Chapter 90: Shocking Information!
The Fleet Admiral's office was a chamber of heavy, suffocating silence. The only sound was the ticking of the grandfather clock against the wall, each second marking the crumbling of the world's established order.
"Serving... under someone else?"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku stared at Kizaru, his eyes wide and unblinking behind his round glasses. He felt a wave of absurdity wash over him, a cognitive dissonance so strong it made the room spin.
He looked at the map of the world pinned to the wall. The Four Emperors ruled the New World. The Marines ruled the Grand Line. That was the balance. That was the law.
"A monster with Yonko-level strength..." Sengoku whispered, his voice trembling. "A man who can regenerate from nothing... who moves faster than Soru... who pierced an Admiral and survived Garp... is willing to be a subordinate?"
He slammed his hand on the armrest of his chair.
"How is that possible?! In this sea, the strong rule! Monsters do not bow to weaklings! Egos that size do not submit unless they are crushed!"
Sengoku's breathing became ragged.
"Unless..."
He stopped, the implication hanging in the air like a guillotine blade waiting to drop. The thought was too terrifying to vocalize, but it screamed in his mind.
Unless the Captain is even stronger. Unless the difference in power between Ulquiorra and Suzaku is absolute.
"Nothing is impossible!"
A furious, guttural roar interrupted Sengoku's spiraling thoughts.
BOOM...!
Garp, who had been sitting in sullen silence on the guest sofa, suddenly erupted. He didn't just stand up; he exploded into motion.
He slammed his iron fist—the legendary fist that had crushed the skulls of rocks and pirates alike—onto the solid oak coffee table in front of him.
The table didn't just break. It disintegrated. It was reduced to splinters and sawdust in a fraction of a second, the force of the blow cracking the reinforced floorboards beneath it.
The air in the office seemed to solidify due to this violent, raw rage. Even the seagull on Sengoku's hat seemed to flinch from the killing intent radiating from the Hero.
"It was us... it was my judgment that was wrong from the very beginning!"
Garp raised his head. His eyes, usually full of bold laughter and confidence, were now streaked with alarming blood vessels. Rolling within them were anger, unwillingness, and a hint of deep, burning humiliation that even he refused to admit.
"I admit it, Sengoku! I was careless! I underestimated the brat because of his age!"
Garp stepped over the ruins of the table, pacing the room like a caged tiger.
"Aokiji's intelligence led us to believe that the brat named Suzaku was just a lucky fellow relying on a powerful Logia Devil Fruit... that he was a glass cannon who would break if you hit him hard enough! But the truth?"
Garp stopped. He slowly opened his right fist. The skin was red, slightly swollen, and throbbing with a dull ache that hadn't faded since Sabaody.
"The truth is nothing like that!"
He looked at his hand, remembering the sensation of impact.
"That brat..." Garp whispered, his voice dropping to a growl. "He took my Conqueror's Haki-infused punch head-on. He didn't dodge. He didn't use a barrier. He didn't use a fruit ability to phase through it."
Garp looked Sengoku in the eye.
"He punched back."
"His Armament Haki... in terms of thickness, density, and raw destructive power... is absolutely top-tier. He has the 'Color of the Supreme King' coating. I felt it. It clashed with mine and didn't shatter."
Garp clenched his fist again, the sound of grinding bone echoing in the silent room.
"That is definitely... genuine Yonko-level caliber! He is not a rookie. He is a monster wearing human skin! He stands on the same stage as Whitebeard and Kaido!"
"What?"
This time, Chief of Staff Tsuru, who had been sitting quietly on the sofa with her hands folded in her lap, once again failed to maintain her composure. Her eyes widened, her usually stoic face twisting in genuine shock.
"Garp... are you serious?" Tsuru asked, her voice sharp and demanding. "A young man under twenty... possessing Armament Haki strong enough to directly withstand your iron fist? Even Roger and Whitebeard needed years to reach that level of physical maturity!"
She stood up, her mind racing through tactical possibilities.
"If what you say is true, then his potential is infinite. He isn't just a threat for today; he is a threat for the next fifty years."
