Chapter 196: The New Era Marine's Decision!
Late at night in Marineford, lights blazed brilliantly. The entire port was illuminated bright as day by emergency lighting systems, the air thick with suppressed killing intent.
With the boost from Roy's ability, the warship returned in a way that defied common sense, shooting straight back from the New World at breakneck speed.
On the pier, Tsuru and Zephyr, informed in advance, stood waiting quietly.
The night wind whipped, their cloaks fluttering silently, their expressions cold as iron.
"SWISH—!"
Space rippled abruptly. Amidst a sound like shattering water, Roy descended suddenly with Sakazuki, Ace, and Enel.
The four appeared under the lights. In that instant, the aura they exuded seemed to make all of Marineford tremble slightly.
Without extra words, several sharp gazes met. Roy scanned the surroundings, shook his robe slightly, and raised his arm gently.
"CRACK—!"
Space collapsed and folded abruptly. The port, the night, the sea breeze... seemed forcibly torn apart, turning into nothingness in an instant.
The next moment, everyone had landed steadily in the highest-level anti-eavesdropping conference room deep underground in Marineford.
The heavy alloy door closed automatically, cutting off all information fluctuations.
The air was so silent only the occasional zzzt of jumping lightning could be heard.
At the conference table, Tsuru slowly folded her hands in front of her, her voice low and steady. "Sengoku has been gone to Mary Geoise for several hours. No intelligence has been sent back yet."
"Garp has been recalled by my 'Special Emergency Order' and will arrive tomorrow at the earliest."
"Kuzan has already departed with a fleet to station in the sea areas most densely populated by civilians under Whitebeard's banner, prioritizing the protection of innocent civilians."
Although her tone was calm, it couldn't hide the deep urgency within.
Zephyr frowned, adding gravely, "Once the news of Whitebeard's death spreads, chaos will inevitably erupt in the New World. The original balance will be completely broken."
"Various factions are stirring. We must prepare for the worst."
Sakazuki snorted coldly, his tone carrying a sharpness suppressed for too long. "The poison of the Whitebeard remnants cannot be left unchecked."
"Now is the best time—take advantage of the chaos and root them out completely!"
Lightning danced at fingertips on one side of the conference table. Enel leaned lazily against the backrest but said nothing.
In the corner, Ace sat very straight, fists clenched unconsciously, palms soaked with sweat.
Roy's words from the lounge earlier still echoed in his mind—
"If I catch them off guard, insta-killing an Admiral-level combatant doesn't seem impossible to achieve."
If anyone else had said this, he would have laughed out loud.
But recalling that "suffocating feeling of death" when he was completely swallowed by darkness, unable to escape, his abilities sealed for just a few seconds—
He suddenly felt...
Maybe it really was possible.
He couldn't help but look at Roy standing by the window.
In that moment, everyone's gazes tacitly turned to him as well.
By the window, Roy's figure was drawn into a quiet silhouette by the dim light.
He didn't turn around, simply gazing quietly at the invisible sky in the distance, as if contemplating the movement of the entire era.
His voice was calm, yet struck everyone's heart like a heavy hammer. "Tomorrow, when Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Old Man Garp arrive."
"I will explain everything clearly."
No one replied.
The conference room fell into an oppressive silence.
But under that silence, it felt as if a beast was about to awaken in the iron cage of the Marines.
Everyone knew this was not the end, but the final silence before the storm.
Marineford · Port
The first rays of morning sun had not yet pierced the pervasive sea fog.
By the pier, security was tight. Even the stationed soldiers gripped their rifles tightly, expressions solemn.
"WOOO—!"
Accompanied by a deep whistle, a uniquely shaped warship with a giant dog head figurehead broke through the fog.
It was—"Iron Fist" Garp's personal warship.
Before the ship arrived, an oppressive pressure sweeping across all directions had already engulfed the entire harbor.
On the deck, Garp, usually yawning lazily with a grinning face, now had furrowed brows and an expression like rock.
