Several days later, in Loguetown, the top-ranking Marines of the East Blue once again gathered in a conference room, reviewing the failure of their most recent operation.
However, this time, the meeting was not chaired by Smoker or even Garp—but by Fleet Admiral Sengoku, speaking from Marine Headquarters.
A Den Den Mushi sat on the podium. It had a long beard that hung all the way to the floor, and from it came the furious voice of the Marine Chief himself.
"What the hell were you all doing out there?! Last time you reported in, you said the trap was already set! So how did Davy Jones and his crew still manage to fly over Reverse Mountain?! Do you know how that bastard Morgans reported this in the papers? Here, let me read you a few headlines."
The sound of flipping pages crackled through the Den Den Mushi.
"'Inept Marines! A Legend from Centuries Past Returns to the Grand Line to Reclaim Pirate Supremacy!'"
"'Hero Garp Possibly Defeated—Davy Jones' Crew on Par with the Four Emperors?!'"
"'Warlord Crocodile Responds: If the "Deep-Sea Reaper" dares threaten Arabasta, I'll crush him with everything I have!'"
"Do you hear this crap?! Look what the headlines are saying about us! 'Inept,' 'Defeated,' and now we need the Warlords to clean up our mess?! I haven't had a moment of peace—just back-to-back calls from the Celestial Dragons and the World Government!"
The entire conference room was dead silent. Most of the Marine officers hung their heads low in shame. Only Garp, Smoker, and Tashigi—representing Marine Headquarters—sat upright and unflinching.
Sengoku's angry voice roared from the Den Den Mushi.
Then, Garp finally spoke up:
"Sengoku, you can't put all the blame on them."
"First of all, they had very little time. Pulling off a plan this complex in such short notice was already impressive."
"Second, we lacked critical intel. Davy Jones obviously still has tricks we haven't seen yet."
"Third—and most importantly—I wasn't on-site at the start. I take full responsibility for that."
Garp willingly took the blame, causing many of the other Marine officers to shift uneasily in their seats.
A long silence followed from Sengoku's end—so long that some wondered if the connection had dropped.
Finally, Sengoku's voice returned, calm and cold:
"Garp. Report back to Marineford immediately to receive disciplinary action."
"As for the rest of you—submit written reports of the incident. I want them on my desk at HQ as soon as possible."
Another written report? Garp frowned slightly. He thought he could just get his old friend Tsuru to write it for him.
But Sengoku, as if reading his mind, added sharply:
"And Garp—you are to write this one yourself! No pawning it off on Vice Admiral Tsuru or anyone else!"
Garp let out a sigh, finally looking troubled.
Still, the others in the room actually felt relieved. No one was being demoted or discharged over the failure—just internal penalties and formal reviews.
But just as they thought Marine HQ was going to let the matter slide—
"Captain Nezumi of the 16th East Blue Branch—step forward!"
From the far corner of the room, Nezumi froze, then quickly stood up and saluted toward the Den Den Mushi.
"He's up," Garp said lazily toward the device, like he'd been expecting this.
Sengoku didn't hide his disgust.
"Captain Nezumi, we have a witness report that you acted cowardly during battle—retreating without firing a single shot, abandoning your post, and showing zero conduct worthy of a Marine. Is this true?"
Without missing a beat, Nezumi reflexively denied it—lying had become second nature to him:
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, that's simply not true! Someone must be trying to frame me!"
But the reality was this:
During the battle at Reverse Mountain, almost every Marine officer had sustained some form of injury.
Bling cracked his skull and was still wrapped in bandages.
Lippa broke a leg.
Smoker had bled heavily from serious wounds.
Tashigi had suffered severe mental trauma.
Even Garp, who arrived late, twisted his back.
Nezumi? He was perfectly fine—aside from being soaking wet.
He had clearly hung back in the rear lines, never fired a single shot, and fled the moment danger arrived. And there were plenty of witnesses to prove it.
The gathered Marine officers glared at Nezumi, their frustration with the failed operation now finding a perfect outlet.
