Boom!
Just as Vice Admiral Tsuru was explaining the Navy's strategy, the office doors burst open with a deafening crash.
Sengoku pressed his fingers to his temples, already feeling a headache forming when he saw the purple-haired man storming in.
"Zephyr, what is it now? Why are you so worked up?"
Bang!
Zephyr strode forward, slamming both palms onto Sengoku's desk. His sharp glare locked on the Fleet Admiral as he spoke through gritted teeth.
"Has the Navy fallen this low? Using someone's family as leverage? Is this the same Navy I once believed in? Answer me, Sengoku!"
Sengoku said nothing, his silence heavier than words.
"Zephyr, you know it isn't Sengoku's choice," Tsuru interjected softly. "The World Government gave the order. The Navy can't simply ignore it."
"And did either of you consider what this will do to our reputation once it's carried out?" Zephyr shot back, his voice trembling with fury. "Who will ever trust us again after this?"
The light reflecting off his sunglasses made his expression unreadable, but the anger in his tone was unmistakable.
Across the room, Garp's face was equally grim. He didn't speak, but it was obvious he agreed.
"Enough!" Sengoku slammed the desk. "You think I want this? If we don't obey their orders, the Navy loses the World Government's support entirely! You want my position? Take it and see if you can save our reputation!"
His frustration finally erupted. "Do you think I didn't protest? That I didn't argue against this? We don't get to decide anymore! Our funding—our resources—everything comes from them! Disobey, and we collapse!"
"I'll take it then!" Zephyr roared back. "If it were me, I'd never let the Navy disgrace itself like this! I'd never stoop so low as to threaten someone through their family!"
The mention of "family" struck a raw nerve—one that never truly healed. The loss of his own loved ones was a wound that defined Zephyr's entire life.
When he heard that the Navy planned to use Leno's family as bait, his rage had boiled over, driving him straight here.
"You're useless, Sengoku! Sitting there doing nothing but bowing your head!"
"Fine!" Sengoku snapped, standing so fast his chair toppled. "You think it's easy being Fleet Admiral? You think I enjoy this? You want the job? Take it!"
"Gladly!" Zephyr leaned forward, their foreheads nearly touching. "I'm not afraid of responsibility!"
"Then do it!"
"Gladly!" (T/N: I'm enjoying this ┻━┻ ︵ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ︵ ┻━┻ )
"That's enough! Both of you, shut up!"
Tsuru's voice cracked through the air like a whip. She slammed her hands on the table, glaring at both men.
"You're acting like fools! You're both over a hundred years old, and you're squabbling like children in the marketplace! Yelling here won't change anything. Orders are orders—they will be carried out whether we like it or not."
Her gaze softened slightly. "Instead of wasting energy fighting, think of how we can minimize the damage—how we can protect the Navy's image."
"Hmph!"
Zephyr cast one last searing glare at Sengoku, then turned on his heel and stormed out, his voice echoing down the hall.
"I'll never approve of using innocent families as leverage. Never!"
Sengoku sighed heavily, slumping back into his chair.
"Try to understand him, Sengoku," Tsuru said gently, watching Zephyr's retreating back. "He's still haunted by what happened back then."
"I know," Sengoku muttered. "That's just the kind of man he is. After everything he's been through… it's the Navy that failed him, not the other way around."
He paused, eyes distant. "If only, back then—"
"Enough," Tsuru cut in quickly. "What's done is done. We don't talk about that anymore."
Silence fell. The three of them—old comrades who had carried the Navy on their backs for decades—sat quietly, each lost in their own memories.
Their expressions shifted subtly, shadows of regret and fatigue flickering across their faces.
Meanwhile, far away in the Calm Belt, in the Kingdom of Amazon Lily—Queen Boa Hancock lay sprawled across her silky bed, hugging a pillow embroidered with Leno's likeness. She writhed and cooed like a lovestruck cat.
The door creaked open. Sandersonia stepped inside, newspaper in hand, her expression torn between exasperation and resignation.
Her sister's obsession had reached new heights—Leno's portraits covered every inch of the room.
"Sister, today's newspaper has news about Lord Leno!"
Before she'd even finished the sentence, Hancock had vanished from the bed. Whoosh! In the next instant, she appeared before Sandersonia, snatching the newspaper from her hands.
Outside, Marigold and Elder Nyon entered, each carrying their own copy.
"Aha~ Lord Leno has become an Emperor of the New World," Hancock breathed dreamily, her cheeks flushing red as she melted to the floor. "Truly the man worthy of my love!"
"Get a hold of yourself, Snake Princess!" Elder Nyon barked, frowning as she flipped through her paper. "He's a terrifying man. Even Kaido, that monster, couldn't stand against him."
"That's right," Sandersonia added, eyes wide with awe. "Kaido—the so-called strongest creature alive—defeated by Lord Leno. It's almost unreal!"
When Sandersonia had first read the news, she'd been so shocked she ran straight here to tell her sister.
But now, seeing Hancock's face twist from adoration to fury, she froze.
"Those women on his ship…" Hancock muttered darkly, biting her finger. "The way they look at Lord Leno… so bold, so shameless! How dare they!"
Her imagination conjured scenes of Leno surrounded by his female crewmates, smiling at them, holding them—leaving her all alone. Rage erupted within her like a storm.
"Calm down, Sister! Please!"
"Snake Princess, control yourself!"
But it was no use. Hancock's fury only deepened.
"I can't wait any longer. I must go to Lord Leno right away! If I delay, there may be no place for me at his side!"
Elder Nyon's face turned pale. "You fool! You don't even know where he is! And with his identity exposed, the World Government will definitely act soon. We have to be cautious."
"We'll wait for the right time," she continued firmly. "Perhaps we can even help him when the moment comes."
Listening to Elder Nyon, Hancock forcibly suppressed the urge to set sail. She remained silent for a long time before gritting her teeth and saying.
"You'd better be right. If not, I'll banish you from Amazon Lily forever!"
"You ungrateful brat!" Elder Nyon fumed, stamping her foot. "I'm your former empress! I've done everything for you, and this is the thanks I get?"
"Please, calm down!" Sandersonia and Marigold rushed between them, flustered.
Despite her frail appearance, Elder Nyon's influence still loomed large over Amazon Lily—and everyone knew it.
"Please, Elder Nyon, don't be angry," Sandersonia pleaded. "My sister didn't mean it."
"Yes, please," Marigold echoed. "You'll hurt yourself if you get too upset!"
Elder Nyon huffed, glaring at Hancock before finally sighing in defeat.