The first half of the Grand Line.
Marine Headquarters.
Marineford.
At this moment, every Marine officer with a rank of Vice Admiral or higher was gathered in one room. As an Admiral Candidate, Sean had naturally been summoned to attend the meeting. The conference room was packed to capacity.
"As you all know, we have publicly announced the date of Vista's execution," Sengoku began from the head of the table. "And as expected, Whitebeard has already begun mobilizing all his divisions and affiliated pirate crews. We estimate the numbers will reach over ten thousand men!"
"Because of this, we must be fully prepared to face a war that will inevitably reshape the world order! Every Marine branch, whether in the Four Seas or the Grand Line, is to immediately mobilize their elites. They must arrive at Marineford no later than ten days before the war begins."
"If anyone has any thoughts, speak now!"
As Sengoku finished, a heavy silence fell over the room, every face etched with seriousness. This was likely the largest mobilization the Marines had seen since the Battle of Et Vol over twenty years ago. By a rough estimate, the scale of this mobilization would likely exceed one hundred thousand men, all of them elites.
"Fleet Admiral, will Admiral Aokiji be participating this time?"
"He will," Sengoku nodded.
However, the expression of the officer who had asked—Kidō—suddenly shifted. "Fleet Admiral, if Admiral Aokiji leaves the G1 Branch, what if those three guys..."
"It doesn't matter. If necessary, we can even temporarily abandon the G1 Branch. Compared to the total annihilation of the Whitebeard Pirates, nothing else is important!"
A collective gasp echoed through the room.
The G1 Branch was the Marines' front line against the Four Emperors. To hear Sengoku dismiss it as unimportant, and even suggest abandoning it, revealed just how much weight this battle against Whitebeard carried in his mind.
Then again, it made sense. If they could wipe out the Whitebeard Pirates, the remaining three Emperors would inevitably clash with one another to seize Whitebeard's territories. By eliminating one Emperor and inciting a war among the other three, the Marines could further cripple the pirate forces in the New World. Compared to that result, even temporarily losing the G1 Branch was a massive win for the Marine.
"Sengoku, you old geezer, this Blackbeard guy who just became a Warlord isn't simple!" a voice suddenly rang out.
Without even looking, everyone knew who was speaking. After all, Sean was the only person in the entire Marine who dared to call Sengoku an "old geezer."
However, many of the officers were skeptical of his words. Blackbeard... wasn't he just a former Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates? The only reason he had been made a Warlord was that the World Government wanted to use him as bait to increase the chances of Whitebeard taking the hook. He was a small fish; the Marines could crush him whenever they pleased after the war.
"Sean, do you have some intelligence?"
"That scar on the face of the Red-Haired Shanks—you know about that, right, old man?"
"I know. So what?"
"Guess who left that scar?"
The room went quiet. After a moment of contemplation, Sengoku asked, "It couldn't be that Blackbeard, could it?"
"Exactly. And the key is that Shanks wasn't caught off guard when it happened. Old man, do you realize what that means?"
Another wave of shocked gasps swept the room.
Shanks wasn't careless, yet Blackbeard still managed to scar his face? Everyone suddenly understood Sean's implication. This man... was absolutely not just a mere Division Commander! To have the power to scar Shanks, he likely possessed strength on par with an Admiral.
"Vice Admiral Sean, how do you know about this?" Doberman asked from the side.
"Hawkeye told me. Did you all forget that Hawkeye is now a soldier under my command?" Sean replied casually. "And I assume you're all aware of the relationship between Hawkeye and Shanks?"
Right. They had actually forgotten. Because Hawkeye had lost a bet to Sean, he was serving under him for three years. Suddenly, countless looks of envy and jealousy were directed at Sean. A combatant with at least Admiral-level strength had been snatched up by Sean just like that...
'Damn it, we want top-tier powerhouses as subordinates too!'
Sean continued, "I imagine you've already investigated why Blackbeard killed Thatch, right, old man?"
"Yes. It was because of a Devil Fruit that Thatch had obtained."
"And do you know which fruit it was?"
"Not yet. Tsuru is still investigating."
