Two hours later, Rayleigh pulled out a signal flare, raised his arm, and fired it into the sky. A brilliant burst of fireworks exploded above Mary Geoise, lighting up the night.
The instant the flare went up, Shiki—locked in fierce combat with Ortoren—seemed to catch some signal and shot out of Mary Geoise at high speed. At the same time, countless members of the Revolutionary Army regrouped with Tiger and the others and began to pull back as well.
It looked like Dragon had no intention of staying any longer.
Ortoren turned into lightning and let out a furious roar as he hurled bolt after bolt toward Shiki's retreating form, chasing him into the night until both vanished from sight.
Only the raging blaze continued to burn across Mary Geoise.
The guards who had clashed with the Revolutionary Army earlier didn't pursue very far. Once the enemy withdrew, their first priority was, of course, to put out the fires as quickly as possible and rescue whatever Nobles had been trapped by the flames—not to keep chasing down the fleeing intruders.
By the time dawn approached, the fires throughout Mary Geoise were finally contained and gradually extinguished.
…
At Pangaea Castle, before the hall of the Empty Throne, the Five Elders and the others stood in a protective formation, guarding Imu-sama, who dwelled within the surrounding flowers.
Throughout the entire night, Imu-sama had never appeared, nor issued a single command. It left the Five Elders wondering whether Imu-sama was even in Mary Geoise today.
But whether Imu-sama was present or not, they didn't dare step inside without being summoned. All they could do was assume Imu-sama was within and guard the place with absolute devotion.
Before long, the CP Agency Chief arrived with a group of CP officers and knelt before the Five Elders. Spandine, barely clinging to life, was crouched among them, too afraid to look up.
Though simmering with anger, Saint Warcury kept his tone steady as he asked, "How is the situation?"
"The fire has been contained, but the entire Noble District has been reduced to ruins. The administrative zone was breached as well. We eliminated two hundred and forty-three Revolutionary Army insurgents..." the CP Chief reported quickly.
"That's not what I want to know. Did you capture any of their leaders?" Saint Warcury demanded.
"This..." Cold sweat streamed down the CP Chief's temples. He swallowed hard before speaking shakily. "There have been no such results... as of yet."
"Useless, all of you." Saint Warcury let out a cold snort. "Where is Vice Admiral Benn?"
"Vice Admiral Benn pursued Shiki. There has been no word from him..." the CP Chief answered quickly.
"And Kessler?" Saint Warcury paused, then asked again.
"The Commander-in-Chief... has fallen. He was killed by Shiki," the CP Chief reported, grief heavy in his voice.
Just as Saint Warcury was about to speak, a crack of thunder tore through the sky. A flash of lightning struck down, and Ortoren's form appeared before them.
He looked utterly wrecked. His black suit was shredded by slashes, a deep wound on his chest cut all the way to the bone and still bleeding heavily. His shoulder had been split open, the fractured scapula faintly visible.
Even the great Justice cloak behind him had been soaked in blood.
But none of that was the most shocking thing. In his hand, he dragged a corpse—one even more miserable than he was. Much of the body had been charred black by lightning, but its identity was unmistakable: one of the masterminds behind the burning of Mary Geoise... Shiki the Golden Lion.
As Ortoren landed, he stumbled and nearly collapsed, only to be caught at the last second by the quick-handed Spandine.
Breathing weakly, Ortoren said, "My apologies... I failed to capture the other culprit, Dragon. I only managed to kill Shiki..."
Saint Warcury was far gentler with Ortoren than he had been with the CP Chief. He stepped forward himself and helped Spandine support him. "Killing someone like Shiki is more than enough. Vice Admiral Benn, we have witnessed your loyalty and courage with our own eyes. You truly are a loyal and righteous warrior of our World Government."
Ortoren, ever the performer, trembled all over as the Five Elders held him up, as though every word spoken to him had made all his efforts worthwhile.
