Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Inside the conference hall, the decision to deploy troops was already made.
But the debate raged on—how far should they go?
The doves argued for a measured response: fight, but only enough to save face. If they tore off this fragile mask and exposed headquarters' weakness, pirates everywhere would go wild. The consequences would be unimaginable.
The hawks, on the other hand, demanded an all-out battle. If one strike wasn't enough to make the pirates bleed, then strike again. If they could kill Golden Lion—two great pirates falling in quick succession—the rest would surely fall in line.
Both sides dug in, refusing to yield.
Fleet Admiral Kong rubbed his aching temples. Both arguments made sense. Fight? Or fight to the bitter end?
Just then, his aide hurried in and whispered something in his ear. Kong's eyes lit up. He thought for a moment.
BANG!
He slammed his hand on the table.
"All right, enough! Quiet!"
"This time, we'll dispatch five warships—a symbolic warning to Golden Lion."
"Sakazuki will lead the operation."
"Sakazuki, step outside with me."
With that, he strode out of the hall.
Sakazuki raised an eyebrow and followed.
Inside, the two factions exchanged uneasy glances.
Five warships? That was clearly for show—they didn't want to reveal how weak headquarters really was.
But sending Sakazuki to lead… That was another story. Everyone knew Sakazuki hunted pirates like a madman.
—
Fleet Admiral's Office.
Sakazuki followed Kong in and sat on the sofa.
Kong looked at him.
"Do you know why I arranged things this way?"
Sakazuki thought for a few seconds… then shook his head.
Kong grinned.
"We've found Sengoku. He's on his way back with Garp."
"I told them to stay out of sight for now."
"When you reach the Red Line, it'll be evening. The fleet will anchor overnight."
"Since Golden Lion dares to test us, he must've gotten some inside information."
"I'll arrange for someone to coordinate with you—Sengoku and Garp will sneak aboard the fleet."
"On the surface, it'll look like you're leading just five warships against Golden Lion."
"But Golden Lion will never suspect Sengoku and Garp are hiding on board."
Kong couldn't help but laugh. Sakazuki cracked a rare smile too.
The two exchanged a knowing look.
—
The New World, Golden Lion's Fleet.
A massive floating island cruised low through the sky, ringed by pirate ships. Their heading: the Red Line.
Inside the grand palace atop the floating island, Golden Lion sat at the head of the table. Pirate captains from every crew lined the sides. After rebuilding with fresh blood, they'd clawed their way back to nearly seventy percent of their strength before the Skagri Sea Battle.
A huge round bowl of sake in hand, Golden Lion drained it in one gulp. The bowl clattered onto the table. He surveyed his men, feeling a surge of wild pride.
A bold captain spoke up, eyeing the boss's overwhelming Haki:
"Boss Shiki, where are we headed?"
Golden Lion grinned, his voice booming:
"No rush. We wait a little longer."
The others, puzzled, could only keep feasting.
Halfway through the banquet, with bellies full, a subordinate burst through the doors.
Golden Lion's eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"What's Marine Headquarters' response?"
The subordinate, barely able to contain his excitement, reported:
"Boss, Marine Headquarters only sent five warships this time. But the leader is Vice Admiral Sakazuki."
At the mention of Sakazuki, even the subordinate shuddered, haunted by memories of that terrifying magma at Skagri.
But Golden Lion threw his head back and roared with laughter:
"Jehahahahaha! Excellent!"
"Go collect your reward."
He turned to his captains, no longer hiding his intentions:
"All right, the banquet's over!"
"Listen up, everyone—what we're about to do will shake the very foundations of the world."
"Get ready!"
"Jehahahahaha!"
His subordinates exchanged nervous glances.
"Boss Shiki, what exactly are we doing?"
Golden Lion's grin widened, his voice dropping to a menacing growl:
"We're going to annihilate—"
"MARINE HEADQUARTERS!"
A stunned silence fell. Even seeking death didn't look like this.
"Boss Shiki, isn't this a bit too reckless? That's Marine Head—"
Golden Lion waved him off.
"No need to worry. I wouldn't do this unless I was absolutely certain."
"That old fossil, Steel Bone Kong, fooled the whole world."
"The Marines are just an empty shell now. Sengoku is missing, Zephyr has retired, and Garp is nowhere to be found."
"The only real strength they've got left is Steel Bone Kong—
And that magma brat, Sakazuki."
"Whitebeard attacked a Marine base and triggered the Skagri Sea Battle. But when I attack a Marine base, they only send five warships and Sakazuki?"
"Doesn't that say it all?"
"The Marines are just a hollow shell now."
"All we have to do is shatter that shell—"
"Throw the world into chaos!"
"And when the world burns—"
"We seize our chance—"
"TO CONQUER THE WORLD!"
"Jehahahahaha!"
His men's eyes began to blaze with fanatic light. No one could deny Golden Lion's talent for rousing hearts.
—
New World—Lana Waters.
This stretch of sea, close to the Red Line, was half a day's sail from G1 base. There were no islands here, just endless ocean.
Hidden beneath thick clouds, Golden Lion's fleet waited.
Several lookouts scanned the waves below with telescopes.
Golden Lion stood at the edge of the floating island, drinking in the sight of the world below.
A subordinate called out:
"Boss Shiki, we've been waiting here for half a day. Who are we waiting for?"
Golden Lion's eyes narrowed.
"This is the only route to the next island."
"We'll ambush and kill that magma brat right here."
"Then cross the Red Line and wipe out Marine Headquarters."
Thinking of that towering magma giant, the subordinate wiped cold sweat.
"Boss, that Sakazuki—he's not going to be easy to handle…"
Golden Lion snorted.
"I've done my homework."
"Last time, that magma brat was so tough because he could draw magma straight from the earth's core—an endless power source."
"But here? Nothing but open sea, not an island in sight."
"His strength will be cut down to size."
"We've got the high ground. As long as we sink their ships and leave him nowhere to stand, he's just a fish on the chopping block."
He paused, then sneered.
At the horizon, five tiny black dots appeared on the sea…
Five warships advanced in a fan formation.
Sakazuki stood at the prow of the lead ship, arms crossed, seemingly gazing at the waves ahead—but in truth, his mind was replaying Sengoku's odd behavior the night before.
Sengoku hadn't given anything away, but Garp seemed to be watching him more closely…
With those two, something was definitely up…
Sakazuki's eyes narrowed in thought.
Suddenly, as if sensing something, he looked up toward the distant sky.
"Golden Lion."
—
High above, Golden Lion watched as the fleet below suddenly shifted formation.
He grinned.
"So, you've noticed."
"Alright, boys! Get ready!"
His men seized their weapons, blades gleaming.
"Yeah!"
Golden Lion swept his right hand forward.
Several small islands plunged toward the warships below.
Then the massive floating island and the pirate ships around it began their own descent.
—
From the lead warship, two colossal magma dragons burst forth, twisting and weaving through the air. They smashed the falling islands aside and charged toward the pirates above.
Golden Lion activated his Devil Fruit power, twin swords in hand. In a flash, he shot toward the magma dragons, blades wrapped in crackling Conqueror's Haki, ready to slice them apart.
But suddenly—a surge of danger exploded in his mind!
He forced himself to halt mid-charge.
The magma dragons seemed to sense his hesitation, veering to his left and right.
And then—
BOOM!
Both magma dragon heads detonated in a spray of molten rock!
There was no time to dodge.
As the smoke cleared, Golden Lion caught sight of two figures.
His hair stood on end. His pupils shrank to pinpricks.
"Someone set me up!!!"
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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