"This kind of thing..." Sengoku muttered, taking off his glasses to rub his eyes. He felt old. "It can no longer be described with simple terms like 'talent'. It fundamentally defies common sense! How can someone grow that fast in the weakest sea?"
"That's right~"
Kizaru timely put away his soot-stained handkerchief. He leaned back on the sofa, crossing his long legs. He spoke in his characteristic lazy, detached tone, though his eyes behind the cracked sunglasses remained cold and alert.
"Moreover, the Captain isn't the only scary one. The organization structure... it is anomalous."
Kizaru raised his gloved fingers, counting them off one by one like a teacher listing errors.
"First, that woman named Albedo. Her defense capabilities are absolute. She blocked my Yasakani no Magatama—an attack that can sink a fleet—without a scratch. She uses strange magic barriers we haven't seen before. She calls herself a 'servant', but she fights like a Queen."
"Second," he raised another finger. "This newcomer, Ulquiorra. He just made a name for himself, yet he moves faster than Soru, fires energy beams that vaporize islands, and regenerates instantly from lethal wounds. He pierced my subordinates' hearts before they could blink. He is a killing machine without emotion."
"Third," another finger. "The Giant Warrior Pirates. Four captains of Elbaf. Dorry and Brogy alone are legends. Add Oimo and Kashi, and you have a siege engine capable of destroying any fortress."
"And fourth... the crewmates. That blue-haired maid who controls gravity. The pink-haired maid who now wields Enel's lightning. The navigator who commands that steel ship."
Kizaru spread his hands, a gesture of helplessness.
"So, what Garp and I had to face at the time was an encirclement composed of at least three Yonko-level top combatants, plus four Giants, plus a support crew with Logia capabilities."
"Ara ara~ I was just thinking, Sengoku-san..."
Kizaru tilted his head, the light reflecting off his lenses.
"Looking across this ocean... which Yonko crew can deploy three Yonko-level combatants simultaneously? Even the Whitebeard Pirates or the Red Hair Pirates... do they have this density of elite power?"
"Just thinking about it makes it so scary~"
Kizaru's words were light and airy, but every single one landed like a heavy hammer, striking hard at the hearts of Sengoku and Tsuru.
A force that surpasses the Yonko Pirate Crews in elite quality. No fodder. No weak links. Just monsters.
He didn't say it explicitly, but this undeniable conclusion was more suffocating than any direct assertion.
Sengoku felt dizzy and disoriented. He stumbled back a step, his tall frame nearly losing balance. He grabbed the back of his chair for support, his knuckles turning white.
A newcomer pirate crew...
The Captain is a top-tier Haki user who rivals Garp.
The subordinates are monsters who can fight Admirals to a standstill.
They have subdued the Giants of Elbaf.
The scale they had used for decades to measure the world's power balance—the Three Great Powers—was completely shattered at this moment. The equilibrium was gone.
"The most terrifying thing..."
Just as the office fell into a dead silence, Tsuru's aged yet wise voice summarized her thoughts. Her finger tapped lightly on the armrest of the sofa, a nervous tick she rarely showed.
"It is not just the power they currently display," Tsuru said softly, her eyes narrowing. "It is their terrifying... growth rate and intelligence capabilities."
She walked over to the map of the world.
"The growth rate of the brat named Suzaku in such a short time is already frightening. A month ago, he was a nobody in East Blue. Now, he splits the sky with Garp. If we let him go to the New World, how strong will he be in a year?"
"But what is even scarier is his information network. He always seems to discover powerful newcomers before we do. Ulquiorra. Albedo. Where did he find them? How did he know about the Giants' lie at Enies Lobby?"
Tsuru turned to face the Admirals.
"His intelligence gathering ability is simply too astounding. It's like he knows the secrets of the world. It's like he's reading a script we don't have access to."
She turned her gaze to Kizaru.
"Kizaru, what about that steel battleship that attacked you? The 'Pola'?"
When this was mentioned, the perpetually sleazy expression on Kizaru's face finally showed a visible twitch of irritation.
"Ara la la~ That was truly... an unforgettable 'farewell ceremony'."
