Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Early morning.
There were two days left until Sakazuki's promotion, and he was already working inside the Fleet Admiral's office.
Sengoku was there as well, organizing documents and handling the handover.
At that moment, an intelligence officer walked in. Seeing both the former and future Fleet Admirals present, he felt a headache coming on. For a moment, he did not know how to speak.
Sengoku glanced at him and urged, "If there's something, say it."
The officer took a deep breath and said through clenched teeth, "Reporting, Fleet Admiral. Last night, all soldiers stationed at the Sabaody Archipelago branch, including Vice Admiral Demora, were slaughtered by Vice Admiral Enel. After that, troops gathered from various parts of the Grand Line took over the Sabaody branch."
This was exactly why the officer was troubled.
It was obvious this was done under Sakazuki's orders, yet Sengoku would not step down for another two days.
Reporting it meant offending one of them no matter what.
Sengoku froze. "What?"
After reacting, his expression darkened as he looked at the officer.
"You may leave."
The officer let out a breath of relief. "Yes, sir."
He hurried out of the room.
Sengoku took a deep breath and turned to Sakazuki. "Give me an explanation, Sakazuki."
Sakazuki sat at the desk, flipping through documents as he responded casually, "Just cleaning out parasites."
Sengoku stared at him in disbelief.
"Don't tell me every soldier in that base was a parasite."
Sakazuki raised his head. "You're actually right. Under Demora's leadership, not a single soldier in that base had clean hands. Cleaning them out also clears the way for you, Marine Inspector General. You wouldn't want to fight alongside a group of corrupt soldiers who drink and gamble all day, would you?"
At the level of top level officers, even after stepping down, one could not leave the Marines entirely.
A position had to be assigned.
Since Sengoku was retiring as Fleet Admiral, becoming an Admiral was not suitable, and Vice Admiral was even worse.
So a new position was temporarily created.
Inspector General.
Its duty was to supervise high-ranking officers, which suited Sengoku perfectly.
Sengoku frowned slightly. "Hm?"
He was confused. His original plan had been to enjoy retirement, but judging from Sakazuki's tone, that did not seem likely.
Sakazuki put down the file in his hand and opened another one.
"In chaotic times, harsh measures are needed. The curtain on the destruction of pirates has only just been raised. Sealing off the New World is only the first step."
* * *
New World, Egghead Island.
One day remained until Sakazuki's promotion to Fleet Admiral.
The island was unusually quiet.
Enel and Law were both out on missions.
Government agents had also vanished without a trace… no one knew which sharks they had been fed to.
Vegapunk rarely stopped his research, yet now he sat blankly before a massive screen, watching the machines operate.
On a normal day, he would never waste time like this.
After a long while, Vegapunk took out a Den Den Mushi and dialed.
Purururu~ Purururu~
After only two rings, it was answered.
The voice of Dragon, leader of the Revolutionary Army, came through.
"Have you decided? Will you join us?"
Vegapunk smiled faintly. "You're overthinking it, Dragon. Although I agree with your ideals, I still believe Sakazuki is the one who can save this world."
Dragon fell silent for a moment, then replied, "I see… Very well. Then why did you call this time?"
The two had known each other for a long time, even before Dragon was wanted. But they had never interacted much, until that chance meeting at Ohara.
Back then, Vegapunk had been impressed by Dragon's ideals, but he did not dwell on them.
Because he had met Sakazuki much earlier.
Compared to Dragon, Sakazuki's path was more realistic and far more likely to succeed.
And the things here were already impossible for him to abandon…
Vegapunk sighed softly. "This will be the last time I speak with you. Because I realized I made a mistake. When I gave you those weapon blueprints, I didn't think much of it. But as your actions continued, I realized I was wrong.
"I can't guarantee those weapons won't be used against Marine soldiers. That would be a betrayal of the Marines. A betrayal of Sakazuki. And it's something I can't forgive myself for.
"Our relationship and all past communications, I've already confessed everything to Sakazuki. He didn't say anything, but I no longer have the face to see him again."
On the other end, Dragon was silent for a long time.
"I'm sorry…"
After inheriting Robin's knowledge, he had finally begun to value industry and technology. That was why he had asked Vegapunk for advanced weapons.
He never expected there to be such a deep connection between Vegapunk and Sakazuki.
Vegapunk smiled.
"That's all, Dragon. Oh right, tell Kuma to be careful. Goodbye."
Click.
The Den Den Mushi was hung up.
Vegapunk slumped back into his chair and let out a long sigh.
How many friends could one have in a lifetime?
And he had just lost another.
But he could not pretend nothing had happened… the guilt was too heavy.
With a wave of his hand, the distant Devouring Bear walked over.
Vegapunk picked up the special Den Den Mushi on the table and fed it to the bear, crunching it down.
Then he stood up and returned to his endless research, day and night without rest.
* * *
The day of Sakazuki's promotion to Fleet Admiral.
Across the world, marine branches everywhere fell into an unusual silence.
From early morning, all soldiers stood in formation in their branch plazas, waiting for the figure to appear on the giant screens.
On the seas, marine units stood neatly in ranks.
Their faces were filled with excitement as they waited for the video Den Den Mushi to go live.
* * *
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In the plaza, nearly ten thousand soldiers stood in perfect formation. Every face was glowing with excitement.
The person they believed in had finally reached the summit.
That was their faith.
Countless reporters from around the world had arrived early, filling the viewing stands, all to capture the first-hand news.
Across the globe, on islands that Sakazuki had indirectly or directly saved, people gathered in homes with video Den Den Mushi.
Even pirates were watching intently.
* * *
Wano Country, Onigashima.
Kaido lifted his sake gourd, drinking as he looked at the screen.
* * *
Whole Cake Island.
Big Mom sat at a massive table piled with sweets, eating while watching.
* * *
Steam Pirates' base.
Knox sat alone on his throne before the video Den Den Mushi.
* * *
Red Hair Pirates, aboard the Red Force.
Shanks watched with his crew.
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