The Fleet Admiral's office fell into an unprecedented, deathly, and eerie silence. It felt as if the very air had solidified into a heavy weight. Extreme shock and a sense of total absurdity were etched onto every face in the room. For a long moment, no one could even manage to utter a single sound.
The suggestion hung in the air like a poisonous fog. Join the pirates? Overthrow the World Government?
The very thought was like a lightning bolt that tore through their lifelong beliefs, exploding wildly in the minds of every Marine officer present. They were the shield of the world, the upholders of order. To turn against the Gorosei and the Celestial Dragons was a concept that bordered on madness.
Tsuru's words had been like a small stone thrown into a calm lake, but the ripples they stirred up had quickly transformed into a furious, world-altering storm.
"This is absurd! It's absolutely shameless!" Akainu Sakazuki was the first to break the silence. He slammed his hand down on the heavy wooden table with such force that the wood groaned. His eyes, partially hidden beneath the brim of his cap, burned with a scorching, molten rage. The temperature in the office seemed to rise several degrees in an instant, the air shimmering with the heat of his Magu Magu no Mi powers. "The Marines cooperating with common pirates? And to launch an attack on Mary Geoise, the very symbol of the World Government? This isn't just a suggestion; it is the most thorough betrayal of 'Absolute Justice' imaginable! It is a defilement of the very beliefs we carry on our cloaks! I absolutely refuse to even consider such a disgraceful path!"
His roar acted as a catalyst for the other hawkish officers. Within seconds, the room erupted into a chaotic wave of condemnation and fierce opposition. Shouts rose one after another, filling the cramped office with noise.
"He's right! We are the Marines, the law of the sea!"
"Associating with low-life criminals? What kind of behavior is that for an officer?!"
"This has to be a trap! This must be some sort of elaborate conspiracy by Takuro to dismantle us from the inside!"
However, amidst this rising wave of indignation and anger, an extremely discordant, loud, and hearty laugh suddenly erupted. It was a booming sound that forcefully overrode all the noise in the room, cutting through the tension like a dull blade.
"Puhahaha... Wahahahaha!!!"
Everyone turned to look in astonishment. They saw Monkey D. Garp clutching his stomach, laughing so hard that he was doubled over. Tears were actually streaming down his weathered face. He thumped the armrest of the sofa with a heavy fist and managed to gasp out, "Cooperation? Attacking Mary Geoise? Hahaha! That brat Takuro... he's really something else! He is way too interesting! Honestly, he's even more interesting than that guy Roger ever was! Puhahaha!!"
Garp's reaction stunned everyone into a fresh silence. At such a serious moment, with a topic that concerned the very fate of the world's power structure, the Marine hero's reaction was far too erratic. It was typical Garp, yet entirely inappropriate for the gravity of the situation.
"Garp!!" Fleet Admiral Sengoku's veins bulged prominently on his forehead. He looked as though he might have a heart attack right then and there. He roared, unable to bear the old man's antics for another second, "Be serious! This isn't one of your jokes!"
Garp finally managed to stop his boisterous laughing, wiping away the tears from the corners of his eyes with the back of his hand. Despite the scolding, his face still held an undisguised look of pure amusement. He reached up, casually picked his nose, and mumbled indistinctly, "Well, it's true, isn't it? To dare to think like that and then say it so directly to our faces... he's the only one in decades who has had the guts to do it."
He paused for a second, then added with a smirk, "Oh, it seems there was also Rocks D. Xebec."
Just then, Tsuru spoke again. Her voice was not loud, but it possessed a sharp, rhythmic quality that reached everyone's ears clearly. She carried an undeniable calmness that acted as a cooling balm to Akainu's heat.
"Everyone, please be quiet for a moment. I know exactly how outrageous this proposal sounds to all of you. However, I am asking you to temporarily set aside your prejudices. Take a deep breath and let me finish my explanation."
She looked around the room slowly. Her gaze swept over every face, lingering on those who looked angry, confused, or deeply contemplative.
"In fact, this proposal is something that Fleet Admiral Sengoku and I have already discussed. We have met privately several times to go over the implications."
At these words, even Akainu temporarily suppressed his simmering anger. He stared intently at Tsuru and then at Sengoku. The realization hit the room like a physical blow. The Fleet Admiral had known about this for a while? He had actually entertained the idea?
"Let's put our personal emotions aside for a moment," Tsuru continued, her voice steady and rational. "We need to analyze Takuro objectively, based strictly on the intelligence we have gathered. According to all the information we've collected through every available channel—from his first appearance in the North Blue until his recent actions—we can draw a very specific conclusion. Takuro is not a pirate in the traditional sense. He is not someone who is utterly evil or someone who revels in senseless killing and plunder."
She began to list her points, ticking them off with her fingers.
"To date, there is no intelligence indicating that he or his subordinate forces have actively attacked or harmed innocent civilians. On the contrary, in the North Blue region he effectively controls, our secret investigations show something startling. The lives of ordinary people there are actually more stable and safe than those living under the rule of many World Government member nations."
Some of the younger officers showed skeptical expressions, whispering to one another, but Tsuru didn't stop.
"He combats other pirates with extreme prejudice and has completely eradicated several major slave trafficking networks. While his methods are certainly drastic and often violent, his goals are very clear. Within his sphere of influence, the rampant maritime crime that used to plague those waters has almost vanished. Everyone, please think about it honestly: has such 'peace' and 'order' ever been truly achieved in a sea area under our watch? Especially in places like Fish-Man Island at the entrance to the New World? We have governed those areas for years with the Marines and the World Government, yet the chaos remained."
This question was like a sharp needle, piercing through the pride of many people in the room. They had fought pirates for their entire careers and knew the inherent chaos of the sea. The idea of a truly "peaceful" sea area governed by a man they labeled a criminal was incredibly hard to swallow.
"He appears lawless and acts recklessly, but his logic follows a firm set of principles," Tsuru explained. "He seeks power and challenges the strong, but towards the weak, he shows a stance of almost total indifference. However, he has clear bottom lines that he does not cross."
Tsuru's words were like a key, opening a door in the minds of the Marine officers that had been locked shut by dogma. Their intelligence had always focused on how Takuro defeated powerful enemies or how he possessed a Power Level that defied logic, perhaps rivaling a Super Saiyan or a Yonko. No one had ever examined him from the perspective of "governance" or "order."
As they calmed down and compared the "order under Takuro's rule" with the "order" created by the Celestial Dragons—the high-and-mighty nobles they were forced to protect—an indescribable sense of absurdity arose. They remembered the nobles who regarded human lives as mere grass and captured slaves on a whim. Were they truly upholding "Justice"?
The fierce discussions in the room gradually subsided into an eerie silence. It was no longer the shock and anger from before, but a deeper, more complex stillness. Everyone was processing this subversive information, re-examining everything they had always defended.
In the eyes of many, the struggle grew more intense. Akainu's face remained ashen, but his clenched fists trembled slightly. Kizaru stroked his chin, lost in thought. Aokiji leaned against the wall, gazing at the ceiling, his ice-blue eyes swirling with hidden thoughts.
Finally, this silence was broken by Fleet Admiral Sengoku's heavy, tired voice:
"What are everyone's thoughts? Let's hear them."
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