Marineford.
Marine Headquarters Conference Room.
"Kong!"
Garp barged in, panting like he'd just sprinted across the whole island.
"Roger just called me. He said Romu already knows about the God Valley matter, and—"
"Oh?"
Kong sat at the head seat, nodded once, then calmly began brewing a pot of tea.
Seeing that, Garp's eyes bulged.
He didn't care anymore—he slammed Kong's desk.
"You're still in the mood for tea?!"
Kong's expression didn't change.
He even poured Garp a cup.
"Have a cup. Catch your breath."
Garp exploded.
"KONG!!"
"Didn't you tell us how important God Valley is?!"
Seeing Garp's face turning pitch-black, Kong finally dropped the faint smile.
He stood up and explained slowly:
"The Celestial Dragon incident carries huge intelligence value."
"There are countless information brokers—and underground agents embedded near the World Government."
"Especially for something as grand as the God Valley 'festival.'"
"It's a secret."
"But it's not absolute."
"Whether it's the World Government, the kingdoms, or even major pirate forces—many of them know something about it."
"Not to mention…"
"The Five Elders themselves already deduced Rocks would strike."
Hearing that, Garp froze.
Then he scratched his head.
"...That actually makes sense."
"Roger's idiot brain must've infected me."
Kong patted his shoulder.
He was genuinely relieved.
Garp usually didn't care about Celestial Dragons at all—he'd even called them trash before.
Kong had been worried Garp might slack off when God Valley came.
But now?
At least he was taking it seriously.
That alone raised Kong's confidence for the battle—now less than three months away.
"So… if that's the case, it's probably not a big deal…"
Garp set the tea down.
"I'll head out."
He rubbed his scalp, frowning.
Somehow, he felt like he'd forgotten the most important part.
Kong, seeing that look, spoke casually:
"Relax."
"No need to be that tense."
"Go reset yourself, then train the troops with Sengoku and Zephyr."
"With you three pushing them, they'll master Haki faster."
"That'll raise our odds."
Right—
Haki!!
Garp slapped his forehead like a cannon went off in his skull.
He spun back and grabbed Kong, roaring:
"Conqueror's coating! Roger said Romu can use Conqueror's Haki coating!!"
Crack!
Kong's teacup shattered into seven or eight pieces.
Tea splashed across the table.
Kong didn't even look down.
His "mountain" mustache twitched violently.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
He paced to the desk, planted both hands on it, and pressed his thumbs under his chin.
"Is the information reliable?"
The lazy calm was gone.
What remained was pure gravity.
"Roger said it himself."
Garp paused, took a deep breath, then continued:
"He fought Romu near the Calm Belt."
"Romu really does have Conqueror's coating."
"And his spirit is terrifying."
"Roger even said…"
"…it isn't weaker than his."
Conqueror's Haki—
The Marine had almost none of it. Besides Sengoku, there wasn't another confirmed user at the top level.
But that didn't mean Kong and Garp didn't understand what it meant.
They understood too well.
Conqueror's coating wasn't just "rare."
It was the mark of a king among kings.
Anyone who could grow with that potential could stand at the very top of the world.
If such a person appeared, the Marine and World Government would investigate immediately—and monitor them constantly.
Rocks. Newgate. Shiki. Linlin.
They all had that level.
One of them could dominate an era.
Put them together?
You had a sky that could collapse.
That was one of the biggest reasons the World Government and Marine feared the Rocks Pirates so deeply.
And now—
Romu joined that bracket.
"…Hmph."
Kong exhaled through his nose.
He spoke half like a question, half like he was talking to himself:
"From Zephyr's report…"
"Romu didn't use Conqueror's coating in their fight."
"So what is it?"
"Did he hide it back then?"
"Or did he awaken it within these few days…?"
Garp glanced at Kong, voice heavy:
"Either way, it proves we've underestimated how dangerous he is."
Kong nodded hard.
Then he grabbed a Den Den Mushi.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru?"
"This is Kong."
"New situation."
"Come to my office—bring Sengoku and Zephyr too."
"Now."
…
A few minutes later, Tsuru, Sengoku, and Zephyr arrived and took seats around the round table.
They were still confused—until Garp repeated everything.
In an instant, faces changed—especially Sengoku's.
As the only known Conqueror's user in the Marine , he understood better than anyone what "coating" meant in real combat power.
"That's the situation," Kong said, still bracing his chin with both hands, eyes dark.
"What are your views?"
Zephyr clenched his fist.
The corner of his mouth twitched.
His feelings were… complicated.
He hadn't expected Romu to have still been holding something back when they fought.
"Kong."
Sengoku pushed up his glasses and began calmly:
"With this, our top-end power may no longer be enough."
"Rocks' side: Rocks, Newgate, Shiki, Linlin, plus Wang Zhi and the other officers—seven top names."
"Rocks' true ceiling is unknown."
"But Newgate, Shiki, and Linlin are all at Admiral-level."
"Possibly… Newgate even higher."
"Wang Zhi, Silver Axe, and John are a tier below—but they can still stall an Admiral for a while."
He paused, then continued, voice even lower:
"Now our side."
"Not counting the Roger Pirates—because they're pirates. We can't assume reliability."
"Our core top-end is just: Kong, Garp, Zephyr, and me."
"Four."
"With support from G1, G2, G3, G5 branches, we can barely compensate."
"But now…"
"They also have Romu—an additional Conqueror's-coating top combatant."
"That extra 'peak-tier'…"
"…we may not have anyone to stop."
He trailed off.
Sweat beaded at his temple—not fear, but calculation under pressure.
The room grew heavier and heavier.
Tsuru coughed lightly, breaking the silence.
"I don't think it's as hopeless as it looks."
"Sengoku's math is correct—Rocks' top-end count is higher."
"But…"
"The Rocks Pirates aren't a true 'crew.'"
"They're a profit coalition held together by Rocks' iron fist."
"Intelligence shows those captains are all ambitious."
"Shiki has even voiced intentions of leaving to go solo."
"So I estimate…"
"In the final battle, they won't all fight at full strength."
"If we eliminate Rocks, the entire 'terror organization' will collapse."
Her reasoning carried weight.
And it eased the pressure in the room—just slightly.
"Reasonable," Kong said, nodding.
Then he shook his head.
"But God Valley is too important."
"We can't gamble victory on the enemy's internal fractures."
"I still believe Romu will be a variable."
"Keep increasing the training intensity."
"I'll report this to the Five Elders."
"And see if we can secure support from Impel Down and Enies Lobby…"
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