"Kannonbiraki Benihime Aratame"
"Bankai."
Behind Vice Admiral Rosen, a woman in a sleeveless kimono appeared, her limbs jointed like those of a puppet.
Until now, his Arms-Arms Fruit — and especially his Bankai — had been used in combat for one purpose, killing pirates. But since arriving in the North Sea, every time his Zanpakutō was unsheathed, every time he called upon his Bankai, it was to save people.
On the way to the North Sea, he had rescued shipwreck survivors and those plundered by raiders. At Donquixote Doflamingo's base camp, he saved Trafalgar Law — the orphan of Flavens, stricken by the White Lead Disease. Now, it was the First Branch of the North Sea Marines who were being saved.
"What… is that?"
The sailors of the 1st Branch stared at the puppet-like woman in shock. While some looked on with suspicion, those wrapped in bandages suddenly realized something: their pain was gone.
"What's happening?" "My wounds… they don't hurt anymore."
One sailor unwrapped his bandages in disbelief — and found his injuries vanished. Only the faint trace of stitching remained.
"My body feels lighter. Even the shrapnel that couldn't be removed… it doesn't ache anymore."
Veterans who bore hidden wounds — knife gashes, lingering bullet fragments, half-healed burns — felt their bodies restored to the state they had before injury. They looked down and saw their scars gone, replaced by nothing but faint stitch-lines.
"My eyes… I can see again."
"This is… the smell of the sea breeze?"
"I can hear. Clear as day…"
Men who had lost an eye in battle, who had been left deaf by cannon-fire, or disfigured by powder burns, now found their senses restored.
"My face—my body—they're whole again!"
Marines once wrapped in bandages, too ashamed to show their scarred faces, now touched smooth skin, their burns and wounds erased.
In an instant, all the sailors of the 1st Branch were healed — whether they carried fresh wounds, old injuries, blindness, or disfigurement.
The Marines from Headquarters stood frozen, unable to speak, while the Branch sailors on the dock wept openly, overcome by what had just happened.
"Thank you!"
"Thank you, Vice Admiral Rosen!"
"He healed the First Branch!"
With a heavy thud, Captain T-Bone dropped to his knees on the deck. His voice carried not only respect but deep gratitude and devotion.
Not just him — every man of the Branch Marines shouted their thanks to Rosen.
"I only healed my own men," Rosen said quietly. "There's no need to thank me. This was owed to you by Marine Headquarters."
With that, Rosen released his Bankai. The puppet-like Guanyin dissolved into nothingness, and he sheathed his Zanpakutō.
"But—"
Captain T-Bone started to speak again, but Rosen cut him off.
"There's no need for thanks. I didn't come here to listen to gratitude. I came here to make something clear — to you, to the other Branches of the North Sea Marines, and to every pirate in these waters."
His eyes swept across them all. His voice thundered like cannon-fire, rattling the bones and stirring the very blood in their veins.
"From this day forward… offense and defense will change."
…
Snap.
Captain Doll rapped on the office door, then stepped inside. The memory of Rosen's Bankai at the 1st Branch pier still burned vividly in her mind. For a brief moment, respect flashed in her eyes before she approached the desk, carrying a folder.
"Vice Admiral Rosen. This was sent from Headquarters' Criminal Investigation Bureau. It contains everything the Navy has on Germa 66."
She placed the document before him.
"Thank you. Sit — don't just stand there."
Rosen accepted the file, motioning for her to sit as he began skimming the pages.
He had already seen intelligence on Germa 66 at Doflamingo's base, but that had been the Donquixote Family's reports. This — the work of the Navy's Criminal Investigative Service — was far more thorough. And Rosen knew better than to rely on a single source.
The murderer of Admiral Zephyr's family had yet to surface, proof that even the Bureau's network had blind spots.
"Vice Admiral," Captain Doll began, "after Donquixote Doflamingo… will your next strike be against Germa 66?"
After weeks at his side, she understood Rosen's ways. He hadn't come to the North Sea to decorate his record; he carried the burden of duty.
The collar was on Doflamingo now, but Rosen's sword would not rest. His first blow had fallen upon Donquixote; the second was soon to come.
And this time, his target was the Vinsmoke family — infamous across the North Sea, rivaling even the Donquixote name.
"I was just considering how best to deal with Vinsmoke Judge," Rosen said, eyes still on the file. "After all… aside from the Donquixote Family, he's the most troublesome figure in the North Sea."
"He is the king of the Germa Kingdom," Captain Doll said cautiously.
"That's true. But he's also a wanted criminal. Isn't he?"
Rosen gave a small nod.
"There's something you don't yet know," she continued. "Along with the Germa dossier, Director Tokikake also sent a message. Vinsmoke Judge has applied for World Government membership… and they've accepted."
Rosen looked up, silent.
"As soon as Germa's payment of Heavenly Gold is confirmed and delivered to Mary Geoise, the World Government will announce it publicly. The Germa Kingdom will be recognized as a member state. Judge will no longer be a pirate… but a king of the World Government."
Her words hung heavy in the room.
Since coming to the North Sea, Doll had seen firsthand how dire the balance of power was. Pirates far outnumbered the Navy, and none of them were small-time threats.
Doflamingo had colluded openly with kingdoms, trafficked slaves to the Celestial Dragons, kidnapped creatures of every race, and flooded the seas with drugs and weapons. His influence spanned both black and white markets, dominating the North Sea. He had even hijacked shipments of Heavenly Tribute, aiming to secure a title as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
And now, there was Judge.
Unlike Doflamingo's brute force and arrogance, Judge was shrewd. He had turned the Germa Kingdom into a springboard, bribed the upper echelons of the World Government with gold, and whitewashed himself overnight.
Germa was now a member state. Judge had transformed from pirate to sovereign. And unlike most rulers, he commanded an army of fearless clone soldiers and cutting-edge weapons years ahead of their time.
This was the enemy the North Sea Marines faced daily.
By contrast, in the East Blue, the most notorious names were pirates like Kuro, Krieg, and Arlong.
The scale was incomparable.
If not for the constant support of Marine Headquarters — if not for Vice Admiral Tsuru's repeated deployments to check Doflamingo's ambitions — the North Sea Marines would not merely be strained… they would have collapsed entirely.