling the entire dormitory building.
Behind her in the dormitory stood seven or eight panicked female officers, clearly startled by the sudden turn of events.
"Hina, what... what on earth is going on?" A female officer in a nightgown moved closer to the Lieutenant, her voice trembling as she spoke.
"Why has Vice Admiral Gion surrounded the dormitory building with troops? Could it be that she..."
Before the officer could finish her sentence, the Lieutenant Commander named Hina suddenly moved, taking a drag from her cigarette before shaking her head.
"Hina doesn't understand either! But with the headquarters alarm ringing non-stop, it's clear something major has happened."
After a brief pause, Hina suddenly turned around, her expression grave, and asked.
"Have we managed to contact Vice Admiral Garp yet?"