"C-Captain… I-I greet the honored Elder!"
Amiso tried to say something, but when Reva's gaze — or rather, the Elder's gaze — flicked toward him, every ounce of courage drained from his body.
He fell flat on the floor, pressing his head against the carpet so tightly that the grit beneath it cut into his skin. He didn't dare lift his face even an inch.
"There's no need to go that far," Sengoku muttered, his expression conflicted.
He felt no sympathy for Reva personally — but watching a loyal CP0 agent turned into a lifeless puppet by the Five Elders left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Becoming a temporary vessel for a member of the Five Elders is the greatest honor of his life," the Elder spoke flatly through Reva's mouth.
It wasn't an easy process — only those utterly loyal to the World Government and the Five Elders could have their consciousness completely erased and replaced.
"Perhaps," Sengoku said quietly. "Then tell me, Elder — what message do you have for an old Marine who's already stepped off the stage?"
He made no effort to defend Reva. That man was already gone — only an empty shell remained.
And Sengoku knew there was no point debating with the Five Elders. They'd spent too long perched atop the world, their hearts and minds long since corrupted by power. To argue with them would be a waste of breath.
"If the Five Elders and the World Government approve it, you can be reinstated as Fleet Admiral at any time," Reva — or rather, the Elder — declared coldly.
He offered a mountain of tempting rewards, promising that if Sengoku accepted, they'd depose Kizaru immediately and restore Sengoku as Fleet Admiral.
And once Sengoku eventually retired, he'd even be granted kingship over a member nation.
"It does sound tempting…" Sengoku murmured, standing to his full — if slightly stooped — height. Despite his age, the weight of his presence filled the room.
"…But I'm afraid I'll have to decline."
"You realize what you're saying, Sengoku?!"
Reva's — no, the Elder's — face twisted with rage. He'd gone so far as to personally possess a mere agent's body just to sway this one, crucial piece on the board.
But what he didn't expect was that the Sengoku would actually reject his invitation — even after he had revealed his identity!
Such humiliation made the Elder feel utterly disgraced. For a Gorosei to personally attempt to recruit a "lesser man," only to be refused — how could he ever show his face again if word got out?!
"I knew you'd say that. In fact, I've been meaning to do what Kizaru does — just outright reject anyone who annoys me."
Sengoku smiled kindly — and golden light burst around him.
Reva didn't even see how Sengoku moved.
He only saw a giant golden palm expanding rapidly before his eyes—closer, closer, closer—
Then everything went black. His connection to the CP agent snapped — the unmistakable sign that his host body had died.
"Saint Peter, please pay attention. We cannot afford any more mistakes in the operations to come…"
The voice belonged to another Gorosei, Saint Mars. Though they had already apologized to Lord Im, not one of them dared imagine asking that being to act personally.
Their duty was to act as the last wall of defense — to stop the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates before they could reach the final line.
To achieve that, even the Gorosei themselves had to go all out, leaving no room for error.
And so, when Saint Shepherd Ju Peter zoned out mid-meeting, the others naturally expressed their displeasure.
"…My apologies. I'll stay focused."
Having been "humiliated" by Sengoku, Peter could only suppress his fury and bow in apology — though the image of that damned golden slap kept flashing through his mind.
Boom! Boom!
Two figures were suddenly sent flying out of Sengoku's office, crashing into the corridor. The adjutant guarding the door jumped in alarm.
"Throw those two into the cells. Then send out patrol ships — see if you can catch whoever's supposed to pick them up."
Sengoku lowered his gaze, hiding the satisfaction that threatened to show on his face.
Even if they were merely puppets controlled by the Gorosei, the feeling of slapping a Gorosei across the face was unbelievably satisfying.
While Sengoku was dishing out golden slaps, over in the New World, Sakazuki finally arrived at G1 Base.
"You're finally here, Sakazuki. The fleet's supplies are replenished. We're ready to set sail anytime."
Seeing Sakazuki, Vice Admiral Doberman finally breathed a sigh of relief.
Though Akainu kept insisting that the Marine Headquarters had rebelled, to an old-school Marine like Doberman, calling both the former and current Fleet Admirals "rebels" was almost impossible to accept.
Even with the World Government backing Sakazuki, Doberman still felt like he was betraying the Marine name.
Now that Akainu was here to take command, at least when the sky fell, there'd be someone tall enough to hold it up.
"You've done well," Sakazuki said, glancing at the fleet moored in the harbor. His usually stern face softened slightly.
With the Marines of G1 as his core, he now had the foundation to either defend the Holy Land or rebuild the Navy from scratch.
"What's the situation at Marineford?"
