Marineford Port.
"Ahahaha, what a long vacation that was."
A hearty laugh rang out from the deck of a battleship.
A moment later, a strange old man donning a dog-head mask and wearing the uniform of a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral leapt down from the deck.
This was Monkey D. Garp, the legendary Vice Admiral of the Marines, who had once cornered the Pirate King Roger multiple times and became a revered hero among countless Marines after quelling the Rocks Pirates during the God Valley Incident, which had shocked the entire World Government.
As soon as he landed on the dock, Garp casually removed the dog-head mask from his head and reached into his bag, pulling out a box of rice crackers and munching on them contentedly.
"Vice Admiral Garp, you're finally back~"
A Marine soldier who had been waiting at the port hurriedly ran over, clearly excited. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku knew you were returning today and specifically ordered me to wait here for you."
"Eh?"
Garp blinked in confusion. "How did Sengoku know I was coming back today? That's impossible. I cut my vacation short and came back early. There's no way he could've known I'd return today. Wait, who are you? Where's my soldier?"
"Vice Admiral Garp," the Marine said, blinking with a wronged expression, "I'm your subordinate!"
"Really?"
Garp let out an awkward laugh. "Looks like I'm getting old, can't even remember you little brats anymore. Go on then, I'll find Sengoku myself."
With that, Garp tossed the dog-head mask to the soldier and strode off briskly toward the Marine Headquarters building.
The soldier who watched Garp walk off didn't leave immediately. As soon as Garp was far enough away, he picked up a transponder snail. The smile on his face vanished instantly, replaced by a serious expression. "Vice Admiral Garp is about to enter the Headquarters building."
"Understood."
Inside the lobby of the Headquarters building, another Marine soldier received the call and quickly picked up a second transponder snail.
Before the soldier could report the news, the elevator door in front of him suddenly opened.
Elio and Gion stepped out, one after the other.
Upon seeing them, every Marine in the lobby immediately stood and saluted in unison. "Loyalty!"
Without pausing, Elio briskly walked through the door.
Just as he exited, Garp's figure came into view for both him and Gion.
"Ahahaha! Elio, you little brat, I'm back~"
From afar, spotting Elio emerging from the door, Garp hurried over with excitement on his face. "Surprised? Caught off guard?"
Gion spoke first, greeting politely, "Mr. Garp."
"Gion, what's going on with you these past two years?" Garp looked her up and down like an elder. "As long as you ignore that crazy suitor, you're good. Leave the chances to the young female officers at HQ, like little Tashigi… Wait, where is Tashigi? I tried to contact her through the transponder snail and couldn't get through at all!"
Gion shook her head with a helpless smile. "Mr. Garp, didn't you notice anything different about Headquarters since your vacation?"
"Not really." Garp blinked and then glanced around quickly as if something dawned on him. He nodded repeatedly. "Oh, right, when I passed by the plaza earlier, there was a human-shaped crater in the ground!"
Hearing that, Gion quietly exhaled and subtly glanced at Elio.
Elio didn't bother beating around the bush. He said flatly, "We thought you'd return a few days later. Didn't expect you to come back early. Since you're here, I won't hide anything. Headquarters is under my control now. To put it simply, I launched a mutiny and took the position of Fleet Admiral. Every officer here, including the three Admirals, have already made their choice."
"?????"
With a mouthful of rice crackers, Garp stared blankly at Elio, question marks practically floating above his head. After a long silence, he burst into hearty laughter. "A mutiny? Puhaha! You've gotten more and more humorous, brat! But still, that's not the kind of joke you should make so casually. If those guys like Onigumo overhear, they might file a complaint against you!"
Elio didn't laugh. Instead, he said coldly, each word striking like thunder, "Onigumo is dead. So are Doberman, Maynard, and the rest. They were obstacles to me becoming Fleet Admiral. They all had to die."
As Elio's words faded, dozens of Marine officers suddenly surged from within the main headquarters building, surrounding Garp in a tight formation under his disbelieving gaze.
Moments later, even more Marine soldiers charged in, weapons drawn, forming layer upon layer of encirclement around him.
The abrupt turn of events caused the smile on Garp's face to freeze in place.
