The coastal port of Alabasta was bathed in sunlight as the Navy warship prepared to set sail. The anchor had been raised, and the white sails were half-hoisted, awaiting the final order.
On the pier, Prince Cobra stood alongside Titi and several royal guards. Cobra wore simple clothes that were just as dirty as when he was digging in the dirt alongside his people. Titi stood beside him.
Seven leaped down from the ship's deck and landed on the pier. Sakazuki and Borsalino followed behind him.
"So you're really leaving," said Cobra.
"We have to continue our journey to Marineford," replied Seven.
Cobra nodded. He looked at Seven for a moment, then extended his hand.
"Mr. Seven. I've seen what you've been doing here. That place. Protecting the islands that can't pay the Sky Gold. I know it's not easy, especially with the World Government involved."
Cobra tightened his grip. "When the time comes, whatever you need, Alabasta will help. That is my promise as heir to the throne of the Kingdom of Alabasta."
Seven shook Cobra's hand. "Thank you, Prince Cobra."
Titi smiled. "Stay safe at sea, Junior Admiral."
Seven turned and leaped back onto the ship. Sakazuki and Borsalino followed. The mooring ropes were cut, the sails were fully unfurled, and the Navy warship sliced through the waves, leaving the Alabasta coast behind.
From the dock, Cobra and Titi watched the ship recede until it became a tiny speck on the horizon.
----
The journey to Marineford took them along an unusual route. Seven charted the course, using knowledge whose origins she had never explained to anyone.
As the ship entered a mysterious vertical air current, the entire crew was taken aback. The ship was lifted upward, piercing through the cloud layer, and landed on a white sea stretching ten thousand meters above sea level.
Sky Island.
Sakazuki gazed at the scenery around him with an expression rarely seen on his face—genuine surprise. Borsalino took off his glasses and rubbed them, as if unable to believe what he was seeing. The soldiers crowded the ship's railings, pointing at the cloud island in the distance.
Seven guided them through the sky waters and landed in a long-abandoned area. The ruins of an ancient city, overgrown with vines and giant roots. Amidst the ruins, beneath massive trees whose roots pierced the stone, piles of gold were scattered everywhere.
Not a little. Not a lot. But enough to make the entire crew freeze in their tracks.
Golden statues. Golden pillars. Golden plates. Golden jewelry. These ancient city ruins were once a city where every building was coated in gold. And its remnants still lay scattered in every corner, waiting for anyone crazy enough to ascend to the sky and discover them.
Sakazuki swallowed hard. Borsalino pushed his glasses down.
Seven simply stood there, gazing at the scene without any excessive expression. He already knew what was here.
They explored the ruins for several hours. Seven made sure no locals were disturbed by their presence. A few soldiers loaded a small amount of gold onto the ship at Seven's command—enough for the journey and supplies, but nowhere near the total amount available.
As the ship set sail again across the sky-blue sea toward the descent into the blue ocean, Borsalino, sitting on the deck, broke the silence.
"Brother," he said, tapping his fingers on his knee. "With that much gold on Sky Island, could it sustain the Navy's independence for several decades?"
Seven didn't answer right away. He stared at the white clouds drifting beneath the ship.
Sakazuki, standing near the mast, turned his head. "Brother, why don't we take that gold? If we bring it back, we can build our own fleet. We won't have to depend on the World Government."
Seven shook his head slowly.
"We'll come back," he said calmly. "But not now."
His two subordinates looked at him, waiting for an explanation.
"If we take that much gold now, all eyes will be on us. The World Government. Sky Dragon. Cipher Pol. Even the pirates." Seven looked at Sakazuki. "We're not ready for that much attention. I'm only a Junior Admiral. You two are just Captains. We don't have a strong enough position yet to protect ourselves from those above if they decide we're too dangerous."
Seven shifted his gaze to the sky. "One day, when our position is secure, when our strength is sufficient, we'll return here and take what we need. But that day isn't today."
