New World, Navy G-1 Base!
After the unprecedented war at Marineford, the former Navy Headquarters was destroyed and could no longer be used as a base for the time being.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku and other elite officers, including the three Admirals, temporarily relocated to the G-1 Naval Base in the New World.
But there was a deeper reason for this choice. The Navy wanted to make a statement to the entire world:
Even though they didn't claim final victory at Marineford, their determination to uphold justice and fight pirates would burn stronger than ever!
The Navy would still be the banner of justice!
Of course, this couldn't completely erase their humiliation.
Fire Fist Ace, the heir of the Pirate King's bloodline, had been rescued, and Marineford itself had been destroyed.
The organization that claimed to embody justice had become the laughingstock of the seas.
Still, the Navy's overall strength hadn't suffered much, and the balance of power on the ocean remained intact.
But for certain radicals in the Navy, this humiliation was something they would never forget. They swore to use every possible method to wash away the shame.
G-1 Naval Base, Conference Hall!
The meeting was in chaos. The defeat at Marineford had left the elite officers seething. The first half of the meeting turned into a shouting match, nearly devolving into a blame session.
Three names were the focus of their fury: Victor, Blackbeard Marshall D. Teach, and Straw Hat Luffy.
Victor and Blackbeard were seen as the biggest culprits. Victor was without question the largest variable in the war, the man who had changed the outcome and brought shame to the Navy.
Blackbeard, meanwhile, had orchestrated the biggest riot in Impel Down's history, unleashing countless monsters from Level Six. Four of them had even joined his crew.
As for Straw Hat Luffy, fewer voices complained—mostly because Vice Admiral Garp was sleeping through the meeting.
Admiral Akainu, who was usually the most radical, remained unusually silent. He smoked a cigar with a stormy face, his arm still bandaged from being blasted away during the war.
"Everyone, quiet!" Sengoku roared. "No one is more ashamed of this defeat than I am. But what's done is done. Justice will not fall!
"Whitebeard has returned to the New World, but he's gravely injured. As he himself said, he and I are relics of the old era. We are no longer the protagonists of this age!
"The real threat is Victor, Blackbeard, Straw Hat Luffy, and the other new pirates. They are the Worst Generation!"
His words carried a heavy weight. Sengoku also announced that once the aftermath was settled, he would resign as Fleet Admiral.
"I propose that the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock be stripped of her Warlord status and that her bounty be raised to one billion berries!" Vice Admiral Flying Squirrel spat with venom.
It was only after the war that he realized it had been Hancock who smuggled Victor and the Straw Hats into Impel Down.
What baffled him was how she had pulled it off despite repeated inspections.
The meeting dragged on until a new set of bounties was confirmed:
Victor – 2,000,000,000 berries
Marshall D. Teach – 2,000,000,000 berries
But before the meeting ended, a shocking report came from Marineford.
Victor, Straw Hat Luffy, and "Dark King" Silvers Rayleigh, former first mate of Gol D. Roger, had returned to Marineford!
Luffy rang the great bell 18 times.
Then Victor rang it 5 times, then 2, then 1.
Suddenly, dark clouds gathered. Thunder roared across the sky, and the word "THUNDER" blazed above Marineford.
Boa Hancock!!
The officers froze in silence.
"…The hell is this, the Navy being trolled live?"
"Raise their bounties again!!"
And so, Victor's bounty rose to 2.1 billion berries, while Luffy's bounty jumped to 400 million berries.
Boa Hancock was stripped of her Seven Warlords of the Sea title, and Amazon Lily was officially declared a pirate nation hostile to the Navy.
The World Government spread this news across the seas. Yet Victor's actual performance in the Battle of Marineford was carefully concealed.
"Hahaha! Victor, I didn't expect to meet someone like you this time. The future of the seas will be very entertaining!" Silvers Rayleigh sat laughing on the bow of their returning ship.
He never thought Victor would pull such a stunt at Marineford—but damn, it was heroic.
"Uncle Rayleigh, you flatter me. Compared to a legend like you, I'm still far behind."
Victor grinned, keeping things polite.
"Hahaha!" Rayleigh laughed again, though his gaze shifted toward Luffy.
He could feel Victor's overwhelming strength. And because of that, he knew—Luffy's journey as a pirate would one day see him standing against this man.
"Heheh! Victor, you're so strong! You and Ace are both way ahead of me! But I'll train hard with Rayleigh! Because I'm the man who'll be the Pirate King!"
Luffy, bandages wrapped around his waist, grinned through the pain. He had already sent the message to his crew: in two years, they would reunite at the Sabaody Archipelago. They all needed time to grow stronger.
For the next two years, he would train under Rayleigh. When he returned, he swore he'd be ready.
"Don't get ahead of yourself, Luffy. I'll be setting out as a pirate too. I don't care about becoming Pirate King—for now. But one day, I might. And when that happens, I'll knock you out of my way."
"Ehh!? Victor, are you really forming your own crew!? Why don't you just join mine?!"
"Luffy, you idiot. I'll be my own captain!"
Victor smacked him on the head, exasperated.
"Gyaah! That hurt!" Luffy rubbed his head, then suddenly grew serious. He extended his palm.
"Victor, let's make a promise! Two years from now, our crews will reunite at the Sabaody Archipelago. Then we'll set sail for the New World together!"
"…Fine. I promise. Two years, Sabaody Archipelago."
Victor hesitated for a moment, then clasped Luffy's hand firmly.
This was a promise between men.