"You have to understand that the situation here is far more complicated than simply wiping out an Emperor's pirate crew."
Tsuru's words were like a bucket of ice water thrown over the officers who had nearly lost themselves to anger and humiliation.
The heated emotions in the room gradually cooled.
One after another, the Marines began seriously considering what she had said.
She was right.
The Eternal Divine Kingdom was unlike any enemy they had faced before.
It possessed stable territory and formidable defenses, which alone meant invading it would be no simple matter. It also appeared to enjoy a certain degree of support from the civilians living under its rule, adding a political dimension the Marines could not simply ignore.
And then there was its military strength.
Even now, no one could say with certainty just how deep that strength truly ran.
The conference room fell silent.
Every officer was thinking about the same question.
What path should the Marines take from here?
Should they cast aside every hesitation, launch an all-out war, and rely on the Marines' remaining prestige and military power to crush the Eternal Divine Kingdom?
Should they attempt peaceful negotiations instead and search for some way to coexist?
Or was there another path they had yet to consider?
The mood in the room had completely changed. What had begun as united fury toward a common enemy had become something far more complicated and oppressive.
Sengoku slowly closed his eyes.
His fingers began tapping unconsciously against the table.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
The dull sound echoed through the otherwise silent room.
No one spoke.
Everyone could sense the struggle taking place behind the Fleet Admiral's expression.
This was not simply a question of whether to fight.
It was a decision that could determine the future of the entire Marine organization.
Tsuru's words had pierced through the fury and sense of duty clouding Sengoku's thoughts, forcing him to step outside his desire for retaliation and look at the situation from a colder, broader perspective.
Once, the Marines had stood as the unquestioned dominant military power of the seas.
But now?
Images surfaced one after another in Sengoku's mind.
Kizaru trapped helplessly by Jozu's diamond abilities.
Fujitora being taken away as a prisoner, his expression strangely calm throughout it all.
The report announcing Ryokugyu's death.
Kuzan coughing up blood through grievous injuries yet continuing to force himself back into battle.
And today—
Marineford burning beneath a blood-red sky while the cries of wounded soldiers echoed across Headquarters.
Each memory cut into him.
The Marines truly could not afford another defeat on the scale of the battle against the Eternal Divine Kingdom.
That battle had already been a nightmare.
Nearly half of their highest-level combat strength had been lost, captured, or crippled. Admirals who had once represented the very pinnacle of Marine power were now dead, imprisoned, or badly wounded.
The losses among the Vice Admirals and other middle-ranking officers had been equally severe, tearing enormous holes through the command structure that kept the organization functioning across the seas.
And the elite troops sent into that battle?
Fewer than one in ten had returned.
Thousands of young Marines who had enlisted with dreams of justice and glory had disappeared into the bloodshed before they ever had the chance to realize those dreams.
The Marines might still appear formidable from the outside, but Sengoku knew how fragile they had become.
They were like an exquisite piece of porcelain covered from edge to edge in cracks.
It was still standing.
But another sufficiently heavy blow might shatter it beyond repair.
A wave of helplessness briefly rose inside Sengoku.
He crushed it immediately.
He was the Fleet Admiral.
Whatever uncertainty existed inside him, he could not allow it to dictate his decisions.
Sengoku opened his eyes.
The room became even quieter.
"We must take action."
His voice was not loud, but it carried clearly to everyone around the table.
"But whatever action we take must be careful and thoroughly considered."
His gaze moved from one officer to the next.
"We cannot allow anger to make our decisions for us."
Several officers slowly nodded.
The anger remained.
So did the humiliation.
But for the first time since the meeting began, those emotions were no longer the only things guiding the room.
...
Everyone understood that, in a crisis this severe, the Marines would only have a chance of finding a way forward if they remained united.
And so, the discussion over the organization's future continued.
For a long time, Sengoku said nothing.
Then his eyes suddenly opened.
