"Hmph, damn it…"
"Garp, do you even have shame? You didn't even try to act!"
"You're doing this on purpose—making our Marines lose face in front of the entire world's audience!!!"
Sengoku blew up.
Fury erupted across his face, and he couldn't help but flare up in public.
There was no denying it: as close friends, old partners who had fought side-by-side for years…
Sengoku, just like Vice Admiral Tsuru, had already expected in advance that Garp would definitely go easy. That was inevitable.
He just hadn't expected…
The degree of "going easy" would be such a massive contrast!
It was so fake it made him feel ashamed—an outright disgrace to the widely recognized title of "the ceiling of Marine combat power"!
So.
No wonder Sengoku felt disgusted.
And the way he saw it, once it was his turn—
If Luffy later leapt up onto the execution platform…
With Admiral-level combat power "five-seven-zero"!
And the Mythical Zoan—Human-Human Fruit: Daibutsu Form ability!
His future self would certainly show no mercy—one kick, sending the Admiral flying straight into the sky ten thousand meters high!
He would never give the other side any opening to exploit, never allow them to even think about rescuing Fire Fist!!!
"Ooaa…"
"Fair point, fair point—honestly, even I think that was a bit much…" Borsalino yawned, slipping into the topic with that leering expression, deliberately fanning the flames as he asked:
"By the way…"
"Sengoku, the future you is still guarding up there, not moving a single step!"
"So if you're facing the same enemy… I'm guessing you won't have any reason to just ignore Straw Hat completely, right?"
Even though.
Right now, they still couldn't be sure whether the plot continuity would pick up from where it left off and keep playing!
But intuition told Borsalino—
Such an exciting sequence was very unlikely to end immediately.
If the video's creator had any sense at all…
They'd keep playing it out, rather than deliberately leaving a cliffhanger and making the audience guess the final outcome!
And at this point.
The one who had been silent for a long time, Sakazuki, finally voiced an opinion for once:
"I think these so-called background figures… should simply be the last Three Kings."
"This round of the ranking ends here! Straw Hat's plan to rescue someone will be shattered because of Sengoku!"
"And as the Fleet Admiral, there's no way you'll fumble, right?"
When he said that last line,
Sakazuki deliberately shifted his gaze, looking toward Sengoku, lowering his voice for emphasis.
Clearly,
With Sakazuki's personality…
He couldn't stand this kind of "going easy."
He believed Garp's behavior had made the Marines lose face.
And as Fleet Admiral—
The man who, in everyday life, most often kept the word "justice" on his lips—
Sengoku should all the more be expected to go all out!
Kill Luffy on the spot! And with the ranking video being broadcast, it would also serve as a warning by making an example of him!
"That's only natural…"
Sengoku nodded without committing too much, but still patted his chest with confidence:
"Let me say this first—when the time comes, Garp, don't blame me if I hit too hard and hurt your grandson!!!"
Right in front of Garp.
Sengoku said it bluntly.
Obviously.
He had no doubts at all—
And had already decided that the plot would have no surprises.
Luffy…
Was definitely going to end up sprawled on the ground after being taught a lesson!
And the ranking video's segment about this round's "Background King" would end right there, with Luffy going down!
—
And yet.
In this world…
Surprises never run out.
Even for ranking videos—and even for plot developments, the same holds true!
After Garp fell.
Luffy's figure, using his elasticity, stretched and recoiled in place like a spring—actually leaping up onto the execution platform!
The footage—
Although it did darken at that moment.
It almost made the audience think the ranking had really ended!
But then.
As the next moment came—
New subtitles appeared!
And especially the content of those subtitles: the words "the fifth background figure"…
And the exact name:
[Fleet Admiral, Buddha Sengoku]
It was like a nuclear bomb.
In one instant, it blew a hole straight through the entire pirate world, detonating the atmosphere!
In the blink of an eye.
All viewers were dumbstruck!
Everyone thought they'd misread it, or the subtitles were wrong, or the creator was deliberately joking!
The mood on the spot—
Was filled with shock and disbelief.
And the viewing atmosphere—everyone's emotions—because of those new subtitles, became turbulent once again!
At this moment,
Within the scene.
The subtitles slowly floated into view—
[Fifth Background]
[Fleet Admiral, Buddha Sengoku]
When those words…
Finally locked into place—clear and high-definition on the screen—
The entire world fell silent!
Especially since, just moments ago, he had confidently declared—
And in the Fleet Admiral's office, in front of all Marine high command—
He'd practically been ready to pound his chest and swear
that he would unleash thunderous force and crush Luffy—
Sengoku himself,
Behind those black glasses, wore an expression of unspeakable terror.
"I… holy—!"
"Me, Sengoku… I actually… end up being the next background figure?"
"No way! For real?! How is that even possible!!!"
Sengoku's brain short-circuited.
His whole body swayed, almost toppling over.
What the hell was going on?
These subtitles had to be nonsense, right?
He was the dignified Fleet Admiral of the Marines—the one who, in the future, would personally order Fire Fist's execution—
How could he possibly, out of nowhere,
become entangled with Straw Hat?
And not only that—become the other side's "background" backing, the next one who would go easy and let things slide!
And the ones who were shocked—
Were not just Sengoku alone.
Around him, the other top brass—even Monkey D. Garp, who had just been scolded, wore an equally spectacular expression on his aged face.
"Huh?"
"Wait—pfft! Sengoku, are you trying to kill this old man with laughter?"
"Hurry up and listen! The way you were yelling just now is still floating in the air! And you've got the nerve to blame me?"
"Who would've thought future you is about to do the exact same thing, huh?"
Shocked—yet delighted.
For a brief moment, Garp had even wondered if the subtitles, and the video creator, had gotten it wrong.
Was this really a blunder?
But.
Thinking about this round of ranking—
The four people who appeared before, and the plot clips and content exposed about each of them…
In the viewers' eyes,
It had all been well-supported—highly convincing!
And it had never been wrong even once!
So.
Garp burst into loud laughter.
Gleefully, he turned around and mocked Sengoku instead—because next, the one who was about to lose face…
Had finally become him!!!
(End of Chapter)
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