Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Beep, beep…
In Fleet Admiral Wright's office, the Lightforged Beacon chimed, signaling the arrival of new intel.
Wright picked up the report, scanned it quickly, and smiled.
"Hmph… Just as I thought. They've successfully made it to Whole Cake Island. Now it's time to put the operation into motion..."
"So ambitious... An assassination attempt on Big Mom? They still don't fully grasp the terror that is a Yonko."
"But to infiltrate Big Mom's ranks in just over a year and dig up information about Mother Carmel... Capone Bege, you're quite the talent after all."
After a brief pause, Wright picked up the Den Den Mushi and dialed a number.
"Shanks?"
"Ah… hic!"
"Fleet Admiral-sama~ What a surprise, calling me!"
"..."
Wright's eyebrow twitched. This guy was clearly drinking again.
"How much booze do you people have? Is that why the giants consider you one of their own? Because you can outdrink them?"
"Ehhh~~"
"..."
Imagining that fool's dopey expression, Wright rubbed his face to sober up.
"Maybe I should call back later?"
"No, no, I'm fine! Totally sober… Hahaha!"
Laughter echoed from the other end of the line. Shanks was clearly the butt of some joke.
"Shut up, all of you!"
"..."
"Ahem… Alright, I'm good. Go ahead."
"Hmm…"
Wright pinched the bridge of his nose and then relayed the situation at Whole Cake Island.
"How's Marco doing? What's his take?"
"Marco, huh…"
Shanks sobered up immediately, and the noise on his end quieted—he must've moved somewhere less chaotic.
"Just yesterday, Nekomamushi from Zou, along with the Musketeer Squad and Kanjuro…"
Shanks paused, letting out a sigh.
He, too, had once looked up to Kouzuki Oden as a big brother. He knew the retainers who had followed Oden—the loyal cat and dog.
That Kanjuro had turned out to be the traitor responsible for Oden's death… Even Shanks had struggled to believe it at first.
"They found Marco. Marco's got no issue with helping the Kouzuki clear the score with Kaido. In his heart, Oden is still the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates—a figure they revered like an uncle."
"But cooperating with the Marines… Marco's still hesitant."
"Mm… That's understandable."
Wright sighed.
"After all, the Marines were complicit in Whitebeard's downfall."
"And Marco himself... back then, he was the bait used by the Navy in their 'whale hunt' strategy."
"That's why I asked you to reach out, to show goodwill… But I guess it's still a tough sell."
Shanks chuckled.
"Marco's not stupid. He's figured out how he ended up with a Yonko title himself…"
"So right now, he's feeling all kinds of complicated. Give him a bit more time. He's a wise man. He'll figure out the right path."
"Alright… Before we move against Kaido, I hope Marco will have made his decision."
Wright said gravely:
"The hope that Whitebeard gave his life to protect… It'd be a shame if they couldn't carry it forward."
"And once the Big Mom operation wraps up, I'll be heading to Elbaf."
"Oho! Sounding confident, aren't we?"
"With a force like this, if I'm not confident, I might as well slam my head into a wall and die."
"Hahahaha!"
Hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Wright rose from his desk and stepped out into the bustling corridors of Marineford.
Instantly, the lively sounds of the headquarters flooded into his ears.
"What a sight to behold."
Surveying the thriving scene, Wright nodded in satisfaction.
The Marine Headquarters now truly lived up to its name as the world's Center of Justice.
With the latest Lightforged Beacons fully deployed, Marineford had become the central hub for military deployments—sorted neatly between the "Paradise" and "New World" sectors.
Transfers between Paradise branches were direct.
But to reach the New World, one had to transit through Marineford—and vice versa.
The difference in battle intensity between Paradise and the New World, along with the need to emphasize Marineford's central importance, made this arrangement necessary.
As a result, traffic through Marineford had surged dramatically.
Thanks to the convenience of the Lightforged Beacons, Marines could dedicate more time to training and rest, vastly improving overall efficiency.
Walking up to the "Inspector General" office, Wright knocked.
Hearing a chaotic clattering sound from inside, his eyelid twitched—and he pushed the door open.
"Yah~ This stuff's delicious, nukiki!"
"You gotta try it! How can you eat boring ol' paper when there's tasty stuff like this, nukiki, nukiki~"
"Baa~~"
Crunch, crunch…
Upon entering, Wright saw Pato and the goat sharing snacks—specifically, Sengoku's cherished senbei crackers.
The two little creatures were clearly roughhousing, their fur a total mess, looking like they belonged in a washing machine.
Meanwhile, Sengoku, his beard and hair snowy white, calmly sipped his tea, watching the chaos with great amusement.
Ever since Pato had met Sengoku's goat, the two had become inseparable.
Apparently, Wright's pet had gotten bored at headquarters—and naturally sought out the retired Fleet Admiral's equally bored pet for company.
"Oh, Wright!"
Sengoku beamed as he spotted him.
"So, how's it feel, Fleet Admiral? Tough job, isn't it?"
"Fleet Admiral-sama!"
Pato grinned proudly:
"I won today's senbei-eating contest!"
"…Bragging to a goat who can't even talk… Really?"
Wright chuckled, ruffling Pato's head before motioning for them to continue playing. He settled onto the sofa and turned to Sengoku.
"Old man Sengoku, the preparations on that front are almost complete. Now it's just a matter of waiting for the right time."
"Oh~ As expected of my successor! Using brains over brawn—that's the true Sengoku style!"
Sengoku laughed uproariously.
"That idiot Garp and that brute Zephyr—they just don't compare! In the end, intellect triumphs!"
"..."
Wright waved a hand, exasperated.
"Sure, sure, brains are important. But in the end, we'll still have to win with overwhelming strength, right?"
"Anyway, I came here today because I want to ask you about someone."
"Ask me?"
Sengoku looked at him curiously.
"You're Fleet Admiral now. What intel could you possibly need from me?"
"Well… Some things aren't in the intel archives."
Wright said slowly:
"Some things have been deliberately erased."
"..."
Sengoku fell silent.
Under the World Government's control, countless things had been wiped from history.
"True enough… Plenty of things now exist only in the memories of old soldiers like us."
He sighed heavily.
"And once we're gone… so too will those histories vanish forever."
"So, what do you want to ask about?"
"The great pirate of the previous era—Rocks D. Xebec!"
"!!!"
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