There was nothing to hesitate about, nothing to consider.
Right now, there was no one in the Marines stronger than Sakazuki.
Nor was there anyone with higher prestige. After this incident, his reputation among the lower ranks would only soar.
As for recommending Borsalino or Kuzan, Sengoku didn't even need to think about it.
Borsalino was fickle and unreliable.
Kuzan—let's not even mention him. Compared to Borsalino, he was practically a rookie. And as for his strength... Enel had just fought him.
Kong nodded slightly.
"Fine."
He was only asking symbolically—no one else could take the role except Sakazuki.
Not to mention that because of the Revolutionary Army issue, the Elders had already been dissatisfied with Sengoku. After this detailed report...
For allowing Garp to leak information, how could the Elders possibly look kindly on Sengoku?
After all, during the search for the traitor, the government had already executed quite a few people...
Kong turned to leave.
"I'll return to the Holy Land first."
"You take care of the aftermath."
Sengoku said nothing. He just stood silently atop the fortress... staring into the distance.
...
The New World — Punk Hazard.
Inside the underground laboratory.
Karol teleported here with Bullet in an instant.
They immediately began restoring his body damage using nutrient fluid.
That was why Sakazuki had sailed off right away—no need to hide anything on the open sea. He came directly here.
As long as the nutrient fluid was sufficient, a few days were enough for full recovery.
It was just... costly. A formula without side effects—of course the price reflected that.
Bullet had regained his sanity by now. Soaking in the nutrient tank, he moved slightly.
"Hiss—"
He drew in a breath of cold air.
"That old bastard sure can take a beating."
When Bullet entered his Demon mode, his body combined flexibility and hardness—able to absorb impact or tank blows directly.
But Garp... that man had trained his Armament Haki into his very bones. Just one word: hard.
Karol chuckled.
"Well, he was already active back in the Rocks era."
"You're over thirty years younger than him."
Bullet twitched his mouth.
"That much?"
"Doesn't look like it."
"For someone that old, he's still a pain in the ass."
He couldn't help but click his tongue... a guy in his seventies still that strong.
Karol smiled.
"If you fought to the death, it would be about even."
Bullet frowned slightly.
"Fifty-fifty, yeah."
"If things got desperate, we'd both go down together."
"That old man's Haki is carved into his bones."
"Too damn tough."
"No one can one-shot him."
"And if you can't one-shot him, with that monster's physique, he could rampage for three days and nights straight."
"Devil Fruit users can't even handle fighting him."
"But if I dragged him from several thousand meters up and slammed down at a hundred times the speed..."
"He'd die... but so would I."
That drop from the headquarters' sky earlier had just been a test—and clearly, that old man hadn't come out of it unscathed either...
Karol shook his head.
"No need for that."
"How to deal with the big-name powerhouses across the sea..."
"Admiral Sakazuki already has the whole plan laid out."
"All that's left is timing and positioning."
Bullet gave a light grin.
"That so."
"Then I won't worry about it."
Karol smiled.
"Focus on recovering."
"I'm off to gather intel on the New World."
Whoosh—
He vanished.
At this time, half of Punk Hazard's personnel had already been relocated.
Only a few soldiers and scientists remained to pack up the equipment.
After the Caesar incident, Vegapunk had already moved to Egghead Island in the New World, and Punk Hazard was gradually becoming history...
...
The Holy Land — Mary Geoise.
Inside a pristine white palace hall, five figures were gathered together.
The burly Elder snorted coldly.
"Ridiculous."
"The Fleet Admiral of the Marines, colluding with the leader of the Revolutionary Army."
The curly-haired Elder narrowed his eyes slightly.
"So that means..."
"The leader of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon..."
"Is Garp's son. His true name should be Monkey D. Dragon."
"Could he be... that 'light'?"
The sword-bearing Elder sighed, rubbing his temples.
"That's still far off."
"For now, we should focus on minimizing the fallout from this incident."
