The first half of the Grand Line — Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
At the top floor of Marineford's Fortress of Justice sat the office of the Fleet Admiral. The current Fleet Admiral was none other than Kong, who would later become the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's entire military.
At that moment, Fleet Admiral Kong was seated at his desk, listening to a report from Chief Staff Officer Tsuru.
Just then, the office door was pulled open, and Garp, Sengoku, and a few others walked in.
Seeing that there were no other Marine personnel in the room besides Chief Staff Officer Tsuru, Garp and Sengoku didn't bother with formalities.
"Big Brother Kong, what's going on?" Sengoku was the first to speak.
That's right — they were all Marines from the same era, old comrades who had fought side by side. So in private, when no one else was around, they spoke casually.
"Tsuru's received some new intel. You came at the right time. Where's Zephyr?" Fleet Admiral Kong asked casually.
"That guy's not at headquarters..." Garp replied in his usual offhanded tone. "So, what's the new intel?"
Chief Staff Officer Tsuru said calmly, "Didn't we previously discover that Shiki was gathering his fleet?"
"You mean that thing about going to war with the Big Mom Pirates, right? Got any specifics?" Sengoku asked offhandedly.
"From the direction Shiki's fleet is heading and the countermeasures the Big Mom Pirates are taking, it's highly likely the confrontation will take place near the Edd War Sea..." Tsuru said softly.
"Edd War?" Sengoku rubbed the braided beard on his chin, deep in thought.
Garp, standing nearby, asked directly, "And what about the rest of those bastards? No movement? Kaidou, Ochoku, those guys? Didn't they usually gang up together whenever Shiki caused trouble?"
"There is movement. We intercepted a communication signal between Charlotte Linlin and Ochoku. It wasn't very clear, but we can already confirm that Ochoku is coordinating with Charlotte Linlin's actions. Kaidou and the others are likely doing the same..." Tsuru remained composed as she spoke.
Hearing this, Garp waved his hand dismissively. "So it's just like before. Shiki can't handle them..."
Sengoku nodded. "In a one-on-one comparison, Shiki is the strongest, but those old rivals of his aren't exactly pushovers..."
"But just recently, we intercepted new intel from Whole Cake Island," Tsuru said in a more serious tone.
This time, even her expression grew slightly tense.
Seeing this, both Garp and Sengoku furrowed their brows. "What intel?"
"The Roger Pirates, who had disappeared after entering the New World from Fish-Man Island, recently clashed with the Big Mom Pirates on Whole Cake Island in Totto Land. The exact reason is unknown, but Charlotte Linlin didn't manage to take them down..." Tsuru reported.
Garp snorted and said, "Charlotte Linlin might be powerful, but she's definitely not a match for Roger and those bastards. If she actually managed to beat Roger, that'd be the real surprise."
"That's not the point!" Tsuru snapped, shooting a glare at Garp for cutting her off. Then she continued, "After Roger's crew escaped from Whole Cake Island, our tracking investigation confirmed sightings of them heading toward the Edd War Sea. Shiki's fleet is in that area. Do you get what that means?"
"What!?" Garp exclaimed. "So they're about to run straight into each other?"
Just as Garp said that, the door to the Fleet Admiral's office was suddenly flung open. A tall, beautiful female Marine hurried inside. Judging by the epaulets on her uniform, she was a Commodore.
"Big sis, it's bad — latest intel shows unusual movement from Shiki's fleet. Looks like they're heading straight for the Edd War Sea. We intercepted one of their frontline communications. It's not very clear, but it mentioned the Roger Pirates, who are currently under our watch!" the beautiful Marine reported urgently.
"Gion, do you have any more specific intel?" Garp leapt up from the sofa and asked quickly.
That's right — the one who rushed in to report the latest news was Momousagi, a future Admiral candidate of Marine Headquarters. Though she was significantly younger than Chief Staff Officer Tsuru, she had been personally mentored by her since joining the Marines. The two were extremely close and referred to each other as sisters.
Naturally, due to her close relationship with Chief Staff Officer Tsuru, Gion was also on familiar terms with Garp, Sengoku, and even Fleet Admiral Kong.
It's just like how Gion, despite being much younger, often calls Garp "Garp-chan," even though he's clearly her senior in both age and rank.
In the Marine system, strength is crucial for advancement, but connections and relationships among the upper ranks are just as important. Would any other Commodore dare to barge into a private meeting among the Admirals, Fleet Admiral, Chief Staff Officer, and Marine heroes? Definitely not.
Then again, without sufficient strength, talent, and potential, those top brass wouldn't even bother associating with you in the first place. In the end, it still comes down to ability.
"We don't have any more detailed intel, but based on Shiki's current war mobilization, if he finds Roger, it's highly likely that..." Gion said, her tone slightly rushed.
Before she could finish, the Den Den Mushi she was carrying started ringing. Without hesitation, she answered it on the spot.
The urgent voice of an intelligence officer from the Intelligence Staff came through.
"Latest intel! Surveillance ships have picked up signs of the Roger Pirates. They don't appear to be aware of the Flying Pirates' movements and are heading straight toward the Edd War Sea. Their course matches the direction Shiki's fleet is moving in — they're likely to meet very soon!"
Before the message even finished, Garp immediately spoke.
"No time to wait — I'm going there myself!"
"Isn't it already a little late?" Gion asked, hesitant.
"Late or not, I'm still going!" Garp said without a second thought.
"Hey, Garp, I'm the one who's always been in charge of Shiki!" Sengoku stood up as well, his voice serious.
At that moment, Fleet Admiral Kong added, "I called you here for something else as well..."
Sengoku placed a hand on Garp's shoulder and said, "Didn't you hear what the Fleet Admiral said? Leave Shiki to me."
With that, Sengoku opened the door and walked out.
Garp froze for a second, then grumbled, "Roger is my responsibility..."
He moved to chase after him, but Kong shouted behind him, "Hey Garp, I haven't finished! About your promotion to Admiral—"
Without even turning around, Garp responded confidently as he stepped out the door, "You may not have finished, but I've heard enough, Bwahaha!"
As he finished speaking, he slammed the door shut.
Kong's face twitched slightly. He turned to Chief Staff Officer Tsuru.
"You go too. Try talking some sense into that bastard Garp. Leaving an Admiral seat vacant looks bad..."
"If talking worked, that seat wouldn't have stayed empty for years. If you ask me, maybe it's time to consider someone else. Gion's not bad, in my opinion," Tsuru said teasingly as she stood up with a smile and followed after Garp and Sengoku.
Gion's face flushed at the mention, and she quickly bowed to Fleet Admiral Kong before hurrying out after Tsuru.
Once everyone had left, Fleet Admiral Kong lit a cigar, shook his head, and chuckled bitterly.
"Damn brat..."
It's long been Marine tradition to appoint three Admirals, the symbols of their highest combat power.
And in this generation, there were indeed candidates qualified for the role — Sengoku, Zephyr, and that damn Garp.
But Garp stubbornly refused the promotion. Without him stepping up, the other eligible candidates didn't feel right taking the position themselves... Of course, part of the issue was that, aside from those few, the Marines currently lacked others with the true strength and qualifications to sit in an Admiral's seat.
Still, Fleet Admiral Kong wasn't too worried. The Marines had plenty of promise. Among the new generation, many excellent prospects had emerged, each with the potential to become a Marine Admiral.
Gion, as Tsuru had just mentioned, was one of them. And even stronger candidates existed — like Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan.
As long as that succession continued steadily, and the future strength of the Marines remained assured, Fleet Admiral Kong had no need to rush or panic.