The young aide standing opposite instinctively straightened his back: "Report, Marshal, none of the deployed intelligence teams have reported back yet."
"But please rest assured."
He quickly stepped forward and pointed out several marked points on the operational map: "Drum Island, Thor Island, Gaya Island... these islands surrounding Whiskey Peak have been controlled. Besides..."
The aide's finger moved towards the location of the Alabasta Kingdom.
"Considering that they likely obtained the Eternal Pose from Crocodile, we have also arranged monitoring personnel at several major ports along the Santora River."
"Any movement, any news, will be reported to you immediately!"
Sengoku stared at the red marks on the map, his frown deepening.
These deployments seemed tightly knit like a dragnet, yet that cunning kid was like he had evaporated, with no trace; could it be...
His gaze shifted downwards to an inconspicuous little island on the slanting side of Whiskey Peak, "Is anyone sent to Little Garden?"
"Over there?"
The aide was momentarily stunned, "Typically no ship dares to pass, not to mention the threat of the Island-Eating Goldfish, just recording the magnetic force on the island takes a whole year, so we..."
Bru Bru~
The Radio Snail on the desk suddenly made a pressing sound, interrupting the aide.
"Hello? This is Sengoku, go ahead."
Sengoku picked up the handset, and after listening for a bit, his expression suddenly changed, "Really? Are you sure?"
"Absolutely sure, Marshal!"
An excited voice came from the other end, "We've been keeping watch for three whole days, and only half an hour ago did we finally see the Endgame Pirates' ship docking on Thor Island!"
"Where are they now?" Sengoku immediately inquired.
"They went straight into town, and are now splurging at various entertainment venues, seemingly going to indulge themselves here for days! If the Headquarters sends someone now, they'll make it in time, Marshal!"
The air in the room instantly became tense.
Sengoku slowly stood up and solemnly gave orders, "Notify the Three Great Admirals, have them come to my office immediately."
"Yes!"
The young aide saluted, his face full of excitement as he left.
In less than ten minutes.
The highest combat force from Navy Headquarters appeared one after another in the Marshal's office.
Aokiji leaning lazily against the doorframe, his eye mask crooked, obviously awakened from sleep: "Ah la la... so late, we still have to work overtime?"
"No choice~~"
Kizaru sat with legs crossed on the sofa, slowly trimming his nails:
"After all, that newcomer's momentum is really terrifying; just after setting sail, he has already taken out Onigumo and the Seven Warlords..."
He drew out the words with a smiling expression, "If this guy is allowed to continue developing unchecked, if I were the Marshal, I'd have trouble sleeping too, wouldn't I?"
"Shut up, Borsalino."
Sengoku gave him a glare, "Let's get straight to the point, you all know the situation. The news of Crocodile's death can't be held back for long, we must catch these people before the public opinion escalates!"
"It doesn't matter if the others live or die, but Great Sword Hero Shano and Defector Hunter Smoker, trying to capture them alive is best, under this premise, who would like to go?"
"Ah la la..."
Aokiji yawned lazily, raising his hand, "Then I'll go, I've been on vacation recently and haven't exercised for a while..."
"No, I'll go."
Before he finished speaking, a low voice interrupted.
Aokiji and Kizaru paused slightly, turning to look at the one who hadn't spoken since entering—
Akainu stepped out from the shadows, his eyes beneath the brim of his hat cold:
"If I remember correctly, Kuzan, Smoker and you have a good relationship, whether you can be completely ruthless on a former friend... you can't be trusted in this regard."
"What do you mean?" Aokiji frowned slightly.
"Just what it sounds like."
Akainu expressionless, "Such scum with infamous deeds that harm justice should be completely eradicated, I don't want certain people to let personal feelings lead to allowing these trapped rats to escape."
"Personal feelings?" Aokiji raised an eyebrow, scoffing, "Are you referring to the urgency of avenging Onigumo?"
"Onigumo was our comrade and died protecting justice; shouldn't we avenge him?"
Both stared coldly into each other's eyes, the tension building.
"This atmosphere..." Kizaru blew nail clippings from his fingers, shrinking into the sofa corner: "So frightening~"
"Sakazuki!"
Sengoku sternly stopped, "Did you forget what I just said? You can go, but you must try to capture them alive, that's an order, did you hear me!"
"...I understand."
Akainu paused for a moment, then nodded, turning towards the door: "But Marshal, the battlefield is ever-changing, if absolutely necessary, don't expect me to show mercy to traitors."
After throwing down these words, he walked out the door.
"..." Aokiji squinted slightly.
In the end, he said nothing and also left, though heading in a different direction.
Sengoku watched their disappearing backs, glancing at Kizaru still focused on trimming his nails, sighed, and returned to his desk piled high with documents...
——————
At dawn, the morning mist in Little Garden had not yet dispersed.
Shano was already standing in the open space surrounded by giant bones, stretching his slightly sore shoulders and neck.
Last night's banquet was too joyous; he opened up to drink with the two Giants, gulping down dozens of kilograms of strong liquor, his temples still throbbing.
He looked up at the sky, the sun peeking out from beyond the horizon, the air still carrying the scent of last night's bonfire.
"Whoa, Shano lad, awake quite early!"
Thunderous voices suddenly echoed from behind, the ground slightly quivering.
Dorry, carrying his giant sword that spans over ten meters, walked over smiling, Broki following at the side, using the surface of his War Axe to tidy his messy beard.
Seeing Shano looking his way, he hurriedly put the giant axe away, nonchalantly humming a tune.
"Ready?"
Dorry grinned widely, revealing his white teeth, "We won't hold back in special training from Elbaf."
"I wouldn't have it any other way."
Shano twisted his neck, his eyes brimming with excitement, "Come on then, uncles, come at me!"
"Haha, since that's the case..." Dorry suddenly raised his giant sword, striking down without warning, "Then now it already begins!!!"
Buzz!
The screeching sound of the giant sword tearing the air stung the eardrum, Shano, without thinking, activated "Soru," darting to the left.
"Hahaha, over here!"
Before he landed, Broki had already predicted his position, laughing as he swung his axe horizontally.
Shano was startled, the instinctive reaction honed through years of training made his waist abruptly lean back, his upper body almost touching the ground, barely dodging the axe blade.
Phew!
The giant axe brushed past his scalp, the wild wind whipping Shano's face, eyes instinctively narrowing; yet because of this, he felt increasingly exhilarated.
Starting off this intense huh?
Compared to just spectating yesterday, now facing this terrifying wind pressure directly, he realized the incredible might of the legendary giants.
Not only terrifying power but also astonishing agility that belied their huge builds.
Most importantly.
The two are extremely adept at joint strikes, working together is far from a simple one plus one equals two, providing unprecedented pressure.
Got it!
This is precisely the feeling he sought!
His eyes bright, fixating on Dorry's giant sword about to drop—
At this rate, it won't take long, if lucky, he could master Observation before night falls today!
"The warm-up is over, Shano lad!"
Dorry's voice rang out at this moment, "Be careful! Next, Broki and I will truly go all out!"
The next moment, accompanied by the giants' roar, a chilling sense of crisis surged, causing goosebumps to rise all over his back—
"Elbaf's Spear, Overlord's Might!!!"