Boom!
Sengoku slammed the newspaper down on the table, fury tightening every muscle in his face.
"What are you thinking?" Akainu asked coldly, his voice cutting through the tension. "It's time we reminded the world of the Marines' authority."
Sengoku's expression twisted. This this was the old wound that never healed.
"Marshal Sengoku," he growled to himself. "Crocodile..."
A Shichibukai. A pirate officially backed by the World Government.
And now defected.
"To think we once cooperated with scum like him," Sengoku muttered bitterly.
Akainu clenched his fists. "Crocodile betrays the system, joins the Ayr Pirates, and struts around like nothing happened? This is a slap in our face."
Sengoku threw the newspaper aside with a sneer. "He lives today only because Ayr let him live."
"Coming and going as they please..." he barked, "Is Marine Headquarters a revolving door? Or a public toilet?!"
Kizaru, unfazed, lounged nearby. "Marshal Sengoku... don't get too worked up. It's not good for your blood pressure."
Akainu said nothing this time. Even he couldn't deny the reality. The headline screamed across the front page:
"Shichibukai Crocodile Defects! Joins Ayr Pirates!"
Sengoku's hands trembled slightly as he looked at his commanders.
"This... this isn't just about Crocodile," he said. "It's about what we represent."
Vice Admiral Flying Squirrel entered briskly, carrying another report. "A pirate has come to us requesting to negotiate. Says he can help restore Marine's former glory."
Sengoku narrowed his eyes. "Who?"
"He called himself... Blackbeard."
The room fell silent.
Akainu looked to Sengoku, surprised. Even he, the staunchest opponent of pirate alliances, didn't object.
Sengoku's voice was measured but wary. "We'll talk to him. But carefully."
Kizaru tilted his head. "Blackbeard, huh...?"
At that moment, Akainu dropped another stack of newspapers onto the table.
"You're right to be cautious," Sengoku said grimly. "But what other choice do we have?"
"Tell me," he asked Flying Squirrel, "What exactly did Blackbeard say?"
"He claims to have a deal that can shift the balance of power back in our favor," the Vice Admiral answered. "But he insists on speaking directly to you."
Kizaru snorted lightly. "Funny. Just a while ago, even Garp, you, and I were defeated by Ayr alone. All four of us."
Sengoku's fist clenched tighter. "The power gap has become... intolerable."
"Crocodile now walks under Ayr's banner," Akainu growled. "Do we even have someone who can beat him?"
"Don't be ridiculous!" Sengoku snapped. "Can any of you go toe-to-toe with Ayr right now?"
The question hung heavy in the room.
Marineford was built to project strength. But strength without action is just a shadow.
"If even our Admirals hesitate," Sengoku muttered, "then what image are we projecting to the world?"
"The Shichibukai system was meant to stabilize the seas," Kizaru said lazily, newspaper in hand. "Now? Even that's crumbling."
Akainu glared. "We let pirates do whatever they want, and we wonder why we've lost control?"
Sengoku paused. "We're facing an age where strength talks louder than justice. And unless we act, the world will be turned upside down."
Flying Squirrel stepped forward again, voice tense. "If we don't respond, more will follow Crocodile's path. And next time... it won't be just Baroque Works defecting."
Akainu's voice was iron. "Then let's make the first move."
Sengoku looked around the room his Admirals, the Vice Admirals, the weight of history pressing on his shoulders.
Marine... forced to compromise out of fear. This isn't what justice looks like.
The silence deepened. Kizaru finally spoke. "So? Who do you plan to send?"
Another long pause.
Sengoku closed his eyes for a moment before answering.
"I'll speak to Blackbeard myself."