Who asked you to save me?! Even if you're going to save me, can't you keep your mouth shut? Can't you do it in secret?
His face went ashen. A terrible premonition settled heavily in his gut.
Just as expected.
Before he could get a word out, a senior jailer came running over, grim-faced. He faced the escort and said, "Orders from Marine HQ. Transfer Marshall D. Teach to Level 6 immediately and place him under maximum security. Soon... the World Government will hold a public execution before the entire world!"
The words landed like a physical blow.
Shock paralyzed Teach.
Level 6? Public execution?!
His whole body trembled.
'No! Absolutely not!'
He looked at the jailers raising whips and pitchforks, barking at him to turn around and move deeper into the abyss. He shouted, "I've got nothing to do with Mock! Nothing at all!"
"I really wasn't trying to escape!"
"Oh, right. I have a secret! A huge secret! Please, let me see the Fleet Admiral! Just let me see Sengoku!"
"The Pirate King doesn't just have one son. He has two sons! Two!"
News from Impel Down quickly reached the Fleet Admiral's office. Sengoku paused, then shook his head with a laugh.
The Pirate King had another son? What, was Roger some kind of womanizer? Though they were bitter enemies, Sengoku knew exactly what kind of man Roger was.
It was obviously fake. A desperate, pathetic lie!
"Bullshit!" Sengoku scoffed.
Did they really take him for a fool? Why not just claim to be Roger's other son while they were at it? Ridiculous! Teach would say anything to save his own skin. The man's capacity for deceit clearly knew no bounds.
Sengoku tossed the interrogation documents aside. He had no time to waste on this fool. As Fleet Admiral, he had to properly prepare for the upcoming public execution.
An unexpected incident had occurred, but for now, it was a strategic advantage. Mock was truly like his father! So they would need to retrieve the various tactics they planned for Roger and use them against his son, Mock.
Sengoku cast a measured look at the bounty poster on his desk. Gutsy, cocky, unpredictable and devoted to his crew!
To declare war on Marine HQ for a single subordinate? It's absurd!
Of course, this worked out perfectly. Marine HQ could use Teach to lure Mock out, forcing him to walk right into a trap designed specifically for him. This was a risky method. After all, Teach was also a member of the Whitebeard Pirates. Marine HQ had no guarantee whether Newgate would show up. There was also the high possibility of other pirate crews coming to cause trouble. But for now, this was a solid, actionable plan.
They absolutely could not let Mock continue breathing! That pirate was far too dangerous. No one could guarantee he wouldn't spout more devastating secrets threatening the World Government's rule. The pirate had already declared war. They couldn't just stand by and let him conduct a rescue! If they did, how was Marine HQ supposed to maintain its global authority?
Furthermore, this plan had the Gorosei direct approval. They had ordered Marine HQ to eliminate Mock as quickly as possible, by any means necessary. How could Sengoku pass up such a perfect opportunity?
However, a public execution was no simple matter. Leaving aside the Whitebeard Pirates, plenty of forces across the sea were waiting to see the Marines become a laughingstock. This operation could not afford a single accident.
Marine HQ would deploy one hundred thousand elite troops directly. They would also reassign personnel from branches across the seas, ensuring superiority no matter how many pirates showed up. Additionally, the World Government had issued mandatory summons to the Warlords, commanding all of them to assist.
This lineup was staggering. Even the execution of the Pirate King back in the day had not been this overwhelming. Marine HQ and the World Government placed immense importance on this trap.
Only...
Sengoku fell silent again, looking at the mobilization order for Marine Branch 16 in his hand. Yes, that very branch which had defected from the Marine and declared independence. Logically, Branch 16 had already mutinied. They would not obey any orders, no matter what.
He hadn't prepared this mobilization order to humiliate them. His real goal was to test the waters between Dante and Mock. Were they enemies? Or allies?