"That coward…" Lippa muttered. "He's even worse than that idiot Morgan…"
Nezumi tried to protest again—but Sengoku cut him off.
"Furthermore, we've received another report: You're accused of colluding with Fish-Man pirates, exerting a reign of terror over twenty villages and towns for over eight years, extorting them monthly—and violently retaliating against any who resisted. Is that true?"
Gasps rippled across the room.
If the first accusation was a matter of cowardice—a court martial offense at most—this second one was far more serious.
A Marine colluding with pirates?
For eight years?
Unthinkable.
And with the recent clash against Davy Jones' crew, the word "Fish-Man" had become incredibly sensitive. Even Sengoku had deliberately skipped over one controversial newspaper headline:
"Is the Fish-Man race the strongest species? — A Battle at Reverse Mountain Sparks Debate"
(Excluding the Celestial Dragons, of course—they were gods.)
Now it turned out Nezumi had ties to Fish-Men?
Could that explain the Navy's failure at Reverse Mountain?
Bling stared at Nezumi, dumbfounded.
He had just proposed a plan to ally with Nezumi to wipe out those very Fish-Man pirates…
Yet now Sengoku was saying Nezumi had been working with them all along?
Nezumi turned pale. He had no idea how the truth had come to light.
For years, Arlong had tightly controlled the region, and Nezumi had intercepted every complaint or whistleblower. No word should have reached HQ.
Where did it all go wrong?
All he could do now was continue crying out:
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I swear I'm innocent! Someone's trying to frame me with these false charges!"
"Then are you willing to face your accusers in person?" Sengoku's voice turned frigid.
"They're right there in Loguetown. The Arlong Pirates have been destroyed, and the victims are now free. They've come here to report everything firsthand."
Even Smoker—who had been recovering from his wounds—looked up in surprise. He hadn't heard anything about this.
The villagers from Arlong's territory had gone first to Tashigi, then Garp, and now—finally—brought the whole matter to the attention of Marine HQ.
The Arlong Pirates had been taken down?
The victims were in Loguetown?
Cold sweat poured down Nezumi's face. His limbs trembled as he slumped into his seat, saying nothing.
Sengoku's voice came once more from the Den Den Mushi:
"Captain Nezumi is hereby suspended pending investigation. All Marines under his command are to undergo a thorough background check."
"Rear Admiral Bling!"
"Yes, Fleet Admiral!" Bling stood up, head still bandaged.
"You'll oversee this investigation. Leave nothing unchecked. Show no favoritism. I want the full truth within a month. Understood?"
"Yes, sir!" Bling growled, glaring furiously at Nezumi. "I swear I'll get to the bottom of this!"
Nezumi clutched his head in despair, lips quivering, already broken.
Then Sengoku moved on to the final topic of the meeting:
"Now, I hereby announce an increase in the bounties of Davy Jones and his crew, in light of the threat they pose and the widespread chaos they've caused!"
"Thanks to identification by villagers who testified against Nezumi, we have confirmed that the following individuals are remnants of the Arlong Pirates:
'Octopus Hatchan' — new bounty: 10 million Berries
'Sea Cow Momoo' — new bounty: 5 million Berries
'Iron Mace Alvida' — previous bounty: 15 million → Now: 25 million Berries
'Captain Kuro of a Hundred Plans' — previous: 16 million → Now: 26 million Berries
'Buggy the Clown' — previous: 25 million → Now: 45 million Berries
'Davy Jones, the Deep-Sea Grim Reaper' — previous: 50 million → Now: 100 million Berries!"
"No matter what, as representatives of Justice, it is our duty to crush the evil that pirates represent!"
"This meeting is adjourned!"
Even as the Marine officers were still stunned by how drastically the bounties had increased, Sengoku hung up.
They had no choice but to leave the conference room in silence, confused and unsure.
Nezumi, too weak to even stand, was dragged out by two Marines—under the hateful stares of everyone present.
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