Silence.
The office was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
The officers were trembling, watching their Fleet Admiral and the Director of Criminal Investigation in a furious face-off.
They were terrified this could cause a complete break between the Marines and the World Government.
Just then, one of the four masked men—a massive brute nearly four meters tall with thick, hairy arms crossed over his chest—let out a cold sneer.
"Tch. Who are you calling crooks?"
Everyone gasped.
No one could believe someone would actually dare to talk back to Akainu when he was this furious—and it wasn't even Black Horse, but one of his unknown cronies.
Akainu's face went dark, the cigar clamped between his teeth.
He shot a look at Black Horse who was just smiling, clearly having no intention of shutting his man up.
The sight made Akainu laugh, but there was no humor in it, only pure anger.
In the middle of his laugh, Akainu lunged.
Without even using his magma powers, he unleashed a furious blast of Armament Haki.
A punch like that could knock out a Vice Admiral cold.
While his Haki wasn't on Garp's level, it was still dangerously strong.
BOOM!
The force of the punch sent a gust of wind through the room, whipping the officers' coats.
"Is that all a Fleet Admiral's Haki can do? Pathetic."
The brute lowered his arms and held out one massive hand.
In an instant, it transformed into a scaly, reptilian claw, coated in its own powerful Armament Haki.
To everyone's shock, he caught Akainu's fist without even flinching.
"You—!" Akainu himself was stunned.
For a second, he thought it was Rob Lucci, but the claw was scaly, not feline.
Even Lucci should have been sent flying by that hit.
The brute tightened his grip and shoved.
Akainu was thrown backward, landing right back where he started.
"How dare you!" Aramaki scowled at the masked man's arrogance.
A thick vine shot out from her arm, sending the Vice Admirals scrambling to get out of the way.
SWISH!
But a streak of light flashed past, and the vine was sliced into countless paper-thin pieces that fluttered to the floor.
The precision was insane.
This time, another masked figure had moved.
He was wrapped in a long robe, and no one saw him move, let alone what weapon he used.
Fujitora's milky white eyes were wide open, his gaze fixed on the masked men.
Through his Observation Haki, he could feel an incredible power coming from them.
Their presence was so strong it was almost on the same level as an Admiral.
But how was that possible? Guys this strong don't just pop up out of nowhere.
Seeing Aramaki's attack fail, Kizaru who had been quiet until now, casually stood up, pointed a finger, and fired a beam of nearly black light at one of the other figures.
The tallest of the four stepped forward, pulling a massive silver axe from his robe and swinging it at Kizaru's laser.
BOOM!!
A deafening explosion rocked the room.
The giant was blasted straight through the office door, through the balcony on the other side of the hall, and sent plummeting down the side of the fortress.
"Hmm?" Black Horse looked genuinely startled, his eyes flicking to Kizaru in shock.
He knew who these men were.
The one Kizaru just casually swatted away was an infamous pirate from decades ago, a true powerhouse.
The quick clash made one thing clear: Kizaru was a little bit stronger.
The Marine officers, however, were beaming with pride.
'See that? That's the power of a Marine Admiral, you arrogant government lapdogs!'
The other three masked men were also shocked, their attention now locked on Kizaru.
"So, it's true there's a big difference in strength between the Admirals," the four-meter giant grumbled, his claw turning back into a hairy hand.
"But don't think we're pushovers."
Akainu's expression was grim.
He hadn't expected the men Black Horse brought to be this strong.
WHOOSH!
The giant figure reappeared on the balcony outside, his silver axe in hand.
His aura surged as black Armament Haki coated the weapon, making it look even heavier.
"Enough!"
Black Horse's sharp command cut through the tension.
He stepped between his men and Akainu. "They're here to fight, that's it. They won't have any rank at Marine HQ. Are you satisfied now, Sakazuki?"
Akainu's expression shifted.
Finally, he snorted and gave a reluctant nod.
"Fine. But if they step out of line or disobey an order, don't blame me for what happens to them."
"Don't worry. They follow the World Government's commands, period," Black Horse said, deciding not to push his luck.
This was Marine HQ after all, and he had to respect the Fleet Admiral's authority.
With the matter settled, Akainu glanced at Brannew, who immediately understood and handed him a document.
Akainu took the paper and held it out to Black Horse.
"This is a request to transfer Magellan from Impel Down. It's a waste to let his Venom-Venom Fruit rot in that prison. Marine HQ needs another top-tier fighter. We want to create a new Admiral position for him: Admiral 'Venom Dragon' Magellan."
Black Horse raised his eyebrows, took the document and nodded.
"I'll bring it to the higher-ups, but I can't make any promises. Magellan's power is great, but you know his fruit has some serious drawbacks. It's left his Haki almost non-existent. His abilities are really only suited for a prison."
"Who cares about Haki!" Akainu shot back. "With a Devil Fruit that powerful, he can poison anyone, no matter how strong their Armament Haki is. It's a one-hit kill. We'll back him up with other top fighters. With that kind of destructive power, the Navy will be a much bigger threat!"