As the Supreme Commander of the entire military, Kong is a senior official of the World Government who rarely appears at the Navy Headquarters. Yet he has arrived at this very moment, catching Sengoku completely off guard. He immediately stands up.
'Supreme Commander Kong!'
"Commander Kong!!!"
"..."
In the office, Aokiji, Kizaru and the others also greet him out of courtesy. Etiquette is the same everywhere.
"Alright!"
'I didn't come here specifically for this matter. I just happened to be passing by.'
'Before that, I went to the Deep Sea Prison under the orders of Saint Jaygarcia Saturn.'
'I checked the prison's current situation and the details of the incident.'
'Regarding the murder of Gekko Moria, I have also received news.'
'It can be confirmed that it was done by that bastard Lorn!'
Kong sat down without hesitation in the seat in front of Sengoku.
'Gekko Moria... He was actually defeated by Lorn!"
'Kuh! I knew it! I was right!"
'Hmph! Don't let me catch you!'
Upon hearing Kong's decisive words, the three admirals at the Navy Headquarters were also taken aback. They really hadn't expected Lorn to be so capable.
After just stepping out of prison, he had taken down one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea recognised by the World Government. This had never happened before. Moreover, although Gekko Moria was weaker than before, he was still formidable!
Seal the news and authorise the demon-slaying order!
'And the news about Gekko Moria's death and the destruction of the Thriller Bark pirate crew.'
'For now, do not release any information.'
Kong spoke again in a low voice. This was another reason he had come here. For now, the news of the death of one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Gekko Moria, and the destruction of his pirate crew must remain secret. The admiral Sengoku beside him nodded in agreement.
'I'll get straight to the point.
'As you all know, the capture of Luffy was personally arranged by Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, one of the Five Elders.'
'This matter is connected to the "study tour" of the Celestial Dragons over ten years ago!'
Kong referred to the Celestial Dragons' study tour, but in reality it was a hunting competition targeting indigenous peoples.
'Therefore, this must be handled properly at all costs.'
'Though I cannot disclose the specific reasons in detail, I urge all of you present to take this matter seriously!'
As I mentioned earlier, Water 7 is about to become a hotspot. Most of the pirates from the Grand Line are converging there.'
'If necessary, issue the Demon Slaying Order immediately!'
When Kong, the Supreme Commander of the entire army, said the words 'Demon Slaying Order', Sengoku and the others were startled. They hadn't expected it to be this serious. However, if the World Government really wanted to do this, the Navy had no choice but to obey. This was also the third reason why Kong had come here: to authorise the Demon Slaying Order operation, a military operation organised by the Navy Headquarters and authorised by the World Government. It involved indiscriminate, destructive attacks on regions that had issued the signal, aiming to completely eradicate anything or anyone in those areas that posed a threat to the World Government's rule.
'Hey, hey, hey, hey! Why use a sledgehammer to crack a nut? Have we really come to this? The Demon Slaying Order!!'
Isn't this a bit overkill?'
Even the usually laid-back Kizaru took this matter seriously. He never expected the World Government to operate in such a ruthless manner.
'Hmm, I can't say I don't understand.'
'After all, if all the pirates gather together, a targeted Demon Slaying Order operation would indeed be quite efficient!'
'Just wipe them all out in one go.'
Aokiji spoke slowly.
Upon hearing this, everyone nodded in agreement. Most of them accepted this statement.
CP9's deployment and Lorn's plans
'For now.'
'With the authorisation of Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, I have arranged for Lucci and the CP9 agents to capture Lorn!'
'If the CP agents successfully capture Lorn, we will not activate the Demon Slaying Order. However, we will need the Navy's assistance to escort the prisoner to the sacred land of Mariejois and hand him over to Saint Jaygarcia Saturn for further handling!'
'If the CP9 operation fails, the Demon Slaying Order will be activated immediately!'
'That is exactly what Saint Jaygarcia Saturn ordered. I believe I have made myself clear. You know what to do next, Sengoku.'
Upon hearing this, Sengoku, the naval admiral, nodded repeatedly in agreement. The World Government had been making constant calls, and now even the Supreme Commander of the Navy, Kong, had arrived at the naval headquarters to provide guidance. It was unexpected that the World Government was placing so much importance on the matter of Lorn. What secret could Lorn possibly be hiding? This was the greatest puzzle in Sengoku's mind at that moment. Although he was a naval admiral, Sengoku was not privy to everything. Take the Dragon Hunting Competition in the Kingdom of Atlantis over a decade ago, for example. At the time, Sengoku, already an admiral, had merely surrounded the island with his fleet in the nearby waters. It wasn't until the Dragons had withdrawn with their spoils that he had the opportunity to land on the island and explore.
Meanwhile, while Supreme Commander Kong is at Navy Headquarters discussing matters, the 'Water God Incident' has reached Water 7. A massive tsunami has struck the entire city! Meanwhile, under the cover of the tsunami, the arrest operation targeting Luffy, led by the World Government's CP9 agents, is about to begin.
The CP9 agents gather at Luffy's trap:
Water 7's Blueno's tavern.
Bang, bang, bang, bang!
The storm rages outside and someone is pounding on the door.
"We're closed for the day and not serving any more customers."
Blueno, the shopkeeper, had no intention of opening the door and simply called out through it. Lucci, Kaku and Blueno were already prepared to carry out the arrest operation. They never expected anyone else to knock on the door.