High above Wano's borders, beyond the clouds, a small ten-meter ark shot through the sky.
Enel lay on his side with an apple in hand. He tossed it up and down while admiring the view below.
Law sat beside him with a tight frown.
"So the mission this time is about Admiral Sakazuki working with Kaido, one of the Four Emperors? Is that even possible? The Marines can work with pirates?"
Enel laughed softly and took a bite of the apple.
"Young man, you need to learn how to adapt. This deal doesn't create any conflict. We need them to stir up trouble in the New World, and they need the profit and will block the way for us. It's fair. Only one unlucky guy will suffer, but that has nothing to do with us. Just another pirate."
Law's mouth twitched. It made sense, but it still felt strange…
Pururururu~ Puurururu~
A Den Den Mushi rang. Enel pulled it out and glanced at it.
"Hm? Rosinante."
Law looked over at once.
Enel smiled and answered, "What is it, Rosinante?"
Rosinante sounded awkward. "Uh… how should I say this… Admiral Sakazuki and my father—"
Enel cut him off. "Relax. It's fine. Those old guys' feud has nothing to do with us. Stop overthinking."
Rosinante let out a breath. "I see… good. I was worried things would get awkward between us."
Enel chuckled. "You imagine too much. Oh, Law's here too."
He tossed the Den Den Mushi toward him.
Law caught it in a hurry.
"Hello!"
* * *
Marineford, inside the headquarters main hospital.
In a small private room, Garp sat on the bed wrapped in bandages. He ate fruit and snacks while leaning back against the pillows. Tsuru sat in a chair next to him with her arms crossed and eyes closed. Sengoku stood by the window, watching the busy soldiers outside.
After a long while, Sengoku sighed and turned to Garp.
"How's your injury?"
Tsuru opened her eyes and looked over.
Garp burst into loud laughter. "Bwahahaha, nothing serious. That brat Bullet is still too green."
Thanks to the marine doctors stitching him up quickly and his ridiculous physique, even the shattered bones on the left side of his face had been set back in place. Eating still hurt sharply, but pain meant little to him.
Sengoku walked over and sat at the bedside.
"This happened because of our mistake."
Garp stopped laughing and sighed. "Yeah… Sengoku, are you resigning?"
Sengoku gave a bitter smile. "Yes. Do you think I still have the right to stay as Fleet Admiral after what happened? But how did you know?"
Garp showed a trace of guilt. "I also don't have the right to stay… I resigned to Commander-in-Chief Kong this morning. He told me."
Sengoku exhaled and asked, "What did he say?"
Garp stared at the ceiling. "What else could he say… Same as you. We can resign, but we must keep our rank. He reassigned me as the drill instructor for the new recruits."
Sengoku looked thoughtful. "A drill instructor… that might be for the best."
Tsuru shook her head. "You two…"
Garp didn't look away from the ceiling. "You're disappointed in us, aren't you, Tsuru… We actually did something like that…"
Tsuru spoke calmly, "Everyone in headquarters is disappointed. Nothing chills the heart more than a betrayal from those above. But no one dares say it out loud. As for Dragon, let him handle things his own way. If you face each other again… that will be a fight to the death."
* * *
Marine Headquarters, the Academy.
Morris organized reports from branches around the world, listing the candidates for the elite class. He sighed.
"Same thing again."
Zephyr, who had been staring out the window, turned around. "What is it? Another lackluster batch?"
Morris rubbed his temples. "Nothing good since Drake's class. Every batch after that lacks strong talent."
Not that there were none at all. The class after Drake had a Logia user with the Smoke-Smoke Fruit… but that boy still couldn't stand out.
"By the way, it's been two years since Drake graduated. Where is he now?"
Zephyr chuckled. "He's working with Soter. No need to worry."
Morris shook his head with a wry smile. "Good to hear."
He stood up and stretched.
"Alright, forget it for now. We haven't walked the same path as Sengoku and Garp for a long time. Focus on preparing. Sakazuki takes office after the new year. When that happens, the so-called Great Pirate Era will begin its fall. We need to train more core officers before then."
Zephyr took a slow breath. "You're right… we split paths long ago."
* * *
Grand Line, Calm Belt.
A massive fleet was cutting through the windless sea.
According to intelligence from one of the Seven Warlords, the Kuja Pirates, a shipment of arms for the Revolutionary Army was being escorted by the Steam Pirates. Their fleet was moving across the Grand Line to reach the Four Blues.
Because the high-level fighters of Amazon Lily had all died at Sakazuki's hands, the Kuja Pirates now had no true top combat power. Their remaining warriors were skilled and used Armament Haki, but they couldn't match an Emperor's fleet. They could only avoid a direct clash and send the intel to the Marines.
Above the Calm Belt, another huge fleet hovered beyond the clouds, sometimes visible, sometimes hidden.
This one belonged to the Marines.
Soter floated in the air, staring down at the tiny black dots far below. He calculated quietly, then commanded.
"Prepare. Drop them."
Dozens of warships opened their hatches and released bombs that rained down like a violent storm. Each one was specially made and would explode with high-voltage currents even if it fell into the sea.
At the same time, a unit of soldiers wearing special gear stood ready under Drake's lead.
When the bombing finished, the Marine fleet dove downward. Drake pulled down his goggles.
"SWORD, move out!"
He jumped first. The equipment on his boots activated, boosting his dive. The others followed right behind him.
These suits had been developed from the research Enel snatched from the Vinsmoke family years ago. Following Vegapunk's optimization, they were even stronger than the original Germa designs.
Soter smirked and activated his ability. A swarm of missiles floated behind him and plunged downward, reaching the battlefield even faster than Drake's covert force.
The slaughter began.
* * *
South Blue, Sorbet Kingdom.
The once-crowded meeting room now held only Dragon, Kuma, and South Blue commander Lindbergh of the Mink Tribe.
Sabo and the others had already left in secret for the other seas. After the Revolutionary Army pulled back to the Four Blues, things had finally calmed down.
With the Marines now split and shaken by scandal, Dragon took the chance to summon all base leaders for a major conference. Since each sea's commander led the meeting and every base chief was required to attend, no one found it strange. They all headed toward their assigned gathering points.
Only the top officers at headquarters knew the truth. This was going to be a bloody purge.
More than half a day had passed since the order was given. Dragon stared at the report of the Marines' great battle on the desk in silence, making Lindbergh and Kuma exchange confused looks.
After a while, Lindbergh finally asked, "What's wrong, Supreme Commander? The Marines splitting apart should be a good thing. How could this be bad for us?"
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