Chapter 76: Baby-5
The night was dark as the warship passed through the Gates of Justice, entering the massive whirlpool leading to the fortress of Impel Down.
Clank... clank...
The sound of Seastone chains echoed on the deck. The Donquixote Family officers were all in prison jumpsuits, their faces pale with terror.
All except one.
Doflamingo, his hands cuffed, still had that manic grin on his face. "Fufufu... Impel Down."
"Roy... you think this is the end?"
"The new era won't be stopped, Roy!"
Roy stood at the bow, his expression cold, saying nothing. Beside him, Gion's hand rested on her sword, Konpira, her voice sharp. "Impel Down will 'welcome' you warmly."
"Take them away!"
At her command, the Marines moved in, escorting the pirates off the ship and toward the grim gates of the great prison.
But as a Marine went to grab Baby-5, Roy held up a hand, stopping him.
The 14-year-old girl, her hands also in Seastone cuffs, was curled in on herself, looking like a lost toy. Her eyes were empty and confused.
Roy walked over to her. "Baby-5," he said, his voice firm but gentle. "Your ability... it doesn't exist just to follow orders."
The girl flinched, slowly looking up, her eyes lost. "...Me?"
Roy looked her in the eye. "It can be a power used to protect others. I need you."
"Use that power... to protect people who actually need help."
Baby-5 froze, tears welling in her eyes. That one phrase—"I need you"—was like a beam of light in her dark world.
"I... Can I really...?"
Roy nodded. "The Marines need you. The people need you. Are you willing to become a Marine of Justice?"
"I am!!" The shout was immediate, desperate, and certain.
Gion walked over, took the key from the guard, and unlocked the cuffs, a small, kind smile on her face. "From today on, you're not a tool. You're not a weapon."
"Welcome to the Marines."
Clank. As the Seastone cuffs fell to the deck, it sounded like the chains of her past shattering.
Meanwhile, in the depths of Impel Down, Fleet Admiral Sengoku stood in the main surveillance room, his expression grave.
On the screen, Sugar was being led into a special, isolated cell, her small body fitted with custom Seastone restraints that even regulated her breathing.
"The Hobby-Hobby Fruit..." Sengoku muttered, recalling Roy's urgent warning about her ability. "If a power like this... fell into the wrong hands, it could bring the world to its knees."
Chief Warden Magellan nodded grimly. "She will be placed in Level 6. Permanent isolation."
Sengoku looked at the file Roy had sent. "This information is classified. Sugar's imprisonment... is to remain an absolute secret."
"Understood."
As the warship left Impel Down, Baby-5, now in a clean Marine uniform, stood at the stern, watching the dark fortress disappear.
The night was calm. Gion stood at the railing, watching the stars. Roy came to stand beside her.
"Thank you, Roy," Gion said quietly.
"For what?"
Gion smiled. "I've been chasing Doflamingo with Tsuru-san for years. I know about that girl. Abandoned by her mother, used by Doflamingo, her desperate need to be needed turned into a weapon."
She sighed. "Thank god... she's still young. She hasn't crossed a line she can't come back from."
She looked at Roy, her eyes serious. "Thank you for giving her a chance. A choice."
Roy was quiet for a moment, watching the sea. "Not everyone gets to choose who they are. But if she has the chance, I want her to choose to be a person, not a weapon."
Gion nodded, a warm smile on her face. "Now, she'll know what it feels like to be truly needed."
The next day - Marineford Port
The sun was bright. As the warship, still bearing the scars of its battle with Kaido, pulled into the harbor, Marineford exploded.
"REAR ADMIRAL ROY!!!"
"VICE ADMIRAL GION!!!"
The sound of thousands of Marines cheering was like a tsunami. They waved their hats, they shouted, they saluted.
At the front of the dock, Fleet Admiral Sengoku stood, flanked by Garp, Zephyr, and Tsuru. Behind them, Ace, Luffy, Zoro, Kuina, and Law—the new generation—watched with wide eyes.
Garp was the first to move, laughing. "Brat! You did it!"
"That's my student!"
Roy had barely stepped off the gangplank before Garp's "Fist of Love" slammed into his shoulder, making him stagger but not fall.
Sengoku stepped forward, his voice booming across the plaza. "Rear Admiral Roy! Your deeds have echoed around the world!"
"You stopped an Emperor from freeing a prisoner, and you exposed the coup of a Warlord! You are not just one of the Navy's top fighters... you are a symbol of its Justice!"
He held up a formal decree. "By order of Headquarters, you are hereby promoted—to the rank of Vice Admiral of the Navy!"
"OOOOOOOHHHHH!!!!"
The cheer that time shook the island.
Ace grinned. "That guy... he just keeps getting stronger!"
Luffy's eyes were shining. "I'm gonna be an Admiral, too!"
Zoro gripped his swords, his eyes fixed on Roy's back. "I will catch up to you."
Kuina pushed her hair back, her gaze firm. "My training... is still not enough."
Law just smiled under the brim of his hat. "Vice Admiral Roy... I look forward to fighting by your side."
Hours later - Sengoku's Office
Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr, and Tsuru were waiting. Roy, now cleaned up and in a new uniform, entered.
"Roy," Sengoku began, his voice serious, "the Five Elders just called."
He paused, his expression heavy. "They have agreed to grant you 'Discretionary Action Authority.'"
"You will no longer be tied to a single base. You will have the freedom to act on your own judgment. When necessary, you are authorized... to launch independent counter-offensives against pirate forces."
Roy's eyes narrowed. "Freedom to act? Why would they be so generous?" He smiled, a cold, humorless smile. "Are they... afraid?"
Garp laughed, leaning back. "Not 'afraid,' exactly. But you've definitely shown them something that makes them nervous."
Zephyr grunted. "A Vice Admiral with the authority of an Admiral. That's... unprecedented."
Tsuru's voice was knowing. "This freedom, Roy, it is a test as much as it is a trust. But... you've earned it."
Sengoku stood, looking out at the sea. "The world is on the brink of change. Your existence, Roy, is more than just a military asset... you are the spark for the 'reformation' to come."
"We old-timers... we may not be able to walk that path with you to the end, but..."
Zephyr finished his thought. "You must lead them, and walk it for us."
Garp just grinned. "Bwahahaha! Don't let us down, brat!"
Roy looked at the four pillars of the Navy, his expression calm. He gave them a deep, respectful bow.
"I understand."
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