"Don't waste your time. It's a Logia type: the Dark-Dark Fruit."
'The Dark-Dark Fruit?'
Sengoku was shaken. The fruit was recorded in the Devil Fruit encyclopedia, so he was familiar with it. It was known as the most eccentric and brutal of all the Logias. But hadn't that fruit been missing from the world for a very long time?
"Sengoku, before eating that fruit, Blackbeard could already scar a focused Shanks. Now that he's consumed the most brutal Logia, the Dark-Dark Fruit, do you really think he'll be satisfied with the status of a Warlord?"
"Since he won't be satisfied, why did he agree to the invitation so readily?"
This was a question Sengoku hadn't considered. He hadn't known Blackbeard's true combat strength until now. But looking at it this way—a man with immense power, the patience to hide in the shadows for years, and now the Dark-Dark Fruit—he couldn't possibly be content with being a Warlord. He likely viewed the title with contempt.
So, what was his actual plan?
"Sean, what else do you know?"
"That's all. But I can share my theory," Sean said, shaking his head. "Blackbeard is currently alone. Even if he has companions, there probably aren't many—two or three at most, since he escaped the Whitebeard Pirates less than a month ago."
"To make a real name for himself on the great seas, he's missing one essential requirement..."
"Power, and a sufficient number of strong companions."
"After all, even Shanks, who focuses on an elite-only crew, has over a hundred men. So, where could he find a group of powerful companions in the shortest amount of time?"
The Flaw in the Strategy
"There is only one answer..."
"Impel Down!!"
"Think about it, old man. If the Headquarters goes to war with Whitebeard and this guy breaks into Impel Down, can Warden Magellan really handle it alone?"
"And at that time, how many forces could the Marines spare for support? Or rather... would we even be able to make it in time?"
"Then, while the Marines are stretched thin, he can find a multitude of powerful allies within the sixth level of Impel Down, giving him the strength to fight for territory in the New World!"
'Hiss...'
The analysis was logically sound, but it left everyone breaking into a cold sweat. If Sean hadn't spoken up now and this actually happened, the Marines would truly be helpless.
"Why don't we just kill Blackbeard now to eliminate the threat?" Doberman suggested after a moment.
However, Sengoku quickly shot the idea down.
"No. This is mere speculation for now. Moreover, we just granted him the position of Warlord; we cannot simply kill him immediately without any reason. That is out of the question."
"Sean, since you've raised this possibility, I assume you've thought of a solution?" After rejecting Doberman, Sengoku looked toward Sean.
"I don't have a grand plan. Just give me permission, old man, to take a few people in to help with the defense!"
"No. You are a critical combat asset. You must remain at Headquarters to face Whitebeard!"
"Relax. Given your way of doing things, it'll take hours before the battle even reaches the decisive stage. That's plenty of time for me to deal with Blackbeard and get back!"
Sengoku looked awkward at Sean's words.
Sean wasn't just talking; he truly looked down on Sengoku's tactical style.
'Are you actually insane?' Sean thought.
'We have an overwhelming advantage in top-tier combat power, so why mobilize a hundred thousand ordinary soldiers to act as cannon fodder? Aside from Whitebeard and the Division Commanders, even if there were tens of thousands of ordinary pirates, Akainu would simply slaughter them all.'
'Yet, you let the regular soldiers fight desperately for half a day, suffering countless casualties, before the high-level assets gradually step in. Isn't that ridiculous?'
It was like ancient warfare, where generals would engage in a routine duel before the armies clashed—a complete waste of time.
If the top brass simply charged in—one Fleet Admiral, a Marine Hero, three Admirals, two Admiral Candidates, dozens of Vice Admirals, and over a hundred Rear Admirals and Commodores—they could flatten the enemy in one go. Would the Whitebeard Pirates even be able to react?
Instead, they insisted on these absurd formations, which only led to massive losses among the Marine elite.
What was the point of the initial slaughter among the common soldiers? Was it just for the sake of it?
In the world of pirates, this wasn't a world for ordinary people; it was a world where the strong could wipe out an entire island in a single strike.
Why keep using the warfare methods of ordinary people? What was the logic behind that?