Those fists, baptized by countless fires of war, were clasped quietly behind his back, looking ready to smash the sky at any moment.
Behind him, Luffy rarely lacked his嘻哈 (hip-hop/playful) appearance. He just stared blankly at his grandfather's back, eyes full of confusion and faint unease.
"Grandpa... you seem very different today," Luffy mumbled softly. "Did something big happen?"
Garp didn't answer, his gaze fixed on the approaching pier.
By the port, Trafalgar Law stood in the morning mist.
His black and white coat billowed in the wind. The gaze under his spotted hat brim was cold as a blade—he said nothing, but that suppressed gravity was enough to explain everything.
When Garp stepped onto the pier, Law nodded politely in greeting but asked nothing, preparing to lead them toward the anti-eavesdropping conference room.
"Luffy, go back to Roy's quarters first," Garp said flatly, his tone brooking no argument.
"...Oh." Although full of questions, Luffy was rarely obedient and didn't ask further, simply nodding and turning to leave.
Just as Garp and Law were about to move toward the conference room, Garp suddenly stopped.
His gaze sharpened, and he turned abruptly to look deep into the sea fog.
A few breaths later—
A thunderous noise came from the distance!
The sea fog rolled violently. A black-painted warship flying the "Fleet Admiral" flag plowed through the morning light, docking rapidly!
On the deck, Sengoku stood straight, draped in his white-gold Fleet Admiral coat.
Sunlight spilled onto the gold-rimmed military robe, reflecting a pillar of light like a heavenly column.
The two gazed at each other across the fog.
In that instant, no words were needed, yet countless messages seemed exchanged in their hearts.
After the warship docked, Sengoku strode down the gangway to stand beside Garp. The two top "old soldiers" of the Marines stood side by side.
At this moment, even the sea breeze seemed afraid to make a sound.
"Let's go," Garp said in a low voice.
"Mm," Sengoku responded lightly.
The two old soldiers walked side by side, following Law into the top-secret space underground in Marineford.
The heavy blast doors closed slowly, shutting with a boom.
The sea fell silent, morning light breaking the fog.
And the most critical high-level meeting of this era—began.
However, the world did not know what exactly was discussed in that secret meeting.
The only thing that could be confirmed was—
That meeting lasted the entire morning.
When the doors of the conference room opened slowly again, the sun hung high in the sky, but the entire Marineford remained silent.
Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, Zephyr, Sakazuki, Enel, and the others walked out one by one. Not a single person spoke.
Their expressions varied:
Some frowned in thought, as if a decision had been made;
Some had flickering gazes, as if seeing the outline of the future;
Some clenched their fists, seeming to restrain an impulse;
And some, amidst the silence, quietly raised the corners of their mouths into a faint smile.
Their expressions looked as if they had just glimpsed a forbidden truth in the darkness—or perhaps grasped a key capable of changing the world.
This scene, observed by several Vice Admirals watching from a distance, shocked their hearts:
—What exactly happened in that meeting?
From that day on, the pattern of the entire Marine Headquarters changed quietly.
No public orders were issued.
No official transfer orders were seen.
But all high-ranking officers keenly noticed a phenomenon—
Vice Admiral Roy had become the existence with the most special power and broadest operational authority in the Marines.
No matter how crazy the battle plan he proposed, how much manpower and fleets he mobilized, or even if he temporarily issued orders skipping ranks...
No one in the high command of the Marines objected.
It was as if any direction he decided was the battlefield the Marine's sharp blade would point toward.
No one knew what secrets, what gambles were buried behind this "tacit approval"...
But one thing was certain—
The spark of a New Era had been quietly ignited in Marineford.
Everything was just beginning.
♧♧♧
-> SUPPORT ME WITH POWER STONE
-> FOR EVERY 200 PS = BOUNS CHAPTER
♧♧♧
-> 30 Advanced chapters Now Available on Patreon!!
-> https://www.patreon.com/c/Segais
(Just remove the hyphen to access patreon normally)
If you like this novel please consider leaving a review that's help the story a lot Thank you