The sound of boots against the marble floor echoed with fury.
Sengoku paced circles in Marineford's war room, hands clenched behind his back, his Fleet Admiral cape swirling with his rapid movements. The walls vibrated with rising tension, as if even the fortress's metal despised the silence of absences.
"Those damned… those two…!"
He slammed his fist on the table.
The tactical map of Marineford shuddered. Miniatures of ships and detachments wobbled before settling back into place.
"Two Shichibukai. Two! Vanished before the greatest naval battle of our generation!"
His voice cut through the air like muffled thunder.
"Blackbeard, missing since he turned over Ace. No response. No sign of movement."
A step forward. His hands slid over the communication panel's controls.
"And Riser… that damned Riser! Not even the long-range Den Den Mushi can track him!"
A shrill sound of failed transmission answered from the other side. The communication mirror displayed a white distortion where Riser's signal should have been.
"It's as if he's evaporated from existence! And this is the man the Government trusted as a force of balance?!"
Sengoku gritted his teeth, his eyes blazing beneath his white cap.
"Two men who were supposed to be here to maintain the balance of this war! Two names! And both—"
His voice choked for a moment, his fist trembling.
"—ignore our orders as if the title of Shichibukai means nothing!"
He turned, facing the officers gathered in the hall.
"Kuma is at the front. Mihawk has taken his position. Doflamingo is on his way. Hancock… Hancock is at least coming."
The next words came through clenched teeth.
"And Riser and Blackbeard… lost at sea like ghosts."
Sengoku turned to the massive window of the headquarters. Beyond it, the sea churned with the first movements of Whitebeard's fleet.
"The enemy marches. And our allies abandon us."
Silence fell like stone.
Garp, leaning against one of the pillars, didn't say a word.
Shadow partially cloaked him, but his gaze was steady, fixed on the horizon where Ace's prison stood.
His face stern. Jaw locked. Arms crossed over his chest.
Sengoku turned to him, anger still dripping from every syllable.
"Garp!"
No response.
"GARP!"
The old marine raised his eyes slightly. His expression unchanged.
Sengoku took a step toward him.
"You heard everything I said?"
"I heard."
Garp's voice was calm. Unhurried.
"Then why haven't you said anything?"
Garp looked at the floor for a moment, then at the closed door of the hall. The image of Ace, chained in his cell, hit his mind like a silent punch.
'Maybe because there's nothing to say.'
'You want me here as a Vice Admiral. And that's what I am. But inside…'
'I'm just an old grandfather, watching his grandson walk to the gallows.'
He closed his eyes briefly.
'Hating every step.'
'I laughed too loud when he was small. Hit too hard when he started defying the world. Believed he'd survive anything—like his brother, like his father. Like me.'
'But now… he's going to die. Under the flag I served. By the hands I helped raise.'
'They call me a hero. But… what kind of hero can't save his own family?'
A metallic clank cut through the room. It was the Den Den Mushi in alert mode—another failed attempt to contact the missing Shichibukai.
Sengoku turned away, impatient, ignoring Garp's fixed gaze on the horizon.
"Garp, we're going to war. If Blackbeard has betrayed us and Riser… if Riser's gone for his own reasons, we'll have to adjust our formation."
No response.
"You'll have to choose. Your title as Vice Admiral demands it."
Garp's hand tightened into a fist.
'My duty demands. My heart bleeds.'
'I failed as a grandfather. Maybe I tried too hard to hide who he was. Maybe I stayed silent when I should've shouted. But if there's one thing I can still do—'
'—it's play my part in the game. And bear the weight.'
'Because if I can't endure this pain… who else can?'
Sengoku turned again.
"You'll hold the eastern flank?"
Garp took a deep breath.
"Yes."
"Can you do it without hesitation?"
"Yes."
'Not as a grandfather. But as a Vice Admiral.'
'He's going to die… and the world will applaud. But I… I'll endure.'
'Because I'm Garp. The fist of justice.'
'Even when it tears my heart in two.'
---
The ship's sway was gentle, almost imperceptible. The sails, swollen with wind, propelled the vessel with the precision of a silent arrow. The Marine fleet advanced like a procession of white steel across the sea.
