Chapter 101 New Era
The setting sun was blood-red, its afterglow falling on the broken Square of Justice.
In the distance, grassroots soldiers were clearing the ruins and sorting out the broken warships. Everywhere there were busy figures carrying out post-war cleanup.
Marine won the victory, but what filled the air was not the celebration as imagined, but a heavy solemnity and... silence of an uncertain future.
Just as Rogge and Sakazuki were about to lead the rectification fleet back to G-5 base, a communications officer came hurriedly.
"Report! Marshal Sengoku requests a meeting."
Rogge and Sakazuki looked at each other and nodded silently.
A moment later, the three of them boarded the warship's conference room, which had not yet been affected.
Sengoku stood quietly in front of the porthole, his back to the two of them, his eyes piercing the distant sky where the flames of war had not yet completely dissipated.
"I'm... already tired."
Sengoku's deep voice broke the silence.
He slowly turned around, his face full of haggardness and relief. The "justice" cloak that symbolized the highest power of Marine seemed to become extremely heavy at this moment.
"Garp's death, Kuzan's ending... and the divisions caused by this war have all shown that this old era has come to an end."
He looked at Sakazuki and Rogge, his eyes showing a bit of complexity.
"Once this is over, I will officially resign as Grand Admiral. The Marines have been reshaped by your 'absolute justice' and no longer need an old, wavering fellow like me."
After saying this, he chuckled as if at himself, then turned around and looked at the setting sun again.
"Sakazuki, I will formally recommend you to the World Government as the successor to the Marshal."
As soon as these words were spoken, the conference room fell silent for a moment.
Sakazuki just snorted coldly, without any rebuttal, but also without any excitement.
Rogge, on the other hand, folded his hands over his chest, his eyes gleaming with lightning: "We will take over, but... those old guys from the Five Elders, are you sure they will agree so easily?"
"Even if Marshal Kong helps, those five old men are never reasonable people."
Sengoku closed his eyes, as if the last weight had been lifted from his shoulders.
"What else can I do?"
"Kizaru will never be able to take over. Kuzan is dead... In the current Marines, the only ones who can carry this banner are you two."
He tilted his head slightly, looked at Rogge, and smiled meaningfully.
"Since you dare to open this bloody road, you must have a way to deal with Mariejois."
Sengoku turned around and pushed open the porthole, and the salty sea breeze poured into the room. For a moment, the sea breeze swept the setting sun, and the military flags outside the window were fluttering.
The sound of waves crashing outside the cabin and the afterglow of the setting sun intertwined, as if whispering a lament for this broken world.
Sengoku stood in front of the porthole, his cloak fluttering slowly in the wind. The golden word "Justice" was particularly dazzling under the blood-red sky.
"Rogge, Sakazuki—"
He finally spoke, his voice low and hoarse, as if it came from a long time ago, "I have been thinking...what exactly did we win in this battle?"
He turned and looked at the two of them, his eyes complex and heavy: "We won the destruction of the Pirates, and also won the blood of our colleagues."
"Garp, Kuzan, and those young Marines... just how far have you taken your 'absolute justice'?"
Sakazuki's face was as dark as water, his fists clenched tightly, and his whole body was still filled with fighting spirit: "Justice should not be weak."
Rogge's expression was stern, and he tapped his fingers on the table. "Weak justice cannot save the world."
Sengoku gave a wry smile, "But have you ever thought about this—does the world need saving, or should it be changed?"
His hand gently pressed against the window frame, as if feeling the cold reality. "I'm old now. Whoever I hand this power to...is a new game."
"I only hope that you can shoulder this heavy burden and not be consumed by power."
Looking at the setting sun in the sky, it was as if the last shackles had been removed: "The wheel of time rolls over, even the sky of Mariejois cannot stop the storm of change."
The hatch creaked in the sea breeze. Sengoku turned his back to the two of them and said one last word:
"But remember—if Marine's knife were to cut your own hand, what would come... wouldn't be a new world, but the end of it."
The sea breeze howled, the setting sun completely sank, and the golden-red light shone on the Marine's "Justice" flag for the last time.
[G-1 Branch·New Marine Headquarters]
On the third day after the war, a high-level Marine meeting was held at the G-1 branch.
The ruins of Marineford still smolder with smoke, while the steel fortress of the G-1 branch has hoisted a new flag of "Absolute Justice".
Rogge stood in front of the holographic sand table, tapped his fingertips, and the air condensed into a transparent Marine emblem:
"From today on, G-1 is Naval Headquarters."
Sakazuki stood beside him, magma silently surging between his fists, and his crimson cape was as dazzling as blood:
"All branches, submit combat capability reports within three days."
The generals below the stage stood in silence, and no one dared to speak.
Red Line: Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces
In Marshal Sora's office, Sengoku gently placed his resignation letter on the table.
"Recommend Sakazuki as the successor marshal?"
Sora's eyes swept over the documents, but Garp's face appeared before his eyes - the old friend who always munched on senbei during meetings, now reduced to a bloody mist.
"Garp...is it finally over..."
Marshal Kong's pen hovered over the resignation letter, and the ink dripped onto Garp's archival photo - it was a photo taken after the Battle of God Valley, with the young Garp laughing and hugging his shoulders.
"You and I both know that,"
Sora suddenly asked, "What does Sakazuki's promotion mean?"
