The mood inside Marine HQ was tense. You could cut the pressure with a knife.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku slammed the table with a bang.
"Uchiha Chiyu—this guy's seriously out of control!"
"In just a short time, look at all the chaos he's caused!"
"The Warlord system was created by the World Government to keep the pirate era in check, but now? Two out of seven Warlords—dead, both by his hand!"
"At this rate, the whole system's going to be a joke!"
Sitting off to the side, Garp took a huge bite of his apple and muttered between chews:
"Tch. I always said it was a dumb policy…"
"And the World Government's full of idiots anyway…"
Sengoku shot him a sharp look. "Garp. Watch it."
Garp chuckled. "Oops. Did I say that out loud? My bad, just pretend I didn't."
The room collectively sighed.
Vice Admiral Tsuru let out a quiet sigh.
"Garp might not be wrong. Using pirates to fight pirates was a desperate move. When the Great Pirate Era hit us like a tsunami, the World Government was completely unprepared. Things look worse now, but in reality, we do have the strength to take control. Honestly, the Warlord system… it's starting to feel pretty obsolete."
Surprisingly, the one to disagree was Admiral Akainu.
"I'm not with you on this one."
Everyone turned his way.
"There's nothing wrong with using pirates to wipe out other pirates."
"Let the scum tear each other apart. Better them than us bleeding out on the battlefield."
"If we can use them—stir the pot a little—why not? It saves our own men."
Sengoku gave him a glance and shook his head. He knew exactly how Akainu thought.
People often mistook Akainu as someone who only knew brute force and black-and-white justice. But the truth? Akainu was perfectly willing to use lies, tricks, and mind games to get results.
He was the one who manipulated Squard into stabbing Whitebeard during the Paramount War, after all.
Akainu's view was simple: when it came to evil, anything goes. Ruthlessness was a feature, not a flaw. That's why he actually supported the Warlord system—it weaponized pirates against each other.
Even in canon, when Fujitora wanted to abolish it, Akainu—then Fleet Admiral—was firmly against it.
Aokiji leaned back, legs crossed.
"Well, well… coming from the guy who hates pirates, that's a surprise."
"Sure, letting them kill each other makes sense. But giving them official Navy and Government backing? That lets them run wild. Doesn't really sound like your kind of justice."
Kizaru casually cleaned his ear with a pinky.
"Personally, I don't really care either way… but pirates are pirates."
"Let's not fool ourselves into thinking they'll suddenly behave."
Sengoku barked, "Enough!"
"Until the World Government officially scraps the Warlord system, your personal opinions don't matter!"
"What we need to talk about right now is what the hell we're going to do about Uchiha Chiyu!"
Akainu let out a cold laugh.
"I told you back when he killed CP9 and interfered with the Buster Call—this guy doesn't belong in the Navy."
"But what did we do? Gave him a slap on the wrist. Demotion, a warning. And now?"
"Even after Kuma personally delivered orders from the Government and HQ, Chiyu completely ignored them—and still killed someone, right in front of him!"
"So I'm done giving input. You figure it out."
Sengoku rubbed his temples, exasperated.
Akainu used to be Chiyu's biggest backer—now he was ready to bury him. Typical extremes.
Aokiji smirked.
"Well, if Sakazuki's against him, I'll go ahead and support Chiyu."
"Moria was a mess. He wasn't doing his job as a Warlord—no deterrence, no balance, just holed up somewhere building his own private army."
"Stealing shadows with his Devil Fruit, robbing graves, making zombie and monster troops? The guy was a freak show."
"Honestly, the world's better off without him. Chiyu just sped things up."
Kizaru nodded.
"Yeah… can't say I'll miss Moria either."
Tsuru cut in.
"Even so, there's a difference between HQ stripping Moria of his title and Chiyu just executing him outright."
"Sengoku, we've given Chiyu way too much leeway."
"If this keeps up, the Warlord system is done for. And our reputation—Navy and Government—is going down with it."
"I don't disagree with Chiyu's idea of justice. But not everyone's going to accept it."
Sengoku nodded grimly.
