Wednesday was reserved for senior officer meetings at Marine Headquarters. A fixed time, a fixed place, a predictable routine.
Most flag officers not on field missions would attend, gathering in the large conference room to discuss operations and strategy.
These weren't particularly critical meetings. Usually they just summarized recent progress and conveyed the next direction and strategic priorities.
This was the type of meeting Finn attended most often.
After his morning routine, washing up in the dormitory and grabbing breakfast, Finn made his way toward the conference room in the Fortress of Justice.
Over the past two years, his appearance hadn't changed dramatically. He still kept his blond hair short and neat, though his height had grown to about 1.9 meters. In his original world, that would have been tall. In this world, it was entirely ordinary.
People like Kuzan stood at least three meters tall. Standing next to them created immense psychological pressure.
Finn's physique had developed as well, becoming more muscular without being exaggerated. His build was tight and powerful, his proportions well-balanced.
He wore high-top military boots, black durable work pants, and a pure white short-sleeved shirt. Casual, comfortable attire.
As a flag officer, there was no requirement to wear the Marines' standard uniform constantly.
Most flag officers preferred suits. Finn owned a black suit, a gift from Zephyr on his twentieth birthday, but he rarely wore it on ordinary days.
Of course, as a flag officer, even without the standard uniform, you had to wear the Justice Coat at all times.
So Finn wore the white coat over his shoulders, the kanji for "Justice" emblazoned on the back, Commodore insignia on the shoulder straps.
Along the way, many Marines saluted and greeted him when they saw him pass.
Finn nodded kindly in response to each one.
After entering the Fortress of Justice and passing through several corridors, he arrived at the conference room. The door stood open. Obviously not everyone had arrived yet.
He was familiar enough with the routine and walked in naturally.
But after entering, surprise flickered across his face. He'd known not everyone would be present yet, but this was unusually sparse.
Only a handful of people were present: Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan, Gion, and Chief of Staff Tsuru.
Zephyr never participated in regular meetings, so his absence was normal. But Garp's absence seemed strange. His assistant Kuzan was here, proving Garp should be at Headquarters. Why hadn't he come?
Well, maybe he's on his way, Finn reasoned.
Admiral Sengoku wasn't here either, but he was probably en route.
But what about everyone else? Where were all the other Vice Admirals, Rear Admirals, and Commodores?
"Come in quickly, what are you doing standing at the door?" Sengoku's voice came from behind Finn.
Finn snapped out of his confusion and smiled. "Yes, Admiral."
After Finn took his seat, Sengoku settled into the head chair. He glanced around the table. "Good, everyone's here. Let's begin today's discussion."
Everyone's here?
This wasn't even a third of the usual attendance.
But when Finn looked at the others, everyone appeared completely calm. Am I the only one who thinks something's wrong?
As if noticing his confusion, Kuzan smiled. "Didn't you pay attention when you received the notice? It's just us today."
"I didn't receive any notice at all..." Finn said helplessly.
Gion's eyes widened. "Huh? Didn't I tell you the day before yesterday?"
Finn rolled his eyes. "No, you didn't. You called, we chatted for a few minutes, then you left."
"Ah, maybe I forgot about it. Hahaha." Gion scratched her head sheepishly.
Fortunately, it wasn't a significant issue. After a brief exchange, the misunderstanding was resolved.
Sengoku smiled and rapped his knuckles on the table. "I called you all here today because there are some matters that need discussion and resolution. Tsuru, start by updating us on the New World situation."
Chief of Staff Tsuru nodded. "The Golden Lion Fleet, destroyed in the Edd Sea over two years ago, has been rebuilt by Shiki. While somewhat weakened compared to its former power, Shiki remains undoubtedly our most formidable adversary."
Back in the Edd Sea, Shiki had escaped. Now he'd made a comeback.
This was all standard intelligence. No one seemed surprised. Tsuru continued, "Regarding the Poneglyphs, we can confirm that the Roger Pirates are actively searching for them. The man on their ship, Kozuki Oden, is from the Kozuki family of Wano Country. We have reason to suspect he can decipher the ancient texts."
Kozuki Oden had joined Roger's crew within the past six months to a year. Before that, according to Marine intelligence, he'd sailed with the Whitebeard Pirates.
According to reports, the Whitebeard Pirates had encountered Roger's crew on an island. The two sides fought for several days and nights. The outcome remained unclear, but afterward, the captain of Whitebeard's Second Division, Kozuki Oden, had inexplicably transferred to the Roger Pirates.
According to Marine intelligence, Kozuki Oden was extremely powerful. With his addition, the Roger Pirates had compensated for the loss of high-level combat power after Douglas Bullet, the Demon Heir, had left the crew. They'd become even more formidable.