Sengoku straightened his cape, the golden tassels on his sleeves brushing against the resignation letter. "This means Marine can finally enforce justice in his own way!"
He was silent for a long time and finally stamped the report.
"The Five Elders won't agree easily." Sora raised his eyes, his voice hoarse.
Sengoku turned, his cape rising one last time:
"The times are no longer under their control."
[Holy Land · Mariejois · Between Flowers]
Among the flowers, the Five Elders sat around a long table, with Sengoku's recommendation report lying quietly in the center.
"Sakazuki? The extremist?!"
The knife-wielding old man slammed the table and stood up. "If he takes over, Marine will be completely out of control!"
"But the Pirates were suppressed."
The blond man retorted coldly, "After the Summit War, New World Pirates activity decreased by 70%."
"What's the price?" the long-bearded old man shouted angrily, "Garp was killed, Kuzan was executed, and the Marines are in a state of panic!"
The debate intensified and the air became stagnant.
Suddenly, CP0 knelt on one knee outside the door:
"Vice Admiral Rogge… requests a meeting."
The door slid open silently, and Rogge walked in slowly. The sound of his military boots stepping on the white jade floor was particularly clear.
He didn't say anything, but just said lightly: "I want to see Yimu..."
The Five Elders were furious, "You are not allowed to call His Highness by his name casually!"
The old man holding the knife pressed his hand on the First Generation Kitetsu, his hand trembling slightly, veins bulging: "Rogge, do you know what you are saying?!"
Rogge stood in the hall, his cloak fluttering in the wind, his gaze cold and fearless. "In today's world, whose will maintains balance? You know best. If a new era is to come, you... can't stop it."
A cold light flashed in the eyes of the blond Five Elders. The bald Five Elders, who sat silently, twirled his Buddhist beads with a deep gaze.
Just when the tense atmosphere was about to get out of control, a cold and majestic voice, like an oracle, slowly came from the void.
"Let him come."
Those three brief words instantly plunged the entire flower room into a dead silence. The Five Elders fell silent, rising in unison and bowing their heads. "Welcome, Your Highness."
The air seemed to be instantly sucked out, and an ancient and terrifying pressure swept across the entire place. Rogge's eyes darkened slightly. This was the first time he had felt such an unfathomable aura in this world.
A blurry figure slowly walked out from behind the curtain of the platform.
The figure held a rose scepter in his hand, his face completely hidden by a black hood, and every step he took brought with him an invisible sense of oppression.
The tip of the scepter glowed with a strange blue light;
The hem of his robe swept the ground, but it did not pick up a speck of dust;
The temperature of the entire space dropped suddenly;
The only king on the throne of nothingness - Im, finally appeared.
Rogge looked straight at the mysterious figure without any intention of lowering his head.
Yim's voice was ethereal, yet carried an undeniable authority: "Xuanlin Rogge, what do you hope to gain in exchange for victory in this bloody battle?"
Rogge's eyes were cold, and his voice was low and firm: "I don't want a deal."
He took a step forward, his boots clacking against the ground. "What I want is this world, true order."
"From this day forward—Marine will only obey Absolute Justice."
"From this day forward—the privileges of Celestial Dragons must be abolished."
The Five Elders' expressions suddenly changed when they heard this, and the old man holding the knife even subconsciously grasped the hilt of the First Generation Kitetsu.
The blond Five Elders' face turned pale;
The old man with the long beard had cold sweat on his forehead;
The fingers of the old man holding the knife trembled slightly;
Just as they were about to explode, Yim slowly raised his hand to stop them.
Those eyes in the darkness seemed to peer through the hood and into the depths of Rogge's soul: "...Interesting. Do you think you can reshape the world through force alone?"
Rogge took another step forward, the air around him vibrating violently. "If this sea only recognizes fists, I will use my fists to write justice."
Silence spread among the flowers.
After a long time, Yim suddenly chuckled, and there was a mysterious meaning in his laughter.
"Okay, since you want a new era, I'll give you a chance."
"Xuanlin Rogge, from today on, you will bear all consequences of this 'reckoning'."
"May you keep going."
As soon as he finished speaking, golden rose petals fell from the void, and Im's breath disappeared without a trace.
The Five Elders looked back at Rogge with complicated eyes, but no one dared to say anything more.
Rogge turned and left, his steps firm, his military boots making crisp sounds on the tiles between the flowers.
That evening, the World News published a headline:
——"A New Year: The Age of Absolute Justice Begins! Sakazuki officially succeeds Marine Marshal, and Rogge is promoted to Marine Admiral, codenamed 'Xuanlin', and takes control of the Rectification Agency!"
The Celestial Dragons' top brass was furious, but no one dared to challenge the new order.
Civilians across the country rejoiced, and major member states around the world praised the iron-fisted rule of the Marines in the new era.
The Pirates world was filled with fear, countless weak Pirate groups disbanded, and the Pirate King's old dream was shattered.
[G-1Naval Headquarters]
Rogge stood in front of the new "Platform of Justice" and looked down at the entire New World.
Sakazuki walked over slowly and stood shoulder to shoulder with him.
"Admiral Xuanlin, how do you plan to proceed on this bloody road?"
Rogge smiled indifferently: "Keep going until the world is clean."