His eyes were filled with gratitude, yet shame still tugged at his expression as he choked out, "But... the Commander-in-Chief was right in front of me... and Shiki killed him. This was my failure."
"Kessler was elderly, long removed from real combat. He let his guard down for a moment... This isn't on you. He was a loyal, courageous man. We'll hold a memorial for him, honor his dedication and bravery. You don't need to blame yourself so much. You've already done more than enough."
Saint Warcury patted Ortoren's shoulder, then clasped his hand.
Just then, Admiral Sengoku entered with Zephyr. The moment they stepped through the gates of Pangaea Castle, they saw the Five Elders holding Ortoren's hand, speaking words of gratitude. The scene was almost harmonious.
Sengoku was stunned. If he didn't know Ortoren was almost certainly one of the masterminds behind this whole affair, he might have genuinely believed in his loyalty and courage.
Seeing Sengoku arrive, Saint Warcury gave Ortoren's hand a reassuring shake before saying, "Sengoku, you've arrived just in time. Klerus has fallen in the line of duty. Holy Land still needs someone to take command and stabilize the situation. You handle the aftermath. We need some rest..."
Sengoku froze. A moment later he blurted out, "Commander-in-Chief Kessler... fell in the line of duty!?"
Saint Warcury nodded. "Yes. Last night that bastard Shiki butchered him. Fortunately, Vice Admiral Benn killed Shiki afterward, avenging him. At the very least, this gives us something to present to the world so the government doesn't lose all face..."
Sengoku looked at Ortoren, then at the corpse beside him. His face twitched almost imperceptibly before he nodded. "Understood. Should Fleet Admiral Kong be called here as well?"
"He should come. The position of Supreme Commander is far too important to remain vacant. We had already begun considering candidates. Now... Though the Marines bear some fault for this incident, you still managed to salvage the situation. Talking about blame any further is pointless. What matters now is restoring order in Holy Land as quickly as possible, evaluating the damage, announcing Shiki's execution to the world, and issuing a formal denunciation of the Revolutionary Army!"
Saint Warcury delivered his orders.
With that said, the Five Elders took their leave.
The CP Agency Chief looked around, stiff with discomfort. He knew today's mess was nowhere near settled. If he mishandled even one step, being dragged out and shot afterward was a very real possibility.
Facing Sengoku—someone he normally clashed with—he forced a rare, flattering smile.
"Admiral Sengoku, we owe much to the Navy last night. Please accept my thanks..."
After exchanging a few polite words to show goodwill, he departed with the CP personnel.
Once they were gone, Sengoku immediately strode up to Ortoren, completely ignoring his injuries. He grabbed him and pulled him into a corner.
"Are you out of your mind? How could you dare pull something like this!?"
Zephyr-sensei looked at the two of them in confusion. "What's going on? Sengoku, what do you mean?"
Sengoku released his Observation Haki, making sure the surroundings were safe before whispering, "What do I mean? I should be asking him! Shiki's escape from Impel Down was orchestrated by this lawless bastard. Now Mary Geoise ends up like this—how could he not be behind it?"
"Admiral, now that the Five Elders have handed the cleanup to you, there's no risk left. This is a good thing for the Navy. Fleet Admiral Kong will definitely be promoted to Supreme Commander, and you'll become the new Fleet Admiral!" Ortoren said quickly.
"I'm not senile enough to let you arrange the Fleet Admiral's seat this way!" Sengoku snapped, anger flashing across his face. "Tell me the truth. Why did you do this!?"
Ortoren pressed a hand to his wound and stayed silent for a moment before speaking softly.
"The wronged souls of Holy Land... they were calling to me. That's all."
The moment he said it, Sengoku and Zephyr both fell silent.
After a long while, Sengoku patted Ortoren on the shoulder.
"So this is your justice?"
A bright smile curved Ortoren's lips.
"I don't know. To this day, I don't think I've ever truly understood what kind of justice I've been chasing."
...
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