In the residential district of Marineford, in the front yard of a secluded villa...
Under a sunshade, Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Zephyr sat in silence. Two cups of tea were placed in front of them, but neither had taken a sip.
"Zephyr, there's something I've been curious about for a while," Sengoku finally broke the silence after a long pause, his tone heavy. "I don't believe that your unwavering support for Elio is simply because you trust he'll capture the pirate who attacked the trainee ship all those years ago. There must be more to it."
"As sharp as ever, Sengoku," Zephyr nodded. Lifting the teacup to his lips, he took a sip before calmly replying, "Three years ago, while I was recovering at home, Elio visited me every few days to chat. He saw my disillusionment with the Marines and told me that he had seen glimpses of the future. He claimed that one day, the man who attacked the trainee ship would become one of the new Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"And that because of it, I would completely lose faith in the Marines and leave with Ain and Binz to form a new Marine force."
Sengoku's expression shifted slightly, and he asked cautiously, "You believed him?"
"Of course not!" Zephyr shook his head. "And he knew I wouldn't believe it either. So he told me something else, he said that three years from then, Shanks, the captain of the Red-Haired Pirates, would rise to power in the New World and stand as an Emperor alongside Edward Newgate, Charlotte Linlin, and Kaido. He even told me to wait and see. He said that before becoming one of the Four Emperors, Shanks would land on Elbaph and subdue the Giant Kingdom's prince, Loki!"
Sengoku shot to his feet in shock. "He told you that three years ago?"
Zephyr nodded. "Not just those two things. Everything he saw back then has already come true. Shanks has become one of the Four Emperors, and Prince Loki of the Giant Kingdom is imprisoned in the Underworld."
Turning to Sengoku with a serious expression, Zephyr asked, "If it were you, would you still doubt Elio, or would you believe he can truly see glimpses of the future?"
"I chose the latter. That's why I've abandoned my hope in the Marines!"
"You all failed to capture the pirate who attacked the trainee ship. That I can understand. But to then appoint him as one of the new Seven Warlords in the name of balance, after he murdered so many young officers? What kind of justice is that?"
Sengoku opened his mouth, but in the end, he had no rebuttal.
Even though the decision had not yet been made official, Elio's foresight from three years ago, about Shanks becoming a New World Emperor and Loki's fate, had already come true. It wasn't alarmist nonsense. It was very likely that the pirate who slaughtered the trainees would indeed become one of the new Warlords.
But that wasn't even the most pressing issue now.
What truly shocked Sengoku was that Elio had been able to see so far into the future.
He couldn't imagine how Elio did it. He knew that Observation Haki, when trained to the pinnacle, could allow someone to glimpse fragments of the future, but never this far. Elio hadn't just foreseen events three years ahead, but even further.
And most importantly, the rise of a new Warlord meant that one of the current Warlords had either fallen or defected.
BOOM-
Suddenly, a thunderous explosion ripped through the air without warning, erupting from the direction of the Marine headquarters. A wave of terrifying energy rippled outward, shaking even the distant ground beneath their feet.
Before either of them could react, a crimson-black storm of blazing energy erupted skyward from the Marine building. It pierced the heavens, tearing through the clouds and forming a massive vortex. To the stunned Sengoku and Zephyr, it was as if the sky itself had been shattered.
Both men stood up on reflex and exclaimed in unison:
"A Conqueror's Haki clash!"
"Damn it, Garp's back!"
At the same time...
In front of the Marine headquarters, Elio stepped forward the moment Garp attacked without warning and unleashed his Conqueror's Haki.
BOOM!
A devastating shockwave erupted from beneath Elio's feet, crushing Garp's aura with an overwhelming force and forcing it back.
"Impossible!"
Garp stared at Elio in disbelief. "So you've been hiding your strength all these years… Even from me?"
Without waiting for a response, Garp took a step forward, releasing his own Conqueror's Haki without restraint.
As the two auras clashed violently again, the ground beneath their feet cracked like an enormous spiderweb. Invisible, crushing pressure exploded in every direction, shattering the earth and causing it to collapse inward.
Even someone as powerful as Tsuru couldn't withstand the shockwaves. She was forced to retreat step by step, her cloak flapping wildly in the storm of energy, making her appear disheveled.
But her appearance was the least of her concerns. If Garp and Elio continued to fight, Marineford itself might be reduced to rubble.
"Garp, stop! Elio! Both of you, stop! Marineford is going to be destroyed!"
Meanwhile...
In Elio's home, Sakazuki, wracked with years of guilt toward his mother, had stayed by her side without rest. But now, he turned abruptly, eyes wide with shock as he stared toward the fiery cloud erupting from Marine headquarters.
He shouted toward Borsalino, who sat nearby in his usual half-asleep daze, "Garp's back!"
"A Conqueror's Haki clash… how terrifying~"
Borsalino lazily raised his head to look at the blazing vortex tearing the sky apart. Standing up at a relaxed pace, he said, "You stay here with Mother. I'll go check it out."
And before the words were fully out of his mouth, he vanished in a flash of light.
When he reached the rooftop of the Marine building, Kuzan appeared beside him in a flash as well.
Borsalino didn't look at him. For once shedding his laid-back demeanor, he stared in disbelief at the two figures locked in confrontation below.
"Elio is suppressing Garp's Conqueror's Haki?"
Kuzan's face was equally grave. "He fooled all of us."
Holy Land Mary Geoise, Flower Chamber
In a serene garden where butterflies danced among blooming flowers, a shadowy figure suddenly appeared. They raised their head, revealing eyes marked by dark red ripples, gazing in the direction of Marineford.
The moment they saw the fiery cloud rising into the sky, a shocked voice echoed through the chamber, "No, that's impossible!"
A maid hurried over, kneeling before the figure with trembling fear. "Lord Imu."
"Go!"
"Notify the Holy Knights immediately. Have their commander reach Marine headquarters at once. I want to know exactly who unleashed that Conqueror's Haki!"