He curled his lip, his tone carrying a hint of self-mockery and embarrassment.
"A massive, unheard-of steel ship suddenly appeared on our retreat route. It wasn't made of wood. It was pure metal. And then... came a round of hair-raising saturation bombardment."
"The shells... they tracked us. The volume of fire was insane. Although it couldn't inflict fatal injuries on us Logia types... looking so disheveled, running away while being shot at like birds..."
Kizaru sighed, adjusting his suit. "It was certainly quite embarrassing for an Admiral. That ship represents technology that rivals, or perhaps surpasses, Vegapunk's designs."
Garp's face darkened further. He ground his teeth.
It was bad enough that he couldn't save his five Vice Admirals. It was bad enough he had to retreat. But to be chased and bombed by the enemy's warship while fleeing... to be carried away like a sack of potatoes...
This was an unprecedented humiliation in his entire life as a Marine.
Tsuru nodded, her gaze growing heavier.
"Power. Growth speed. Ghost-like intelligence capability. And now, powerful unknown technology..."
She closed her notebook with a snap.
"Everything they have displayed has completely exceeded our scope of understanding for a 'normal pirate crew'! I suspect that a powerful, mysterious force might be supporting them. Or perhaps... they are an organization we have never heard of."
Sengoku's fists clenched, grinding audibly. Veins pulsed fiercely on his temples, threatening to burst.
He suddenly stood up, pacing restlessly back and forth in the office like a caged lion. Each step seemed ready to punch through the heavy floorboards.
"Sengoku," Tsuru said helplessly. "The commotion this time is too great. Enies Lobby destroyed. Five Vice Admirals dead. Admirals retreating. The news must have already spread via Morgans. Trying to cover it up is likely impossible."
"I UNDERSTAND!"
Sengoku roared. He stopped pacing, his back to them. He looked out the window at the symbol of Marine Justice.
"Suzaku... 'Suzaku'..."
He repeatedly chewed on the name, as if trying to crush and swallow it.
"Just over a month! Only a little over a month ago! He was still just a brat making his debut in the East Blue! A rookie who punched a Celestial Dragon!"
"But now... he possesses the power sufficient to completely wipe out a top-tier fleet led by an Admiral!"
"Where in the world... did these monsters keep popping up from?! And they have all gathered under his command! Is he a magnet for calamities?!"
Sengoku's roar echoed in the office, filled with impotent fury and fear for the future.
This was no longer a simple failed encirclement. It wasn't just a pirate crew.
It represented the brazen rise of a brand new, unpredictable, and rapidly growing Fifth Power on the seas, outside of the Yonko and the World Government!
He abruptly spun around. He rushed to the door and yanked it open.
"GUARDS!"
He let out an earth-shattering roar toward the startled communications officers standing guard outside.
"Pass on my orders! Immediately! Right now! Priority Alpha!"
"Re-evaluate the threat level of all members of the Suzaku Pirates!"
Sengoku listed the names like a curse.
"The Captain, 'Vermillion Bird' Suzaku."
"'Wing of Disaster' Ulquiorra Cifer."
"'Blackwing Demon' Albedo."
"Raise all three of their bounties to the maximum threshold allowed without Gorosei approval! Make them higher than the Supernovas! Higher than the Warlords! Make the world tremble at the numbers!"
"All other crew members, including the Giants under the Giant Warrior Pirates, must have new high bounties drawn up! Do not underestimate the maids! Do not underestimate the navigator!"
"Finally..."
Sengoku paused. He took a deep breath, his chest heaving. He squeezed out the final, and most humiliating, command through gritted teeth.
"By the name of the Fleet Admiral, notify the entire world! Notify every Marine base in the Grand Line!"
"Starting today, the Suzaku Pirates are officially listed as an 'Extreme Evil Force,' equal in threat rank to the Yonko!"
"Should any Marine branch or fleet encounter them..."
Sengoku closed his eyes, swallowing his pride for the sake of his men's lives.
"...no petition is required. They are permitted to freely retreat after assessing their own combat strength! Do not engage unless victory is certain! That is an order!"
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