In one of the most luxurious cabins, Hancock stood alone.
Morning light invaded the room in faint streaks, reflected by the circular bronze windows. The polished wooden floor absorbed the sound of her soft, barefoot steps.
She had paced the room seven times. Now she stood by the bed, her eyes fixed on the mirror built into the wardrobe.
The ceremonial dress was neatly folded. Her hair hung loose, falling like dark veils over her bare shoulders. But her eyes—they seemed distant, tinged with something deeper than anxiety.
"Riser-sama…"
She whispered the name like calling a beloved ghost.
'Is he watching? Thinking of me?'
She sat with elegance, fingers interlaced over her lap. The sound of distant gulls mingled with the faint creak of wood. The cabin was luxurious, yet… empty.
She had refused companions, maids, or guards. She wanted solitude. She wanted the silence to answer the questions no one dared ask.
'I am the empress. But when I'm far from him… everything feels… shallow.'
Her fingers tightened on the fabric of her dress.
'Marineford. They think they'll use me. Display me to the world as a tamed queen.'
She bit her lower lip.
'But what they don't know… is that the serpent already has a master.'
The candle on the table flickered, for no apparent reason.
She raised her eyes, feeling a faint pressure in the air.
And then—FWOOSH.
Reality twisted like fabric pulled from within. A circle of lilac light opened in the corner of the cabin. Silent. Clean. Magical.
Merlin emerged from the portal with the grace of an invoked legend.
Her cape floated around her, her boots touching the floor without sound. Her eyes glowed with enchanted light, and her hands were relaxed, as if the environment posed no threat.
Hancock's eyes widened, but she didn't recoil.
"You…"
Merlin kept her tone calm, her voice precise as a sheathed blade.
"Riser-sama sent me."
The words were enough.
Hancock's body relaxed instantly. Her legs gave slightly, and her face lit up with something between relief and pure devotion.
"He… thought of me?"
"He's watching. Always."
Hancock covered her mouth for a moment, her eyes glistening. Her heart raced, her thoughts tangling like sheets tossed after dawn.
"He… hasn't forgotten me?"
"Never."
Merlin took a step forward but kept a respectful distance.
"My presence here is to ensure everything goes as planned. Your safety, your image, and your ascension. All have been considered."
Hancock pressed her fingers to her chest.
"You… will fight by my side?"
"I'll be close. Invisible to the world's eyes, but present. Only you will know."
She swallowed hard, her face slowly flushing.
"Does he… know what this means to me? Being in Marineford?"
"Yes."
The answer was direct.
"He knows you're not going to represent the Government. You're going as the spark. As the start of a new era. And at its end… you will be crowned."
Hancock's body trembled with certainty.
"Yonkou…"
Merlin nodded.
"A true empress, recognized not by tradition, but by dominance. By blood and by fear."
Hancock let out a soft laugh, the sound escaping between her hands.
"I always wanted the world's throne… but now all I want is for him to see me on it."
"He will."
"Will he smile?"
"Not outwardly."
Merlin crossed her arms.
"But inside… he already considers it inevitable. As if your ascension has already happened."
The empress stood.
Her body now held firmness, as if Merlin's presence had reinforced her convictions.
"You… will accompany me to the scaffold?"
"Until just before."
"Will_you see him?"
"Soon."
"Can you say something?"
"Of course."
Hancock stepped closer. Her eyes shone. Her words came like blood oaths.
"When he looks at me during the execution… when his eyes meet mine…"
She took a deep breath.
"…I want him to see pride. Not pain. Not hesitation. Only pride. And desire."
Merlin didn't smile.
But her eyes said everything.
"So it will be."
"Then… stay invisible. Stay by my side."
Hancock turned to the mirror.
"But when he looks at me… ensure nothing stops him from seeing me fully."
FWOOSH.
Merlin vanished.
But the scent of mana lingered.
The silence returned, but it no longer weighed as before.
Outside, the sound of marines preparing cannons mingled with the wind.
The world marched.
But Hancock… smiled.
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