The exhaustion within them had not disappeared. Neither had the frustration and unwillingness that came from being forced into a situation he despised.
But those emotions had been pushed aside by something heavier.
Reason.
Cold, painful reason born from repeatedly weighing what the Marines wanted against what they could actually afford to do.
Sengoku drew a deep breath.
"Tsuru… is right."
The officers who had been calling for war immediately reacted.
Onigumo's expression changed.
Several others looked toward Sengoku in disbelief, and a few were already opening their mouths to object.
Sengoku merely raised one hand.
The room fell silent again.
"Everyone."
His gaze passed slowly across the faces around the table.
"I understand your anger."
"I understand the humiliation."
"Because I feel exactly the same way."
His hand tightened into a fist.
"The Marines have always fought in the name of justice and peace. Every battle we've fought has cost us blood, lives, and comrades who believed in what this uniform represents."
"What happened at the Eternal Divine Kingdom was devastating."
"And what happened today at Marineford was an insult none of us will ever forget."
His expression hardened.
"But we must face reality."
"The Marines cannot survive another loss on that scale."
The words struck the room hard.
Sengoku's fist clenched until his knuckles turned white.
Then his voice became firm.
"Pass down my orders."
Every officer immediately focused on him.
"Beginning today, all Marine units are to avoid direct conflict with forces belonging to the Eternal Divine Kingdom whenever reasonably possible."
Several Vice Admirals stiffened.
Sengoku continued before anyone could interrupt.
"The situation has changed. Reckless action will no longer be tolerated."
"If you encounter personnel serving the Divine Kingdom—especially known top-tier combatants—and the mission is not absolutely essential, while the difference in strength is clearly against you…"
He paused.
"Your first priority is preserving your own life and the lives of the Marines under your command."
The room was utterly silent.
"Strategic avoidance and withdrawal are authorized."
Onigumo abruptly rose from his seat.
"Fleet Admiral—!"
"Sit down."
Sengoku's voice was not loud.
Onigumo froze.
For a few seconds, anger and disbelief twisted across his face.
Then, reluctantly, he sat back down.
Sengoku looked at them all.
"Live."
His voice softened slightly.
"Protect what remains of us."
Those words carried more weight than any order to charge into battle.
The Marines needed time.
Time to heal.
Time to rebuild their shattered command structure.
Time to replace the elite soldiers they had lost.
Time to develop new strength capable of standing against the monsters now gathered beneath Ron's banner.
If they threw themselves into another war before they were ready, courage would accomplish nothing except getting more Marines killed.
"Until we possess sufficient strength again," Sengoku said, "acting out of pride or anger will only drag the Marines into destruction."
No one answered.
They all understood what the order truly meant.
The Marines were retreating.
Not from Marineford.
Not from the seas.
But from the position they had occupied for so many years—the belief that they could confront any enemy, anywhere, and expect the world to yield.
That era was over.
At least for now.
Sengoku slowly turned his head toward the boarded windows.
Beyond them lay the ruins of Marineford.
Smoke still rose from shattered buildings.
Collapsed walls and broken towers stretched across the fortress that had once represented the unquestioned authority of the Marines.
For several seconds, Sengoku simply stared.
Then he spoke.
"The Marines will remember this humiliation."
His voice was quiet.
Every person in the room heard it clearly.
"We will remember the comrades we lost."
"We will remember what they did here."
"And we will remember the day Marine Headquarters was reduced to this."
Sengoku's eyes hardened.
"But revenge…"
He paused.
"…is not for today."
His gaze moved back toward the officers around the table.
"Right now, our most important duty is survival."
"Stay alive."
"Preserve our strength."
"And make sure there is still a Marine organization left when the time finally comes for us to stand back up."
Silence followed.
No one argued.
No one shouted.
The anger remained in every heart around the table.
But now it had been buried beneath something colder.
Patience.
The Marines would endure.
They would rebuild.
And this humiliation—they would not forget.
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