Ivankov nodded solemnly.
"That's right... It was as if, in the midst of his mechanical, automated attacks, a friendly consciousness suddenly emerged, preventing him from delivering a fatal blow... That feeling was extremely bizarre!"
"So, I decided to maintain the fight, hoping to awaken his consciousness... if that truly was his own will!"
At this point, Ivankov seemed perplexed.
"In the chaotic battle of so many powerhouses during the Summit War, no one even noticed us. I initially thought we'd have very few opportunities to contact Kuma, but to my surprise, even as the war raged on and Red-Haired entered the scene, only then did people start paying attention to us!"
Dragon gave an enigmatic smile.
"That's how circumstances change... But let's set that aside for now. What were the results of your probe?"
"At the end of the war… when Admiral Wright looked over!"
Recalling Wright's golden-glowing eyes, Ivankov couldn't help but shudder.
"After that moment... Kuma 'woke up' briefly for a few dozen seconds!"
"During those few seconds, Kuma told me that he had cooperated with Dr. Vegapunk and, for now, could not leave the Marines. However, with Admiral Wright's assistance, his life was not in danger!"
"Then, he entrusted us… to find a way to protect the Thousand Sunny at Sabaody Archipelago until any one of the Straw Hats returned!"
"The Straw Hats had been sent to different locations for training, and 'Dark King' Rayleigh was in on it!"
These heavy revelations caused even Dragon, with his unshakable will, to show a flicker of emotion.
The greatest scientist, Vegapunk, the Marine Admiral Wright, the Pirate King's right-hand man, 'Dark King' Rayleigh, and the Straw Hat Pirates!
What kind of combination was this?!
Marines, Revolutionaries, Pirates...
After pondering for a moment, Dragon smiled.
"I see. In that case, there's no need to worry…"
"This is one of the changes I was talking about—our cooperation with Admiral Wright to a certain extent."
Then, Dragon dropped another bombshell.
"This includes the mission at Impel Down, as well as my appearance at Marineford—it was all part of our cooperation."
"These actions benefit our Revolutionary Army, so I had no reason to refuse… As for Admiral Wright, I still haven't fully grasped the extent of his strategies."
"Dragon-san! Wright… Admiral Wright is a Marine… but the Marines are our enemies!"
Sabo was baffled.
"Why would he cooperate with us? Even though he's quite different from other Marines and is very similar to Grandpa Garp—cough, I mean, Vice Admiral Garp—it still doesn't make sense for him to work with the Revolutionary Army!"
"Isn't your brother also a Marine?"
Dragon smirked. "You haven't seen your brother for ten years, and now you finally realize your shortcomings? Compared to the new generation of outstanding young talents, you still haven't taken the lead!"
"Ahaha..."
Sabo scratched his head awkwardly. He had been busy fighting alongside Ace, while Ivankov and the others handled Kuma. It did seem like...
"Sabo-boy! That Marine super rookie, 'Fire Fist' Ace, is Admiral Wright's disciple. Which means…"
Ivankov mused.
"You're also Admiral Wright's disciple?!"
"I did receive some guidance from Admiral Wright… All three of us brothers did."
As soon as Sabo finished speaking, he saw Ivankov's large face twist into a peculiar expression.
Ivankov jumped up, bringing his enormous face right in front of Dragon, making him sweat.
"Ivankov! You're too close!"
"Shi~~Ha! Dragon! My compatriot!"
Ivankov made an exaggerated expression, looking heartbroken. Sabo felt second-hand embarrassment.
"The Straw Hat kid is your son?! You actually have a son?! Kuma took such a risk at Sabaody, right under Kizaru's nose, just to send them away because he recognized your son!"
Ivankov's massive face flipped upside down, now full of dejection.
"Dragon, you've changed! You told me not to pry into your past, but that guy Kuma knew?!"
"That's favoritism!"
"…"
Seeing Sabo trying to stifle his laughter, Dragon nearly lost his composure as the leader of the Revolutionary Army.
"Ivankov, I didn't tell him… Kuma got that information from within the Marines!"
"Blame the old man—cough, anyway…"
"Kuma told me!"
Ivankov pressed his face closer, forcing Dragon to push him away.
"Vice Admiral Garp—"
"Enough, Ivankov! Let's drop this topic… It's not crucial to our cause."
Dragon sighed in exasperation.
"While our collaboration with Admiral Wright does have this connection, the more important factor is Admiral Wright's ideology!"
"If not for the old man—uh, Vice Admiral Garp—finding him and bringing him into the Marines, he practically would've been born a Revolutionary!"
"But now, his ideology and mine have diverged slightly… However, our ultimate goal remains the same!"
Sabo widened his eyes. His uncle and their leader shared the same goal?
Did that mean…
"Now is a crucial transition period for the Marines. What Admiral Wright does next will determine whether our cooperation can continue smoothly!"
...
The Marine Headquarters was undergoing repairs. The Seven Warlords had all left as soon as the war ended—though some of them would soon have interesting encounters on their way back...
After handling the post-war affairs, Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Hero of the Marines Garp traveled to Mary Geoise.
Awaiting them was the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's forces, Kong.
"Kong-san, this war showed us the new hope of the Marines."
Sengoku shot a glare at Garp, who was casually picking his nose, and turned to Kong.
"Whitebeard's era has ended, but he wasn't wrong about one thing…"
"Our era, too, has come to a close. We are officially requesting to step down from our Marine positions."
"Hmm… Two veterans who've fought on the frontlines since the Roger era, stepping down simultaneously? That'll make headlines."
Kong crossed his arms. Despite his age, he still radiated overwhelming power.
"I heard that Redfield made an appearance?"
"That old guy… He didn't do much and left."
Sengoku stroked his braided beard.
"More importantly, we're resigning—this transition…"
"At the very least, you two must oversee the training of young Marines, Sengoku."
Kong scoffed. "You can take it easy, but don't just abandon everything. Learn from Zephyr!"
"Garp retains his rank, and you… will serve as the Marine Headquarters Inspector General. The young Marines still need your experience."
"Ah… I was hoping to go home."
Garp pulled out a bag of senbei and began munching.
"Want some?"
"Show some decorum, Garp!"
Sengoku sighed, regretting bringing him along.
"We accept…"
"Sengoku! I haven't agreed yet!"
"Shut up, Garp! You'll agree!"
"…Fine, fine."
Sengoku looked slightly embarrassed under Kong's amused gaze.
"More importantly, Kong-san…"
"For the next Fleet Admiral, I propose 'Orange Horse' Wright!"
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