Marine Headquarters — Marineford
Inside the conference chamber, the atmosphere was so heavy it felt almost suffocating.
Steel-Bone Kong sat at the head of the table, his expression dark as his eyes swept across the assembled officers.
Sengoku tapped his fingers rhythmically against the tabletop. Zephyr stood with arms crossed, brows tightly furrowed. Garp, unusually silent, stared out the window at the vast sea beyond Marineford.
"In just three months," Kong said, his voice low and hoarse,"the number of pirates in the Four Seas and the first half of the Grand Line has increased by dozens of times!"
"Roger's final words," he continued grimly,"ignited every ambition that had been lurking beneath the surface of this world!"
"And that's not even the worst of it," Sengoku added, cold light flashing across his glasses."There's movement in the New World as well."
"Whitebeard. Kaido. Charlotte Linlin…""As we pulled back our forces, they began expanding their territories. And for now, we simply don't have the manpower to redeploy into the New World."
"The most troublesome part—!"Zephyr slammed his fist onto the table, rattling the teacups.
"Those rookie pirates don't know fear or restraint!For the sake of that so-called 'ONE PIECE,' they're even daring to attack Marine branches directly!"
"Thank you for your hard work, Zephyr," Kong said, nodding toward him, his tone carrying a rare hint of apology.
With the Great Pirate Era underway, the burden on the Marines had become crushing. Sengoku, Garp, Sakazuki, and others were tied down, tasked with restraining the rising forces that would soon become known as the Four Emperors.
As a result, Zephyr—who had already retired to train new recruits—had been forcibly recalled once more to deal with pirate activity in the first half of the Grand Line.
"It's fine," Zephyr shook his head."I can train the rookies while I'm out on missions."
At last, Garp spoke, his voice carrying a rare trace of fatigue.
"That bastard Roger… even in death, he had to leave us this mess."
"We originally thought this execution would intimidate pirates," Kong exhaled slowly, then turned his gaze toward the man who had remained silent until now.
Gern Reginald Sigmar.
His injuries had already healed. The black blade Eight Desolations rested quietly against the back of his chair. His eyes were closed.
"Gern," Kong said solemnly."What's your take on this? After all, Roger was captured by your own hands."
"The era has already changed, Fleet Admiral Kong," Gern replied as he slowly opened his eyes, a faint, unreadable smile appearing on his lips."Rather than passively defending, it's better to strike first."
"…I see," Kong frowned slightly."Then we'll follow the World Government's lead."
"Follow the World Government?" Sengoku frowned."What do you mean?"
"From today onward," Kong said calmly, his words heavy and decisive,"the Marines will officially recognize the World Government's Seven Warlords of the Sea system."
"Excluding Crocodile and Hawza for now, CP agents will recruit pirates with sufficient strength.They'll be used to restrain pirate forces across the Grand Line."
"When necessary, the Marines may cooperate with them.""And in return—those pirates will be granted legal plundering rights."
The air in the room froze instantly.
"Absurd!"Sakazuki wasn't present at this meeting—so it was Zephyr who stood up, eyes blazing.
"How can the Marines cooperate with pirates?!And that nonsense about 'legal plunder'—how can those words come out of your mouth?!"
"Zephyr." Kong met his gaze without flinching."Extraordinary times require extraordinary measures."
"We must concentrate our strength against the true threats rising from the New World."
"Don't forget—Shiki isn't the only one who lost his mind over Roger.""That man known as the 'Devil's Descendant'—Douglas Bullet—is rampaging across the seas now that he's lost his purpose."
After speaking, Kong exchanged a glance with Sengoku.
A moment later, Sengoku slowly nodded."Zephyr… this proposal is worth considering."
Seeing this, Zephyr snorted coldly—but said nothing further.
Just then, the conference room doors burst open.
An intelligence officer rushed in, face pale.
"Report! Emergency news from the East Blue!"
"One of the Roger Pirates' remnants—a red-nosed apprentice—attacked Loguetown!He attempted to destroy the execution platform, but was stopped!"
"What?!" Kong slammed his hand onto the table and stood.
A strange glint flashed through Gern's eyes as he murmured softly,"So it's begun…"
Sengoku's voice turned icy."An apprentice daring to act like that… then the rest of Roger's remnants…"
"They must be suppressed immediately!We can't allow Roger's 'will' to continue spreading!"
Seizing the moment, Kong decisively finalized the Warlords system on the spot.
"And regarding Bullet—this can't continue.""Given his current strength, we may have to consider direct annihilation—"
"About Bullet…"Gern rose slowly, lifting Eight Desolations with one hand. The bandages wrapped around the scabbard fluttered lightly.
"I'll handle it."
"I've been recuperating for three months," he added calmly."I'm starting to rust."
"…Very well," Kong nodded after a brief pause."I'll leave it to you."
"Understood, Fleet Admiral Kong."
After leaving the conference room, Garp—who had been walking alongside Gern—suddenly spoke.
"You'd already seen all this coming, hadn't you?"
Gern didn't answer. He simply looked toward the distant horizon and spoke softly.
"Vice Admiral Garp… the tide of the new era can no longer be stopped."
"All we can do is carve out a new path for the Marines—within that tide."
"…You little shit, always playing dumb," Garp fell silent for a moment, then grinned."You always think further ahead than anyone else."
At Marineford's harbor, the blare of a warship's horn echoed into the sky.
Soldiers stood in neat formation, watching as two legendary Marines boarded.
"Set sail!" Gern ordered.
The warship slowly departed the harbor, cutting through the waves toward the Grand Line.
The sea wind howled, snapping Gern's Justice coat behind him.
"Vice Admiral Gern… once this mission's over…"Tezolo rubbed his ring, excitement flashing in his eyes."You'll be promoted to Admiral, won't you?"
"Admiral?"Li Bo tilted her head, her fluffy ears twitching lightly."Is that the same position as Instructor Zephyr?"
Gern's hand gently rested atop Li Bo's head, though his gaze never left the horizon.
"Admiral, huh…"A meaningful curve appeared at the corner of his mouth.
"I can take that title anytime.""The real question is—does the World Government dare to give it to me?"
"Vice Admiral Gern…"Tezolo froze at those words.
"Compared to some meaningless rank…" Gern's voice suddenly grew low,"what we truly need right now is power within the Marines."
His eyes swept across the busy soldiers on deck.
"At the end of the day, the Marines themselves are a political battlefield."
"And right now," he continued evenly,"with factions everywhere, you and Li Bo alone are still… too weak."
It was the truth.
Because of the altered timeline—and because Gern refused to recruit from within Marine ranks—his visible faction consisted of only Li Bo.
Others were very different.
Aokiji, Sengoku, and Garp formed the dove faction.Akainu had gathered a group of hawks.Kizaru stood firmly in the middle.
With Kong nearing retirement, the balance of power was shifting.Every faction was maneuvering in the shadows, vying for influence during the coming vacuum.
And now—
Carrying the unparalleled achievement of capturing the Pirate King, this was the perfect moment to establish and expand a faction of his own.
Thinking this, Gern turned to look back at Marineford as it slowly faded into the distance, the rising sun stretching his shadow long across the deck.
"…How fitting," he murmured, his words carried away by the sea wind.
"The bigger the storm… the more valuable the fish."
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