Feeling the heavy, stifling atmosphere around him, he finally began to accept the truth behind Elio's claims.
After a brief silence, Garp calmly placed his box of rice crackers back into his bag. Lifting his head, his sharp gaze locked on Elio.
"Elio, what is the meaning of this? Are you planning to eliminate me as well? If that's the case, you'll need more than this lot to take down someone like me!"
Elio raised a hand in a casual wave, signaling the gathered officers and soldiers to withdraw.
With just that one gesture, the encircling troops promptly obeyed and retreated along their original path.
Garp's expression shifted slightly. He understood now, Elio hadn't even spoken, yet his silent command had been obeyed without hesitation. This level of discipline among Marine officers and soldiers... he hadn't seen such a thing in years.
But that wasn't the most important part.
The real significance lay in the fact that Elio wasn't joking. The current Marine Headquarters had already been brought fully under his control.
Still, Garp couldn't suppress the countless doubts flooding his heart.
He had always believed in Elio, ever since the young man first entered the officer training camp. He had placed great hopes in him, as had Sengoku and Zephyr. And Elio hadn't disappointed, rising in just a few years from a green rookie to a capable Vice Admiral of Marine Headquarters.
But what he hadn't expected was that this very man, once seen as the future of the Marines, had staged a coup during his vacation, and succeeded in taking control of the entire Headquarters.
How could that be possible?
Even if Elio possessed a terrifying talent far beyond his peers, there was no way he could overcome the Three Admirals. Garp knew that Elio had been gathering loyal officers and soldiers for years, but to succeed in a full-blown coup with just that? It should have been impossible.
Yet, here stood the undeniable truth. Elio had not only achieved it, but had even convinced the Three Admirals to stand beside him.
Suppressing the turmoil within, Garp asked the question that now burned in his mind.
"What about Sengoku? He's still alive, isn't he?"
Elio nodded. "He should be having afternoon tea with Teacher Zephyr right about now."
Garp's eyes widened instantly. "At a time like this, he still has the mood for tea?!"
Realizing he had overreacted, Garp coughed dryly and straightened up, his expression turning solemn.
"So, what are you planning to do with me? Keep me under house arrest? Strip me of my rank? Or just toss me in with Sengoku and Zephyr for tea?"
Elio nodded once more. "Garp, the current Marine Headquarters no longer has a place for warships big enough to carry legends like you. You've all grown old. It's time to retire."
"You want me to leave just like that, you brat?!"
Garp took a step forward, fists clenched tightly. His voice was low and heavy.
"The Marines are a massive war machine. They're not something just anyone can control. Let me see for myself, whether you're truly fit to bear this weight!"
As the oppressive battle aura suddenly exploded from Garp's body, Tsuru, standing nearby, instantly stepped forward with alarm.
"Garp, please calm down! Elio came to see you alone because he doesn't want to fight you! The situation is already settled, fighting now would be meaningless!"
"Tsuru, stand down!"
Garp rolled up his sleeves with a scowl. "It's bad enough this brat's causing trouble, but even someone like you's gone soft? Don't you know? Whether it was Sengoku, myself, or Zephyr, we all placed our hopes on him! If we stepped down, he wouldn't just be Fleet Admiral, he'd be one of the Admirals too!"
"But now he's gone and staged a coup. Don't give me that 'the situation is settled' nonsense! As long as I still draw breath, I won't let him get away with this!"
Before he even finished speaking, Garp suddenly stepped forward, and an intense wave of pressure burst from beneath his feet.
In the next instant, red-and-black streaks of Conqueror's Haki exploded from his body, crisscrossing through the air with an ear-splitting hum. The space itself trembled with low-frequency shockwaves, and the invisible weight of his dominance surged out like a tidal wave, engulfing Elio in its wake.
However...
Before Garp's pressure could fully envelop him, an even greater surge of dominance erupted from Elio, colliding head-on with Garp's.
Boom!
The clash of wills echoed like thunder across the sky, followed by a massive shockwave that radiated from where they stood. It was like a hurricane sweeping out from ground zero, splitting the earth, shaking nearby buildings, and turning the entire Marine Headquarters into a scene straight out of an apocalypse.