Marine Headquarters.
Inside the high-level conference room, the atmosphere was heavy.
Gathered here were the highest-ranking officers of the Marines.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Admirals Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji, Vice Admiral Garp, and the former Admiral, now Chief Instructor of the Marines—"Black Arm" Zephyr.
Everyone sat upright, tense and focused.
Even Garp, who was usually the most laid-back—dozing off or munching on rice crackers during meetings—was uncharacteristically serious this time.
"Screech—"
Sengoku slowly stood from the head seat.
He didn't speak immediately. Instead, he reached into his robe, pulled out a photo, and gently placed it in the center of the conference table.
His gaze swept across the room and settled on Garp and Zephyr.
Among everyone present, only the two of them had yet to meet the young man who had already changed the entire Marine organization.
Taking a deep breath, Sengoku finally spoke:
"Rear Admiral Rayne Hawke."
"Half a year ago, he was just a Branch Commander in the East Blue."
"Now, he is a Headquarters Rear Admiral, personally appointed by me, and the commanding officer of the G-3 Branch on the Grand Line."
Sengoku paused, and his tone unconsciously carried a trace of pride and passion.
"He possesses Sakazuki's resolve to uphold justice, yet he hasn't allowed himself to be blinded by the word 'slaughter.' He understands what it means to protect."
"In just a few days, he united the entire G-3 Branch, demonstrating an unprecedented level of leadership and command!"
"He is the future of the Marines."
"...Huh? Half a year?"
Garp's eyes widened sharply.
Only half a year?
From a Branch Commander to a Headquarters Rear Admiral—practically rocketing through the ranks?
"This kind of promotion speed…"
Across from him, Zephyr's expression was unreadable behind his sunglasses, but beneath the table, the hand of the "Crusher" instinctively clenched into a fist.
This promotion speed shattered every precedent in Marine history.
After all, even monsters like Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan had climbed step by step, paving their way with countless achievements and blood before reaching their current ranks.
Rayne Hawke… the future of the Marines, huh?
Interesting.
"Hmph. That brat, Hawke…"
Akainu crossed his arms tighter, his expression cold, an eyebrow slightly raised.
So Hawke had already been promoted to Rear Admiral?
Faster than he expected.
Still, he deserved it.
"Yoo~ Hawke-kun… terrifying, isn't he~"
Kizaru slowly lowered his crossed legs, and behind his sunglasses, his sharp gaze gleamed.
"Maaan, little Hawke's already a Rear Admiral, huh?!"
Aokiji straightened up, shedding his usual lazy demeanor entirely.
His eyes landed on the photo, deep in thought.
I wonder how that matter I entrusted to Hawke-kun is going…
"..."
Sengoku scanned the room, silently noting everyone's reactions. His tone suddenly grew solemn.
"Everyone."
"Since the dawn of the Great Pirate Era, more than twenty years have passed."
"This sea has not known peace. On the contrary, it has grown ever more chaotic. Crime spreads like wild grass—burn it, cut it, it only grows back stronger."
"The Marines bear the justice of the world."
"Our duty is to make sure the flag of order and hope flies high above this ocean of chaos and crime!"
"But… have we succeeded?"
Sengoku laughed bitterly. "No!"
"We've watched as pirates plundered, burned, and murdered, as villages were reduced to ashes—and we could do nothing to stop it!"
"We know the Shichibukai system is a deal with the devil, yet we've allowed these 'legalized' pirates to poison the seas freely!"
"For funding, we've bowed our heads to the World Government, time and time again!"
"We've betrayed our own beliefs, carrying out orders that run counter to the very meaning of 'justice'!"
"BANG!!!"
Sengoku's fist slammed against the solid conference table.
The entire room trembled.
"I've had enough."
Sengoku's voice rose, louder and louder, until it was nearly a roar.
"I've had enough of this justice bound in chains!"
"I've had enough of sacrificing innocent lives for the sake of so-called 'balance'!"
"I've had enough of this suffocating, puppet-like justice!"
"Now…"
Sengoku's eyes blazed with hope.
"An opportunity has presented itself."
"The chance for the Marines to break free from the World Government's control… has come."
"I intend to lead the Marines toward independence!"
"What say you?"
Sengoku looked earnestly at everyone in the room. These were comrades who had fought beside him for decades—the true backbone of the Marines.
He wanted their full support.
"..."
The conference room fell silent.
Everyone stared at this Fleet Admiral who was nothing like his usual calm self.
Sengoku's words were as clear as day.
He intended to flip the table—to lead the entire Marine organization down a path that directly opposed the World Government.
"This…"
Garp and Zephyr exchanged glances.
They didn't know all the details, but…
The "Buddha" Sengoku—the man who once clashed on equal terms with Roger, Whitebeard, and Golden Lion—had returned.
"Heh!"
Garp leaned back into his chair, folding his arms across his chest.
That gesture alone was his answer.
He had always despised the Celestial Dragons, viewing them as the garbage of the world. He'd even refused multiple promotions to Admiral, just to avoid becoming one of their obedient lapdogs.
And now, this old bastard Sengoku finally wanted to break free and go independent?
Count him in!
"…"
Zephyr also leaned back.
As the former "No-Kill" Admiral, he had paid dearly for his naive vision of pure justice.
His family slaughtered by pirates.
His most promising students massacred.
He had long since lost all faith in the World Government's hypocritical "justice."
Sengoku had gone mad?
No. He had finally awakened.
If this path could ensure there would never be another "Zephyr" in the Marines, then gambling his old life on it was worth it.
"!!!"
Akainu and Aokiji—usually at odds with each other—glanced at one another almost instinctively.
In that brief moment of eye contact, without a single word, an understanding passed between them.
Sengoku's ideological shift had clearly begun after his visit to the G-3 Branch.
It wasn't hard to guess why.
Rayne Hawke must have done something extraordinary there.
"Good."
A rare sense of satisfaction stirred within Akainu.
This was how a Fleet Admiral should act.
To grovel before the World Government for the sake of "balance"? That wasn't justice.
This path… Sakazuki would follow to the very end.
Aokiji smiled faintly.
When every option is wrong, the real problem lies with the one who set the rules.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku had finally realized that.
Perhaps it was time for his "frozen justice" to step into the sunlight.
"Yoo~"
Kizaru glanced left, then right, watching as silence swept through the room, everyone expressing their support without a single word.
Behind his sunglasses, his eyes darted quickly.
Wow… this is mutiny-level stuff. Sounds like overtime work to me.
…Wonder if now's a good time to ask for a raise, or would they all gang up on me?
Creak—
The conference room door opened quietly.
Vice Admiral Tsuru walked in, carrying a heavy-looking briefcase.
She approached Sengoku and gave him a small nod.
Understanding her message, Sengoku personally reached out and accepted the case.
Click.
He placed it in the center of the table, and the crisp sound echoed—
A loud sound echoed, instantly drawing everyone's attention.
Sengoku swept his gaze across the room, his voice steady and powerful.
"This… is the turning point for the Marines' independence."
As he finished speaking, he opened the suitcase in front of everyone.
"Buzz——"
A brilliant golden radiance, dazzling to the point of being almost blinding, burst out from within the suitcase, flooding the entire conference room and dyeing it into a sea of gold.
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Pls Drop some Power Stones
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