"Fleet Admiral Sengoku..."
"From today onward, the Marines answer to me!"
Mike stared directly at Sengoku before sitting down boldly and pulling a cigar from his pocket.
"Hiss—"
A flame flickered, and smoke curled upward.
Mike took a deep drag before leisurely exhaling and saying.
"Sit."
"Swish—"
Every officer in the room sat down in perfect unison.
"..."
Sengoku's face turned ashen as he watched the scene unfold, his body trembling slightly.
He stared fixedly at Mike, his eyes filled with fury, shock, and disbelief.
He remembered now—this young man was none other than Captain Mike, Kizaru's newly appointed adjutant not long ago.
In such a short time, how had he gained such terrifying influence?
His gaze swept over the figures behind Mike.
Akainu, Kizaru, Kuzan—the three Admirals of Marine Headquarters;
Zephyr, the Chief Instructor of the Marines;
Nearly all faction leaders within the Marines;
And five of the Shichibukai...
This force was powerful enough to overturn the entire sea!
Even he couldn't command so many formidable figures.
"..."
Sengoku opened his mouth, wanting to roar, to question, to resist.
But he found himself unable to utter a single word.
A profound sense of helplessness washed over him.
He had sensed something off during the meeting—everyone had been distracted.
He'd planned to investigate after the meeting adjourned, but...
It had happened too fast!
There had been no time to react.
Now, as Fleet Admiral, he had been completely sidelined.
"Ah—"
A long sigh shattered the deathly silence in the room.
Garp sighed quietly, the wrinkles on his face seeming to deepen.
Tsuru's expression also darkened, her fists clenched so tightly her nails nearly pierced her palms.
They knew—the sky over the Marines had changed.
And it had changed irrevocably!
The brief silence felt like an eternity.
Finally, Sengoku spoke, his voice hoarse as if scraped by sandpaper.
"Mike... do you realize this is a critical time?"
"Ace is about to be publicly executed, the Whitebeard Pirates could attack at any moment, the entire world is watching us!"
He paused, his tone hardening: "What kind of chaos will your reckless seizure of power cause?"
"The Marines will descend into disorder, the whole world will plunge into turmoil!"
"What exactly... are you trying to do?"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Mike flicked the ash from his cigar and spread his hands.
"It's not about what I want, but what everyone wants."
"This outcome is simply the will of the people."
"If minds hadn't already changed, no amount of personal charisma could've turned the entire Marine force overnight."
"Everyone's long been sick of the Celestial Dragons' tyranny, sick of the World Government's corruption."
"And me?"
Mike pointed at himself. "I just provided... a little help."
"Enough for everyone here to pursue the Justice they believe in—without hesitation."
"..."
"Help?"
"What kind of help?"
'Rustle—'
Zephyr suddenly stood, pulling three documents from his coat and handing them to Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru.
"Take a look."
"My old comrades, this isn't betrayal—it's rediscovering our original purpose."
Zephyr looked at the three, his gaze complex. "Remember what we swore to protect when we first joined the Marines?"
"Was it the World Government..."
"Or the people and Justice..."
Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru remained silent as they took the documents, their eyes scanning the contents.
Sengoku turned the first page—then his pupils contracted sharply, his breathing growing ragged.
"Independent... military funding...?!"
"An endless supply of military funding...?!"
He muttered to himself, his fingers trembling involuntarily.
Garp and Tsuru also saw the contents of the document, their expressions shifting dramatically—shock, realization, and confusion all mingling together.
As they flipped through the pages, the three of them grew increasingly stunned, their silence deepening.
They finally understood why the Marine had undergone such an earth-shattering transformation overnight.
There was no intricate strategy, no complex scheme.
Just a single, devastating punch to the gut—money!
Money!
Enough money!
More than enough to drive every Marine wild!
And this staggering sum, enough to drive anyone mad, had only one purpose—the military budget for the New Marine.
Sengoku suddenly found it bitterly amusing.
He recalled how he had groveled before the Five Elders, arguing desperately for even a sliver of funding.
Those old men had sat high and mighty, looking down on him as if tossing scraps to a beggar, convinced they were bestowing some grand favor.
Now, staring at the astronomical figures in the document before him, Sengoku felt nothing but absurdity and sorrow.
The Marine had always been shackled by the World Government, and the biggest reason was the stranglehold on their funding.
Without funds, the Marine couldn't recruit soldiers, couldn't buy warships, couldn't upgrade equipment—even daily training and supplies were barely sustainable.
Like a giant bound hand and foot, brimming with strength but utterly powerless.
And now, someone had provided the Marine with an endless flow of funds, freeing them completely from the World Government's control.
It was like unshackling the giant and handing it a razor-sharp weapon.
This move cut straight to the root, severing the World Government's lifeline of control over the Marine.
Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru turned their gazes to Mike, their eyes filled with bewilderment...
They couldn't fathom what kind of ambition this young man harbored to so casually produce such an unimaginable sum.
To build the New Marine.
To serve the people.
This wasn't just a small amount—it was a fortune capable of reshaping the world!
Sengoku suddenly remembered Mike's earlier words: "I'm just offering a tiny bit of help."
Turns out, it wasn't a tiny bit.
Sengoku's lips twitched.
It was a billion tiny bits... damn!
"Old friends," Zephyr crossed his arms, his gaze sweeping over Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru.
"the younger generation has made their stance clear."
"Now, it's time..."
"To show them the Justice of our generation!"
Vice Admiral Tsuru lifted her head, her eyes sharp.
She looked at Zephyr, at Akainu, at Kizaru, at Kuzan—at every Marine officer present who had already made their choice.
Time seemed to reverse on her face, the once-feared "Great Staff Officer" reemerging.
"Hmph—"
She snorted, her tone laced with disdain and pride.
"When I was hunting pirates, the lot of you were still playing in the mud!"
With that, she picked up a pen and signed her name on the contract with a flourish—"Tsuru"!
"Tsuru?!"
Sengoku and Garp exclaimed simultaneously, exchanging glances that revealed shock and a hint of... inquiry?
Tsuru has already signed, should we...?
"Garp..."
Zephyr spoke up, his voice deep and firm, "Mike has already reached an agreement with Whitebeard."
"After the New Marine takes over these seas,"
"Marco will lead Whitebeard's subordinates to join the New Warlords of the Sea."
"The New Warlords of the Sea will be a special organization under the New Marine."
"In other words..."
Zephyr paused, "Ace... will be a member of the New Marine."
"!!!"
Garp's head snapped up, his eyes blazing like twin stars.
His lips trembled as if he wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
"You're thinking right, Ace not only gets to live,"
"But he'll also belong to... the New Marine!!!"
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