Ever since the branch mutinied, he had been wondering: what was the true nature of their bond with the pirate? Years of pursuit had yielded nothing. Was it really because they were evenly matched? If they were enemies, were recent events merely coincidence? But if they were working together, it meant Marine HQ had been played from the very start! And that Base Commander he had held in such high regard was a terrifying, ambitious schemer who had deceived the entire world.
Sengoku stared silently at the documents. After a long stretch of time, he sighed in resignation, stamped the Fleet Admiral's seal onto the papers, and kept his expression flat.
"Let me see your true face, Dante," he murmured, his tone hard.
Of course, he couldn't be certain the mutinied branch would even accept. They might come, or they might not. Regardless, even if he couldn't deal with that East Blue faction just yet, Marine HQ could not let its guard down.
He stood and turned to the guard at the door, his expression grim. "Notify all officers at Marine HQ to convene immediately. No absences!"
At the same time, news rippled rapidly across the globe.
Marine HQ would carry out a public execution of Mock's nakama, Marshall D. Teach. The oceans erupted in sheer uproar.
People had assumed that after the live broadcast, the Marines would bolster Impel Down's defenses to prevent an attack. Instead, facing the threat head-on, they refused to yield an inch. They revealed their trump card. It was a blatant challenge: "try and save him if you dare."
Mock had been incredibly arrogant. Even if he intended a rescue, he shouldn't have announced it so openly. Now Marine HQ was fully prepared, leaving him zero tactical chances. He faced a brutal choice: rescue his brother right in front of the entire Marine force, or watch him die.
The crowds brimmed with morbid excitement. Would the pirate dare accept the declaration of war? If he did, a massive battle was coming.
Similarly, Marine Branch 16 received news of the upcoming execution. Dante stared at the report in deadpan silence.
Damn. Was the Paramount War about to be sparked by Teach?
He had guessed Marine HQ wouldn't let Mock slide, but he never thought they would be this ruthless. Teach had no fame right now! He was no Ace! To lure out Mock, were they actually willing to spark a global war? Weren't they worried about massive casualties?
Of course, while the trigger for this conflict was unexpected, Dante was mentally prepared for the war itself. So, he was surprised, but not shocked.
What left him even more speechless, however, was the official letter sitting on his desk.
Dante stared blankly at the mobilization document sent from Sengoku, then scratched his head.
Did Marine HQ simply forget they had mutinied, broke off from Marine HQ?
"So, what do you guys think?" Dante slapped the document onto the table and scanned the room.
A sharp smack echoed in the quiet office. Confusion rippled across every face as the officers looked down at the paper spread before them. One by one, they read the text, their expressions twisting into the same bewildered grimace Dante wore.
"Wait..." Even Zephyr was dumbfounded. He snatched up the document, scanned it again, and lifted his head. "Doesn't Sengoku know we've defected?"
Why else would they send this? It explicitly ordered the Base Commander of Marine Branch 16 to lead their forces to assist Marineford.
"No, Marine HQ already knows." Dante shook his head. "Not just them. The World Government knows too. A while ago, they even ordered Smoker to monitor our movements and keep us out of the Grand Line."
"Then what is Sengoku trying to do?" Zephyr frowned, his voice sharpening with suspicion. "Is he planning to lure you to Marineford and wipe you all out?"
The words hung in the air. Instantly, the group froze. Their eyes turned grim.
That was entirely possible. Marine HQ might lack the resources to crush them in the East Blue, but luring them to the stronghold would make elimination terribly easy.
"Isn't he worried we'll team up with Mock?" Zephyr's tone remained doubtful. "And even if something happens to you, our territory is right here. It won't be easy to take down. Before dealing with that pirate, aren't they afraid we'll form an alliance?"
"Whatever scheme they have, we don't need to pay them any mind!" Kuro chimed in, pushing his glasses up the bridge of his nose. "Marine HQ has no authority over us now!"
The others nodded in unanimous agreement. They had severed ties, there was no reason to follow orders anymore.
Except for Mock. Marine HQ was deliberately baiting him. If he didn't show his face, his global reputation would take a fatal hit. Afterward, even with the title of the Pirate King's son, the sea would look down on him.
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