Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Together with Impel Down and Enies Lobby, it formed the three great strongholds of the world—impregnable and solid as a rock.
Marineford in the dark night sat on the sea like an abyssal beast ready to devour people.
For pirates, this was an absolute forbidden zone of death.
Beams of searchlights swept back and forth, capable of discovering enemies in the dark instantly, leaving them nowhere to hide.
And neutralizing them immediately.
Night fell. It should have been a quiet night, but in the office, Admiral Kong (Steel Bone) was furious.
"Bastards! Who did this??"
Looking at the bloody photos handed to him by his adjutant, Kong felt a chill run down his spine amidst his anger.
In the photos, hundreds of Marine soldiers had died miserably, their deaths varied.
Not only that, but the two Marine Vice Admirals who commanded these soldiers were also among them, killed by extremely cruel means.
Although they were only Marine Branch Vice Admirals, their strength was not to be underestimated.
"Take a look too." After his anger subsided, Kong had the adjutant distribute the photos to the Marine officers below.
"Sanders?? I know this guy. A taijutsu expert, practiced Rokushiki well, and even mastered Haki. Even he was killed."
Sengoku, who had dealt with Sanders before, frowned.
To kill Sanders, the opponent's strength was obviously not weak.
"Found out who did it??" Sengoku continued to ask.
Kong shook his head. "When they were discovered, they had been dead for several hours. Apart from their corpses, nothing else was found at the scene. The other party left no traces."
"Those damned pirates!!"
Two Marine Vice Admirals killed was a significant loss for the Marines.
"Look at their wounds." Zephyr, with purple hair, stood up slowly holding the photos of the Sanders siblings. "Sanders' chest is caved in; bones all over his body were shattered. His sister Sanas has countless small wounds on her body, but the cut on her neck was the fatal blow."
"That's right. There were at least two attackers."
Tsuru, who had also noticed this, nodded in deep agreement.
"More than that!"
As soon as everyone finished speaking, Admiral Kong added: "Look at these Marine soldiers again."
"Their clothes are tattered, bodies scorched black, foaming at the mouth. When soldiers found them, faint lightning power still lingered on their bodies."
"The opponent is very likely a Devil Fruit user, and specifically, a user of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit with extremely strong destructive power!"
"What?!"
Admiral Kong's conclusion shocked everyone.
The Rumble-Rumble Fruit was a Devil Fruit with extremely strong destructive power, ranking among the best of the known Logia types.
"This is trouble!"
Zephyr, knowing the severity of the matter, immediately darkened his face and frowned.
"To kill two Marine Vice Admirals and hundreds of soldiers at once, and being a suspected Rumble-Rumble Fruit user... the opponent's strength is likely greater than we imagine."
"Do you have any candidates in mind? Have you heard of such a pirate crew??"
Admiral Kong looked at the four people opposite him.
Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, and Zephyr.
These four could be said to be the most talented among this generation of Marines, their strength far exceeding ordinary people.
In the past year, they had eliminated many famous pirate crews in the New World, terrifying countless pirates.
They had more or less come into contact with the pirate crews of the New World.
Especially the stronger ones, which were their key targets.
To Kong's surprise, Sengoku, Zephyr, and Tsuru looked at each other and shook their heads simultaneously.
"No, this is the first time I've heard of them. I've dealt with most pirate crews in the New World, but I have no impression of these guys."
Sengoku rubbed his chin and said in a deep voice:
"If I'm not mistaken, these guys are likely a pirate crew that just entered the New World, which is why we know nothing about them."
"I agree with Sengoku's guess. It should be a powerful pirate crew from the Four Blues."
Tsuru, with her meticulous mind, also voiced her judgment.
"Hmph! A bunch of scum. Killing so many Marines as soon as they enter the New World—truly arrogant!!"
Zephyr, agreeing deeply with this conclusion, clenched his fists, unable to suppress his anger.
The death of two Marine Vice Admirals and hundreds of soldiers wasn't just a huge loss for the Marines.
If this news got out, the Marines would lose all face!!
If other pirate crews in the New World found out, they'd probably hold a celebration party!!
"Garp! Garp!!!"
While everyone was analyzing heatedly, Tsuru shook Garp's shoulder. This guy had been frowning ever since he looked at the photos, lost in thought.
"Garp, what's wrong??" Kong also noticed Garp's abnormality.
Recovering his senses, Garp met everyone's gaze and said uncertainly: "I think I have a clue."
"What did you say?? Be clear."
Hearing this, everyone's eyes lit up. If Garp had a clue, things would be much easier.
Garp recounted the day's events: "Earlier today, I encountered Gloriosa of the Kuja Pirates in a certain sea area. After a fight, I heavily injured her, but she escaped in the end."
"I originally intended to lead men to pursue her, but there happened to be a Marine Branch on her escape route, so I had my adjutant contact the Vice Admiral there."
"It seems... it seems to have been the Sanders siblings."
"So you mean Gloriosa killed the two of them??" Kong understood the implication in Garp's words.
"Absolutely impossible!" Garp stood up immediately, his voice firm.
"Leaving aside that Gloriosa was already heavily injured by me, even if she wasn't injured, facing the Sanders siblings simultaneously would at most be a toss-up."
"And you saw it just now; the wounds on Sanders' body weren't caused by Gloriosa's ability at all."
"That's what I can't figure out. Perhaps some accident happened during the process."