"What?! Shiki lost?!"
In the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku held the Den Den Mushi, his face filled with shock.
Below him, Garp's hand, which was reaching for a cracker, trembled, spilling crackers all over the floor. A look of disbelief appeared on his face. Sitting opposite them, Vice Admiral Tsuru's eyes also snapped open, clearly stunned by the news.
It took Sengoku a while to regain his composure. He finally managed to say, "Understood." He then continued, "The mission has changed. Secure Port Florent, eliminate the remaining forces of the Garfield Pirates and the Golden Lion Pirates, and help the Dunlite Kingdom unify the entire island of Aznat."
"Furthermore, find out what happened to Shiki. Gather all available intelligence. If he was captured, bring back Shiki himself! If he's dead, bring back his corpse!"
Click.
Sengoku hung up the Den Den Mushi and collapsed into his chair, a pained expression on his face as he rubbed his temples.
"Hey, what on earth happened over there? Shiki lost? No way, did Whitebeard land on the island?" Garp put down his crackers, no longer in the mood to eat. He asked urgently.
"The fleet entered Port Florent and unexpectedly found Elroy, who had traveled a long distance," Sengoku said simply.
"The Garfield Pirates' First Mate, 'Speedster' Elroy," Tsuru immediately recalled his identity. "Shouldn't he be on the battlefield at Fort Respler?"
"Kuzan thought so too. So Sakazuki and Kuzan teamed up and just barely managed to capture him alive. From him, we learned the news that Garfield Caesar died at the hands of Doflamingo and that Shiki was defeated by Aeridar. The Barrid Kingdom and the Garfield Pirates have been completely crushed," Sengoku said, his expression grim.
The turn of events had clearly exceeded his expectations. The news of Shiki's defeat at the hands of Aeridar was particularly hard to believe. It made him regret not going all out to eliminate the man, and instead agreeing to let him become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. It was like raising a tiger to cause trouble for yourself.
"Golden Ring Aeridar!"
Garp and Tsuru exclaimed in shock. They also couldn't believe that the great Shiki had been defeated by a youngster in his twenties. It was unthinkable.
"Wasn't he thoroughly beaten by that man, Redfield, last year? Why has his strength improved so quickly?" Garp asked, bewildered.
Garp knew Shiki's strength very well. Even when he and Sengoku teamed up against him years ago, it took three days of fighting and half of Marineford being destroyed to finally defeat him and lock him up in Impel Down.
So how could Shiki have lost? And so quickly?
In Garp's mind, the positions should have been reversed. Aeridar should have been quickly defeated by Shiki. Why had things turned out this way?
"We're not sure, but according to Elroy's confession, Shiki only arrived in the afternoon and engaged in a fierce battle with Aeridar in the air. However, the battle only lasted about two to three hours. Aeridar appeared alone, with hardly any injuries, carrying Caesar's corpse, while Shiki vanished without a trace, his fate unknown," Sengoku said, his brows tightly furrowed.
"An aerial battle, and it only lasted two or three hours?" Hearing Sengoku's words, Tsuru's brow twitched. She asked, "Garfield Caesar... does he have any connection to Shiki?"
"The Garfield Pirates serve as a channel for the Golden Lion Pirates, supplying them with all sorts of goods: weapons, high-end luxuries like fine wine and cigars, illegal drugs, and laboratory equipment."
Sengoku shared the intelligence he had, adding, "From Elroy, we learned that before the battle, Caesar suspected Doflamingo might team up with Aeridar. Because he couldn't face two opponents at once, he contacted Shiki."
"Caesar's death at Doflamingo's hands is surprising but still within reason. As for how Shiki was defeated, that is what we must figure out now. We also need to order the intelligence department to re-evaluate Chris T. Aeridar's combat power and threat level," Tsuru said, her finger tapping the armrest of her chair, her expression grave.
"That guy, Shiki, lost to a kid? It's unbelievable! I don't believe it. I'm going to go see for myself." At this, Garp was still stuck on the issue of Shiki's defeat. Unable to make sense of it, he stood up, ready to head out and travel to Aznat Island that very night.
"Garp, you fool! Stay right there!" Sengoku shouted, rubbing his aching temples.
"Sengoku, don't stop me. I don't believe that guy Shiki could be defeated by a youngster in his twenties. I have to see it for myself," Garp said, his usual frivolous demeanor gone, replaced by a serious one.
"Borsalino is at the Marine Science Lab and won't be back anytime soon. Zephyr is still experimenting with his new arm and has barely had time to manage the Marine Academy. Right now, only you and I are holding down the fort at Marine Headquarters," Sengoku said solemnly. "If something major happens, do you expect me to go out myself? Or should I send Tsuru?"
Tsuru glanced at Garp but said nothing.
"Ugh..."
Garp, who was at the door, fell silent for a moment before sullenly returning to his seat. No matter how willful or disobedient he was, he knew that the Fleet Admiral, Sengoku, could not be deployed lightly. If the Fleet Admiral himself had to go into the field, it would signal that the Marines were weak and had no one else. If news of that got out, the entire sea would erupt in chaos.
"There must be an inside story we don't know about. The strength of this man, Chris T. Aeridar, must have made a breakthrough. But it's absolutely impossible for his strength to have reached a level comparable to Shiki or the Yonko in just one year."
Wisdom shone in Tsuru's eyes as she continued to analyze, "Let's assume, for example, that Shiki's strength has declined!"
As Tsuru's words fell, both Sengoku and Garp's eyes lit up. This was a distinct possibility!
"Whitebeard has long been on life support. Redfield is also looking for a Devil Fruit to restore his youth. It's normal for Shiki, who is old and has lost both his legs, to have his strength decline. What's more, the ship's wheel on his head might be affecting his fighting ability, don't you think?" Tsuru countered with a question.
"You're right!" Garp exclaimed. "When he cut off his legs to escape Impel Down, even with his ability to fly, he must have been greatly affected."
"If it's as Tsuru analyzed, then it's not impossible for Aeridar, who has made a breakthrough in his strength, to have defeated Shiki!" Sengoku said, his expression grave.
"But we'll need to wait for Sakazuki and Kuzan's detailed investigation."