Half an hour passed, yet the Marineford conference room remained trapped in silence.
Kong's eyelids twitched repeatedly.
In truth, the moment he learned Shiki and Kaido were moving, he had already formed a vague suspicion—he simply didn't want to dredge up the existence of that man.
But now that Garp had said it out loud, there was no point avoiding it anymore.
Kong rolled his neck and swept his gaze around the room.
Garp. Sengoku. Akainu. Kizaru. Aokiji.
All of them sat with their heads lowered, wordless, faces stiff—every muscle tight.
"Heh…"
The corner of Kong's mouth split into an ugly, self-mocking smile.
Nearly forty years.
Even with that man long declared dead—
the instant his name resurfaced, every admiral and marshal in Navy HQ still froze like they'd been struck.
Kong didn't blame them.
Because even he—Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's forces—reacted the same way.
"Commander-in-Chief Kong. Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Aokiji spoke from the corner.
"I have a proposal."
Everyone's eyes snapped to him at once, silently telling him to continue.
Aokiji rested his chin on his hands and said in a low voice:
"If it's only the Whitebeard Pirates, the Navy Headquarters going all-out should be able to keep the damage within an acceptable range."
"But if you add Shiki and Kaido…"
He lowered his voice even further, each word cold—perhaps because of the Ice-Ice Fruit.
"Then aside from Rōmu and Rocks themselves, the top-tier combat power is almost on the level of God Valley… and the scale is several times larger."
No one interrupted.
Because they all knew he was right.
This war, in sheer scale, would surpass God Valley.
Aokiji exhaled slowly and dropped his arms, speaking with grave caution.
"At this point, a public execution can no longer accomplish its original purpose—suppressing pirates."
"And whether it's Whitebeard's Quake-Quake Fruit that can shatter the world…"
"Shiki's Float-Float Fruit that can move mountains and fill seas…"
"Or Kaido's Fish-Fish Fruit that turns him into a dragon…"
"Any one of them is a disaster-class force."
"If we insist on carrying out the execution publicly at Marineford…"
He paused, eyes sweeping across the men whose brows had all drawn tight.
Then he finished, voice heavy.
"Navy Headquarters will be destroyed."
"And Marineford itself… will be sunk."
The instant the words fell—
everyone's eyelids twitched violently.
Navy HQ destroyed. Marineford sunk.
It sounded absurd—
but none of them believed Aokiji was exaggerating.
Whitebeard alone was already a walking apocalypse.
Add Shiki dropping islands.
Add Kaido's storms and dragon fire.
They might survive—
but Marineford wouldn't.
"Terrifying…"
Kizaru pushed up his sunglasses.
For once, there was no lazy drawl left in his voice.
If Marineford fell, the consequences would be catastrophic.
The World Government's credibility would be torn to shreds.
"Justice" would become a punchline.
For the first time, the room genuinely began weighing whether they should abandon the idea of a public execution at Marineford.
"Gahaha…"
Sengoku's teeth ground together.
Forty years had passed.
He was no longer young—the wrinkles at his eyes and the white threaded through his hair proved that.
But the "justice" in his heart still burned hot.
Hearing that name again…
his mind scraped raw with old wounds.
He remembered forcing his arms until they bled—only to destroy a single wooden clone.
He remembered that humiliation like it happened yesterday.
"But—"
Sengoku snarled, rage rising.
"Rōmu is dead!!"
With a harsh breath, he stood up abruptly.
"There's nothing to fear."
"My decision stands."
"We execute Ace publicly—at Marineford!!"
He shouted it, veins bulging at his temples, anger blazing in his eyes.
"Sengoku!"
"Calm down!"
Kong stepped forward, pressing a thick hand onto Sengoku's shoulder.
"This isn't the time to vent your pride. Consider a secret execution, or moving the execution elsewhere."
"Marineford really might be sunk."
The others nodded solemnly.
At this stage, it truly was no longer just "what we want."
Even Akainu—normally the most stubborn—looked out of sorts.
His chest still burned like fire, his eyes bloodshot.
He was still trapped in that old fear.
"Bang!"
Sengoku slammed both palms onto the table.
"Destroyed? Sunk?!"
"What a joke!"
"It's just Whitebeard, Shiki, and Kaido!"
"No Rocks—no Rōmu!"
"And the Navy today is far stronger than it was forty years ago!"
He whirled toward the three Admirals, voice cutting like steel:
"You aren't the brats you were back then!"
Then—without warning—he grabbed Akainu, who was still half-dazed, and slapped him hard across the face.
"Wake up!"
"You're a Navy Admiral carrying the word 'Justice' on your back!"
"Show me the guts you had when you mutilated yourself to resist Rōmu's Haki—when you dared to spit in the Five Elders' faces at Mary Geoise!"
He threw the stunned Akainu aside.
Then Sengoku roared again, almost like he was trying to convince himself:
"Rōmu is dead!"
"This is a new era—an era that belongs to the Navy and the World Government!!"
Before anyone could answer, Sengoku tore off the Justice coat from his back and spread it flat across the conference table.
He lowered his head.
Shadows fell across his face.
His voice turned deep and brutally steady.
"We cannot撤—cancel—the public execution."
"At this very moment, the entire world's eyes are on Marineford."
"In my view, this war's attention has already surpassed God Valley."
"If we retreat now—"
"Then what are we telling the world?"
"That Justice is yielding to evil."
His words were slow, clear—each one like a hammer.
"What happens after that?"
