Before his voice faded, Sakazuki suddenly flashed forward, appearing right in front of Maynard.
In the next second, Maynard, who had just raised his head, was grabbed by his throat.
Before anyone present could react, the power of Sakazuki's Logia fruit quietly activated.
"Arghhh!"
As Sakazuki's arm turned into molten lava, Maynard, with his throat gripped tightly, let out a blood-curdling scream.
"Sakazuki, what are you doing?!"
Never expecting Sakazuki to strike so suddenly, Fleet Admiral Sengoku shot to his feet in horror and shouted, "Let go of Maynard!"
Crack!
With a chilling snap, Maynard's neck broke under Sakazuki's grip. The next moment, Sakazuki flung the lifeless body aside. Ignoring Sengoku's rage, his cold, deadly gaze swept over Red King, Stainless, and the others present, killing intent radiating from him as he declared, "From now on, anyone who disrespects Elio will meet the same fate."
Pausing briefly, Sakazuki shifted his gaze to Sengoku, "This is my stance. Fleet Admiral Sengoku, if you don't want Marineford to be buried under a volcanic eruption, then sign this document now."
"Sakazuki, you..."
Sengoku turned his head and glanced at Maynard, whose neck was not only broken but also half scorched by magma. Sengoku's eyes were bloodshot as he shouted, "What you're doing will plunge the Marines into utter ruin! If the Holy Land learns of this, they'll never recognize Elio's legitimacy. When that time comes, countless Marine soldiers will shed their blood because of you and die with grievances unavenged!"
"Fleet Admiral, it's already too late to be talking about that!"
Sakazuki locked his burning gaze on Sengoku and said in a deep voice, "From the moment I saw my mother again, I no longer cared about right or wrong."
With that, Sakazuki stopped wasting words. He turned and walked back to Elio's side, his expression more resolute than ever before.
In the past, Sakazuki had upheld absolute justice because he'd watched his parents die tragically under the blades of pirates. That hatred, planted deep within his heart as a child, had taken root and grown. But upon learning that his mother had survived, and that Elio had taken care of her for so many years, his belief in absolute justice began to waver.
It wasn't because he had lost faith in the Marines or in the World Government, but because he felt guilty.
When he thought of how his mother hadn't truly died but had been buried by his own hands, he wanted to punch himself. He couldn't even imagine how his mother had survived after escaping from that grave, or what she had gone through all these years after he joined the Marines.
Yet, despite suffering from dementia and forgetting his name, she still remembered his favorite food, plain white rice and chili peppers. That alone told him everything: after surviving, she had been searching for him all along.
Otherwise, how could she still recall his favorite meal, even as her condition worsened?
He was grateful to Elio. Grateful that Elio had reunited him with his mother. Grateful that Elio had given him the chance to make up for the terrible mistake of his youth. Grateful for the meticulous care Elio had provided over the years.
After all, his mother, suffering from dementia, could forget Elio at any time.
In such a situation, Elio could have easily sent her to the Marine headquarters' retirement home or hired a caretaker.
Most importantly, according to Hound, Elio's original plan was: if this operation succeeded, good. If it failed and he died, Hound would deliver the investigative report to Sakazuki. Elio had feared that if he died, there would be no one left to care for the old woman with dementia.
"This really is the end, huh~"
Watching Sakazuki stand firmly at Elio's side, Sengoku sighed inwardly.
Borsalino still hadn't shown up, his stance was already clear. Now, even Sakazuki, the embodiment of absolute justice, stood unwaveringly beside Elio. Even if Sengoku gambled everything, he couldn't change the situation.
Though he still had his trump card, Garp, the Marine Hero, and another Admiral, Kuzan, Garp was officially on vacation, most likely off in the East Blue. Even if Garp returned in time, no matter how strong he was, he couldn't match Sakazuki, Elio, and the multitude of officers who had already defected.
As for Kuzan, Sengoku had no hopes. That guy had ridden off on his bicycle days ago and was probably wandering some random sea. Sengoku knew him too well; Kuzan wouldn't be back for at least ten days to half a month.
Even if Kuzan came back now, Elio's side, bolstered by Sakazuki, would act without fear.
Of course, this wasn't yet the time to talk about the worst-case scenario.
Because once Elio gained full control of the Marines, the Holy Land would likely compromise, perhaps even appoint Elio as the new Fleet Admiral. After all, a new Emperor had emerged in the New World, and the Revolutionary Army had been growing stronger year by year, posing a real threat to the World Government. Starting a war with Elio now would clearly be unwise.
If the Revolutionary Army and Elio's Marines allied, the Holy Land would be caught in a pincer attack.
All of this was clearly part of Elio's grand strategy.
Still, whether or not Sengoku signed the document didn't make much difference to Elio. If he refused, Elio would simply purge all remaining undecided soldiers and officers at headquarters. At this point, more than half—perhaps the majority—had already pledged loyalty to Elio.
After a brief silence, Sengoku slowly looked up at Elio and asked solemnly, "Elio, ever since you joined headquarters, how have I, Garp, and Zephyr treated you?"
Elio nodded, "You've all treated me well. Especially Master Zephyr. Back when I was in officer training camp, he had high hopes for me! As for Garp, he always wanted to groom me as his successor, but I never quite agreed with his ideals. To be exact, I've never agreed with the justice the Marines practice from top to bottom!"
"In my eyes, as long as the Celestial Dragons sit atop the World Government, there can be no real justice in the Marines. That's why I want to break every chain and shackle holding Marine justice in place and reshape it in my own way!"
Sengoku shook his head, "I'm not here to argue philosophy with you. I just want to know: since we've treated you well, why did you hide things from us?"
Elio chuckled lightly, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I was planning a coup. How could I not keep secrets?"
"No, no," Sengoku waved his hand, his eyes sharp as he stared at Elio, "I'm talking about what Gion just mentioned, this person named Imu! Since you knew something we didn't, why didn't you tell me, or Garp, or Zephyr? Why only Gion?"
At this, Elio turned to Gion in mild surprise, "You told them?"
Gion nodded.
Elio didn't blame her. He looked back at Sengoku and asked, "Do you believe everything Gion said? About the Garden of Flowers, about the existence of Imu? I'm pretty sure that right now, you don't believe any of it. You probably just think I made it all up to convince Gion and the others to join my rebellion. In this situation, you still don't believe me. So what makes you think you would have believed me if I told you before?"
Sengoku stared at Elio, as if trying to see into his soul. "So, the Holy Land really has a place called the Garden of Flowers? And someone named Lord Imu, who seeks to sit upon the Empty Throne?"
Elio waved his hand casually, "Fleet Admiral, instead of doubting me here, why not go to the Holy Land and ask the Five Elders yourself, or see it with your own eyes? I know Imu resides in the Garden of Flowers, but I don't know if they're male or female. If you live long enough to see them, do me a favor and tell me what they look like."
"But before that, I need you to sign this document and immediately make a speech, to make those hidden officers and soldiers who are still waiting to reverse the situation give up their resistance."