At Marine Headquarters, Sengoku stood with a grim expression, accompanied by Tsuru, Garp, and Admiral Aokiji, who all wore similar looks.
Before them was a live transmission of the situation in Water 7, broadcast through a Den Den Mushi capable of transmitting video.
Realizing that stopping the Buster Call had become impossible, Sengoku decided to witness everything himself and bear the weight of his men's actions.
It wasn't the first time any of them had been forced to set aside their personal feelings to fulfill their duty—or, in the worst cases, obey the World Government.
Perhaps only Garp had been spared such situations more often than the others, and that was one of the reasons he had refused to become an Admiral.
Because of that decision, they all became witnesses to what happened off the shores of Water 7.
First, they witnessed the sea freezing over with the same speed Aokiji himself could achieve. They could almost feel the cold through the screen as it pierced their hearts.
Second, they witnessed Allen's appearance. His figure, his cape, and his sword reminded them of the style once used by Roger. Was it a tribute? No... Allen was far too proud and egotistical to imitate someone else. It had to be a coincidence. Yet as they looked at him, none of them saw a boy with potential or a young monster. They saw a man standing at the summit of the world—or very close to it.
The cannons were useless, less than raindrops before him, and soon the first Vice Admiral fell with a single strike. At that point, they already knew the unpleasant outcome.
"We were too late..." Sengoku murmured, filled with fury.
"It was my fault... I let him escape twice..." Garp said.
"No, that's not true. Garp, you were the only one who took Allen Walker seriously from the very beginning. But I failed to take your words seriously! Even after seeing his terrifying potential and growth over and over again, I kept treating him like a kid... It was my fault!" Sengoku said.
"No, Sengoku-san. It was my fault," Aokiji said with a serious expression. "I should have fought seriously when I had the chance..."
"Enough, all three of you! This isn't the time to look for someone to blame! We have to save Gion and Doll!" Tsuru shouted. "We can't lose any more Vice Admirals!"
Sengoku immediately contacted Vice Admiral Gion, but a Marine from her ship answered instead. He informed him that Gion and Doll had just rushed toward the battlefield.
"Damn..." Sengoku dropped the Den Den Mushi and stared at the screen.
Once again, Allen defeated Strawberry and Momonga effortlessly. He grabbed one by the neck like a chicken and stepped on the other in complete humiliation.
Not only that, but soon Doll and Gion also appeared on screen.
Seeing this, Garp clenched his fists in anger. Even the usually lazy Aokiji wore a cold expression.
"Damn it..." Tsuru muttered as she watched her younger sister arrive where Allen stood. She wished she could be there, but it was already too late.
"Those two are actually going to fight!" Garp growled.
"No, they have to stop!" Tsuru exclaimed.
They had seen how Allen dealt with the other Vice Admirals, and although it hadn't been confirmed, at least one of them had likely died. He wasn't showing mercy or respect anymore. Perhaps he no longer needed to. No... from the very beginning, Allen's stance toward the Marines had been clear. He didn't deny their necessity in the world, but he despised them for being slaves to the Celestial Dragons dressed in pretty coats.
Allen's Haki erupted across the broadcast. Even without being there in person, they could imagine how absurdly powerful he had become. He had clearly reached the advanced stage and was now capable of attacking with it, yet its range and power were overwhelming.
"I knew it..." Garp said through gritted teeth. "I'm going, Sengoku!"
"No, let me go!" Aokiji requested.
"No!" Sengoku slammed his fist onto the desk.
Everyone in the office wanted to rush to Water 7, but they didn't have that luxury. They had captured Whitebeard's "son," the strongest man in the world.
"If you leave, Whitebeard will attack Marine Headquarters!"
"So we're just going to let Allen Walker go?!" Garp shouted.
"Shut up!" Sengoku grabbed Garp by the collar. "If we divide our forces now, it could lead to the destruction of the entire Navy!"
"I know that!" Garp roared, grabbing Sengoku by the collar in return. "That's why I'll take responsibility and go after Walker myself!"
