Marineford, Marine Headquarters!
A battleship slowly sailed into the Marine Headquarters harbor.
From a distance, you could already see the massive structures of Marine Headquarters, grand and majestic.
Even from the harbor, the towering fortress wall at the center of the stronghold was clearly visible—no one knew how high it truly was.
From this vantage point, the two large characters for "Marine" were plainly visible.
They were carved into the wall, solemn and imposing.
Atop this lofty wall stood several ancient-styled buildings. Together, they created a truly awe-inspiring sight.
Four tall watchtowers stood surrounding the area.
On each watchtower flew a Marine flag, guarding the headquarters.
Beyond that was a sprawling network of town-like buildings.
Though not as stately as the central structure, these buildings brought a touch of civilian life to the otherwise solemn base forming the one-of-a-kind Marine Headquarters.
"So this is Marineford?!"
The soldiers from across the four seas, upon witnessing the full view of Marine Headquarters, were utterly shocked. Compared to this place, their branch bases were nothing more than tiny courtyards.
Rear Admiral Wells noticed the expressions on the soldiers' faces and gave a small smile.
After all, he too had risen from a branch in the four seas. The first time he laid eyes on Marineford, he wore the exact same expression.
As the battleship docked, Rear Admiral Wells spoke:
"Everyone, gather your belongings and prepare to disembark."
Sakazuki followed the group as they got off the ship.
All along the way, there were many Marine soldiers within the headquarters, yet everything remained orderly.
They followed the main group to a large open plaza.
This plaza was vast—enough for tens of thousands of people to train simultaneously, and it was divided into several sections.
In some of the sections, numerous Marine soldiers were already training.
Sakazuki's group was led to one section, where many others had already gathered.
Most were dressed in standard Marine uniforms, while some wore their own civilian clothes.
According to Marine regulations, officers ranked Ensign and above were allowed to wear the standard uniform with a "Justice" coat on top.
Officers ranked Commander and above could pair the "Justice" coat with civilian attire.
Sakazuki had been promoted to Commander a year ago, but having grown used to the uniform, he had never switched.
These people were clearly elite soldiers gathered from around the world.
Wells walked over to a few other officers, who also wore Rear Admiral rank.
Several officers in Marine "Justice" coats smiled and said to Wells:
"Wells, you're really slow—we've been waiting for a while now."
"....."
"....."
...
On the other side, not long after Sakazuki and the others had lined up, a group of officers approached.
Leading the group were two tall, brawny men dressed in white suits with "Justice" coats draped over their shoulders.
One had purple hair, the other black. They were laughing heartily.
"Vice Admiral Zephyr, Vice Admiral Garp."
The moment they appeared, Wells and the other officers, as well as the surrounding Marines, all respectfully called out.
"Zephyr... and Garp."
Sakazuki's pupils contracted as he stared at the two, shaken to his core.
Even though he had mentally prepared himself, seeing them in person highlighted the massive gap in strength.
These were truly the top powerhouses of the world.
(Note: The current year is 1482 of the Sea Calendar. Garp and Roger defeated Rocks in 1484. So while this may not be their peak in power, they are still among the top combat forces in the world.)
Although shocked by their strength, Sakazuki did not agree with their ideologies.
One stood for idealistic justice—
After his wife and child were brutally killed by pirates, he underwent a drastic personality shift and came to despise pirates.
His students were slaughtered, and the higher-ups' decisions eventually drove him into extremism and destruction.
The other stood for carefree justice—
Though hailed as a hero of the Marines, he acted on personal whim.
His attitude toward Roger at the time could only be described as enabling evil.
Roger had destroyed an entire nation's army just because someone insulted his crew.
(T/N: Wiki: According to Monkey D. Garp, even though the whole world hated him, his crewmates trusted Roger completely. He had also destroyed the military force of one country for insulting his crew.)
In Garp's memories, Roger was described as a savage demon—yet Garp still considered him a friend.
After Roger's death, Garp's ideology shifted to one that saw peace as merely the absence of bloodshed.
Standing at the front of the formation, Zephyr spoke:
"For the next week, Garp and I will be conducting your assessment."
"After one week, we will choose the most outstanding among you to undergo three years of elite training."
"Your daily performance will be observed and recorded by assigned personnel."
"Only those with the highest overall qualities will be selected."
"You are the future of the Marines."
"But how far you go depends entirely on yourselves."
"Understood?"
The Marines, faces full of excitement, responded in unison:
"Understood!!!!"
Sometimes, a bit of adrenaline goes a long way...
Zephyr nodded with satisfaction and continued sternly:
"I haven't looked at any of your files because, no matter who you were before—"
"Whether you're exceptionally gifted or have outstanding achievements—"
"Now that you're here—"
"You only have one identity."
"A Marine recruit."
"And Garp, I, and the officers behind us will be your instructors."
"Your only tasks: start from scratch and obey absolutely."
"Understood?"
"Understood!!!!"
A neat and unified response. Obedience to orders was a basic requirement for any soldier.
To everyone present, this was no problem.
"Good. Your first lesson today is about justice."
"Justice—just two simple words."
"But it is the belief that all Marine soldiers hold in their hearts."
"Many people join the Marines with their own reasons."
"But no matter what you believed before—"
"Before you do anything, you must ask yourself."
"Is this the justice that I uphold?"
"Understood?"
"Understood!!!!"
Justice was the core belief of the Marines. Though everyone had different interpretations of justice,
the vast majority of Marine soldiers and officers were devout believers in it.
Then Zephyr said:
"Very good."
"Next, the Captains behind me will test you."
"Firth."
"Here!"
"Feiman."
"Here!"
"....."
"....."
"....."
"The ten people just named, step forward and begin the test."
Swish!
Boom!
Suddenly, the front of the plaza was filled with flashing blades, flying fists, and roaring clashes.
Not long after, a figure was sent flying from the field.
"Next! Rino!"
"Here!"
"....."
Time passed bit by bit, until finally:
"Sakazuki."
"Here."
He immediately drew a lot of attention. Even without mentioning his Magma-Magma Fruit,
Sakazuki's bulky, muscular frame already exuded an overwhelming presence.
Standing in the center of the arena, Sakazuki looked toward the opposing Captain and said:
"Captain, be careful."
Captain Phil let out a hearty laugh and replied:
"Haha, no worries. Come at me with everything you've got."
Sakazuki activated his Devil Fruit power. His entire body turned red, his skin faintly transforming into magma while maintaining human form, steam rising all over him.
He let out a low breath, steam puffing from his mouth:
"Crimson Lotus."
Soru
"Meltdown Explosion!"
Swish!
In an instant, Sakazuki appeared right in front of Phil.
Caught off guard, Phil had no time to dodge.
With no other choice, he shouted:
"Tekkai!"
Sakazuki's punch struck Phil directly in the stomach... and sank in.
Pfft!
"Ugh ah!!!"