Sakazuki clenched his fist, but nodded. He understood the logic, even though his mind refused to let go of such a massive resource.
Borsalino leaned back and gazed at the clouds. "Terrifying. You really do always think three steps ahead."
Seven didn't answer. He simply stared at the sea of clouds that was beginning to thin as the ship descended back into the blue ocean.
----
Three days later, the coastline of Marineford appeared on the horizon.
Navy Headquarters. The world's greatest bastion of justice. A crescent-shaped island with towering white stone walls, bristling with cannons and watchtowers. In its main harbor, dozens of warships were moored in rows, far larger and more numerous than anything ever seen at any Navy base.
Seven stood at the ship's bow, his cloak of justice fluttering in the wind. On either side of him, Sakazuki and Borsalino stood with a stiffer posture than usual. Even the usually laid-back Borsalino now stood ramrod straight.
"So this is Marineford," Sakazuki muttered, his eyes scanning the colossal fortress.
"Terrifying," added Borsalino. But this time, there was a hint of awe in his flat tone.
The warship bearing the Red Eye emblem entered the main harbor. The Navy's seagull flag fluttered from the mainmast, and beneath it, the red-and-white fan-shaped flag now recognized throughout the West Blue.
The soldiers at Marineford Harbor halted their activities as the foreign ship docked. Whispers spread quickly.
"That's the Red Eye ship."
"The Young Admiral from the West Blue who's wiped out dozens of pirate fleets since his debut?"
"The one who fought Gol D. Roger and survived?"
At the end of the main pier, four figures stood waiting.
The first was a slender young woman with dark blue hair. Rear Admiral Tsuru. Though she was only thirty-three, she was already known as one of the brightest minds in the Navy.
The second was a burly man of thirty-five. Black hair, a clean-shaven face, and a body covered in solid muscle. His arms were folded across his chest, a broad smile spread across his face. Vice Admiral Garp. The man who would later be known as the Navy's Hero.
The third was a tall man the same age as Garp, with a large black afro and a calm expression. No mustache, no beard; his face was still young, but his eyes were already full of calculation. Vice Admiral Sengoku.
And the fourth, standing in the center of the three, was a man with a very muscular build and white hair. A scar from stitches ran beneath his left eye. Admiral Kong.
The Red Eye warship docked. The anchor was dropped. The gangplank was lowered.
Quentin Seven stepped down first. Sakazuki and Borsalino followed behind him. Behind them, two hundred soldiers who had trained themselves for months at sea marched in neat formation.
Seven walked toward the four high-ranking officers waiting for him. His stride was calm. He was just a Junior Admiral setting foot in the heart of the Navy for the first time.
Garp grinned widely as Seven stopped before them.
"So you're the one they call Red Eye?" Garp laughed. "I thought you'd be bigger!"
Sengoku sighed. "Garp, can't you act professional just once?"
"Bwahahaha! Professionalism is boring, Sengoku!"
Tsuru looked at Seven with a scrutinizing gaze. Her eyes moved to Sakazuki and Borsalino behind him, then back to Seven. A small nod indicated she had begun her assessment.
Kong stepped forward.
"Rear Admiral Quentin Seven," Kong said, his voice deep and heavy. "I've read all your reports from the West Blue to the Grand Line. Also the reports from Vice Admiral Komei. And the report regarding your meeting with Gol D. Roger in the Kingdom of Alabasta."
Kong paused for a moment.
"Welcome to Marineford."
Seven saluted. "Thank you, Admiral Kong."
Garp slapped Seven on the shoulder with such force it nearly knocked the Rear Admiral off balance. "Kid, you've got to tell me about your fight with Roger! I heard his attack pierced your body? What the hell was that? Bwahahaha!"
Sengoku shook his head. Tsuru smiled faintly.
Behind Seven, Sakazuki and Borsalino exchanged glances. Marineford. The center of the Navy's power. The place where the World Government's strongest military force is stationed.