Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Several days had passed since Sengoku's promotion to Fleet Admiral. The vacant admiral positions were quickly filled, and many vice admirals, whose names would later become well known, were promoted from rear admirals. Soldiers who hadn't gathered like this in a long time set out once again, returning to different parts of the world to resume their missions.
In the Fleet Admiral's office, the scratching of a pen echoed rhythmically.
Crack, crack. Crack, crack.
Sengoku carefully reviewed documents, but the veins on his hand betrayed his irritation.
Crack, crack. Crack, crack.
Bang!
He suddenly snapped the pen in two and slammed it on the desk. "Enough, Garp! Get out and eat somewhere else!"
Crack, crack. Crack, crack.
Garp chewed his rice crackers loudly and laughed through a full mouth. "Bwahahaha, don't be so stingy, Sengoku! It's not like I eat here all the time. I'm just bored."
A vein throbbed on Sengoku's forehead. The crunching in his ears seemed even louder. He shot up, shaking the desk and chair, then strode toward the sofa, glaring at Garp.
Whoosh!
With a swift movement, the bag of crackers disappeared from Garp's hand and reappeared in Sengoku's. Garp froze, looked at his empty hand, then back at Sengoku.
Before he could react, Sengoku tilted his head back and poured the entire bag into his mouth.
"Ah! You sly old man! Damn it!"
* * *
In Borsalino's office, the newly appointed admiral lounged in his chair wearing a fresh yellow-striped suit, his feet propped up on the desk.
"What a relaxing day~ Another peaceful one~"
He picked up his teacup and took a sip, clearly with no plans in mind.
Right then, the blaring of alarms echoed through Marineford.
Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt! Bzzzt!
He let out a sigh. "Really now..."
He strolled lazily toward the Fleet Admiral's office.
Far away, in a room coated in frost, Kuzan pulled off his eye mask, stood up, and headed in the same direction.
* * *
Back in Sengoku's office, he furrowed his brow as he returned to his paperwork. "Pirates again... Which one this time?"
Garp, who had been sleeping soundly on the sofa, woke up with a start. "Huh? What?"
He looked around, saw nothing unusual, then immediately fell back asleep.
Hurried footsteps approached.
"Enter."
The soldier at the door pushed it open after hearing the command.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, reporting. One of the Three Emperors of the New World, Kaido, is heading quickly toward the remnants of the Roger Pirates, to Red-Haired Shanks' location. Please give the order."
Sengoku rested his elbows on the desk and muttered, "Red-Hair, huh... One's a former member of the Rocks Pirates, the other of Roger's crew. What are those two planning to do together?"
The soldier stood silently, waiting for instructions.
Borsalino casually pushed the door open. "Oh~ One of the Three Emperors, huh~ No wonder the alarms are blaring~"
But as soon as he finished, a bad feeling crept over him. He froze mid-step, instinctively trying to back out.
Sengoku smiled. "Perfect timing, Borsalino."
* * *
New World, Punk Hazard.
A massive warship slowly approached the harbor. Sitting on the railing, Enel yawned. "Ha~"
He stretched, then pointed a finger at the drowsy boy leaning against Rosinante.
Snap.
A small electric spark shot out, hitting Law on the forehead.
"Ah! That hurts! You lighting bastard!"
Enel grinned. "We're here, brat. Time to meet my teacher."
He bent forward, grabbed Law by the collar, and lifted him effortlessly.
Law's gut told him this wouldn't end well. "You bastard! Ahhh!"
His scream faded as the two figures disappeared into the sky.
Rosinante sighed helplessly. "They're like oil and fire..."
He turned and called toward the ship's cabin. "Admiral Sakazuki, I'm heading out too!"
He then launched himself into the air in the two's direction.
Inside the cabin, Sakazuki sat before a massive map spread across the table. The majority of the islands in the New World were marked in black for pirates, while the Grand Line was colored blue for the Marines. The most striking areas, though, were the red zones. They spread from the edges of the Four Blues toward the entrance of the Grand Line, with small blue circles scattered among them, marking marine branches.
Carlo smacked his lips. "Looking at it like this, the Revolutionary Army's strength is surprisingly huge. It's obvious at a glance."
They occupied nearly a third of the map.
Sakazuki chuckled. "They're all bubbles. One touch and they'll pop. Dragon's already preparing for war."
Unlike before, when they only infiltrated a few allied nations, many were now marked red.
Carlo sighed. "Yeah, their growth is too fast. No wonder the World Government is getting anxious. They've stopped baiting and started arresting Revolutionary Army officers directly. Who could've predicted such rapid expansion in just a year or two? Their influence is multiplying."
Sakazuki smirked. "That's because the Celestial Dragons have been sitting on their thrones too long. They've never tried to see things from the people's perspective. All they can do is panic, unable to figure out the root cause. In the end, they'll blame it on Roger."
Carlo raised an eyebrow. "No smart people in the government?"
"There are plenty," Sakazuki said, shaking his head. "But no one dares speak up. The Heavenly Tribute bleeds the nations dry. People are joining the Revolutionary Army because of that. Suggest stopping the tribute? That's suicide. The World Government has stood for eight hundred years. Every powerful enemy has been crushed. Who really believes a bunch of rebels can bring them down?"
He shrugged. "I don't either. Their ideals are lofty, but reality is brutal. Their foundation is too weak. They lack the kind of powerhouse who can hold everything together. Dragon's strong, but that's about it. At Gagao Island, he tried to rescue Ivankov, but he didn't even come near me. He didn't want to be recognized. Let them keep going. Once they hit a wall and bleed, I'll show them another path."
Carlo gave a bitter smile. "Another path wouldn't work either. The government's technology is way ahead of the rest of the world. Even if the revolutionaries spark an industrial revolution, they'll be stuck in the Grand Line at best."
Sakazuki's voice turned quiet. "But they have numbers. With enough people and new technology, they can overwhelm ninety-nine percent of the world's nations. Not everyone wants to fight. Most people will turn a blind eye as long as it doesn't affect them. If their country falls, they'll still live their lives. The Revolutionary Army's image and ideals might even make things better for them. But they're expanding too fast."
Unlike in the original timeline, where the Revolutionary Army was only starting to gain traction, Sakazuki's early interference had handed them a complete system from the start. Now, they were a huge but unstable force. With so many people, it was impossible to distinguish true believers from opportunists.
"Corruption is inevitable," Sakazuki continued. "When that happens, do you think Dragon will make the hard choice?"
They had handpicked and raised orphans for years, training and brainwashing them before placing them in Four Blues branches. But in just a few years, nearly a third had already been corrupted.
On the other hand, this organization, not even ten years old, had grown explosively, becoming the world's largest faction by population.
Carlo winced at the question. "He probably will…"
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