New Marine Headquarters — formerly G-5 Fortress.
Located at the entrance to the New World on the Grand Line, this base had grown unusually quiet in recent days.
Thanks to Ghidorah's forces sweeping the seas, very few pirates now dared venture into the New World.
As a result, the Marines had found themselves with less and less to do—a rare luxury.
For the half-hearted Fleet Admiral Kizaru, this was perhaps the most peaceful time of his life.
And if he had his way, he wished it could last forever.
But, of course, that was just wishful thinking.
"Urgent report, Fleet Admiral Kizaru! A large unidentified force has been spotted at the New World entrance—!"
A panicked messenger burst into the office, shattering Kizaru's tranquility.
"Kuwaaai ne…"
"And here I was finally enjoying a couple of quiet days…"
"Do we know who they are?"
Kizaru set down his coffee, his expression turning sour.
"Not yet. Intel suggests it's a coalition of multiple factions…"
"Report! Fleet Admiral, emergency! A massive number of pirates have appeared at the New World entrance!"
"Report! Just in—numerous royal forces have also mobilized at the entrance!"
"Report!"
One messenger after another rushed into the office, delivering shocking updates.
Kizaru's expression darkened. He stood up immediately, disregarding the stunned stares from his subordinates, and pulled out a personal Den Den Mushi.
The line connected—and he snapped.
"Explain this! You told me there wouldn't be any movement for the time being!"
Everyone in the room froze. Even veteran officers had never seen Kizaru lose his composure like this.
And what came next shocked them even more.
A cold, steady voice replied through the transponder:
"Heh… My apologies. It wasn't my decision. This was a sudden order from Lord Ghidorah."
Ghidorah?!
The name alone was enough to make every Marine present tremble.
No one could forget that monster—especially those who had fought in the Paramount War.
The fear he left behind was so deep, no one even dared to resist.
"Fufufu… Fleet Admiral Kizaru."
A deep, arrogant laugh came from the doorway.
"I'd guess the one on the other end of that call… is none other than Revolutionary Leader, Monkey D. Dragon, am I right?"
WHAT?!
The Marines in the room were stunned.
The Fleet Admiral... in contact with the leader of the Revolutionary Army?!
"Admiral Green Bull?!"
They turned toward the voice—only to freeze again upon seeing the figure leaning casually by the door.
"You all may leave. Tell Fujitora to come here too."
Kizaru calmly ordered, paying no mind to the stunned crowd. The lower-ranking officers were quickly dismissed.
"Heh… This is quite the discovery."
Green Bull sauntered into the office and threw himself on the sofa, propping his feet on the table as he stared playfully at Kizaru.
"So, what's your objective?"
Since he had already been exposed, Kizaru didn't bother making excuses. He spoke directly into the Den Den Mushi:
"Let's not play games. Why is the Revolutionary Army moving into the New World?"
"Relax," Dragon replied calmly.
"We're just establishing a forward base. There are still remnants that haven't been dealt with…"
"Our ancestors don't want any interference when the real war begins."
"You mean… Big Mom and Whitebeard?"
Green Bull cut in before Kizaru could respond.
"Oh?"
Dragon's voice sounded intrigued.
"So there are others involved?"
"That's Green Bull, the new Marine Admiral."
Kizaru said flatly, feeling somewhat resigned.
"What?! Kizaru, do you even know what you're doing?"
Dragon's voice rose in disbelief.
"Honestly, it doesn't matter anymore…"
Kizaru muttered, tired and bitter.
"I don't see any future for the Navy."
"Even the Fleet Admiral is giving up? That's troubling…"
A calm, solid voice interrupted from the door.
Fujitora had arrived.
"Hah, speak of the devil!"
Green Bull laughed.
"I've just discovered a juicy secret—the Fleet Admiral is buddy-buddy with the head of the Revolutionaries!"
"Is that so?"
Fujitora raised an eyebrow as he entered and took a seat, his expression unreadable.
"So, what are you planning, Kizaru?"
Dragon demanded.
"Nothing special. I just don't want to lie to those who still believe in justice."
Kizaru glanced at the two admirals in the room.
"Dragon… if you can… just give me a little more time."
There was silence on the other end.
Then finally, Dragon replied:
"…Understood."
Click. The call ended.
Kizaru looked up and calmly addressed the two men.
"What do you think is the Navy's future?"
"Pffft—ahahahaha!"
Green Bull burst out laughing, then turned serious.
"With you as Fleet Admiral? What kind of future can we possibly have?"
"The Navy's future…"
Fujitora said gently.
"…will depend on your choices."
"I'm sure you've both figured it out by now."
Kizaru sighed.
"To be honest, I never wanted to be Fleet Admiral."
"My ideal life was just… a stable paycheck until retirement."
"But sometimes, life just doesn't go your way."
"Since taking this job, I finally understand Sengoku's suffering."
"If I could, I'd hand this position off right now."
"Don't look at me! I'm perfectly happy staying an Admiral!"
Green Bull raised both hands.
"Old man like me… I'm blind, remember?"
Fujitora added, with a calm smile.
Even a damn undercover agent made it to Fleet Admiral,
And you—just because you're blind—think you can't?
Kizaru nearly said it—but held his tongue.
"The Revolutionary Army is building a forward base."
"The Navy's too wounded right now to face them head-on."
"You two have one job: restrain the Navy. Keep our soldiers from provoking them."
"In the meantime, take the new recruits to the first half of the Grand Line and clean up the remaining pirates."
"Avoid unnecessary conflict with the Revolutionaries at all costs."
"Yo, Fleet Admiral… doing this so openly—is that really okay?"
Green Bull looked skeptical.
"This isn't about right or wrong."
"Whether you're a Marine or a pirate… at the end of the day, we're all just employees doing a job."
"I don't expect you two to be paragons of justice."
"All I ask is that you follow your conscience."
"Do what you think is right."
"What kind of nonsense is that?"
Green Bull muttered, shaking his head as he stood.
With a strange look at Kizaru, he walked out without pressing further about his "secret."
Fujitora remained for a moment, silently digesting everything.
Then he stood and spoke:
"I want to see that creature… with my own eyes."
And with that, he too turned and left.
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