"If the very place where the banner of Justice flies highest retreats from wickedness—who will ever believe in Justice again?"
"And if that happens… even if we keep Marineford, what does it matter?"
Kong's hand tightened on Sengoku's shoulder.
His eyes sharpened.
Choosing Sengoku as Fleet Admiral… had been the right decision.
Nearby, Garp, Kizaru, and Aokiji's eyes gradually hardened too.
Even Akainu snapped back to himself, staring at the bold, iron-stroked word on the coat:
JUSTICE.
His voice rang out, firm and loud:
"Then to protect Justice in the hearts of the people…"
"Not only do we refuse to retreat—"
"We make the execution even more decisive."
"Public execution… and execute ahead of schedule!"
The room jolted.
Sengoku nodded with satisfaction, fingers brushing the word "Justice" as if drawing strength from it.
"Akainu's right."
"But listen—"
"If some other fortress is destroyed, we rebuild it."
"Marineford is different."
"It sits at the heart of the world."
"To ordinary people who fear criminals roaming free, this island is a symbol."
"It cannot be sunk."
Sengoku's gaze sharpened.
"We fortify Marineford completely."
"We make it the strongest defensive line on the sea."
"We show the world—Justice does not flinch."
"Rōmu is a scar from the old era."
"The new era belongs to the Navy!"
This time, everyone nodded—hard.
The earlier despair was gone, replaced by grim resolve.
As long as Rōmu wasn't here…
they could win.
Unlike the others' rising morale, Sengoku himself grew calmer—like a raging blaze collapsing into a controlled furnace.
The "Wise General" returned.
"But even without Rōmu, this remains extremely difficult."
"We must annihilate three Emperor-level forces—"
"and prevent Marineford's facilities from being destroyed."
"So you follow my deployment. No improvisation."
The three Admirals straightened at once, faces solemn, standing as one.
"We obey!"
Sengoku flung the Justice coat back onto his shoulders and pulled down a map from the wall, spreading it across the table.
He began issuing orders, one by one.
"First, evacuate all civilians from Marineford."
"Then—"
Off to the side, Kong stroked his "mountain" mustache, deeply satisfied.
"Mutual support…," he murmured.
He hadn't expected this crisis to force these clashing personalities to let go of their friction and finally tighten into a single rope.
But he also understood why they'd been able to do it.
Because the pressure of that man had existed first.
Kong's right eyelid suddenly twitched again.
A bad feeling surged, sharper than before.
After a moment's thought, he didn't interrupt the planning.
He simply grabbed Garp and quietly left the room.
"Kong… what are we doing?"
Garp frowned.
He was still torn apart inside.
Ace was the child he'd raised.
He didn't want him to die.
But he was also a Marine.
And after Sengoku's words, the weight of "Justice" on his own back felt heavier than ever.
He didn't know what to do.
But Kong had no attention to spare for Garp's turmoil.
That twitch in his eyelid made the unease in his chest worse.
"Garp."
"I keep feeling… this won't end here."
Kong stared up at the sky, the scar near his eye stark under the light.
"You mean…?"
Garp asked.
"I don't know why," Kong said grimly, "but my instincts are screaming that deploying only at Marineford won't be enough."
"I'll have the World Government gather more detailed intel."
"See if anyone besides those three is moving."
"And Vegapunk's science forces—"
"I hear those 'Pacifista' can be mass-produced now."
"Move them all to Marineford as well."
"More people?"
Garp shook his head, still disbelieving.
"Whitebeard's going for Ace. Kaido and Shiki are going for revenge for Rōmu."
"Who else would have the guts to make trouble at Marineford?"
Kong nodded.
Garp's logic was sound.
Marineford wasn't a place just anyone dared touch.
But Kong still couldn't relax.
He glanced back toward the conference room, then made a decision.
"Garp."
"Come with me to Mary Geoise."
Garp froze.
Kong's voice stayed heavy:
"Those three all have ties to Rōmu in one way or another."
"We should report this to the Five Elders."
Again—Rōmu.
Hearing the name, Garp didn't argue.
He only snorted and followed Kong toward the holy land he hated most.
Hours later—Mary Geoise.
The Five Elders sat on the central sofa.
Kong and Garp sat on chairs to the side.
"Speak."
"What is it?"
The elder in the black suit spoke first.
Forty years had passed, yet his face looked unchanged.
The other four were the same—time left no visible mark on them.
"Navy Headquarters has decided to carry out a public execution at Marineford," Kong said bluntly.
The elder in the dark green suit let out a cold laugh.
"Has the Navy become so useless that you came all the way to the holy land just to tell us that?"
The elders in blue and red suits wore the same contempt.
To them, anyone who wasn't a Celestial Dragon was still just a "tool," regardless of rank.
Kong ignored the mockery—he was used to it.
"The one to be executed is Gol D. Roger's son."
"Oh?"
The elder in a kimono tightened his grip around the sword at his side.
"The heir of a D… the one who reached the final island."
His interest wasn't Roger.
It was the possibility that Roger had seen the Road Poneglyphs' truth.
"Yes," Kong answered.
"And due to various reasons… old Rocks-era forces—Whitebeard, Shiki… and Kaido—have all begun moving toward Marineford."
As he spoke, he didn't miss the instant reaction.
The Five Elders ignored everything else—
and locked onto a single word.
Rōmu.
"…Connected to Rōmu, huh…"
The elder in the kimono frowned, holding the hilt of the blade tighter.
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