Marineford Naval Headquarters Supreme Strategy Conference Hall
The heavy metal door slowly closed, blocking out all sounds from the outside world.
All the main forces of the top level of Marine are gathered together at this moment.
Sengoku sat at the head seat, his expression calm but unable to hide the fatigue and stress between his brows.
Below the long table, there are rows on both sides.
On the left are the "upright faction" with a stern aura:
Sakazuki, Rogge, Enel, Rhett, Doberman, Flying Squirrel... are all staunch war hawks with sharp eyes.
On the right are the "conservatives," who are more restrained:
Garp, Kizaru, Aokiji, Huoshaoshan, Chatun and others were silent, with different expressions.
Sengoku spoke in a low voice, "The primary topic of this meeting is the confrontation between Vice Admiral Rogge and Vice Admiral Garp in Rogge Town."
"Kizaru has brought back detailed information about the incident—"
Before he finished speaking.
Sakazuki slapped the armrest, his face livid, and interrupted directly:
"Marshal, this still requires an 'investigation'?!"
"A Marine Vice Admiral, in order to protect a group of low-level Pirates, openly attacked and injured a Marine Commodore!"
He spoke word by word, his voice like the roar of a volcano:
"If this kind of behavior is not dealt with, what faith will there be within the Marine Corps from now on?!"
The doves on the right showed a slight change in expression. Kizaru still had his eyes closed and pretended to sleep, Aokiji had a frown on his face, and Garp remained silent, only clenching his fists.
Sengoku glanced at Garp, then at Rogge, his eyes darkening slightly.
Rogge looked calm and said nothing, as if he was outside the storm.
Enel crossed his arms, and beside him, Rhett sneered, "If the boss hadn't stopped, that old man Garp would have collapsed long ago."
Garp slowly raised his head and said in a low voice:
"I don't regret it."
"I did what I thought was right."
Sakazuki sneered, his words sharp as a knife:
"The 'right thing' is to let that straw-hatted Monkey D. Luffy escape?"
"You are not protecting 'freedom'...you are protecting 'sin'!"
The tension between the two sides suddenly rose!
The atmosphere suddenly became tense, the air in the conference room seemed to freeze, and Haki spread silently!
Sengoku frowned and snapped, "This matter must be determined."
"But it must be clear that the Rogge incident was not an ordinary conflict."
"It affects the future of the entire ocean."
Rogge said calmly, "Qualification? What do you want to qualify? I just want to know, Garp, is he still a Marine?"
"What's the meaning?"
"Monkey D. Dragon, Monkey D. Luffy, Garp, do I need to clarify?"
Everyone present looked heavy-hearted!
"My soldiers are fighting bravely on the front lines every day, and you are shielding criminals out of personal feelings?"
Sengoku stared at Rogge and said solemnly: "The birth of the revolutionary army is part of the national civil unrest!"
"Putting aside their identity as a revolutionary army, they are just ordinary people, they are not pirates!"
"So they can stop me from capturing the Pirates one by one or two? Father and son together?"
The conference room was silent as hell for a moment.
--boom!!!
Rogge slowly stood up, his shoulder robe shaking, and a devastating Conqueror's Haki exploded like a hurricane, sweeping across the entire arena!
The walls were cracked, the tables and chairs were shaking, and the air seemed to be crushed!
Doberman, Flying Squirrel and others on the left unconsciously put their hands on their weapons. Lightning flashed behind Enel, and Rhett grinned with a fighting spirit!
It seemed that as long as Rogge made a move, they would explode.
On the right side, Huoshaoshan and the others' expressions suddenly changed, and Aokiji clenched his fist to block Garp.
Marineford Naval Headquarters Training Academy
Under the scorching sun, commands rang out on the training ground as young Marines conducted combat drills in an orderly manner.
But at this moment, in a high-rise building far away from the playground, an old man suddenly raised his head, his eyes like lightning.
He was originally explaining the battle trajectory map to the instructor, one hand still holding the chalk, but the other hand instantly crushed the pointer in his hand.
——Conqueror's!?
A familiar and frightening Conqueror's Haki instantly swept across the sky above the entire headquarters, tearing through the atmosphere like a tornado.
"This is...Rogge?!"
Zephyr stood up suddenly, his face unusually serious, and with a flick of his sleeve, his cloak rolled up.
"Those bastards...are actually going to fight?! In the conference room?!"
"Teacher Zephyr?" A trainee officer tried to step forward and ask, but was interrupted by his roar:
"You are not allowed to approach within 500 meters of the headquarters building!"
After saying that, he took a loud thumping step forward, and Haki spread out from behind him like a mountain. The whole person turned into an afterimage and rushed towards the main building!
Marines along the way gave way and exclaimed:
"What happened?! Teacher Zephyr's aura is terrifying!"
Zephyr ran away while muttering angrily, "Sengoku, you old fox, you really dare to let them sit at the same table?! Are you crazy?!"
"If those two keep fighting, today won't be a split, it will be a war!"