Seeing that Sakazuki's mood seemed to have improved a little, Vice Admiral Onigumo — who had been holding back for several days — finally couldn't help but ask,
Ever since the last order came in telling them to head to G-5 Branch for recovery, there hadn't been a single new command from Headquarters.
And both Doberman and Onigumo, feeling guilty as thieves, didn't dare take the initiative to ask what was going on over there.
Now that they were finally face to face with Sakazuki himself, Onigumo could no longer suppress the curiosity burning in his chest.
Hearing this, Vice Admiral Doberman also turned to look at Sakazuki. If it had been Kizaru who "defected," they would've been mentally prepared for that.
After all, Kizaru had never shown much respect for the World Government — and not in the same way as Vice Admiral Garp, who merely disapproved of certain things. Anyone who truly understood Kizaru knew just how badly he got along with the Government.
Of course, the World Government had given Kizaru plenty of grief in return. Back when he was first up for promotion to Admiral, they stalled the process more than once. It wasn't until they ran out of excuses that they were finally forced to approve it.
So when Sakazuki announced that Kizaru had betrayed the World Government, Doberman and Onigumo practically believed him without a second thought.
But Marineford was never a place where Kizaru alone could call the shots. Let's not forget that Sengoku, the recently retired Fleet Admiral, was still serving as the Grand Inspector at Headquarters — there was no reason he'd just stand by and let Kizaru run wild.
"The Grand Inspector Sengoku has already been swayed by Kizaru! Don't expect him to set anything right!" Sakazuki said with a cold snort, his tone dripping with resentment toward the former Fleet Admiral.
Back when Sengoku chose Kizaru to succeed him as Fleet Admiral, his reasoning had been so solid that Sakazuki couldn't argue.
But now, after Kizaru — the very man Sengoku had chosen — had gone and betrayed the World Government, Sengoku still refused to admit that he'd made the wrong choice. Worse, he seemed ready to follow Kizaru down the same dark road.
That cut Sakazuki deep. In his mind, he'd always believed he was more than qualified to compete for the position of Fleet Admiral.
If it hadn't been for Kizaru's overwhelming record and reputation, Sakazuki was certain that — given their difference in attitude and style — he should've been the one to wear that coat.
Reality, however, had stabbed him squarely in the back. Even after Kizaru's outrageous betrayal, Sengoku, the so-called Grand Inspector, still hadn't once considered him for leadership.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru and Vice Admiral Garp as well?!"
Doberman's jaw dropped in disbelief — suddenly, it felt like he might have boarded the wrong ship.
Although he agreed more with Sakazuki's ideals, that didn't mean he was willing to go against the will of the entire Marine leadership alongside him.
"Kizaru had this planned from the start—he took advantage of his vacation to send Vice Admiral Tsuru and Vice Admiral Garp away. We can't reach them for now…"
Sakazuki glanced at Doberman, as if he had already guessed what his old subordinate was thinking.
But it was far too late for regret. From the moment they chose to stay at G-1, their positions had been sealed—they could only stand with Sakazuki.
"If there's nothing else to handle, we should set sail for Mary Geoise as soon as possible. The main fleet of those pirates is less than two days' journey from G-1. If we delay any longer, we might collide with their vanguard!"
Unlike the hesitant Doberman, Onigumo was already dead set on following Sakazuki to the end.
With his strength and rank, he would never rise beyond vice admiral if he stayed with the current navy.
But if he helped Sakazuki rebuild it from scratch, serving as the marshal's right hand, there might just be a chance to sit in the admiral's chair himself.
"Then make preparations to set sail. Our forces are limited—we can't afford to waste them fighting lowlife pirates before the real war begins!"
In the past, as long as a mission ended with pirates defeated, Sakazuki never cared how many of his soldiers died.
But now, every marine under him was a cornerstone of his future navy. Even losing one would make Sakazuki ache for days.
"I'll gather the captains," Doberman said with a nod. Even if he wanted to regret his choices, he'd have to get G-1's marines out of danger first.
If the vanguard of the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates caught them, and the main fleet closed in afterward, not even Sakazuki could stand against two Pirate Emperors at once.
"What about Lacroix?" Sakazuki asked with a frown.
The giant marines might be weak against strong opponents, but their massive presence could greatly boost morale—and crush weaker pirates with ease.
Though most giants blindly followed orders from Marine Headquarters, Sakazuki had hoped to convince Vice Admiral Lacroix to join him in the battle at Mary Geoise.
"Lacroix went to G-5. We thought he'd just get in the way if he stayed at G-1, so…"
Onigumo spoke awkwardly, clearly regretting it now. If he'd known Sakazuki had plans for Lacroix, he wouldn't have sent him away on a lie.
And if they both survived this, the stubborn giant would no doubt come after him for payback.
°°°
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