The battlefield had shifted: Akainu wanted Chiyu eliminated out of anger; Tsuru wanted him removed for the sake of stability. Meanwhile, Aokiji and Kizaru—of all people—were supporting him.
The irony wasn't lost on Sengoku.
And Garp? As always, not offering anything useful.
Sengoku turned to the Vice Admirals.
"What about you guys?"
Doberman and the others hesitated, glancing around at each other.
"Well… the truth is, Chiyu's extremely divisive inside the Navy too. Some see him as a loose cannon, someone who undermines laws and structure…"
"But he's also got die-hard supporters."
"Some believe you need to destroy the old to build the new—and that Chiyu isn't just eliminating pirates, but cleaning up internal Navy corruption too."
"If we execute or expel him now, we might trigger unrest within our own ranks."
Akainu scoffed.
"He's just one rookie. Cut him down if needed—no way he could shake the whole Navy."
"Don't give him that much credit."
The Vice Admirals fell silent again.
Sengoku shook his head.
"Sakazuki, don't underestimate him."
"He's gained fame all over the world. People are literally building statues of him, calling him a savior."
"Sure, he's controversial inside our walls. But to the people out there—he is justice."
Akainu snorted.
"The public? What do they know?"
"They just cheer for whoever wins. If Chiyu had died to Crocodile, no one would remember his name."
Sengoku said firmly:
"But he didn't. He killed Crocodile. That's a fact."
"And news of Moria's death is already spreading. Victims of his crimes are celebrating. Even Wano is glad."
"Moria stole the body of Ryuma, their legendary swordsman, and their national treasure—Shusui. They hate him."
Tsuru nodded.
"Seems we all underestimated Chiyu's reach."
"And now that we know, it only makes things harder."
"Sengoku, we've only got two options left…"
"Either we let him stay—or we expel him and make it permanent."
The room went silent.
Everyone understood what she meant.
Half-measures wouldn't cut it. If they kicked Chiyu out but left him alive and adored by the public, he could become the biggest threat the Navy and Government had ever faced.
Sengoku let out a sigh.
"Hard to believe that in just one year, this man has grown to the point where Marine HQ itself doesn't know how to handle him."
Just then, the door swung open.
A heavy, commanding presence entered the room.
Sengoku stood up immediately.
"Commander-in-Chief, sir! You're here?"
The man was none other than Kong, former Fleet Admiral, now Supreme Commander of the entire World Government Military.
He oversaw everything: Navy, CP agencies, Shichibukai, SSG, SWORD, Marine Science Division, Giants, Judiciary units—you name it.
The ultimate authority over all global forces.
All the Admirals and Vice Admirals stood.
Except for Garp—still chewing his apple without a care.
Kong walked straight to Sengoku's seat and sat down. Sengoku respectfully stepped aside.
"You're discussing Uchiha Chiyu, right?"
"Yes."
"That man's certainly stirred up the world… but listen carefully. I'm here with a direct order from the World Government."
"The Warlord system—is not to be abolished."
"At least, not yet."
The room froze.
With that one line, Kong had drawn the line in the sand.
After all, the Marines were still just a branch of the World Government.
Sengoku spoke carefully.
"If that's the case, then we'll have to—"
Kong cut him off.
"No need for extreme action. Here's what we do."
"Publicly announce Moria's crimes."
"Then tell the world that Chiyu was acting under orders from the Navy and the World Government when he killed him."
Sengoku's eyes widened.
That… would solve everything.
Chiyu's actions would be legitimized.
The Navy and Government would save face.
The Warlord system would stay intact.
Only one issue—
It was a lie.
But Sengoku had long since stopped being surprised by such things.
"With all due respect, Commander… that might be hard to sell. Word's already spread—especially from the survivors of the Florian Triangle."
Kong remained calm.
"Doesn't matter. If the Government says it loud enough, plenty of people will believe it. That's all that counts."
Sengoku exhaled, then nodded.
"Then… your final decision?"
Kong spoke with authority:
"Announce to the world the crimes of Crocodile and Gecko Moria."
"Declare that all of Uchiha Chiyu's actions were carried out under Government orders."
"Commend him for it."
"And finally—recruit two new Warlords to fill the empty seats."