Far away, atop the Red Line at Mariejois...
A chilling report reached the ears of Kong, the Fleet Admiral. After receiving the dire news from Dalmatian and other Marine Vice Admirals, who had raced from Marineford to Mariejois to inform him, he learned of the devastating blow. The plan was for these Vice Admirals to proceed directly to the New World's G-5 fortress, allowing Garp to join Kong on the front lines. But now, all plans were in disarray.
Kong felt his world tilt, almost collapsing. "Crane, what did you just say?" he gritted out, disbelief etched on his face. "A 50,000-strong elite expeditionary fleet was assembled, and it's almost completely wiped out? Not to mention the loss of countless top-tier generals..." He paused, his voice barely a whisper.
"And even Sengoku, the Headquarters Admiral commanding this fleet, along with Aokiji and Kizaru, two powerful Vice Admirals who are strong contenders for Admiral positions—are they all missing in action?"
"Yes, I'm truly sorry, Marshal Kong," replied Vice Admiral Tsuru through the Phone Bug, her voice faint. "We made a grave miscalculation; we utterly underestimated the Big Mom Pirates. The Marines have been defeated!" Her voice dropped lower.
"I've just received a report from Headquarters. The Life Cards of several senior Marine generals, including Borsalino and 'Flying Bug' Oakes Ferry, have burned to ash. Only a few, like Sakazuki and Dalmatian, managed to escape by submarine, diving deep to evade the Big Mom Pirates' pursuit. As for Sengoku, Aokiji, and the others, I fear the worst."
"What!?" Kong reeled, his vision blurring, almost falling to the ground. A metallic taste filled his mouth, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Marshal Kong!" the surrounding Marines cried out, their faces pale with panic. Even World Government officials rushed over, alarmed by the scene.
"It's over, it's all over... hahaha..." Kong pushed away his adjutant's supporting hand, a bitter, hollow laugh escaping him. He staggered, his eyes bloodshot, staring at the opulent Pangaea Castle. "This is the war you old masters wanted!" he roared, his voice hoarse. "The Marine expeditionary fleet, comprised of most of the Grand Line's fighting power, sent to attack the Big Mom Pirates, is completely annihilated! Even the fate of the sole Marine Admiral at Headquarters is uncertain! What does the Marine have left to maintain order in the seas?"
"What!?"
"The expedition fleet failed?"
"Annihilated? Are you serious?"
"That was 50,000 elites... Are the Big Mom Pirates truly that powerful?"
The news sent a shockwave through the Marines and World Government officials. Their expressions shifted dramatically from disbelief to cold sweat, a creeping unease, and fear. Some Cipher Pol officials, drenched in sweat, frantically yelled, "Quick, report to the Five Elders!"
Less than half an hour later, inside the power room of Pangaea Castle, a magnificent, church-style hall...
The Five Elders, usually the picture of serene composure, had completely lost their calm. Their faces were ashen, a mixture of fear and fury. They stared at Kong, who now looked utterly lifeless, all his usual vigor gone. Where was the spirited Fleet Admiral they knew? Their hearts sank.
"Kong, is this true?" the Five Elders with the white beard demanded, his voice grim. "How could a man as powerful as 'Buddha' Sengoku suddenly..."
The Five Elders in the flat hat and dreadlocks, leaning on his cane, scrutinized Kong. "It feels like a cruel joke on us... You know, not only is 'Buddha' Sengoku the highest combat power at Headquarters, but Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru are all 'monsters' qualified to be Admirals. Add to that over 50,000 elite Marines forming an expeditionary fleet..."
The blonde Five Elders frowned, still struggling to believe it. "Isn't that kind of power enough to conquer the entire sea? Do the mere Big Mom Pirates truly possess such strength?"
"No matter how monstrous Big Mom is, it's impossible for her to fight against the highest combat power of two Headquarters Admirals at the same time, right?" the bald Five Elders muttered, his face grim. "Otherwise, the 'World's Strongest Man' wouldn't be Whitebeard; it would be that woman..."
The five men who wielded the highest power in the World Government could no longer maintain their composure. Bewildered, enraged, puzzled, disturbed—they fixed their gazes on the Marine Marshal, waiting for his response.
"We underestimated a man..." Kong said, struggling to regain his composure despite his deep depression. He took a deep breath, looking at the Five Elders whose expressions ranged from shock to anger. "From the very beginning, you shouldn't have ordered an attack on the Big Mom Pirates."
"Charlotte Wilhelm..." He clenched his fists, his teeth gritted. "That man's ability is simply incomprehensible, unbelievable—it defies common sense!"
"And according to Akainu's report, Marine's think tank, Tsuru, previously analyzed that he most likely possesses more than one ability..."
"What!?"
"How is that possible?"
"A person can only have one Devil Fruit ability; that's common knowledge in the sea!"
The Five Elders changed color, some unable to believe their ears. Everyone in this world knew that a person could only eat one Devil Fruit. Anyone foolish enough to try and consume two would simply die from the conflict between the two "demons" within their body. How could one person possess more than two abilities?
"Don't ask me; we don't know the specific situation..." Kong, having lost trusted comrades and with the Marines suffering an unprecedented, significant defeat, harbored immense dissatisfaction with the Five Elders for ordering the fleet deep into the New World to attack the Big Mom Pirates.
Although, after receiving their irresistible order, he had inevitably harbored ambitions of his own, hoping to completely crush the Big Mom Pirates and thus restore the Marines' standing in the New World. He raked a hand through his mohawk, suppressing his exhaustion and irritation towards the Five Elders. "In short, he transferred the massive fleet into a different dimension without even being seen. Even Sengoku, the Headquarters Admiral, was inadvertently trapped, and his fate remains uncertain!"
"According to Akainu's description, and Tsuru's analysis using the Devil Fruit Illustrated Book, that strange dimension is similar to the pocket dimension created by the Paramecia Door-Door Fruit. Therefore, it's speculated that he most likely stole the Paramecia Door-Door Fruit ability from the World Government!"
Kong held nothing back. Suppressing his anger and the depression in his heart, he relayed every piece of information he knew. "Furthermore, in addition to the indiscriminate killing of criminals in Impel Down, and the former chief guard Shiryu of the Rain, who defected after obtaining the Clear-Clear Fruit ability, his subordinates also recruited several incredibly strong individuals. They teamed up to hold back Aokiji..."
"While Akainu barely managed to block Charlotte Linlin's natural monstrous power, he was spread too thin. Unexpectedly, Charlotte Katakuri, the second son of the Charlotte Family, doesn't have the Paramecia Mochi-Mochi Fruit ability mentioned in our intelligence. He's actually a top-tier Logia Air-Air Fruit user..."
"He teamed up with Charlotte Wilhelm to completely overwhelm Kizaru, who possesses the Logia Glint-Glint Fruit ability, severely damaging him and directly overturning the balance of power between our high-level combatants! Moreover, according to Akainu's speculation, the Big Mom Pirates likely have someone who can manipulate lightning, capable of conjuring a massive thundercloud and crushing it from high altitude, turning tens of thousands of elite Marine troops into ash!"
Listening to Kong's report, the Five Elders gasped, their faces paling further. They could no longer sit still.