————
"Enough!!!"
Sengoku suddenly slammed the table and stood up, his voice like thunder, shaking the entire conference hall.
"Are you really going to start a fight here?! Fighting each other in the highest hall of power in the Marine?!"
Rogge slowly withdrew his attack, but his voice remained cold: "If this hall is harboring rebels, then I should indeed take action."
"I don't care who it is." His tone was as sharp as a knife, "Even if he was a 'hero'."
Garp's eyes finally moved for a moment, but he still said nothing.
Sengoku took a deep breath, his eyes fixed on the mountain. "Rogge, this is not the battlefield you're going to purge the Pirates of."
Sakazuki, however, was no longer hiding his anger. His voice was like a hammer, "Garp, if you insist on insisting on 'personal feelings', then I will no longer respect you as a 'colleague'."
He turned to Sengoku and said, "Marshal, if this kind of behavior continues to be unreliable, then from now on, will all Marines be able to release or kill people based on their personal feelings?"
"If Garp is not guilty - then the entire system itself should be abolished!"
Sengoku's frown deepened.
"Rectification... is your justice."
Garp finally spoke, his tone as heavy as the sea, "And I've had enough of your 'justice'."
"What I want to protect is not the criminals, but the future that I believe I deserve to live."
He slowly looked at Rogge, "You kill hope piece by piece, and then talk about order."
"It's a shame you don't even know what 'freedom' is."
--Bang!
Rogge's right hand suddenly fell and hit the table hard, and the air instantly shook like waves!
"What are you talking about?! Isn't it because he is your grandson?"
"I don't understand?"
He slowly stood up, his eyes sharp as a blade, his tone low but oppressive:
"I've seen countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood in the deepest parts of the ocean... How those pirates who shouted 'dreams' pushed civilians, soldiers, and children into the abyss."
"Did I give those b*****d Pirates a chance? I certainly didn't."
"I will not tolerate any kind of 'freedom' that comes at the cost of other people's lives!"
He looked at Garp and said, "Every word was like thunder:
"If you indulge once, there will be a second time."
"If you can't do it, I'll do it for you."
Garp's face darkened upon hearing this, as if he was about to attack. The air suddenly became tense.
At this tense moment——
The air was heavy and the thunderous roar of "Enough!!!" was still echoing on the walls.
Sengoku stood in the center of the long conference table, his body towering, his cloak fluttering in the wind, his eyes as cold as a knife.
He delivered his judgment word by word, as if personally carving out the new era's rules for the massive Marine organization:
"No Marine may harbor, assist, or shield wanted criminals for personal reasons."
"Violators will be referred to the Department of Justice for adjudication."
"Regardless of rank...regardless of status."
"Even if it's a Marine hero."
You could hear a pin drop in the conference room.
The upright faction on the left was silently shaken. Rhett pursed his lips. Although Enel had no expression on his face, lightning flashed between his fingers.
Dauberman nodded slightly, a flicker of recognition in his eyes.
The dove on the right remained silent. Kizaru raised his eyelids slightly, but ultimately did not break the silence.
Aokiji looked at the table with a complicated expression, lowered his head, gritted his teeth and said nothing.
Garp remained seated, his fists clenched so tightly that the knuckles turned white, veins bulging on his forehead.
Sakazuki snorted coldly, the murderous intent in his eyes still undiminished.
Rogge stood there, his eyes as cold as an icy cliff.
"I don't care who you are."
He whispered, his voice sinking to the bottom of the sea, yet it weighed on everyone's heart, "Anyone who dares to stand in the way of justice will pay the price."
He glanced at Sengoku and said something ambiguous:
"Since you have set the rules, don't forget how certain people should enforce them."
Sengoku did not respond. He simply sat back down in his seat, closed his eyes, and spoke the final words of today's meeting in a deep voice:
"This meeting ends here."
"Everyone returns to their duties."
"Hopefully, you all still remember why you wear this uniform."
The moment he opened his eyes, everyone stood up and filed out in silence.
The door slowly opened, and sunlight poured in from the sky.
But everyone knows that this is the coldest ray of light.
[Outdoor corridor of conference room]
The rectification faction left first.
Rogge walked in front, his steps firm and his momentum undiminished.
Sakazuki followed slowly and whispered, "You're not hurt, Rogge."
Rogge responded calmly: "Don't worry, uncle, he is not qualified to hurt me..."
"But he managed to hold it in. I guess Sengoku brainwashed him a lot..."
Enel snorted, glanced towards the conference room, and sneered, "Damn old stubborn man, still talking about the 'future'..."
And on the other side.
Garp stood alone in the sun, his back as heavy as a mountain.
He didn't talk to anyone, but just looked at the endless blue sea in the distance with a sad and determined expression.
Kizaru leaned against the side of the corridor, his hands in his pockets, the smile on his lips completely disappeared, and he murmured:
"This Marine...is becoming less and less like a 'home'."
Aokiji stood beside him, speechless for a long time.