Marineford.
The Fleet Admiral's office was in chaos.
Papers scattered across the desk, den-den mushi chattering, voices screaming from every corner of the headquarters. The very air seemed to buzz with panic and still, Sengoku's roar drowned them all.
"AN ENTIRE BUSTER CALL… FAILED?!"
His fists slammed against the table hard enough to crack the wood. Sweat gleamed on his forehead beneath the weight of his cap, and his veins bulged with rage.
Vice Admirals stood in rigid silence before him, their faces pale, their uniforms stained with ash and blood from the retreat. One stammered, "Fleet Admiral… i-it wasn't just the prisoners. There was a man..he....he bent them all to his will. The giant, Douglas Bullet, even rogue marines… they followed him as if.."
"AS IF WHAT?!" Sengoku's voice cracked like thunder.
The Vice Admiral swallowed. "…As if he were born their captain."
For a moment, the only sound was Sengoku's ragged breathing.
Then the heavy doors opened and the air itself seemed to tighten.
Three men in black cloaks entered, their faces hidden in shadow, their steps silent but heavy.
CP0.
Behind them, the den-den mushi on Sengoku's desk stirred. Not the standard marine snail no, this one's shell was marked with the seal of the World Nobles. Its eyes gleamed with unnatural sharpness, its mouth moving not with a soldier's voice but with the chilling, steady tone of power itself.
The Gorosei.
Sengoku straightened instantly, the fire in his eyes dampened by the weight that voice carried.
"Report," the Gorosei commanded.
Sengoku's jaw tightened. "Magnus. That is the name shouted on the battlefield. He freed the monsters of Level Six. Bullet, the Mad Titan. A disgraced giant. A traitor marine. All of them now serve him and the Giant Warrior Pirates themselves have carried them away."
Silence fell upon the room, colder than any storm.
One of the cloaked CP0 agents stepped forward. "Impel Down is lost. The entire prison is… burning. There are no survivors among the guards below Level Three. The Buster Call could not suppress them."
Another added, his tone grave. "The man wields a black blade Shusui. His haki… it is not natural. He cut through Vice Admirals as if they were fodder."
The den-den mushi's eyes narrowed. The Gorosei's voice deepened.
"Shusui… Wano's treasure. Stolen, Corrupted and this Magnus his ambition reeks of something greater than piracy."
Another voice layered over it, cold and deliberate.
"This is no pirate crew. This is the birth of a new enemy. One that can rally giants, monsters, traitors. One who threatens the very balance of the seas."
Sengoku clenched his fists, the weight of their words pressing into his chest. He wanted to shout, to deny, to call it an exaggeration but he had seen the reports. He had seen the panic in the Vice Admirals' eyes.
And deep in his gut, he knew the truth.
The world had changed.
The Gorosei's voice carried finality.
"Magnus will not be allowed to grow. Double the fleet patrols. Dispatch CP0. Increase the Warlords' watch. From this day, the hunt begins."
The den-den mushi went silent, its eyes closing. CP0 turned in unison and departed, leaving only the echo of their footsteps behind.
Sengoku stood alone in the wreckage of his office, his hands trembling as he pressed them against the desk.
Through gritted teeth, he whispered, "Magnus… you've declared war on the world itself."
And though the sea outside was calm, every man and woman in Marineford felt the storm approaching.