The first rays of morning sunlight pierced through the clouds, falling upon this steel fortress that represented the highest justice in the world. Yet today, Marineford was destined to be anything but calm.
The sea wind howled, and banners snapped loudly.
The crescent-shaped plaza, capable of holding a hundred thousand people, was already packed to the brim.
This was not a wartime assembly, but a grand ceremony that would reshape the balance of the world, the Fleet Admiral ceremony.
The air carried a strange mixture of solemnity, dignity… and a faint undercurrent of restlessness and tension.
Dozens of Den Den Mushi cameras were scattered across the plaza, broadcasting every moment live to every corner of the world.
Sabaody Archipelago, Alabasta, Dressrosa, even the depths of the distant New World… countless eyes were fixed on their screens, holding their breath.
"Gulp…"
A young Marine standing at the front of a formation swallowed nervously.
Because he could feel it, from the high platform ahead, where the most terrifying forces of the sea had gathered, an overwhelming pressure.
Thump. Thump. Thump.
Heavy war drums sounded, marking the official start of the ceremony.
The first to enter were the backbone of the Navy.
Sixteen Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals, cloaked in justice, stood like sixteen towering mountains lining both sides.
"Momousagi" Gion, "Chaton" Tokikake, Onigumo, Doberman, Momonga, Smoker, John Giant, Strawberry… each name alone was enough to strike fear into pirates.
Their faces were stern, weapons at their waists, their killing intent so intense that it seemed to lower the temperature of the entire plaza.
Following them were legends of the Marines.
"Iron Fist" Garp, still carefree as ever, holding a pack of senbei as if he were just an old man on a picnic.
But when his gaze occasionally swept across the crowd, it was like a sleeping lion opening its eyes, impossible to meet directly.
Former Fleet Admiral "Buddha" Sengoku, though his hair was completely white and he now wore a floral shirt, still carried the residual authority of someone who had commanded countless armies.
Yet, in the end, everyone's attention converged beneath the high platform that symbolized supreme authority, on four newly constructed seats arranged in a pyramid formation.
At this moment, the world held its breath.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Footsteps echoed.
Two figures walked onto the platform, one from each side.
The man on the left wore a dark red suit with a rose pinned to his chest. His cap was pulled low, hiding his expression.
But his body seemed to burn constantly; the suppressed heat and violent magma aura distorted the air around him.
Marine Admiral, "Akainu" Sakazuki!
The man on the right wore a white suit with a deep blue shirt, tall and relaxed.
Where he walked, frost seemed to form faintly on the ground, his bone-chilling cold clashing sharply against Akainu's heat.
Marine Admiral, "Aokiji" Kuzan!
The two took their positions, seated just below the highest seat, two steps behind, as left and right guardians.
Akainu paused.
That seat above… was once within his grasp.
Now, it was forever out of reach.
He snorted coldly and sat down heavily, like a volcano ready to erupt, guarding the left side.
Aokiji yawned, adjusted his eye mask, and slouched into his seat with casual indifference.
Ice and fire, willingly playing supporting roles.
Then who was the centerpiece?
Whoosh!
A dazzling golden beam of light descended from the sky without warning, landing directly before the highest throne.
The light dissipated, golden particles reforming into a figure.
A flamboyant, shining yellow-and-white striped suit.
A brand-new oversized Fleet Admiral cloak dragging slightly on the ground.
Tinted glasses.
And that unreadable, slightly mischievous smile.
The new Fleet Admiral, "Kizaru" Borsalino!
He didn't sit immediately.
Hands in his pockets, head slightly tilted, he spoke into the microphone, and to the entire world, in his slow, drawn-out tone:
"My, my, everyone's here… quite early, aren't they~."
"Since you're all so enthusiastic~I suppose I'll reluctantly… take this seat~."
With that, he flicked his cloak and sat firmly upon the throne that symbolized the pinnacle of the Marine.
BOOM!!!
At the moment he sat down, a terrifying aura belonging to a top-tier powerhouse, light itself, swept across the entire plaza!
Though he usually appeared carefree, at this moment, he displayed the overwhelming pressure of a Fleet Admiral.
Radiant brilliance!
He sat at the summit like a golden sun.
Akainu and Aokiji stood like divine guardians on either side.
This image, broadcast live, burned itself into the minds of people across the world.
This was the Marine of a new era!
Even after the Marineford War, even after internal turmoil, they remained an immovable force upon the seas!
Thunderous applause and cheers erupted across the plaza.
However… just as the atmosphere reached its peak, just as the host was about to proceed, Sengoku, standing on the platform, frowned slightly.
