Marineford.
Apart from the "King of Deserters" and his yellow-haired sidekick whose name Broly could no longer remember.
Almost all the high-ranking Marine officers who would participate in the future Summit War were currently gathered in the senior conference room.
Brannew, just past thirty, had already solidified his reputation as the "King of Meetings."
Seeing Kong nod at him, he first pinned Broly's photo on the blackboard and said in a deep voice, "Everyone! This mysterious boy born from a meteor, we shall temporarily call him the 'Demon Child.'
This person's strength is unfathomable. You all witnessed the live broadcast from the Visual Den Den Mushi a few hours ago with your own eyes. To possess such terrifying power at this age, his threat level is more than a hundred times that of Charlotte Linlin back then!"
"For this reason, our colleagues in the Bounty Department discussed overnight and have already drawn up his wanted poster."
As Brannew spoke, he pulled out a wanted poster from his pocket and stuck it on the blackboard.
In the photo, Broly had a look of disdain on his face, his chubby little hand raised high, charging an energy wave directly at the camera.
It was unknown how the Marines managed to take this photo; perhaps this photographer was a user of some rule-based Devil Fruit.
What truly shocked everyone was the number below the photo: 5 billion Berries.
Even a powerhouse of Kuzan's level couldn't help but gasp upon seeing this number.
Looking across the sea, only the late Roger and "Whitebeard" Edward Newgate could command such a bounty.
Counting further back, there was only Rocks, whose traces had been erased by history.
A three-year-old child having a bounty was already inconceivable, let alone it shooting straight to 5 billion Berries, but not a single officer present spoke out to refute it.
After all, this child instantly killed Admiral Sengoku with one move. With such combat power, perhaps even Rocks might not have been able to achieve it.
Kuzan, who had not yet experienced the Ohara incident, still had a bit of impulsiveness in his character and couldn't help but speak: "Setting a bounty is useless. I'm afraid no bounty hunter would dare to actually go for his head. In the end, it still depends on us Marines."
Pausing slightly, he pressed on, "Then how should we deal with him? Gather all the Marine forces to surround and capture him? If we leave him alone, the Marines will lose face completely."
"Calm down, Kuzan."
Vice Admiral Tsuru, with her hands folded under her chin, spoke in a deep voice. The knuckles of this veteran, who also served as the Great Staff Officer of the Marines, turned white from force.
"Don't be deceived by his appearance and age. To fight such an enemy, we must be fully prepared. At the very least, we must first figure out what his ability actually is."
Tsuru, Sengoku, and Garp were close friends who joined the Marines at the same time. The depth of their friendship needed no words.
With Sengoku suffering such a calamity, she was one of the angriest people, but the angrier she was, the clearer she knew that they absolutely could not panic at this moment.
Garp, sitting nearby, also remained silent throughout.
Usually, during meetings, this old rogue would lean back in his chair and doze off, but now his head was lowered, his face as dark as if dipped in ink. No one knew what he was thinking.
Kong nodded in agreement: "Tsuru is right. With the strength this kid displayed in Loguetown, numbers are meaningless before him; it would only be sending people to their deaths in vain.
First, find out his ability—if he is a Devil Fruit user, find a way to force him into the sea. If not, assassination is far safer than a head-on confrontation."
Sakazuki chimed in, his tone still iron-blooded but revealing clarity: "Gathering intelligence isn't the Marines' strong suit anyway; it's more appropriate to hand it over to the CP departments."
Even he felt fear in his heart after witnessing Broly's strength with his own eyes, and knew even better that there was absolutely no chance of winning in a head-on confrontation. He was radical, not an idiot.
Instead of sending Marines as cannon fodder to probe, it was better to let the World Government take action.
He paused, then added, "With such a monster popping up out of nowhere, the higher-ups must have a headache too. I don't think they will refuse."
Everyone nodded in agreement.
If the Marines went to investigate, it would just be sending cannon fodder to test Broly's abilities. But the opponent could wipe everyone out with a single light wave, so they wouldn't be able to find any useful information at all.
For this kind of scheming and plotting, the CP agencies were obviously more professional.
Seeing that the topic of Broly had come to a temporary close, the "King of Meetings" cleared his throat: "Then let's move on to the next topic. It has been less than five hours since Roger was executed. According to reports from various branches, more than two hundred new pirate crews have already emerged. I don't need to explain the reason, do I?"
As soon as these words came out, the faces of the senior officers in the conference room all turned ashen.
No matter how terrifying Broly was, he was ultimately a visitor from the sky and had no deep grudge against the Marines.
But Roger's move undoubtedly played the Marines and the World Government like monkeys.
Kong made a prompt decision: "Immediately conduct emergency conscription on a global scale! Regardless of age, as long as they are willing to join the Marines, accept them all! If talented young people are found, send them to the Marine Headquarters Academy for training immediately. Zephyr will be fully responsible for this matter."
It had been ten years since Zephyr resigned from his position as Admiral to serve as the Chief Instructor of the Marine Academy.
In these ten years, he single-handedly taught a group of Marine backbones such as Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan, Momonga, and Onigumo. His teaching ability was unquestionable, so Kong was most reassured handing the matter of conscription and training to him.
Subsequently, Brannew threw out the next topic: "After Admiral Sengoku's death, there are no Admirals in position at Marine Headquarters. This is a huge loss to the Marines' prestige."
After some discussion, everyone decided to confer the code names "Akainu," "Kizaru," and "Aokiji" to the three mid-generation "monsters" of the Marines—Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan—ten years early, and exceptionally promote them to Admirals.
With the strength of the three, they were already competent enough, only lacking slightly in seniority and merit.
But now, it was absolutely unfeasible for the Marines to have no Admirals holding the fort, so they could only make an exception and promote them.
The topic came to a temporary pause, and Kong stood up. "This old man will go to Mary Geoise now to report the investigation of the 'Demon Child' to the Five Elders."
"No need."
Before his voice fell, the door of the conference room was pushed open violently. A tall, thin man in a suit walked in with several followers in black suits, looking arrogant and completely disregarding the room full of Marine experts.
Kong, Tsuru, and the others recognized him at a glance—the Chief of CP9, Spandine.
"What is CP9 doing here? Our Marine meeting isn't over yet."
Kong questioned with a dark face.
Spandine's own strength was terrible, but relying on being the chief of a department directly under the Five Elders, he never took the Marines seriously, though he wasn't stupid enough to openly tear up their relationship.
He took out a document from his pocket, his tone indifferent: "The Five Elders have issued a supreme order, requiring the Marines to arrest all pregnant women and newborn babies after the Roger Pirates disbanded, even if they are married women."
These words left the room full of Marines bewildered. Only Garp's expression changed drastically, but he suppressed his emotions in an instant.
"Why?" Kong couldn't help but ask. "Now that the number of pirate crews worldwide has skyrocketed, the Marines' forces are stretched thin just suppressing them. How can we waste a large amount of military force on this?"
Spandine said lightly, "According to the latest investigation by the CP agency, it is highly possible that Roger left behind offspring."
As soon as this statement came out, all the officers' expressions changed again. Only Garp lowered his head silently, no one able to see his expression clearly at this moment.
If Broly were here, he would probably be unable to hold back a sneer.
For the sake of his rival's son, he didn't hesitate to sacrifice the lives of countless pregnant women and infants.
Worthy of being the Marine Hero!