As Whitebeard's laughter faded, the crew erupted in cheers once more.
Meanwhile, just as Marco had guessed, Rayleigh's group had prepared early. However, that preparation had hit a slight snag.
"What?" Rayleigh spat out his rum, staring blankly at the octopus fish-man before him. "He got away? Right in front of a fish-man? Are you joking? You were in the sea!"
"I'm sorry, Rayleigh." Hatchan lowered his head in shame. "But he really did get away right in front of me!"
When Mock fell into the sea, Hachi had swum out to rescue him.
But halfway there, a tornadic wave surged up behind the punk.
*Whoosh.*
In an instant, the man vanished. Hachi paddled desperately with all his might, but he couldn't catch up.
"Forget it. Since he escaped on his own, so be it. Wahaha, he's quite an unpredictable." Hearing Hachi's account, Rayleigh smiled in resignation and took another large gulp of rum. "Just as unexpected as that idiot Captain."
Rayleigh noticed Hachi had fallen silent with his head bowed. Thinking the octopus was blaming himself, Rayleigh shook his head and smiled.
"This isn't your fault. Don't blame yourself. I should be thanking you for your help!"
"It's what I should do." Hachi nodded, then hesitated. "Rayleigh, did you see that Marine Branch 16 Captain?"
"The one who mutinied against HQ? I did." Rayleigh blinked, looking at Hachi in confusion. "What's wrong?" He chuckled again. "He is incredibly strong. Are all the youngsters these days monsters?"
"It's nothing. I was just asking." Hachi shook his head, keeping his expression blank.
Dante had already grown to this extent?
Back when he and Arlong were captured and transported to Impel Down with Captain Nezumi, Hachi had seized a chance to escape. He initially thought he would never see Dante again, yet here they were.
Of course, it wasn't for revenge. It was just... if they met again, he felt he should offer a sincere apology to that little girl from back then. Still, he couldn't shake the feeling that he had seen Mock back then, too. It was like seeing him standing right by Dante's side.
"Maybe I just saw it wrong," Hachi muttered. "After all, a Marine and a pirate... impossible.
And I heard he showed no mercy when he struck Mock at the execution platform."
"What are you talking about"
"Eh, it's nothing!"
"Nothing? We should be heading back soon. Shakky is probably worried about us already." Rayleigh didn't press the issue. He turned to gaze at the calm sea, took another swig of rum, and smiled. "What a pity. I was planning to meet him this time, but who knew he would just run off. Oh well, as long as we're in the sea, it's only a matter of time before we cross paths. Roger, your son is just as bold as you were."
At the same time, in the Fleet Admiral's office at Marine HQ.
Ever since returning from the World Government, Sengoku had fallen into total silence, listlessly staying at his desk.
Not long after, a voice broke the quiet.
"What are you doing?"
Sengoku snapped back to reality. His expression hardened as he looked up at Garp, who was waving his hands in front of his face.
"Can't you see I'm trying to think?!" Sengoku yelled.
"Huh? You're thinking? I thought you were down in the dumps after getting chewed out by the Gorosei, so I was planning to comfort you!" Garp didn't seem to mind the outburst. Munching on rice crackers, he chuckled. "By the way, what happened? You've been staring blankly ever since you got back."
"What happened?" Sengoku's face showed pure resignation. "It seems we've made a massive joke of ourselves."
"Joke? What joke? Isn't Marine HQ already a joke?"
"You still have the nerve to say that? Because of you, the Marines have become a massive joke!"
Sengoku flared up at Garp's words. "Actually getting beaten back by some small-time pirate, and you couldn't even stand back up? What, are your severe injuries already healed? You sure seem happy eating your snacks!"
"Bwahaha, you found me out?"
"Get the hell out of here and stop bothering me!" Sengoku glared, pointing at the door.
Once he told the man to get lost, he ignored him entirely. What could he do now? He couldn't exactly send the man to the execution platform. And he still had mountains of work to do.
Sengoku shook his head in resignation, frowned at the stacked documents on his desk, and sighed. Although Marine HQ had suffered heavy losses this time, even taking severe damage to Marineford, it wasn't completely without gains. At least for now, the Dante had no connection to Mock. That main objective was cleared, as well as second objective, to assess their strength.
However, the strength of those Branch 16 truly exceeded their expectations.
Zephyr, a former Marine Admiral and Chief Instructor, alongside that terrifying lightning user from back then.