The Marines had known about the Roger Pirates' interest in Poneglyphs for some time, paying close attention since the Battle of Edd War.
However, precisely because of their attention, the Marines had learned some inside information. For example, they knew the Roger Pirates weren't trying to resurrect ancient weapons. They were searching for a non-existent island through the Poneglyphs.
It was quite consistent with the Roger Pirates' usual style.
In truth, despite his concerns, Admiral Sengoku didn't believe the Roger Pirates intended to destroy the world.
But the principle remained: better to kill by mistake than let the guilty escape.
Over the past two years, the Marines had increased efforts to suppress the Roger Pirates. However, due to the crew's special nature, they were difficult to locate. Even when found, they were nearly impossible to capture. So far, there had been no results.
"Someone who can decipher ancient texts..." Sengoku murmured, then glanced around the room. "I'm sure everyone knows that recently, a number of strange scholars have appeared at sea. I don't know where they originated, but they seem obsessed with finding Poneglyphs and studying ancient languages. The World Government has issued new instructions requiring our Marines to cooperate with CP agencies to investigate this matter immediately. We must arrest these lawbreaking scholars and bring them to justice. We must ensure ancient weapons are not resurrected!"
"O'Hara..." Finn thought, his eyes gleaming with recognition.
It was now 1498 in the Sea Circle Calendar. According to his memories, O'Hara would be officially investigated by the Marines in 1502. The Buster Call would be authorized by Sengoku himself, completely destroying the island known as the "Archaeological Holy Land."
Before O'Hara's destruction, Nico Olvia and other scholars had been searching for Poneglyphs at sea for several years. They'd been hunted by the Marines and CP agencies for years before finally being caught.
Finn's feelings toward O'Hara were complicated. It was hard to say who was right or wrong in the O'Hara incident. Different positions, different consequences. They'd brought it on themselves.
As the rulers, the World Government naturally didn't want scholars digging up their dark history and making it public. That would seriously damage the government's legitimacy and potentially cause large-scale chaos.
The Marines' concern about ancient weapon resurrection was even more serious. Ancient weapons were said to be capable of destroying the world. If there was any sign of that factor emerging, it needed to be eliminated immediately. Otherwise, it wouldn't be one island at risk, but the entire world. If truly used by some ambitious person, who knew how many would die?
Therefore, Sengoku had been ruthless. After confirming that O'Hara was studying ancient languages and deciphering Poneglyphs, potentially leaking information about or resurrecting ancient weapons, he'd authorized the Buster Call and eliminated O'Hara entirely.
As for the scholars, as historians, they had legitimate reasons to preserve voices from the past, study history, pursue truth.
But their mistake was... they lacked sufficient strength. Not enough to guarantee their own safety or defend their research. Once information about ancient texts and ancient weapons leaked, even if the World Government didn't eliminate them, would ambitious people like Shiki let them go?
What could they defend with their strength?
Nothing. Either they'd all be killed by ambitious people, or ancient weapons would be leaked, bringing greater disaster to the world. There was no other possibility.
Additionally, this matter had been expressly prohibited by the World Government for eight hundred years, classified as a major crime. The scholars, for their so-called "noble pursuit," had broken the law knowingly, ignoring the world's safety. Therefore, Finn felt no sympathy for them. Ultimately, they'd brought it on themselves.
The only regret was the ordinary civilians implicated by the scholars' actions, dying pointlessly in O'Hara's destruction.
Ah, and of course, there was Nico Robin. After all, she'd been one of the main characters in the story he remembered. Finn had some fondness for her.
But a little fondness wasn't enough to make him risk his own future for O'Hara's sake.
That would be absurd.
In Finn's view, contemporary scholars who understood the implications but remained determined to study Poneglyphs and ancient texts had brought their fate upon themselves.
It wasn't a pity they'd die.
However, knowledge itself was innocent. The knowledge of the Tree of All-Knowledge and O'Hara should be preserved if possible. When the time came, he'd see if he could work to achieve that, consider it his contribution to civilization.
Just as Finn was contemplating this, Chief of Staff Tsuru spoke. "After we adjourn, I'll order my subordinates to cooperate. However, it appears that Kozuki Oden of the Roger Pirates isn't aligned with these unknown scholars."
"We'll wait for further intelligence investigation," Sengoku nodded.
So far, no one was taking those ignorant scholars particularly seriously.
"The next topic concerns Fleet Admiral Kong's inspection of the New World G-1 Marine Base..." Sengoku said quietly, shifting to the next agenda item.