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Splash!
With a towering surge of white foam shooting skyward, the final Sea King was torn open by cannonfire, its death cry echoing as it collapsed lifelessly into the sea.
Vice Admiral Dalmatian, panting heavily, pulled his arm from the beast's skull and leapt back onto the deck.
"Huff… huff… haaah!"
After a few deep breaths to steady himself, he glared fiercely at his men. "What are you all standing around for? Keep firing!"
"Yes, sir!" The soldiers instinctively responded, but before they could resume, a distant shout came through the smoke.
"Vice Admiral! It's over!"
"What's over?"
"The war! It's over!"
A messenger stumbled onto the deck, face bright with excitement, pointing toward the open sea. "Look! We won!"
"…We won?"
Dalmatian blinked, dazed, then slowly turned his head.
Sure enough, after the Pluton annihilated the Poseidons' main force, the Marines had surged forward, splitting up and wiping out the remaining creatures one by one. It had been a grueling, drawn-out process, but with the Pluton dominating the field, the Sea Kings' resistance was like waves crashing against stone, doomed to fade away.
Now, the battlefield was littered with smoke and wreckage. Around the sunken remains of warships, Marines hurried to rescue their comrades. The few surviving Sea Kings howled in fury across the distant waters, but under the relentless barrage of Marine cannons, even those titanic bodies toppled like collapsing mountains, sinking into the depths never to rise again.
The war, was truly over.
"…It's really over?" Dalmatian muttered blankly. Then, as the immense tension drained from his body, he suddenly collapsed backward… thud!
The soldiers around him jumped in alarm, rushing forward, only to freeze when they heard him roar, "Get lost, all of you! Don't disturb my nap!"
Moments later, his thunderous snoring filled the deck.
The soldiers: "…"
…
From the deck of the Pluton, Tsuru watched the scene quietly and finally exhaled in relief. The risky, proactive assault plan had finally succeeded.
"Send word to all units, rescue the wounded and clear the battlefield."
"Yes, ma'am!"
As the messenger ran off, Aokiji, leaning on his cane, spoke in his customary lazy drawl. "If you'd let me join the fight, this could've ended even sooner, y'know."
"If you'd fallen there," Tsuru replied sharply, "no number of soldiers could make up for that loss." Her tone turned cold. "A commander doesn't need to fight every battle personally. Like Dalmatian, you give the order, and that's enough."
"Soldiers don't have time to think on the battlefield. They only know one thing, if they don't kill the enemy, the enemy will kill them. Their minds go blank; they become tools. That's why they need a commander who can see the field clearly, who can make rational decisions… even if those decisions sound cold-blooded."
She added, "Because deep down, they understand, it's the only way more of them survive."
Momousagi, resting her hand on her golden sword, walked up beside them. "Admiral Aokiji… are you underestimating the soldiers' resolve?"
"…"
Aokiji gave a weary smile and shook his head. "Forget it. Pretend I didn't say anything."
Tsuru and Momousagi were right. In simpler terms: Mercy has no place in command. Aokiji's compassion was human, but not fit for war.
"Let's go," Tsuru said, breaking the silence. "We're heading back." She turned her gaze toward the Holy Land, her expression darkening. "I have a feeling that Rowen calling Akainu and the others there… wasn't just about the Pluton."
In truth, the Pluton affair had been simple enough. When Bald Zero accused the Marines of violating the World Government's absolute law against tampering with ancient knowledge, Rowen shut him down with one line:
"Oh, that was my order."
Bald Zero was instantly silenced. Accusing the current ruler, the Soryu (Azure Dragon), of defying the old regime's law would have been suicidal.
…
Days later, the news of the Marines' overwhelming victory spread across the seas. It coincided perfectly with the collapse of the Beast Pirates' remnants. The leftover crews finally realized there was no point in dying for a disbanded alliance.
