What?! In the allied nation of the World Government — the Kingdom of Illusia — all the high-ranking officials have been completely wiped out? And this incident even involves the Heavenly Tribute? The nature of this is vile!
At Marine Headquarters, Marineford, a tall, broad-shouldered man with a full head of silver hair listened to his subordinate's report. His expression was filled with both anger and puzzlement.
This man was none other than Kong, the current Fleet Admiral of the Marines, later to become the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's armed forces.
"Fleet Admiral, this has been confirmed. The news comes from the West Blue Marine branch."
"Damn it. Who dares to pull something like this?!"
"Sir, it's the work of an unidentified group — no bounty, no known origins or names, only a few photographs."
"Find them. I want a full background on these people. And get Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr, and Tsuru in here immediately."
The officer handed over several documents and photographs of Buggy's group before saluting and taking his leave.
Kong glanced at the photos, his brows furrowed. "These brats… where the hell did they come from? Damn… maybe it's time I stepped down."
Before long, the office doors thudded under a series of knocks.
"Come in."
In walked four people — three men and one woman. The men were imposing, the woman sharp and striking. These were the Marine pillars of the current era: Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr, and Tsuru.
"Kong, old friend, what's the urgent matter?" Garp asked casually, plopping onto the couch. Without ceremony, he pulled a bag of donuts from his coat and began eating.
Kong sighed, casting him a helpless look. "Something big has happened in the Illusia Kingdom of the West Blue. Take a look and let's discuss our response."
He passed the files and photographs to Sengoku.
As Sengoku read the report and examined the youthful faces in the photos, a look of gravity settled on his face. He hadn't expected such young individuals to cause this much chaos.
"Fleet Admiral, we're looking at another dangerous up-and-comer. Wherever they are, we need to take them out before they grow stronger."
It didn't matter that the report never labeled them pirates — an enemy was an enemy. With potential like this, they had to be eliminated before they matured into a true threat.
Sengoku handed the file to Zephyr, who then passed it to Tsuru, who finally gave it to Garp.
Garp studied the details, then glanced at one of the photos. A head of blue hair and a bright red nose caught his eye, triggering a flicker of doubt.
"I've… seen this brat somewhere before."
All eyes turned to him.
Garp frowned in thought, then suddenly burst into laughter. "Hah! Got it! This kid was one of the two brats on Roger's ship. What was his name again… Buggy! That's right — Buggy!"
Scratching his head vigorously, Garp seemed sure of his memory now — this was indeed Buggy, the former apprentice on the Pirate King Gol D. Roger's crew.
"What? If he's a former Roger crew member, how is he walking around freely? I've never even seen a bounty poster for him," Sengoku said, puzzled, taking the photo from Garp for another look. As he stared, a faint memory emerged.
"It is him… He's changed a lot."
Sengoku had fought Roger before, and in those battles, he'd glimpsed Buggy — a weak and unimportant figure on Roger's ship. That was why Sengoku hadn't recognized him at first sight. But with Garp's reminder, the memory clicked.
"Yeah, he's changed a lot. Back then, I thought he was just some clown doing circus tricks on Roger's ship. Never thought he'd grow to the point of toppling a kingdom."
It was the old saying — thirty years east of the river, thirty years west. Someone who once looked like a joke now had the power to overthrow a nation. Even Garp had to admit, it was impressive.
"You two are telling me this man was on Roger's crew? How come I've never seen a bounty or any record of him?" Kong asked.
"Fleet Admiral, he was just an apprentice back then. No bounty, very weak. He didn't even make it to Laugh Tale, so it's normal for the Marines to have no record of him," Sengoku explained.
Kong exhaled in relief — if Buggy had never reached Laugh Tale, then his potential danger to the world was somewhat lessened.
"Karp, do you have any free time? If you do, go capture this brat and throw him into Impel Down. We'll probably have to use him as an offering to placate the Gorōsei."
After all, Buggy had attacked a World Government member nation and disrupted the Heavenly Tribute — the Five Elders would demand answers.
"This… I recently caught wind of Dragon's whereabouts. I'm busy hunting him down, so I don't have time."
In truth, Garp wasn't interested in chasing Buggy. Maybe it was because of Roger, or maybe because they had met before, but he wasn't keen on taking this job, especially since it involved the Five Elders and the Heavenly Tribute.
Kong shook his head in resignation. He knew Garp's refusal wasn't negotiable.
He turned to Sengoku, but Sengoku replied, "The New World is a mess right now. I have to hold the line, or more civilians will get caught in the crossfire."
It was true — the New World was in an era of power reshuffling. Roger and Shiki were both gone from the battlefield, leaving huge swaths of territory and influence up for grabs. Pirates were waging wars over land, manpower, everything. Sengoku couldn't afford to leave.
Kong glanced at Zephyr and Tsuru, but both were equally swamped.
"Fleet Admiral, this brat isn't strong enough to warrant our involvement. We could just send Sakazuki and the others to handle it," Sengoku suggested.
It was a sensible plan — no need to use a sledgehammer to crack a nut. Buggy wasn't strong enough to demand the Admirals' full attention, and the younger monsters of the Navy should be able to deal with him.