"You can't!" Sengoku shouted.
"And what about the Vice Admirals? Are we abandoning them?" Tsuru asked, nearly snapping her staff in half from rage.
"Yes!" Sengoku answered.
Garp and Tsuru were about to explode in anger, but drops of blood dripped from Sengoku's clenched fists.
He was the Fleet Admiral. Unlike the impulsive Garp or Tsuru, whose younger sister was in danger, he couldn't afford to let his emotions control him.
Someone had to make the difficult decisions. Someone had to decide whether to abandon every Vice Admiral at Water 7 or risk the entire headquarters. That someone had to be Sengoku, the Fleet Admiral.
"I'm sorry," Garp said, releasing Sengoku.
Silence filled the office. Garp and Tsuru understood they had been unfair to Sengoku.
"It's fine. We all know what Walker does with beautiful women in the Navy. He brings them aboard his ship and tries to convince them to defect. So Gion and Doll will be fine." Sengoku said.
Aokiji and Garp knew those words were meant for Tsuru, but she shook her head.
"Don't underestimate me, Sengoku. I'm fine now. No matter what happens, I won't lose my mind. I'm a Marine, and Gion is too. We both accepted the risks that come with fighting pirates!" Tsuru declared.
The elderly woman didn't say it aloud, but Sengoku's words had calmed her. She knew he was right. There was a high chance Gion and Doll would be fine. But as for the other Vice Admirals and the rest of the Marines... perhaps it was already too late.
....
*Iceburg's POV*
One billion...
That was the amount of money Allen demanded from me to stop the Buster Call—a fortune by anyone's standards. Even for me, as the president of Galley-La and mayor of Water 7, it wasn't an amount I could casually pull from the city's treasury.
Even so, any amount of money was insignificant compared to the lives of everyone in Water 7.
I didn't attempt to evacuate Water 7. It was a risky decision, but I chose to believe in Allen Walker—his strength and his reputation.
So I called Franky, an old friend and the man who possessed the blueprints to Pluton, the weapon everyone desired. Together, we watched the sea from the highest point in the city.
When the warships appeared, I couldn't help feeling nervous. As a master shipwright, I knew exactly how destructive those vessels were.
Yet they became nothing more than wooden and steel toys the moment that young man unleashed his power.
It only took a few minutes...
In that short time, everything was over. The Buster Call had been stopped, and the Vice Admirals had been defeated.
It wasn't a war.
It was a one-sided display of overwhelming power.
Because of that, I understood that the young man's words hadn't been empty. He truly was prepared to stand against the World Government.
Also, looking at the Marine flags in the distance, I can only imagine what would have happened if Allen Walker hadn't been here.
I probably wouldn't have realized anything until it was too late. Of all the people in Water 7... how many would have survived?
I don't know... but one thing became clear to me, something I already knew.
To those who rule the world... our lives are worth nothing.
*End of POV*
....
(One week later)
Allen opened his eyes after a restful night's sleep. As had become customary, there were two women beside him.
Unexpectedly, they weren't Robin, Nami, Kaya, Uta, or any of the other girls in his crew.
Instead, they were a beautiful pink-haired woman and a black-haired girl.
Hina and Tashigi.
If any Marine had seen this, their eyes would have popped out of their sockets. These two Marine women were now sharing a bed with none other than a pirate.
"Good morning," Allen said with a laugh.
Tashigi tried to pretend she was still asleep, but it was useless. The blush on her face gave her away.
She opened her eyes and glared at Allen resentfully.
"Come on, after everything we did last night, you're still going to treat me like the evil pirate who kidnapped you?" he teased.
Tashigi's eyes widened, and she shot upright. She quickly checked her pajamas and her body. Finding nothing unusual, she glared at Allen.
"You're lying!"
Allen's grin turned mischievous.
"Yeah, well, the first time usually doesn't even require a kiss. But don't worry, that'll change."
"Pervert!"
Tashigi jumped out of bed and rushed out of the cabin.