He glanced at his watch, then at the empty special seat beside the three Admirals.
"That bastard…" Sengoku muttered through gritted teeth. "He wouldn't actually stand us up, would he?"
Vice Admiral Tsuru narrowed her eyes. "If he doesn't show up now, the entire world will think the Marine is divided. That brat should know better… right?"
Kizaru, seated above, also showed a hint of helplessness behind his glasses.
"Renzo-kun, if you don't come soon, this performance of mine… will turn into a solo act~."
Time passed, second by second.
The once-heated atmosphere began to stall awkwardly.
Sharp-eyed reporters started whispering.
"What's going on? Why hasn't the next part started?"
"Feels like… someone's missing?"
"Yeah! Where's the other Admiral?! That so-called Haiiroyo?!"
"Could the rumors be true? Is G-5 really going independent?!"
Doubt and speculation spread like a virus.
Akainu's face darkened, magma beginning to drip uncontrollably.
Aokiji removed his eye mask, looking toward the harbor.
And just before the tension reached its breaking point,
WOOOOOO!!!!
A deep, massive horn echoed from the direction of the Gates of Justice.
It was so loud that it instantly drowned out the noise of tens of thousands. Even the water in cups trembled.
"He's here?"
Garp stopped eating and grinned.
Everyone turned instinctively toward the harbor.
What appeared first… was not a ship.
But a shadow.
The bright, cloudless sky suddenly dimmed, as if something enormous had blocked the sun.
"W-What is that?!"
A Marine pointed toward the horizon in terror.
At the line where sea met sky, an enormous black silhouette slowly… silently… entered view.
It was too big.
So massive that the so-called Buster Call warships in the harbor looked like toys beside it.
Pitch black, without a trace of any other color.
Not painted black, but a deep, matte black that seemed to devour light itself.
Under the sun, it didn't reflect light; it absorbed it, like a moving black hole.
This was the ultimate flagship of G-5, refitted from Tesoro's golden ship and coated with Germa stealth technology, the Lullaby.
"Th-That's a ship?! That's an island!!"
"My god… it's huge!"
"How did it even get through the Gates of Justice?!"
But that wasn't the most terrifying part.
The most terrifying part was that it made no sound.
Aside from the horn, it moved like a ghost. No engine noise. Not even the sound of waves striking its hull.
This contrast, between overwhelming size and absolute silence, created an unprecedented psychological pressure.
Suffocation.
A suffocation that felt like it could stop your heart.
As the massive ship entered the harbor, its shadow swallowed everything,
The port.
The plaza.
Even the three Admirals on the platform.
Kizaru, once radiant like the sun, was now dimmed beneath that shadow.
"Maa~…"
Kizaru looked up, lips twitching.
"So this… is Renzo-kun's idea of keeping a low profile? He's really… stolen all my spotlight~."
"Hmph! Show off!"
Akainu snorted, though the wariness in his eyes couldn't be hidden.
Cameras across the world flashed wildly, capturing this historic moment.
The colossal ship finally stopped.
Like an ancient black beast, it lay silently in the harbor, radiating an oppressive presence.
No one disembarked.
No formations of Marines.
Not even a gangplank was lowered.
The ship itself said everything.
Just as everyone wondered when the mysterious Admiral Haiiroyo would appear-
Crackle!
A gray arc of electricity flickered at the very top of the ship, on a crown-like observation tower.
Then, a formless will spread out like a tide from the ship, sweeping across the entire Marineford plaza.
It wasn't Conqueror's Haki.
It was something else, a will that made every soul feel heavy.
A will of… sloth
"I don't feel like moving."
In that instant, tens of thousands of Marines felt the same absurd thought:
"I'm so tired…"
"I want to lie down…"
"Why are we even standing here…?"
Even the broadcasting Den Den Mushi began to droop, as if about to fall asleep.
At the center of that will, at the very top of the black ship, someone seemed to turn over.
Though unseen, a voice echoed in everyone's mind:
"…Too noisy."
It was a presence beyond the authority of a Fleet Admiral, ignoring the gaze of the entire world.
Absolute self.
Ceremony?
Broadcast?
Before him, all of it had to make way.
Silence fell over everything.
Even the wind seemed to stop, afraid of disturbing that person's rest.
So this was it?
This was… how the fourth Admiral made his entrance?
Kizaru looked at the silent black ship, and suddenly smiled.
He stood up, spread his arms, and addressed both the ship and the entire world:
"My, my it seems… our final protagonist… has finally arrived~."