...
..
Fleet Admiral's Office
BAM!
"FINALLY! A proper lead...!"
Fleet Admiral Kong's fist struck the centre of his desk hard enough to make every document upon it jump.
A stack of reports toppled sideways.
His inkpot bounced.
The cigar resting in the ashtray rolled dangerously close to the edge.
Kong did not care.
For the first time since the 005 stockpiles had vanished, they had something.
Not rumours.
Not manipulated pirates who knew nothing.
Not corpses which told absolutely nothing.
Not empty corridors recorded by useless Den Den Mushi.
A witness.
A real witness goddammit.
Kong leant back in his chair and released a long breath through his nose.
"Damn glad I let the boy know what 005 was..."
For once, taking a risk with classified information had paid off.
Jonathan had remembered something.
A mask.
A cloak.
A red glow.
And most importantly, a figure standing exactly where no figure should have been.
Kong folded his arms.
A faint grin appeared beneath his moustache.
"Finally, now we're getting somewhere."
Through the Den Den Mushi on his desk, Tsuru's interrogation continued.
Several minutes passed.
Jonathan worked carefully, pencil scratching against paper.
Kong waited.
And waited.
His fingers tapped impatiently against the desk.
Finally, Jonathan's voice came through.
"I... think that's it, ma'am."
Tsuru examined the drawing.
Then she turned it towards the visual receiver.
The image appeared before Kong.
He leant forward.
His grin slowly vanished.
"..."
The drawing itself was surprisingly good.
Very good, actually.
The boy clearly had some talent.
Careful shading gave depth to the folds of the cloak. The mask had been recreated with impressive precision. Even the hollow almond-shaped eyes had been drawn with enough detail to make the figure appear as though it were staring back at him.
There was only one problem.
It told them almost nothing.
A pale, expressionless mask.
A black cloak.
A hood.
That was it.
No visible hair.
No skin.
No scars.
No insignia.
No identifiable clothing beneath the cloak.
Not even enough of the body could be seen to determine its build with certainty.
Kong stared at the drawing.
His eyebrow twitched.
"Is it even a man...?"
Nothing in the sketch answered him.
It could have been male.
Female.
Young.
Old.
Human.
Something else entirely.
"Damn it!"
BAM!
His fist smashed into the desk for a second time.
This time harder.
The entire piece of furniture groaned beneath the impact.
A thin crack appeared near one corner.
Kong stood over it, teeth clenched.
"This is bad..."
He looked at the drawing again.
"There must be something."
His eyes narrowed.
"There has to be something..."
Back inside the interrogation room, Tsuru was thinking the same thing.
She turned the drawing around and placed it before Jonathan again.
"Look at it carefully."
Jonathan swallowed.
Tsuru tapped one finger beside the mask.
"Anything else?"
He stared.
"An emblem?"
Jonathan shook his head.
"Jewellery?"
"No, ma'am."
"Visible weapon?"
"I... don't think so."
"Hair?"
"No."
"Hands?"
"I didn't see them... properly."
"Did you hear the figure speak?"
Jonathan hesitated.
Then slowly shook his head again.
"No, ma'am."
Tsuru watched his face.
"Height?"
"Tall... I think."
"You think?"
Jonathan visibly shrank beneath her gaze.
"I only saw it for a split second."
He looked at the drawing again.
The more Tsuru questioned him, the less certain he became.
Maybe the cloak had been longer.
Maybe the figure had been taller.
Maybe the light had distorted its shape.
Even the colour of the mask was uncertain.
White?
Pale?
Platinum?
His own memory refused to give him more.
Jonathan rubbed his eyes. Tired.
"I'm sorry, Vice-Admiral."
Tsuru said nothing.
"I really only remember three things with certainty."
He raised one finger.
"The mask."
A second.
"The black cloak."
Then the third.
"And that red glow."
His hand slowly lowered.
"That's all."
Tsuru sighed.
There was no point squeezing a memory until imagination began filling the gaps.
"Understood."
Jonathan looked miserable.
"I'm sorry."
"You remembered more than every recording Den Den Mushi in that base," Tsuru replied. "Don't apologise for what you didn't see."
She glanced towards the smaller Den Den Mushi.
Kong's irritated face stared back through the connection.
Tsuru gave him a tired look.
Kong gave her one in return.
Neither needed to say anything.
The lead was real.
It was simply a very small lead.
Tsuru reached towards the recording Den Den Mushi and switched it off.
"That concludes Witness One."
The recording snail immediately relaxed.
The smaller Den Den Mushi remained active, maintaining the secure connection with Kong.
Tsuru closed Jonathan's folder.
Then her fingers moved towards the second.
SAKAZUKI
"Next one..."
Jonathan shifted uncomfortably.
Tsuru stood.
The Rear Admiral beside her followed.
Jonathan expected to be dismissed.
Instead, Tsuru looked back at him.
"You too."
Jonathan pointed at himself.
"Me?"
