A certain island in the New World.
Kuzan stood amidst a group of ice sculptures, his gaze fixed on a special edition newspaper in his hand.
At that moment, a Den Den Mushi rang.
He answered it, and the Den Den Mushi took on the image of Sengoku.
"Kuzan, return to Marineford immediately."
Kuzan glanced at the newspaper in his hand and said calmly, "Has the decision been made to launch an expedition against Dr. Reddy?"
"Correct. This is also an opportunity for your promotion to Admiral."
Kuzan fell silent.
The newspaper claimed with certainty that Reddy had defeated Garp, but he didn't believe it.
He refused to believe that the old man Garp would lose to a man younger than himself.
After reading this special edition, he had immediately tried to contact Garp.
Unfortunately, Garp hadn't picked up.
"I might..."
Kuzan hesitated, intending to decline the mission.
The newspaper had published the three decrees announced by Reddy, which intrigued him. He could see that Reddy wanted to establish an absolutely peaceful Loguetown.
This would be incredibly beneficial for ordinary citizens.
Though the decree banning all violent incidents seemed somewhat unreasonable, even harsh, it would allow the people to live free from pirate attacks and enjoy stability.
"I don't want to hear your reasons. You must return to Marineford at once!"
Sengoku's stern tone left Kuzan no room for refusal, forcing him to comply.
After ending the call, Kuzan put away the Den Den Mushi and looked back at the newspaper.
"Since it's unavoidable, let me see your true worth."
...
Egghead Island.
Borsalino stood with one hand in his pocket and the other holding a special edition newspaper, deep in thought.
Reddy's audacity left him utterly astonished.
His first impression of Reddy had been that of a gentle and kind genius scientist.
Yet, in such a short time, Reddy had not only defeated the old man Garp but also seized control of Loguetown.
"Borsalino, stop standing there spacing out. Come help out here!"
Borsalino turned to look at Vegapunk in the distance and shrugged helplessly. "Hey hey, I'm an Admiral now, you know."
Vegapunk retorted disdainfully, "So what if you're an Admiral? Hurry up and get over here. The experiment can't be delayed."
Borsalino sighed.
Just then, the Den Den Mushi in his pocket rang.
He answered it, and Sengoku's voice came through.
"Borsalino, return to Marineford immediately."
Borsalino glanced at the newspaper in his hand and lazily declined, "Sorry, Fleet Admiral Sengoku. Dr. Vegapunk's experiment requires my assistance."
"What experiment?"
"The Pacifista Project."
"Dammit, why now of all times!"
The call ended abruptly.
Borsalino smirked slightly.
Vegapunk called out again from afar, "Hey, hurry up and come here!"
"Coming, coming!"
Borsalino tossed the newspaper aside and walked toward Vegapunk, muttering under his breath, "This is for the best. I don't want to face that terrifying kid again."
"What did you say?"
Vegapunk overheard his muttering and grew curious.
Borsalino didn't hide it and explained how Reddy's takeover of Loguetown had led to the Marines preparing a large-scale expedition.
Vegapunk shook his head. "Dr. Reddy is a genius. The laboratory should be his true calling."
Borsalino chuckled without responding.
Reddy and Vegapunk were both genius scientists, but they weren't the same kind of people.
When he had gone to capture Vegapunk back then, Vegapunk hadn't cared about his own safety. The first question he asked was how much research funding the World Government could provide.
But during his interactions with Reddy, he had sensed that this genius scientist had his own ideals.
The series of subsequent events, culminating in the takeover of Loguetown and the announcement of the three decrees, made him realize what Reddy was aiming for.
"But he is also pursuing his own ideals."
Vegapunk suddenly added, turning away with his hands behind his back.
Borsalino thought for a moment and smiled.
Yes, Dr. Reddy was also a man with ideals.
...
Marineford.
Sengoku stood with his arms crossed, his expression grim.
Reddy's seizure of Loguetown had earned him a reprimand from the Five Elders, who sternly ordered him to eliminate this threat.
To that end, he had personally devised an operation plan, intending to send Admirals Sakazuki and Borsalino to lead a force of eight Vice Admirals against Reddy.
Unfortunately, Borsalino was tied up assisting Vegapunk with the Pacifista Project at this critical moment.
This project was directly overseen by the World Government, leaving the Marines no room to intervene.
Sengoku had no choice but to accept it.
However, with Borsalino unavailable, he had at least managed to "persuade" Kuzan to join the expedition.
This was also part of his original plan—to promote Kuzan to Admiral and strengthen Marineford's deterrent power.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
Sakazuki strode into the office, a cigar clenched between his teeth.
Sengoku motioned for him to sit and got straight to the point. "You will lead the expedition to crush that brat, retake Loguetown, and cleanse the shame brought upon the Marines."
"Understood."
Sakazuki was a pure soldier who believed in Absolute Justice. He despised people like Reddy and had no intention of refusing the mission.
"Kuzan will also participate in this operation."
Sengoku hesitated for a moment but decided to remind Sakazuki to prioritize the mission.
After all, these two—one with the Magma-Magma Fruit, the other with the Ice-Ice Fruit—had completely opposite personalities. Though they didn't openly clash, they rarely interacted.
"I know what to do."
Sakazuki nodded firmly.
To him, the mission came first. Personal grudges always took a backseat.
"Who do you need for this operation?"
Satisfied with Sakazuki's attitude, Sengoku generously gave him the authority to select personnel.
"Doberman, Onigumo..."
Sakazuki had clearly already considered his choices on the way here and listed names one after another.
Sengoku frowned as he listened.
Aside from Kuzan, whom Sengoku had personally assigned, every Vice Admiral Sakazuki selected was a hardliner.
Clearly, Sakazuki didn't want any dissent during the operation, so he chose only those who shared his ideology.
"Garp is still in the East Blue..."
Sengoku picked up the Den Den Mushi, intending to contact Garp in the East Blue. He hoped Garp could keep Sakazuki in check to avoid unnecessary harm to civilians.
The call connected.
Before Sengoku could speak, Garp's hearty laughter came through.
"Sorry, Sengoku. I'm badly injured and need to recuperate in Windmill Village for a while. That's all for now. Goodbye."
The call ended.
Sengoku trembled with rage and slammed the receiver down.
Couldn't he at least pretend better?
Sakazuki didn't laugh. He was used to Garp's antics and said solemnly, "I alone am enough to lead the expedition."
Sengoku shook his head. "Garp wasn't truly defeated by him. He only disengaged to save civilians. But don't underestimate that brat. Garp might not actually be his match."
Sakazuki remained silent, a trace of disdain flashing in his eyes.
Abandoning the mission target for the sake of a few civilians, resulting in the Marines and the World Government losing face—this was a severe dereliction of duty.
Sengoku knew Garp's behavior wouldn't sit well with Sakazuki, so he quickly changed the subject. "This expedition must succeed, no matter what. So, I've already ordered the Warlords to be summoned."
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━
📖 Like the story? Read 120 chapters ahead!
🔗 patreon.com/atomelectron
━━━━━━━━━━━━━━━