The silence on the other end of the Den Den Mushi made Yamakaji feel as if his own breathing had stopped.
He could imagine exactly what the Fleet Admiral's office at Marine Headquarters in Marineford looked like right now.
And indeed, Sengoku's office was dead silent.
Ash fell from Sakazuki's cigar and landed on the polished floor.
Even Chief Staff Officer Tsuru's usually wise eyes had widened slightly, a trace of shock passing through them.
For a moment, the only sound in the room was the faint purupuru of the Den Den Mushi, as if it were echoing Yamakaji's heartbeat from the other side.
Killed?
A Warlord of the Sea, the underworld king of the New World, had been killed on the spot by a Marine Headquarters special envoy before Headquarters could even finish arguing over the order?
"Sakazuki," Sengoku slowly said, his voice a little dry. "What do you think?"
Everyone's gaze shifted to Sakazuki.
Sakazuki did not answer right away.
He took the cigar from his mouth and watched the smoke curl upward, his eyes unreadable.
After a moment, he spoke in a cold voice.
"He won't stop."
"What do you mean?" Sengoku's brows tightened.
"That madman..." Sakazuki's mouth curved slightly, the smile of someone who understood a similar kind of person. "His next target is Kaido of the Beasts. The moment he saw the chance, Doflamingo became the hook."
As he spoke, Sakazuki pressed his cigar hard into the ashtray.
That sentence detonated the air inside the office.
Even Tsuru, who was always calm, suddenly raised her head, shock written in her eyes.
Insane.
A Marine special envoy was using a fallen Warlord to draw in an Emperor of the New World?
That was practically an open attempt to trigger an all-out war capable of overturning the balance of the world.
"That's impossible!" one Vice Admiral could not help but argue. "He has no reason to do that! This would destroy the balance of the world!"
"Reason?"
Sakazuki sneered, his magma-hot gaze sweeping over the Vice Admiral and making the man shudder.
"For a battle maniac like that, 'there's someone strong over there' is reason enough."
Sengoku fell silent.
Zaraki's past battles, the Five Elders' assessment of him, and the craving for battle in that man's eyes flashed through his mind one after another.
He believed Sakazuki's judgment.
"Yamakaji!"
Sengoku roared into the Den Den Mushi.
"Listen to my order! Stop Zaraki at all costs! Tell him Marine Headquarters does not permit him to take the initiative and clash with Kaido! This is the Fleet Admiral's highest order!"
Before Yamakaji could answer, Sengoku turned sharply toward the communications officer.
"Contact Garp as well! Tell him Kaido changed course toward Dressrosa!"
But his command came one step too late.
A thunderous boom came from the distant sky over Dressrosa, so loud that even the Den Den Mushi signal distorted.
Rumble!
The sky darkened without warning.
A massive shadow rapidly covered the whole of Dressrosa.
The cheers that had not even lasted five minutes died in everyone's throats.
A terrifying pressure descended from above, slamming hard into every soul on the island. Weaker Marine soldiers could no longer stand. Their knees gave out, and they collapsed on the ground, foaming at the mouth.
Yamakaji raised his head with difficulty, his pupils shrinking.
He saw an enormous outline slowly descending from the thick clouds.
It was a massive azure dragon. Its scales flashed with a cold, hard luster, and its golden eyes looked down over the devastated land below like molten suns.
On top of the dragon's head stood another figure, clad entirely in black, flames burning behind him. A mask covered his face, and the aura he gave off was just as powerful.
Kaido of the Beasts.
King the Wildfire.
They had actually arrived early.
"Fleet Admiral!"
Yamakaji's voice turned sharp.
"Kaido and King the Wildfire have already arrived in Dressrosa!"
...
Marineford, Fleet Admiral's office.
The color drained from Sengoku's face in an instant.
"Borsalino!"
Sengoku suddenly turned and roared at the lazy figure in the corner.
"Move out immediately! Head to Dressrosa at top speed! Hurry!"
"Oh my, how terrifying..."
Kizaru slowly stood up, though a trace of seriousness flashed behind his lenses.
No one asked whether he could arrive in time. At this point, Borsalino was the only reinforcement fast enough to even try.
In the next second, his body scattered into countless points of light and vanished.
...
Dressrosa.
A deafening roar rolled down from the sky.
"Wororororo... Where's that useless bastard Doflamingo?! And where's the Marine brat who killed Jack?! Get your asses out here!"
Kaido's voice carried Conqueror's Haki, crushing down like a physical weight. The remaining windows shattered, loose stonework collapsed, and weaker soldiers dropped where they stood.
The entire island seemed to tremble beneath that pressure.
It was over.
That was the only thought in many Marines' minds.
Facing a monster like this, they could barely summon the will to resist.
Yamakaji gripped the video Den Den Mushi tightly, the metal casing digging painfully into his palm. He stared at the dragon eyes in the sky, cold sweat soaking the Justice coat on his back.
Running was impossible.
Begging for mercy was even more ridiculous.
Yamakaji took a deep breath and shouted at the colossal dragon in the sky.
"World's Strongest Creature... Kaido of the Beasts! The man you are looking for, Donquixote Doflamingo, has already been killed by the Marines!"
Kaido's enormous dragon head slowly turned.
His eyes locked onto the tiny figure on the ground.
The intense bloodlust made the air feel frozen.
Yamakaji's heart felt as though it had been seized, nearly stopping in his chest.
But he did not look away. Instead, he tightened his grip on the video Den Den Mushi and raised it higher.
If they survived even a minute, this recording would become evidence no one could easily bury.
His mind raced, and a bold plan quickly took shape.
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