"You know Sakazuki better than anyone here, apparently."
"That's really not saying much..."
"..."
Tsuru opened the door.
"Come along. I'd rather prevent the next interrogation room from becoming a volcano."
Jonathan paled.
That was a surprisingly realistic possibility.
...
..
.
Elsewhere in Marineford
The room was already getting hotter.
Captain Sakazuki sat with his arms crossed.
Vice-Admiral Nanioni's burnt Marine cap rested upon his head.
Opposite him sat three World Government agents.
They had arrived without warning.
No request had been sent to Marine Headquarters.
No Marine officer had authorised their presence.
They had simply appeared.
And immediately started asking questions.
Sakazuki hated them already.
"Tell us again what happened after you consumed the Devil Fruit."
"Tell us what you saw."
"Tell us....!."
....
Silence.
...
The agent waited.
Sakazuki stared at him.
"Marine..." Their tone grew darker.
Still nothing.
Another agent leant forward.
"Your cooperation is required, Marine!"
Sakazuki's eyes narrowed.
"Get out."
The agents stared at him.
One slowly folded his hands together.
"Excuse me, do you even know who you're talking to?!?!?"
"I said..."
Heat shimmered around Sakazuki's shoulders.
"GET OUT."
The temperature rose instantly.
One agent loosened his collar.
Another bead of sweat ran from beneath the third man's hairline.
Sakazuki watched them with open disgust.
His opinion of World Government agents had never been particularly high.
Now it was sinking even further.
Flies.
That was all he saw when he looked at them.
Small, arrogant flies.
Useful for insults.
Useful for threats.
Useful for appearing after everyone else had already bled.
And whenever somebody finally threatened them back, they hid behind the enormous flag of the World Government.
Sakazuki's fist tightened.
The table between them began to warm.
A glass of water trembled.
Then slowly began to steam.
One of the agents noticed.
His expression hardened.
"Threatening Government personnel is a serious offence!!!!"
There it was.
Exactly as Sakazuki had expected.
A threat.
His lip curled.
"You are all the same, coward after coward."
"!??!?!"
His forearm began to glow faintly beneath his sleeve.
"MARINE! Insulting us means insulting world goverment! You will face court martial!!! We will make sure of it!" The agents shouted back.
Then a tiny line of magma crawled between his knuckles.
"And now you're threatening me because I won't answer your questions?"
The agent's eyes narrowed.
"You would be wise to remember who we represent!!!"
Sakazuki stared at him.
"COWARDS AND WEAKLINGS! BEGGING WORLD NOBLES TO FIGHT YOUR BATTLES!"
The room became hotter.
Much hotter.
and then....it cooled?
The Government agents exchanged glances.
Sakazuki slowly rose from his chair.
"Now..."
Smoke curled from his shoulders.
"Get out."
...
..
.
Fleet Admiral's Office
The door slammed open without so much as a knock.
"S-SIR!"
Kong's head snapped around.
A Marine Rear Admiral stood in the doorway, breathing heavily.
Kong frowned.
"Huh?! Why the rush? Did something urgent happen?"
"Yes, sir!"
The Rear Admiral hurried inside.
"Government agents have arrived at Marineford without notice some time ago! They're currently questioning Ensign Sakazuki."
"Captain."
The Rear Admiral blinked.
"...Sir?"
Kong pointed a thick finger towards him.
"He is Captain Sakazuki now."
The Rear Admiral stared for half a second.
"Ah... yes, sir."
Kong settled back into his chair.
Then stopped.
His eyes slowly widened.
"...Wait."
The Rear Admiral froze.
Kong turned his head.
"What did you just say?"
The Marine swallowed.
"Government agents arrived and they're currently questioning Capta..."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN THEY'RE QUESTIONING MY MARINES?!"
The roar shook the office.
"WHO GAVE THEM THE COURAGE TO QUESTION MY PEOPLE?! THEY'RE MARINES, GODDAMMIT!"
Kong's right arm shot upwards.
His fist came down.
Or almost did.
"Fleet Admiral..."
Tsuru's voice came quietly through the still-active Den Den Mushi.
Kong's fist stopped centimetres above the desk.
His entire arm trembled.
The abused wood gave a tiny crack anyway.
Kong stared at it.
The desk stared back in the only way a desk could.
Silently begging for mercy.
Kong inhaled.
Slowly.
Then lowered his fist without striking it.
"...Right."
At the other end of the line, Tsuru continued walking through Marineford's corridors with Jonathan and the Rear Admiral following behind her.
"Try not to destroy your office before we learn anything useful," she said, shaking her head and briefly facepalming.
Kong ignored that.
Mostly.
He looked towards the officer who had brought the report.
His voice was quieter now.
Still furious.
But quieter.
"Marines are under my jurisdiction, not theirs."
He pointed towards the door.
"Send them off at once."
The Rear Admiral stiffened.
"We tried, sir!"
Kong stopped.
"What?"
"We already ordered them to leave. They refused."