"It's probably already spread across the world."
"Tell Sengoku to prepare for handover immediately."
"Once things stabilize in the New World, have Sakazuki return to take over."
The others nodded as well. There was nothing else to be done—they all knew about Sengoku and Garp's issue, but couldn't act rashly.
The Revolutionary Army's growing pressure across the Four Seas, and a newly crowned fourth Emperor in the New World—it was a time of chaos and pirate revelry.
The Marines were on the verge of internal collapse. The top priority now was to steady the situation...
...
Aboard Sakazuki's battleship, which had just crossed the Red Line.
Sakazuki stood before a massive map showing the power distribution of the New World, lost in thought.
Click-click—
The sound of a doorknob turning echoed.
Enel stepped inside.
"What is it, Sakazuki-san?"
Sakazuki tossed him a Den Den Mushi.
"I've got a mission for you."
After briefly explaining the details, Enel's lips curved up slightly.
"Interesting."
"I'll take someone along."
Sakazuki asked,
"Someone you trust?"
Enel grinned.
"That child Law."
Sakazuki nodded.
"Go ahead."
Enel's grin turned wicked as he thought of something.
"Roger that."
Zzzzt—
Lightning flashed—and he vanished.
Sakazuki's eyes lingered on the map of the New World as a low, cold hum escaped his throat...
...
The New World — Red-Haired Pirates.
At dawn, the crew had just woken up and stepped onto the deck, stretching lazily.
From the lookout tower, Yasopp called down brightly:
"Big news!"
"The Marines have split apart!"
Everyone who had just come out of the cabins froze, glancing at each other.
Beckman looked up and shouted,
"What's going on, Yasopp?!"
Yasopp chuckled and tossed down a few newspapers from the lookout.
Yesterday's events, spread by the reporters worldwide, had traveled across the seas overnight.
Shanks caught one of the papers mid-air, while Beckman and the others gathered around.
The front page showed the newly rebuilt Marine Headquarters' rear mountain.
The article, written by a journalist who had spent the night investigating, summarized the situation as best they could.
The core details, of course, weren't there—no one in the Marines dared risk death spilling that kind of scandal.
Only the names of the combatants and general losses were listed.
"Admiral Sakazuki, Sengoku..."
"Admiral Kuzan, Admiral candidate Enel..."
"Vice Admiral Bullet..."
Everyone around was astonished.
"What the hell happened?"
"There was no sign of discord in the Marines before this!"
"Damn... they've straight up split, huh?"
"Well, that's... fantastic! Hahaha!"
"Yeah! It's the Marines, after all!"
Beckman frowned at the paper.
"Something's off."
"How did those two end up fighting?"
"Sengoku and Sakazuki are both the rational, calculating types."
"Especially Sakazuki—it looks like he struck first, too."
Shanks furrowed his brows as well.
"Yeah..."
While most pirates rejoiced at the chaos, those who understood Sakazuki and Sengoku felt a strange unease clawing at them.
What could have possibly driven those two to turn on each other...?
...
The New World — Wano Country, Onigashima.
Above the monstrous skull-like island, dark clouds loomed, flashing with bolts of lightning.
Inside the skull.
Kaido, drunk as ever, lay snoring amidst a sea of empty sake bottles.
Next to him lay a newspaper—the very one about the Marines' internal split. The news had made Kaido drink even more than usual.
But both King and Queen had sensed something unusual.
One transformed into a pterosaur, the other bounced like a rubber ball, both rushing outside.
Boom!
A bolt of lightning struck one of the skull's massive horns.
Enel sat there, his right leg crossed over his left, one arm propping up his chin as he looked down at the two who had rushed out.
"Yo, isn't that Queen?"
He greeted them casually, not even slightly embarrassed.
On the opposite horn, Law stood drenched in sweat, having used his Devil Fruit to teleport there instantly.
Damn it... how did it end up like this again...
Always has to make things this crazy!!!
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The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg. 414 chapters in total