"Third—and this is the most important point of all."
Tsuru's voice dropped noticeably, carrying a trace of deep concern.
"They deliberately chose Marineford as the site of the public execution."
"That decision wasn't arbitrary. It serves several purposes."
"On one hand, they want to send a powerful warning across the entire sea and make an example of anyone thinking about opposing the World Government."
"But more importantly…"
Tsuru turned toward Sengoku and looked him directly in the eye.
"They're tying the Marines completely to their course of action."
"Once this execution is held here, we won't be able to stay out of what follows."
Her gaze hardened.
"We need to be realistic about the state of Marine Headquarters after this defeat."
"Morale has collapsed. Confidence has been badly damaged. Some soldiers are almost certainly beginning to develop a reluctance to fight, perhaps even outright fear of another battle."
"If that sentiment spreads, it could eat away at our remaining combat strength from the inside."
Tsuru's expression darkened.
"And yet the God's Knights have chosen this exact moment to force a public execution onto Marineford."
"The reason is obvious."
"They want us standing on the front line against every force that might attempt a rescue."
"Especially the remnants of the Revolutionary Army…"
She paused.
"…and the Eternal Divine Kingdom."
"Neither side is likely to sit quietly and watch Sabo and the others die."
Tsuru's voice became colder.
"Which means we no longer have any room to retreat."
Her analysis was methodical and precise, each point striking directly at the heart of the problem.
Sengoku stood beside her in silence.
He slowly drew in a deep breath, but instead of easing the weight on his shoulders, it seemed to make him feel it even more.
His back, usually straight and imposing, bent almost imperceptibly.
Of course he understood.
The God's Knights had seemingly dealt a devastating blow to one of the World Government's greatest enemies.
But beneath that apparent victory lay something far more dangerous for the Marines.
They had been pushed into an even worse position.
"They're going to use the blood of our Marines…"
Sengoku spoke at last, bitterness thick in his voice.
"…to repaint the World Government's crumbling wall of authority."
His gaze drifted through the window toward the endless sea.
For a moment, he could almost picture countless Marines being thrown into battle simply to preserve someone else's prestige.
Tsuru lowered her head.
She remained silent for a while, weighing their limited options.
Eventually, she sighed.
"At this point, we don't have much of a choice."
"We'll have to follow their orders and prepare for the execution with everything we have."
Then her expression became even more solemn.
"But we should prepare for the worst."
"This may not be the end of anything."
"It may only be the beginning…"
Tsuru looked toward the horizon.
"…of an even greater storm."
Silence returned to the office.
For two people who had stood at the heart of the Marines for decades, the pressure coming down from the highest levels of the World Government had never felt so cold.
And beneath the seemingly calm surface of the sea, both of them could sense the violent currents gathering.
Something enormous was coming.
After a while, Sengoku turned toward Tsuru again.
"Where's Garp?"
His brows immediately furrowed.
"Why haven't we received word that he's coming back?"
The concern in his voice was impossible to hide.
For all of Garp's recklessness and refusal to behave like a proper officer, his strength was undeniable.
At a moment when Marine Headquarters had lost so much of its top-level combat power, Garp's absence mattered more than ever.
"Garp…"
Tsuru sighed and slowly shook her head.
"That idiot took leave some time ago and went back to Foosha Village in the East Blue to visit his family."
"After that, he practically disappeared."
Sengoku's expression darkened.
"We've sent recall orders more than once," Tsuru continued. "Urgent ones."
"And?"
"He replied with one message."
Tsuru's mouth tightened slightly.
"'Got it.'"
Sengoku stared at her.
"And he still hasn't come back?"
"No."
Tsuru's eyes carried a mixture of frustration and unease.
"We haven't heard anything meaningful from him since."
She hesitated for a moment.
"This time, though…"
"The situation involves his family."
Sengoku's face became more serious.
"Luffy's current whereabouts are unknown."
Tsuru continued quietly.
"And Sabo has been captured."
"Now he's going to be publicly executed."
Her gaze shifted toward Sengoku.
"You know Garp."
"For all his stubbornness about duty, he cares deeply about his family."
"How could he possibly remain unaffected by this?"
She did not finish the thought.
She did not need to.
Sengoku understood immediately.
His face turned livid.
"Damn that old bastard!"
BAM!
His fist slammed down on the desk hard enough to make the documents jump.
"Why the hell does he choose a moment like this to disappear?!"
Sengoku's voice thundered through the office.
"Does he have any idea how bad things are right now?!"
"The Marines have just suffered the worst losses in our history!"
"Our men are wounded, exhausted, and demoralized!"
"The God's Knights have inserted themselves into the situation and made everything even more complicated!"
"And now we have a public execution seven days away with half the world ready to explode!"
His breathing grew heavier.
"Garp is the Hero of the Marines!"
