Marineford, Marine Headquarters
Only four days remained until the execution of "Fire Fist" Ace.
The entire Marineford was permeated with an atmosphere of pre-war tension. Countless Marines arrived from various seas, and the harbor was densely packed with warships.
The execution platform was even more bustling: the crackling sounds of weapons being prepared, modifications to the terrain, and the deployment of various mechanisms. More than a dozen Giant Vice Admirals stood towering next to the Headquarters building, like statues dozens of meters tall, radiating majesty.
Headquarters Building
A young Marine soldier rushed into the Headquarters building with hurried steps.
"Reporting, Fleet Admiral! The harbors on Islands 53 and 54 of the Sabaody Archipelago have been hit by an unidentified bomb attack! A Celestial Dragon slave ship was destroyed!"
"What!"
Upon hearing the news, Fleet Admiral Sengoku suddenly rose from his desk.
Sabaody Archipelago again! Celestial Dragons again!
Could it be that rascal grandson of Garp's causing trouble again?
Remembering the headache that was the Monkey family, Sengoku's eyelid twitched. He glared fiercely at the sofa.
There, their Marine Hero, Garp, sat robustly on the sofa, holding a large bag of snacks and munching loudly.
When he saw Sengoku looking, his expression instantly turned serious, the aura he momentarily revealed finally looking somewhat like a Marine Hero.
Sengoku met his gaze, and just as he was about to question him, Garp suddenly grabbed the bag of snacks and, with a few swoosh sounds, poured the entire bag of senbei (rice crackers) into his mouth.
Who's trying to steal your food!
Sengoku's veins bulged with anger, his fists tightly clenched.
However, having worked together for many years, this scene had played out countless times, and he was almost used to the frustration. This level was not enough to make him lose emotional control.
Besides, Garp was actually one of the more "normal" ones in this office.
Another figure, a man with an afro, also sat idly on the sofa, his long legs propped up high, a black eye mask covering his eyes. His body rose and fell steadily, and a faint snore could be heard.
Another figure, a sleazy old man wearing sunglasses indoors, deliberately sat in a sun-drenched spot near the window. He held a reading material, be it a newspaper or a magazine, openly scrutinizing it with his legs crossed, occasionally letting out a perverted chuckle.
Sengoku sighed and turned his attention back to the young Marine who had reported.
"Were the Celestial Dragons harmed?"
"No, the vessel destroyed was only a slave ship purchasing slaves for the Celestial Dragons in the Four Seas. It only carried the subordinates working for the Celestial Dragons and some captured slaves."
Sengoku breathed a sigh of relief upon hearing this, his tightly furrowed brow relaxing.
As long as the Celestial Dragons are fine. That meant he didn't need to dispatch another Marine Admiral.
"Ah, what a shame."
A sigh suddenly sounded in the office. Sengoku knew immediately who it was, but he ignored the gloating man and looked back at the young Marine.
"Provide the details of the incident."
"Yes. According to the information obtained so far, the perpetrators were two young girls in their teens. They threw a large number of bombs on the beach using some unknown ability, destroying the Celestial Dragon slave ship that was just docking."
"The ship was blown to pieces, but the casualties were few. Aside from a small number of people who drowned, the others swam ashore, and more than half of the slaves escaped in the chaos. This is why the Celestial Dragons are enraged."
As he spoke, the young Marine respectfully handed over a confidential report.
Sengoku took the report and quickly scanned it. The content was similar to what the young Marine had said, but it included a few extra clues about the suspects.
"Petite figures, elf-like faces, the ability to conjure fire out of thin air..."
Another fire-related ability. Quite similar to the "protagonist" of the events in a few days.
Sengoku pondered for a moment, then asked:
"Were any photos taken of them?"
"No, this information was provided by a local fisherman. He said he was about to set out fishing when he suddenly saw two young girls on the beach, one with white hair and the other with orange hair…"
"Orange hair?" Kizaru suddenly sounded surprised.
"What is it, Borsalino? Do you know something?" Sengoku looked at him curiously. He rarely saw such an expression on Kizaru's face.
"Haha, the old man was just reminded of two interesting young people he met on the Sabaody Archipelago. Their hair just happened to be orange as well."
Kizaru rubbed his chin. Although his gaze was still fixed on the magazine in his hands, he appeared unbothered on the surface but was musing internally.
Orange hair. That is most likely little Kagura who is always with little brother Xiang En. I haven't seen the other white-haired girl.
She sounds like another promising newcomer.
Thinking this, Kizaru felt a little restless. If he weren't needed to hold the fort at Marineford in a few days, he would rush to the Sabaody Archipelago right now to visit Xiang En's house.
"Oh, it's rare for you to call young people interesting. Why didn't you bring them back to Marine Headquarters?"
Sengoku was a bit surprised. Given the Admirals' discerning eyes, they rarely valued any juniors. Yet, Kizaru met two promising youths during one mission and, despite his status, couldn't bring them back.
"Ah, I couldn't help it. They simply have no interest in becoming Marines. We can't forcibly drag people over, can we?" Kizaru spread his hands helplessly.
Sengoku was speechless about that.
He motioned for the young Marine, who had been interrupted for a while, to continue.
"Just as the fisherman was about to approach them and advise them to leave the beach and play elsewhere, the white-haired girl suddenly yelled something like 'Jumpy Dumpty' (literally: Boing-Boing Bomb), caught fire all over, and a large number of burning, doll-like bombs were thrown out… After that, the Celestial Dragon's slave ship was blown away."
"Jumpy… Dumpty?"
Is that a Devil Fruit ability? Sengoku looked confused.
Sabaody Archipelago
The sun was setting in the west, and the dim sunlight streamed into the small yard, illuminating the two figures: the old man holding a staff and the young man sitting on the ground with his eyes blindfolded by a black cloth.
The wind howled past.
A wooden staff in the hands of the white-haired old man, carrying a ripple of compressed air, traced an elegant arc in the air. The staff headed straight for the sitting, blindfolded young man with a fierce momentum!
As the whistling sound approached, the blindfolded young man's ear twitched. Sensing the imminent danger, his body instantly leaned backward.
But he was still a fraction of a second too late.
BAM!
The staff struck the side of the young man's face, causing the skin to dent. The young man flew backward with a swoosh, like a compressed spring released from pressure.
"Too bad. Just a little short."
The old man retrieved his staff and stood still, looking with slight disappointment at the young man sprawled under a large tree.
"Yes, just a little short of killing me."
The young man struggled to climb up from the ground. He sat leaning against the large tree, panting heavily, clutching his nose which was bleeding from hitting the ground face-first.