At Marine Headquarters G-1, the massive Fortress of Justice stood tall, with the dove statue symbolizing peace spreading its wings atop the fortress, overlooking the New World.
"Where the hell has that damned Ganzui gone? We can't find any trace of him at all!"
With a loud crash, the teacup on the desk was smashed to pieces by Akainu, who had hurled it to the floor in fury.
His expression was extremely grim as he paced back and forth in his office.
"Could this just be an excuse from Caesar? It's possible Ganzui never even left Tottoland."
Kizaru sat on the sofa, his usual yellow sunglasses replaced by black shades.
Even the yellow-striped suit he had worn his entire life was now swapped for a black shirt and trousers.
Fujitora shook his head. "It shouldn't be. Our intelligence agents stationed in the New World have reported that the forces under the Beast God Pirates have been searching for Ganzui these past few days. It seems like a large-scale operation, and the situation doesn't appear to be fabricated."
"That's strange. Who would provoke Caesar by capturing or killing Ganzui?" Kizaru tapped the armrest of the sofa, lost in thought.
"The key point is, there haven't been any major battles in the New World recently. That Ganzui was able to repel Aramaki, so he's no ordinary pushover. The likelihood of capturing him without a sound is almost zero!"
Akainu felt immensely frustrated.
Ever since Caesar appeared, his tenure as Fleet Admiral had become increasingly unbearable!
Caesar's arrogance, Caesar's recklessness—it all gave him a massive headache!
What frustrated him most was that this bastard Caesar was incredibly powerful!
If Caesar weren't so formidable, Akainu would have long ordered the Admirals to eliminate him.
But now, this arrogant and lawless scoundrel's forces were growing stronger and more expansive by the day!
Not only had former Seven Warlords like Crocodile and Gecko Moria joined the Beast God Pirates...
Even Golden Lion, who had disappeared for over a decade and was presumed dead by the Marines, had inexplicably emerged now.
"Conspiracy! It must be a conspiracy! Who is trying to frame us?!"
Akainu roared inwardly, yet felt a profound sense of powerlessness.
"Where did this Golden Lion come from? Why didn't we in the Marines receive any intelligence about this?" Akainu felt utterly overwhelmed.
No one bore greater pressure than the Fleet Admiral of the Marines in the face of the impending storm.
Under former Fleet Admiral Sengoku's leadership, the annihilation of the Whitebeard Pirates was considered an extraordinary achievement!
Now, during his own tenure, he would face a Yonko crew as well.
However, the scale of this emperor's crew was... slightly larger.
If he failed to withstand this, he would likely go down in Marine history as an eternal sinner!
Kizaru shook his head.
"Who knows? All we know is that Golden Lion appeared in Totto Land alongside Wano Country. It's truly terrifying to think about—that Caesar actually transported the entire Wano Country all the way to Totto Land!
The so-called legend of moving countries was merely about giants relocating small islands. But when it comes to Caesar, he genuinely transported a nation spanning hundreds of miles across thousands of miles!"
"A complete monster, surpassing even Whitebeard! Having such a person in this era is a misfortune for the world and the greatest shackle for the Marines. Sakazuki, if you can defeat him, more than half of the pirates in the New World would vanish in an instant!"
Fujitora, holding his cane-sword, half-closed his eyes and spoke.
Akainu snorted two plumes of smoke from his nostrils and growled, "Do you think I don't want to? Our Marine pride has long been shattered by Caesar! The deaths of Sengoku, Garp, and even Zephyr will forever remain scars on the Marines!"
"What about that bastard Black Horse? Did he run away?"
"No, that guy seems panicked now too. He's probably asking the World Government for reinforcements," Kizaru said nonchalantly.
Akainu snorted heavily. "Reinforcements? Does the CP organization still have top-tier combatants? The World Government has hidden things so deeply—they even managed to subdue those once-dominant great pirates, and we were completely kept in the dark about it."
"No, I suspect the World Government will send a few of the Army's top fighters to assist," Kizaru seemed to know quite a bit.
Akainu wasn't particularly surprised.
Because Kizaru led the Science Unit at headquarters, which was directly linked to the World Government's research institutions.
The Science Unit Kizaru had stationed there would be the first to learn many firsthand pieces of information from the Holy Land.
Still, Kizaru's words surprised Akainu somewhat.
"The Army? Aren't they supposed to guard against the Revolutionary Army?"
Kizaru replied, "I heard the Revolutionary Army has withdrawn from several nations, giving up the territories they seized. Something must have happened. In any case, the Army's situation has eased considerably, and several of their top fighters now have free time."
Akainu nodded.
This would at least increase their chances of victory.
But he still felt uncertain, mainly because the pressure Caesar exerted on him was simply too immense!
Immediately, Akainu asked again, "What about Magellan? Has Vegapunk finished modifying his digestive system? And Aramaki—tell him to return immediately! He shouldn't linger around Hachinosu any longer. That Blackbeard fellow won't listen to us now. Provoking Caesar—I've long said it's unrealistic!"
"Nearly completed," Kizaru nodded.
"Good! Magellan's Venom-Venom Fruit ability is quite effective against high-level combatants! If we can resolve his digestive issues, he'll firmly secure his position as the Poison Dragon Admiral, which will be perfect for dealing with the Beast God Pirates' executives!"
Ever since Ryokugyu retrieved Magellan from Impel Down, he had been brought to the Holy Land Mary Geoise to undergo digestive system modifications by Vegapunk.
The experimental materials for the modifications came from Bartholomew Kuma.
Kuma's physical resilience far surpassed Magellan's, offering significantly greater resistance to venom backlash.
In truth, Vegapunk had wanted to directly transform Magellan into a cyborg.
That way, even excretion would be unnecessary, allowing him to use his abilities without restraint.
However, Magellan couldn't overcome his psychological barriers and thus refused.
...
Holy Land Mary Geoise, Hall of Power.
"Mars, what are your thoughts on this Beast God Pirates matter? Should we report it to Lord Imu?The elderly man dressed in a dark suit and a birthmark on his forehead, was one of the Gorosei and the representative of the Topman family, one of the founding Five Kings.
He was now questioning the Gorosei member in a dark blue suit, with long, straight white hair and a lengthy beard.
This was the representative of the Marcus family, one of the founding Five Kings.
Mars appeared as an elegant, noble elder.
In reality, his family indeed controlled most of the World Government's economic industries and were experts in business.
"Let's report it! Last time, we didn't take this Beast God Caesar seriously enough. Now it seems he's the next Rocks! If he weren't a descendant of the D. clan, we wouldn't have prioritized Blackbeard over him back then!"