As if remembering something else, a look of bitter resignation crossed Sengoku's face. "Zephyr has truly raised another monster!" Dante had the makings of an Admiral at a glance, but unfortunately, he wasn't fighting for HQ this time.
"Tsk tsk tsk, you're regretting it now, aren't you!" Garp, still standing off to the side, clearly enjoyed this. He showed no mercy in his jeering, he also hated about Weevil being given Warlord position. "Didn't you bring this on yourselves by driving Zephyr away?"
"Why are you still here?" Sengoku looked up again, glaring across the desk with utter disgust. "Didn't I tell you to get lost?"
He ignored Garp again. The more attention you paid Garp, the happier he got.
Of course, Garp was right, he did feel some regret. But what was the use of regretting it now? Could he really persuade Zephyr to come back? While Marine HQ could offer reinstatement, Sengoku had decided against it after some thought.
Sengoku sighed again and lowered his head to review the analysis of the Dante's forces. Intending to occupy and carve up the East Blue. A truly massive ambition. But he breathed a sigh of relief, at least for now, Dante wouldn't go around causing global chaos like Mock. The handling of the rebel territory could be temporarily shelved. He could focus on hunting Roger's son and stabilizing the balance of the sea, dealing with the rebels later when there was time.
According to the Gorosei, the World Government had already held off an Emperor for the Marines. It was just that the Marines were too useless, failing to resolve the execution for so long that the World Government had to compromise. They even pointed at at face and cursed him over it.
A wave of resentment stirred within Sengoku. Could they really blame him? Mock had appeared too late, the battle had already reached a stalemate, and they had their base destroyed right from under them. If the World Government wanted to compromise, they should have told him in advance. Otherwise, things wouldn't be this bad right now.
Based on the agreement Shanks made with the World Government, they would minimize Mock's impact on the world while maintaining stability in the New World.
The Pirate King's crewmate. The Marines had one too. Buggy from Roger's crew back then was serving in the Marines right now. To reveal him at a crucial moment and diminish Roger's influence, Sengoku had kept it under wraps until today. Remembering the dumbfounded expressions on the Gorosei's faces when he revealed this card, Sengoku felt a surge of satisfaction.
"Serves you right for not discussing it with the Marines first."
Of course, HQ still had to follow the World Government's orders.
"The news has already spread from here, hasn't it?" Sengoku rubbed his forehead, resignation edging his tone. "The seas are probably descending into chaos."
"It certainly is chaotic!" Garp nodded with a laugh. "But don't worry. HQ has already dispatched fleets to support the various seas, and the branch forces who came to assist have returned. It should calm down after a while."
"Once the balance breaks and the world heads in an uncontrollable direction, restoring peace won't be so easy." Sengoku sighed. He looked at the bounty poster on the desk. "That boy is just as reckless as his father."
"Bwahaha~"
"What are you laughing at? You're just as much of a bastard as Roger!" Sengoku glared at Garp, who was clearly enjoying this. He took a deep breath. "That member of Roger's crew is still under your command, right?"
"Roger's crew member? That Red Nose?" Garp blinked in surprise, then nodded. "He's here! What about him?"
"Bring him over." With a determined look Sengoku said. "We've kept that brat around long enough. It's time for him to step up."
Late March.
The World Government's public execution was officially declared a failure.
When the news leaked, the entire sea erupted. The current issue of the World Economic News Paper sold out instantly. Three of the four Yonko arrived. The Pirate King's former Vice-Captain showed up. The Marines lost all response, and the East Blue Overlord made a domineering declaration:
"One Piece is real!"
(A/N: For those who didn't connect the points "Booty is real" can also mean "Treasure is real" and as 'Pirate King' son, the treasure they directly assumed was One Piece.)
Those words instantly set the sea ablaze. Countless ambitious souls recalled the Pirate King's dying words once more, pouring out onto the water, ready to search for the legendary treasure.
Nearly twenty years had passed since Roger's dying words. Because no one had found the One Piece in all that time, many had come to doubt whether the Pirate King had just been fooling them. Who would have expected that almost two decades later, his son would shout those words in front of the Marines and three Emperors?
If anyone else had said it, they might still have doubted. But that was the Pirate King's son. Since he dared to shout it in front of so many heavyweights, the One Piece had to be real.
In a flash, countless new pirates were born. Even those who had grown disheartened over the years, doubting the Pirate King and settling down in remote corners, revived their ambitions and plunged into the Grand Line.
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