"Don't tease her. She's still in the denial stage," Hina smiled as she opened her eyes.
Unlike Tashigi, the beautiful woman didn't react like a tsundere. Resting her head on Allen's arm like a pillow, she sat up in bed and stretched, allowing Allen to admire the curvy silhouette of her voluptuous figure.
Noticing his gaze, she winked flirtatiously before standing up.
Instead of ordinary pajamas like Tashigi's, she wore a red nightgown.
The woman felt no embarrassment about letting Allen see her like that. She walked toward Allen's private bathroom to take a bath and get ready.
Private bathrooms had been one of the additions the Black Pearl received after its upgrade.
Before entering, Hina paused and looked back at Allen.
"Honestly, I was expecting something completely different when they explained this so-called 'Dual Cultivation.' Hehe."
Hina entered the bathroom after noticing Allen staring at her intensely.
Allen shook his head to clear his mind. Hina had almost seduced him, and unlike the other girls, she actually seemed willing to take the initiative and go even further.
To be clear, Allen still hadn't gone all the way with any of the girls.
The reason their levels had become so high was that, with practice, Allen had learned how to grant them more levels with less effort.
Even the previous night, when Hina and Tashigi leveled up for the first time, Allen had managed to raise both of them straight to Physical Level 10 in one session. The strain had left them completely exhausted, and they had fallen asleep in his bed.
The same had happened with the rest of the girls. A single session was enough to grant them several levels.
Of course, Allen knew that if he ever went all the way with one of them, the results would be even faster.
[Don't worry. I'm sure you're talented, so even your first time will go well~]
"What are you talking about?! That's not it!"
[Really? I thought the reason you hadn't crossed the final line with any of them was that you lacked confidence.]
"Then you're wrong."
Allen felt offended.
He considered himself the perfect man, the pinnacle of the male species. No matter the field, he believed he was the best—a genius, even when it came to pleasing the woman he loved.
"I simply want Nami to be the first! But she's still not ready..."
[Oh, I see. So the King has a favorite concubine~]
"Just leave me alone."
Claiming Allen wasn't tempted whenever he held a mature beauty like Hina or Robin in his arms would be a lie.
Claiming he wasn't affected by Mikita's shameless teasing whenever she leveled up would also be a lie.
He simply believed that, since Nami had been his very first companion, she should also become his first woman.
So Allen had been waiting these past few weeks for her to be ready.
[...]
"What?"
[I'm just surprised. I thought you were a selfish jerk.]
"Tch... I really wish you had a human body so I could spank you."
[That's harassment...]
"Stop copying Kalifa."
[Hehe. By the way, are you really going to keep those Vice Admirals with us?]
Allen smiled.
A week earlier, just as he was about to destroy the Buster Call, Vice Admirals Doll and Gion had arrived at the very last moment.
Seeing him about to kill Momonga and Strawberry, they had seemed ready to fight.
However, Allen erased any hope of victory by releasing his advanced Conqueror's Haki.
As a result, both women realized the overwhelming difference in power.
Faced with that reality, Gion made a decision.
She offered herself as Allen's hostage in exchange for sparing the thousands of Marines participating in the Buster Call.
Allen was surprised. He laughed and accepted, though he still declared that he wouldn't spare Momonga and the other Vice Admirals.
Upon hearing that, Doll raised her hands with a sigh and offered herself as a hostage as well.
A dramatic scene followed in which Momonga was prepared to take his own life rather than allow Doll to "sacrifice" herself.
Allen simply knocked him unconscious with a single blow before he could do anything foolish.
Watching a Vice Admiral get knocked out with a slap filled everyone with disbelief. Even Doll and Gion were stunned.
They were both stronger than an average Vice Admiral, yet neither of them could imagine knocking one unconscious so effortlessly.
That only strengthened their resolve, and both women surrendered.
However, the expressions on their faces when they learned Allen had never intended to kill all the Marines—and only planned to destroy the warships—were priceless.
After that, the rest of the story was simple.