"Then throw them out!"
"We can't, sir! They say they've been granted authority to conduct the interrogations."
Kong stared at him.
"Authority?"
"Yes, sir."
"What kind of nonsense is that?!"
His fist clenched again.
"Authorised by whom?!"
Silence.
A small pause.
Then a voice came from the doorway.
"By me, Marine!"
It was not especially loud.
Yet every person in the room heard it as though the words had been shouted directly into their ears.
All attention shifted towards the entrance.
A figure stood there.
White cloak.
White suit beneath it.
A ceremonial mask concealed the face, decorated in the unmistakable style of Cipher Pol's highest branch.
The Rear Admiral immediately went rigid.
Kong's expression darkened.
"...CP0?"
The agent stepped inside calmly.
No hurry.
No fear.
Kong rose from his chair.
His enormous hands pressed against the already suffering desk.
"Do I look like some mongrel pup to be bossed around by CP0?!" he snapped.
The masked agent stopped.
He tilted his head slightly.
"Actually..."
A pause.
"Yes."
Silence.
Absolute silence. For some... absolute cinema.....
The Rear Admiral's soul almost left his body.
Even Tsuru, listening through the Den Den Mushi, said nothing.
Kong's left eye twitched.
The CP0 agent continued walking.
Step.
Step.
Step.
He reached the desk.
Kong's face had begun turning red.
The agent calmly removed a folded document from beneath his cloak.
Then placed it gently upon Kong's desk.
Tap.
CRACK!
The desk split straight through the middle.
Both halves collapsed in opposite directions.
Documents slid everywhere.
The inkpot shattered on the floor.
Kong stared down.
The CP0 agent stared down as well.
"..."
His masked face slowly turned towards Kong.
"How sad."
A brief pause.
"Truly."
The agent decided not to continue.
That was probably wise.
Kong's entire face had become crimson.
Veins bulged across his forehead.
Every muscle in his arms tightened.
For one terrible second, the Rear Admiral became convinced that Fleet Admiral Kong was about to personally redecorate his office using this CP0 agent.
Kong's fist clenched.
The air became heavy.
Then his eyes dropped towards the document lying amongst the remains of his desk.
Something caught his attention.
A symbol.
His rage stopped.
Kong bent down.
Picked up the letter.
Read the top line.
Then the next.
His expression changed.
The redness disappeared from his face.
A bead of sweat formed near his temple.
Then another.
The Rear Admiral noticed.
That frightened him more than Kong's shouting had.
"What...?"
Kong's eyes moved across the bottom of the document.
Official seals.
Signatures.
Not forged.
Not copied.
Not bureaucratic authorisation from some nameless ministry.
The Five Elders.
The Gorosei.
Kong said nothing for several seconds.
His earlier fury evaporated.
He knew exactly where Marine authority ended.
And he was looking at it.
The Gorosei had personally authorised the interrogation.
Worse...
The wording was precise.
The Marine witnesses were to be surrendered for questioning.
No unauthorised personnel were permitted to observe.
No records were to be distributed outside the designated investigation.
No exceptions for rank.
Kong's eyes hardened.
His entire plan to keep his Marines protected during the questioning had just disappeared.
Damn them...
He could already imagine where this was going.
Jonathan had been nervous under Tsuru.
Sakazuki had been furious under normal Marines.
But this?
CP0...?
Direct Gorosei authority.
The questioning was going to become much harsher.
Kong reached into his coat and removed another cigar.
His fingers were tense as he lit it.
Smoke filled his lungs.
He exhaled slowly.
"Fine."
The CP0 agent waited.
Kong's gaze hardened.
"But I will be present."
"No."
Kong nearly swallowed his cigar.
"What?"
"That is not possible."
"WHY?!"
The agent pointed towards the letter.
"Read it carefully."
"I READ IT!"
"Then read it again."
Kong looked one breath away from murder.
The agent remained perfectly calm.
"This investigation is classified above normal Marine intelligence clearance."
Kong stared at him.
"Last time I checked... The Fleet Admiral had special exception for this!"
"Yes. Not this time though."
"The Fleet Frickin Admiral! Goddammit!!!"
"I heard you the first time."
Another vein appeared on Kong's forehead.
The CP0 agent tapped the document.
"This is top secret, Fleet Admiral. The Gorosei's own words."
Kong looked down at the signatures again.
There was nothing he could do.
Not officially.
Not without directly challenging an order signed by the Five Elders themselves.
For perhaps the first time that day, Kong looked genuinely helpless.
His cigar shifted between his teeth.
He looked at the masked figure.
"...Who are you?"
The CP0 agent said nothing.
Instead, he reached down and took the authorisation letter from Kong's hand.
He turned it around.
Near the bottom was a small section Kong had overlooked.
DESIGNATED SPECIAL INVESTIGATOR
The agent raised one gloved finger.
Tap.
CP0 AGENT MIKAELS
He tapped the name again.
"There."