Ezra D. Vale listened to Sengoku's words and fell into silence, speechless for a moment.
"Uncle Sengoku, aside from those lofty, empty-sounding reasons, what else is there?"
Sengoku's mouth twitched. He laughed awkwardly.
"Haha, so you noticed.
Ahem. What I said earlier is part of it, yes.
But the other reason involves the Five Elders."
Ezra raised an eyebrow. "They forced you to retire?"
Sengoku waved his hand quickly. "No, not like that."
"They also believe the Navy needs a new leader.
I've thought about it carefully for a long time before finally making this decision."
"Do you really think Akainu would agree?"
Ezra voiced the doubt in his heart.
Given Akainu's hardline, hawkish style, there was no way he would accept this. Or so Ezra thought.
Yet Sengoku nodded calmly.
"Don't worry. He's already agreed."
Sengoku continued,
"Before informing you, I already spoke with Kizaru and Akainu.
You know Kizaru's personality. He doesn't really care who becomes Fleet Admiral.
Akainu, on the other hand, surprised me.
He strongly supported you."
Ezra's mouth twitched. Impossible.
"How is that possible? A hardliner like him not wanting to be Fleet Admiral himself?"
Sengoku shrugged. "To be honest, your methods are even more hawkish than his."
Ezra nearly choked. More hawkish than Akainu? That sounded absurd.
But after thinking it over, he had to admit something.
When it came to pirates, he truly showed no mercy.
"So from now on, the Navy will be in your hands.
But for now, go inform Aokiji."
The conversation ended there.
Ezra walked out of the office with a helpless expression.
He looked up at the sky.
"What kind of mess is this…"
He shook his head. There was no point dwelling on it now.
When the time came, he would face it.
With a flash step, Ezra arrived at the harbor and found Vice Admiral Momousagi directing the troops.
"Momousagi, Sengoku has a mission for you."
She looked at Ezra in confusion.
"An execution is about to happen. Why issue a mission now?"
Ezra explained the situation at Impel Down while handing her the documents.
After hearing the summary, Momousagi frowned.
"I understand, Ezra.
I'll take Hina with me."
Ezra nodded slightly. "Time is critical. Be careful."
Momousagi nodded and led her people toward the warship.
Ezra stepped onto the high platform and looked down at the bustling Marines below.
Thinking about the position awaiting him, he felt a surge of complicated emotions.
"Hey, Ezra, what are you thinking about?"
Kizaru asked lazily from the side.
Ezra turned his head.
"Uncle Kizaru, do you think I can really handle it?"
Kizaru froze for a second, then quickly understood.
"So Sengoku already told you?"
Ezra nodded.
"Yes. For me, it felt more like a shock than good news."
Kizaru chuckled.
"Whatever you think, the person with the most support in the Navy right now is you. No one else even comes close."
Ezra sighed and waved his hand.
"Let's talk about that after all this is over."
Kizaru shrugged and said no more.
Meanwhile, Momousagi and Hina had already set sail for Impel Down.
Ezra deliberately did not mention the relationship between Garp and Luffy.
That way, Momousagi could focus fully on capturing Luffy without hesitation.
Inside Impel Down, Luffy had already found Ivankov and even reached Level 6.
He realized he was too late.
So now, there was only one thing left to do.
Fight back up to Level 1.
Because Magellan had activated every defense mechanism in Impel Down.
All guards were stationed at key points.
There was only one goal.
No one escapes.
Using a key made of wax, Mr. 3 finally opened the gate to Level 4.
"Luffy! The door's open!"
Luffy, still holding off the guards, heard this and his eyes lit up.
"Got it! Ivankov! Crocodile!
Time to move!"
They nodded and rushed after Luffy into Level 4, the Blazing Hell.
The gate slammed shut behind them.
Before they could even catch their breath, a torrent of flames blasted toward them.
Crocodile's eyes narrowed.
His arms instantly transformed into four razor-sharp blades of sand.
"Desert Spada!"
In an instant, the flames were dispersed.
Everyone looked toward the figure in the distance.
A man wearing an Egyptian pharaoh-style headdress, his belly swollen like a demon's, stood there with a crazed grin on his face.
"I am Hannyabal, Vice Warden of Impel Down!"
"You heinous criminals will sleep here forever!"
With a wave of his hand, Minotaurus charged forward, club raised high, followed by Minokoala, Minorhinoceros, Minotaur Zebra, and other jailers.
Anger flashed across Luffy's face.
"I don't have time to waste here anymore!"
"Gum Gum Jet Bazooka!"
The battle erupted instantly.
At the same time, Magellan, guarding Level 1, the Crimson Hell, received reinforcements.
Momousagi and Hina had arrived.
While Impel Down burned with chaos, the New World was no less violent.
The Beasts Pirates and the Red-Haired Pirates were locked in a brutal clash.
Both sides were fighting with bloodshot eyes.
Shanks had only intended to slow Kaido down.
He never expected Kaido to be this stubborn.
Kaido was determined to head to Marineford and seize Ace.
The Beasts Pirates had overwhelming numbers, while the Red-Haired Pirates followed an elite-only approach.
No matter how strong his crew was, they could not withstand dozens or even hundreds attacking a single fighter.
Shanks forced Kaido back once more, teeth clenched in frustration.
"Kaido! Are you really planning to start an all-out war?"
Boom!
As his words fell, an overwhelming burst of Conqueror's Haki exploded from Shanks.
Many Beasts Pirates who could normally withstand such pressure had already been mentally exhausted by battle.
The shockwave knocked nearly a third of them unconscious.
Kaido refused to be outdone.
"Shanks! Come fight me!"
Boom!
An equally terrifying Conqueror's Haki erupted from Kaido's body.
The collision of their wills tore through the sky itself.
At this moment, Kaido no longer cared about Ace.
All he wanted was to crush the man standing in front of him.