The atmosphere inside the high council chamber of Marineford was suffocating.
Seated around the long table were the absolute pillars of Marine authority: Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the three Admirals Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan, the legendary Vice Admiral Garp, and the stern instructor who had once been an Admiral himself "Black Arm" Zephyr, now the Chief Instructor of the Marine recruits.
No one dared show their usual levity. Even Garp, who would normally spend such meetings either munching on rice crackers or dozing off, wore an unusually grave expression.
Sengoku slowly rose from the main seat at the head of the table. He said nothing at first. Instead, he reached into his robes and pulled out a single photograph, laying it gently in the center of the polished wood table.
His gaze swept across the room, pausing on Garp and Zephyr. Among the veterans present, they were the only two who had yet to meet the young man whose presence had begun shaking the entire institution of the Marines.
Drawing in a deep breath, Sengoku finally spoke.
"Rear Admiral Renn Hawk."
"Half a year ago, he was nothing more than a branch colonel stationed in the East Blue."
"Today, he is a Rear Admiral appointed directly by my own hand, the commander of the G-3 Branch in the Grand Line."
He let his words settle before continuing, his tone unconsciously rising with a conviction he himself did not often reveal.
"He has the uncompromising resolve of Sakazuki when it comes to justice, yet he is not blinded by bloodlust. He understands what it truly means to protect."
"In mere days, he transformed the G-3 Branch into a single ironclad unit, demonstrating a command ability unlike anything we have witnessed before."
"He is the future of the Marines."
"Half a year?" Garp's eyes widened, the creases in his weathered face deepening with disbelief.
In only six months? A branch colonel leaping to become a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral? That speed bordered on madness.
Across the table, Zephyr remained silent behind his dark glasses, but the mechanical arm known as the "Crusher" on his right side tightened imperceptibly. Such a meteoric rise was unheard of, breaking every precedent since the Marines' founding.
Even Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan once called monsters among men had climbed through the ranks step by step, paving their way with countless battles, blood, and achievements.
Could this young Renn Hawk truly be the future?
"Hmph. Hawk, that boy..." Sakazuki folded his arms even tighter, his eyes narrowing. The boy had already been promoted to Rear Admiral? That was faster than even he had anticipated. Still, Sakazuki admitted, Hawk deserved it.
"Oh my~ Hawk-kun is becoming quite frightening, isn't he~?" Borsalino drawled, crossing one long leg over the other before setting it back down. Behind his tinted lenses, a sharp glint flashed.
"Renn Hawk, a Rear Admiral already, huh?" Kuzan straightened in his chair, the lazy air around him dissipating. His gaze lingered on the photograph, his mind wandering back to a promise he had entrusted to Hawk not long ago.
Sengoku's voice cut through the room again, heavier now, pulling everyone's attention.
"The Great Pirate Era has raged for over twenty years," he declared.
"And instead of peace, the seas have grown only more chaotic. Evil spreads like weeds cut it down and it grows back stronger, wild and unrelenting."
"The Marines were founded as the bearers of the world's justice."
"Our duty is to ensure that across this ocean of crime and bloodshed, the flag of order and hope continues to fly!"
"But tell me have we succeeded?"
A bitter smile twisted across Sengoku's lips. "We have not!"
"We have stood by and watched pirates burn and plunder. We have watched villages turn into seas of fire, and we have been powerless to stop it."
"We know the Seven Warlords system is nothing but bargaining with the devil, yet we have allowed those legalized pirates to poison the seas."
"We have bowed our heads to the World Government again and again, trading our own ideals for funds, forcing ourselves to carry out orders that contradict the very essence of justice!"
His fist slammed down upon the table with an earth-shaking crack. The entire chamber trembled.
"I've had enough."
His voice grew louder, swelling into a roar.
"I've had enough of this justice shackled by chains!"
"I've had enough of sacrificing innocent lives in the name of so-called balance!"
"I've had enough of justice that grovels before others, stifled and restrained at every turn!"
"Now..."
In his eyes burned a light that none had seen in years a light of defiance and hope.
"A chance has appeared."
"A chance for the Marines to stand independent."
"I intend to free the Marines from the control of the World Government."
"What are your answers?"
Sengoku's gaze swept across the room, meeting the eyes of every comrade present. These were men who had fought beside him for decades, the true backbone of the organization. He needed their support.
The room fell into a deep silence.
The meaning of Sengoku's words could not be clearer. He was preparing to overturn the table itself, to lead the Marines down a path that openly defied the World Government.
Garp exchanged a look with Zephyr. Both veterans recognized it instantly.
The Sengoku who once rivaled the likes of Roger, Whitebeard, and Shiki the "Buddha" Sengoku who had once reigned like a titan had returned.
Garp leaned back in his chair, folding his arms. That single gesture was his answer. He had always despised the Celestial Dragons, those so-called nobles of the world. He had refused the rank of Admiral more than once, unwilling to become their chained watchdog. Now Sengoku was finally ready to cut those chains? That was something Garp would stand behind.
Zephyr leaned back as well. Once known as the Admiral who refused to kill, his ideals of pure justice had cost him dearly. His family slaughtered by pirates. His most beloved students massacred. His faith in the Government's hollow "justice" had long since shattered. No he had simply woken up.
If this new path meant preventing another "Zephyr" from ever being created, then staking his life on it was a small price to pay.
At the far end of the table, Sakazuki and Kuzan, usually opposed in philosophy, shared a rare moment of silent understanding.
Sengoku's transformation had begun after his visit to G-3. It was not difficult to guess whose influence lay behind this change. Renn Hawk's.
For Sakazuki, it was vindication. This was the kind of Fleet Admiral the Marines needed. To bow to the Government under the guise of balance what justice was that?
He clenched his fists. If this was the path, then Sakazuki would see it through.
Kuzan allowed himself a faint smile. When every option is wrong, then the fault lies not with the choices, but with the one who created them. Sengoku had finally understood that truth. Perhaps it was time for Kuzan's frozen justice to be thawed beneath the sun.
Borsalino glanced left, then right, noting how silence itself had become the vote of confidence. Behind his glasses, his eyes spun.
Well, wasn't this terrifying. It sounded a lot like... overtime. Would it be too much to ask for a raise before they all mutinied against the Government?
The creak of the door broke the silence.
Vice Admiral Tsuru entered, carrying a heavy case in one hand. She approached Sengoku, giving him a small, knowing nod.
Understanding, Sengoku took the case himself. He set it down on the table with a sharp thud that drew every gaze.
"This," Sengoku declared, his voice firm and resonant, "is the chance for Marine independence."
He flipped open the case.
A dazzling radiance burst forth, golden light flooding the room until it seemed as though they were all submerged in an ocean of treasure.
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