The Marines returned with their tails between their legs.
Allen hunted down Spandam and killed him for his actions.
CP9 was dismantled, while Kaku and Blueno, the last remaining members, managed to escape.
The Water Capital "Water 7" was saved, Iceburg paid Allen his reward, and Kalifa, Doll, and Gion became the new hostages aboard the Black Pearl.
Allen laughed. "Now that Hina and Tashigi are part of the crew, it's nice to have some new hostages."
[Future wives.*]
"Hey, I'm not a pervert."
[Sure. -_-]
Allen continued arguing with Lenalee for a while longer before finally getting out of bed.
....
In the dining room, the crew was enjoying a peaceful breakfast alongside Gion, Doll, and Kalifa.
Kalifa ate with a depressed expression.
Doll only drank coffee, her cold gaze fixed on Allen.
Allen merely laughed. This woman was another Tashigi, only stronger.
Gion, on the other hand, was cordial. She had even offered to help Nojiko with the cooking.
"So, what's your plan, Walker?" Doll asked suspiciously.
"Plan?" Allen raised an eyebrow while eating a piece of pie that Mikita fed him.
"Don't play dumb!" Doll slammed the table. "You hid all your strength just so you could make your move!"
What is this woman talking about?
"I don't know what kind of imagination you have, but that's not what happened. I simply became strong very quickly, and now I'm just this strong."
Doll clenched her teeth.
She couldn't believe those words. Growing quickly was one thing, but no one in the world—or in history—could go from being a nobody to Pirate King level in just two months.
"As for my plan, for now we're heading to Sabaody and... I'll figure out the rest later," Allen smiled.
Doll didn't buy it, but she knew she wouldn't get information out of him so easily.
"She's just like Tashigi-chan," Robin remarked with amusement.
Tashigi blushed.
At first, she had believed Allen was evil incarnate and that every single thing he did was part of some wicked or perverted scheme.
But over time, she realized Allen was much simpler than he appeared, and many times he didn't even plan what he was about to do.
"One more thing," Allen said to Doll, who looked ready to explode. "There's a misunderstanding. My enemy isn't the Navy..."
"No?" Gion asked.
"No. My enemy is those who can order an entire kingdom or island full of innocent people destroyed without feeling even the slightest remorse."
Doll, Gion, and even Kalifa widened their eyes.
Allen's smile turned mocking.
"You people are unbelievably hypocritical. You wear your coats of justice, come here declaring me the embodiment of evil, and yet the only thing I did was save Water 7 from destruction."
None of the three women could argue against that.
Uta scoffed.
"You didn't save decent people by sacrificing yourselves. You saved mass murderers."
"No!" Doll shouted.
Mikita looked at her coldly.
"Oh? Then how about we ask the ordinary people of Water 7 what they think?"
Doll gritted her teeth, Gion gripped her own arm, and Kalifa lowered her head.
Over the past few days, they had accompanied Allen throughout Water 7, and everywhere they went they were met with hostile, hateful stares.
Iceburg wasn't a saint, nor did he have any intention of covering for the Navy.
He had openly told the people that the Marines had come to destroy Water 7, and that it was Allen Walker who had saved them.
They were the villains.
Allen shook his head.
"Let's drop the subject and get ready to set sail. We'll have to pass through the Florian Triangle before reaching Sabaody—the gateway to the New World!" Allen declared, lifting everyone's spirits.
They were close to finishing the first half of the Grand Line, an achievement for any pirate since most died long before reaching that point.
"Sabaody... and then the New World! For most people, it's an adventure; for us, it's an opportunity to shine and let everyone bask in my glory and behold my perfection!" Allen declared with a fearless grin. "And while we're at it, let's go kick some of those sons of bitches' asses!"
Although his true enemies were the Celestial Dragons, he certainly wouldn't mind teaching the Yonko who the real King was.
====
A/N: Is Allen a gentleman, or is he just an excuse so we don't have to skip the R-18 scenes during the time skips? We'll never know
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