"At a time like this, he should be here!"
"He should be the one helping hold this entire organization together!"
Sengoku clenched his teeth.
"But that old bastard…"
"He goes and vanishes on us now?!"
...
Sengoku could no longer contain his frustration.
He began pacing rapidly across the office, each heavy step echoing through the room as his brows drew tighter and tighter.
"What the hell is that idiot thinking?" he muttered. "Is he deliberately hiding because he doesn't want to face reality?"
His expression darkened further.
"Or is that damned weakness of his when it comes to family acting up again? Of all times, does he really have to make things harder for the Marines now?"
Just thinking about Garp's family was enough to give Sengoku a headache.
There was Monkey D. Luffy.
The boy who openly declared that he would become the Pirate King and seemed almost incapable of obeying the rules of civilized society. Wherever Luffy went, trouble followed. His obsession with freedom and refusal to bow to authority attracted people to him just as easily as it brought him into direct conflict with everything the Marines were supposed to uphold.
Every new report involving Luffy seemed to create another crisis somewhere on the sea.
Then there was Sabo.
Though not Garp's biological grandson, he had grown up alongside Luffy and Ace and shared a bond with them stronger than blood. To Garp, that made the difference almost meaningless.
And now Sabo was the captured Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army.
A man who had chosen an entirely different path from Luffy, yet had become just as troublesome for the World Government in his own way.
He possessed conviction, leadership ability, and enough strength to become one of the Revolutionary Army's central pillars.
One grandson wanted to become the Pirate King.
Another young man Garp regarded as family had become the Revolutionary Army's second-in-command.
Sengoku pressed a hand against his forehead.
Garp's loyalty to the Marines had never truly been in question.
For decades, the man had fought on the front lines, accumulated achievements few others could rival, and earned the title Hero of the Marines through his own fists.
But his family?
His family seemed specifically designed to give the Marines and the World Government migraines.
"Keep contacting him!"
Sengoku abruptly stopped pacing and turned toward Tsuru.
His voice was firm.
"Send the highest-priority communication under my name."
"Make absolutely certain he receives it."
Tsuru watched him silently.
Sengoku continued.
"Tell him the situation has become critical."
"The Marines need him."
"Marineford needs him here."
His expression hardened.
"Tell that old bastard to get his ass back here immediately!"
His voice rang throughout the office.
The order was forceful and absolute, but Tsuru could hear the concern buried beneath Sengoku's anger.
Garp was not facing an ordinary military decision.
His duty as a Marine was pulling him toward Marineford.
His family was pulling him in another direction entirely.
And with the world already descending into chaos, whatever choice the Hero of the Marines made could have consequences far beyond himself.
...
Foosha Village.
The sky above the village was a brilliant, cloudless blue.
Rolling green hills stretched toward the horizon while the cool, salty sea breeze drifted gently across them, carrying the familiar tranquility of the East Blue.
Everything here felt almost untouched by the chaos consuming the rest of the world.
Garp sat alone in an open field.
This place held memories.
Years ago, he had watched Ace and Luffy train here.
He had shouted at them.
Hit them.
Lectured them.
And, in his own brutal way, tried to prepare them for the sea.
Now the field was empty.
The setting sun cast a warm glow across Garp's massive frame, stretching his shadow far across the grass.
In one large hand, he held a document that had just been delivered by a messenger gull.
A prominent Marine emergency seal was stamped across the page.
His rough fingers tightened around the paper.
The thin sheet crumpled beneath his grip.
Garp read the message again.
The Marines have suffered an unprecedented defeat.
Nearly half of the Admiral-class forces deployed in the operation have been lost, captured, or killed.
The situation at Marine Headquarters is critical.
His expression tightened.
Then he continued.
The Revolutionary Army's main evacuation forces were ambushed by the God's Knights.
Chief of Staff Sabo and several Army Commanders have been captured.
Garp's grip grew tighter.
The final lines felt as though they had been burned directly into his eyes.
Seven days from now, they will be publicly executed at Marineford.
The situation is critical. Return immediately.
Every sentence landed like a hammer against his chest.
For a long while, Garp said nothing.
He slowly raised his head and looked across the field.
Once, this place had been filled with noise.
Two boys throwing clumsy punches.
Arguments.
Laughter.
Complaints whenever Garp's so-called "training" became too brutal.
He could almost see them again.
Ace glaring stubbornly at him.
Luffy bouncing back to his feet no matter how many times he was knocked down.
The sunlight had seemed warmer back then.
The grass brighter.
The future simpler.
Now there was no one there.
Only an empty field beneath the fading evening light.
The laughter existed only in memory.
Garp's eyes, usually filled with reckless confidence and booming good humor, were now hidden beneath a deep shadow.
The paper trembled faintly in his hand.
And for once—
the Hero of the Marines did not know which direction he was supposed to walk.