"The Five Elders? So what if they came?" Neptune snorted coldly. "Are they really going to publicly execute the King and Queen of Ryugu Kingdom in front of so many nations and the Marines?"
"Well... that's hard to say." Garp scratched his head helplessly, making circles near his temple.
"Those Five Elders might be suffering from senility—not quite right in the head."
"Then will the Marines stand by and watch? Will you, Garp, stand by? Will Michael stand by?"
"Of course not!" Garp laughed heartily. "In fact, Michael would probably go out of his way to protect you, just to spite the Five Elders."
"Then that settles it." Neptune shrugged. "Let's hurry. I've been longing to see the legendary Marine Headquarters for ages."
Accompanied by Garp, Neptune and Queen Otohime proceeded toward the interior of Marineford.
Meanwhile, Jinbei waved his hand, and the group of merfolk and fishman Marine soldiers behind him marched forward with proud, imposing strides.
The Marine soldiers gasped in awe.
Ever since the tripartite cooperation with Fishman Island began, many merfolk and fishmen had joined the Marines.
But among them, strength varied.
The soldiers following Jinbe were once elite warriors of Ryugu Kingdom.
Their towering, muscular frames alone surpassed those of ordinary Marine officers.
But before the amazement could linger, another massive ship—resembling a small island—approached Marineford's harbor.
The Marine lieutenant in charge of harbor security wiped his sweat.
Thankfully, many warships had been dispatched for patrols today; otherwise, there wouldn't have been space for this behemoth.
"Huh? This ship... are we just letting them dock directly?"
"You're new to this post, so you wouldn't know." The lieutenant shook his head. "This enormous vessel is pieced together from multiple medium and small Transponder Snail Ships—the exclusive fleet of Germa Kingdom."
"Germa Kingdom... you mean the legendary Germa 66?"
"That's ancient history! Nowadays, Germa Kingdom is a major ally of the Marines... Their Transponder Snail technology has been shared with us. The shipyards are already redesigning blueprints—soon, we'll have warships like these too. And..."
"And?"
"And after a coup, the former Vinsmoke Family was wiped out. The current royal family bears the surname of the former queen consort—Angel D. Also..." The lieutenant glanced around as if sharing juicy gossip.
"This former queen consort—now queen regnant—of Germa Kingdom is none other than our very own Vice Admiral Michael's elder sister."
"What!? So... Vice Admiral Michael is now a royalty too?"
"Theoretically, that's the case, but Vice Admiral Michael had no choice... He intervened in a country's coup and ended up becoming royalty himself."
As the marines were gossiping about Michael, the one-tenth-sized "Saint Germain" had already docked.
But those disembarking weren't just Angel D. Sora, the Queen of Germa, and her children.
There was also King Cobra of Alabasta and his wife, Titi.
"My, my, we really owe you this time, Queen Sora," Cobra said with a smile.
"I was actually considering taking the elevator at the Red Line..."
"As neighboring nations supporting each other, this is merely a small favor," Sora replied, smiling.
"And as Michael's elder sister, giving his friends a ride is only natural... There's no need for formal titles between us—first names will do."
Cobra nodded with a chuckle.
Meanwhile, Titi was cradling the sleeping Vivi in her arms.
The rowdy children, led by Reiju, gathered around, curiously eyeing the tiny infant.
"This little girl is so... lifeless," Yonji remarked after stretching his neck for a closer look, quickly losing interest.
"Yonji, are you brain-dead? She's a baby—how energetic do you expect her to be?" Sanji snapped, glaring at him.
"Ahem, you lot have no room to talk... You were all excessively lively back in the day!"
Sora affectionately ruffled her children's multicolored heads, then laughed at their identical curly eyebrows.
"Let's not stand around here. If we linger any longer, we'll just be inconveniencing the marines... You all want to see your uncle soon, don't you?"
The kids nodded eagerly.
But now, the five Germa siblings preferred spending time with their friends over their uncle.
Stepping onto Marineford's soil felt as familiar as returning home...
To be precise, ever since they began their education and training here, they'd spent far more time in Marineford than in the Germa Kingdom.
After all, the Germa Kingdom was so small—there wasn't much for a group of hyperactive children to do.
But Marineford was different.
The marines were all talented and great conversationalists—they absolutely loved it here.
After getting directions from a helpful marine, they finally learned the exact location of the promotion ceremony.
Amid laughter and chatter, they headed there.
With their mother and the Alabasta royals off meeting with high-ranking marines, the kids were free to run wild.
A quick glance around, and they instantly spotted their friends...
How did they manage that?
"Jack! Even in Marineford, your height puts you near the top of the list, hahaha!"
"Reiju! Ichiji! Niji! Sanji! Yonji!" Jack's fearsome face lit up with a childlike grin.
"You're here at Marineford too!"
Jack started to stand but suddenly hesitated and sat back down.
"Huh? You usually jump around excitedly when you see us. Why so subdued this time?"
"Actually... you seem kinda scared?"
"Jack, that reckless fool, can actually make such an expression?"
When they followed Jack's timid gaze, they too felt a chill run straight up their spines.
It turned out it wasn't just Jack—all the minors present were sitting obediently in their chairs, looking equally subdued.
The Boa sisters, young Nojiko and Nami, and the three brothers Ace, Luffy, and Sabo…
And beside them sat the one who perfectly suppressed these unruly kids.
She lifted her head, revealing a youthful face framed by platinum-blonde hair, wearing a gentle, motherly smile.
It was none other than Monkey D. Rouge.
"You little ones came too?"
"Don't run around in a place like this, okay?"
Instantly, even the most rebellious Yonji adopted the demeanor of a well-behaved child.
Conqueror's Haki Specialized for Minors… The suppression of motherhood!