Under normal circumstances, such a large-scale pirate upheaval would have been a major headache for Marine Headquarters. But now, riding the wave of triumph and pushing deep into the New World, the Marine Grand Fleet radiated such power that countless pirates trembled at their name. Not even a ripple dared rise against them.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Today, the Marine Headquarters stands taller and more majestic than ever before, not only in the grandeur of its fortress, which has been rebuilt with imposing strength, but also in the sheer vigor and morale that radiate from the soldiers passing through its gates.
A few years ago, when the Warlords and the Yonkō ruled the seas, the Marines were merely weary mediators, maintaining a fragile balance. Every soldier felt suffocated. But as time went on, those once-untouchable enemies fell one by one. Two Yonkō perished, and the Warlord system became nothing more than a historical footnote. The soldiers' eyes began to shine, more confident, more proud.
Elite soldiers are not trained, they are forged through victory after victory.
Rowen could guarantee that even without the invention of the "Lightning Stimulus Device," the Marines' current combat power would have at least doubled!
"Feels like… it's been forever since I came back, even though it's only been a few months."
Standing at the familiar port, Rowen felt a strange sense of dislocation, as if the world around him had changed while he remained the same. From a soldier who once took orders, he had now become a true leader, second only to one, above all others. The shock of that transformation, only Rowen himself could truly understand.
Especially now…
When he saw Akainu and the others leading a massive formation to welcome him at the port, that feeling only intensified.
"Welcome, Lord Soryu (Azure Dragon)!" Akainu stepped forward, saluting crisply.
Behind him, tens of thousands of soldiers moved in perfect unison. "Welcome, Lord Soryu (Azure Dragon)!!"
Hiss… whoosh…
Looking at the soldiers' excited faces, Rowen took a drag of his cigarette, exhaled slowly.
"Bunch of idiots with too much time on their hands?" he drawled. "Do I look like someone who's got time to waste?!"
Akainu: "…"
"Alright, enough! Dismiss already! I'm just here to give some instructions before heading back, what, did you think I came for a friendly visit?!"
Everyone: "…" Well… he wasn't wrong, but still, some formality wouldn't hurt, right?!
A wave of silent complaints rippled through the crowd. Back when the CP0 chief came, Sengoku himself showed up. Now the supreme ruler of the Holy Land was here, shouldn't they at least make it look grand?
But Rowen didn't care what they thought. With a crackle of electricity, he vanished on the spot.
"Meet me in the Fleet Admiral's office, we're having a meeting."
Akainu: "…"
That's my office! (╯‵□′)╯︵┻━┻
"Hohohohoho!"
From the crowd, the retired old-timer Sengoku covered his mouth and let out an exaggerated laugh, his "quiet" voice loud enough for everyone to hear: "I told you not to bother with all this pomp, but you wouldn't listen! Embarrassed now, aren't you?"
Akainu's face darkened, and he turned with a murderous glare. "One of these days, old man, I'm sending you straight to Impel Down! Just to get some peace!"
"Cough cough. Sakazuki, calm down…" Tsuru's lips twitched as she watched the two bicker. "We finally convinced him to take over the recruit camp. Changing orders so suddenly isn't wise… Besides, you can't seriously plan to let Shuzo and Binz take over again, right?"
Tsuru reminded him of the delicate situation. To stabilize the Marines, Tsuru had persuaded Sengoku to take charge of the recruit camp, pushing Shuzo back to second-in-command. As an old general, Sengoku kept the ambitious Vice Admirals in line. If Sengoku were dismissed again, and Shuzo reinstated for the third time, it would only cause pointless chaos and embarrass the corps.
Akainu's expression darkened further. He couldn't argue, it was the truth. Especially since Shuzo was Zephyr's disciple and Rowen's senior brother. Stirring up that hornet's nest again would only make life worse for everyone.
"Hmph!"
With a cold snort, Akainu turned away, waving his hand.
"All Vice Admirals and above, meeting in my office!"
(End of Chapter)