Chapter 101: The Navy's Line in the Sand
What was happening today? Were they truly pressuring him over a mere Marine brat? He was the Commander of the God's Knights, empowered to execute even fellow Celestial Dragons!
"He is correct. Had he not interfered," Garling stated, his tone devoid of any remorse, "according to my code of conduct, every individual present who serves the World Government would be held accountable for the death of a Celestial Dragon. I intended to strike. I had not calculated the potential casualties."
Garling remained unyielding, his arrogance untempered. Under different circumstances, Ian would have applauded his boldness. Keep talking, Ian thought, please, don't back down now. It would be such a disappointment.
He likely had no idea of the connections within Ian's team. Or perhaps, he knew and simply did not care.
"Commander Garling! Elders of Mary Geoise!"
The voice erupted from the Den Den Mushi. Admiral Akainu had been listening to the entire proceeding, missing not a single word, especially Ian's recent confrontation with Saint Saturn.
Before the naval leaders in the room could fully react, the hot-tempered Akainu was the first to lose his patience.
"I believe everyone present should be thanking Jock Ian for preventing this situation from escalating further," Akainu's voice crackled with contained fury. "If he had not acted, I give you my word... I would have hunted Garling down and killed him myself!"
Ian's inner thoughts: Whoa.
Hearing Akainu's blunt and powerful declaration, a sudden realization dawned on Ian. It made perfect sense that Akainu would become the next Fleet Admiral. When this volcano erupted, the very heavens and earth would shake. The reason the Marines often seemed hesitant to oppose the Celestial Dragons wasn't a lack of nerve, but because their ultimate bottom line had never been crossed.
Family was the final, unbreachable line for any true warrior.
At the back of the room, Skylark's eyes reddened slightly upon hearing these words.
"Sakazuki!" the voice of Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, the God of Justice, cut in sharply. "Do you have any idea what you are saying?"
"Elder Nusjuro," Akainu retorted, his voice like grinding stone, "I am not so senile that I've forgotten my own words. Recall me from the New World. I have no desire to guard a group of people who would casually execute my daughter—our comrades—at a moment's notice!"
...Mmm...
A faint, static-laced sound came from the Den Den Mushi. Ian's enhanced hearing immediately identified it as Admiral Kizaru's voice, quietly urging Akainu to stay calm.
Then, Akainu continued through the snail, "Elders, my esteemed colleagues... Borsalino has just expressed his view. He also requests a recall. He no longer wishes to participate in this farce!"
Ian's inner thoughts: He's really going for it.
"You two..." Saint Nusjuro, rarely the one to speak, was visibly angered by this direct challenge.
Before he could continue, Fleet Admiral Sengoku spoke again, his voice resonating with grim authority. "Our soldiers protect the descendants of the Creators and uphold the order of the World Government. And in the end, they cannot even protect their own families? Their own comrades? What kind of ridiculous justice is that?! If this is the conclusion we reach today, I will tender my resignation as Fleet Admiral of the Marines!"
Then, Chief of Staff Tsuru stood. Her expression was placid, but her presence was chilling. She walked calmly over to Peacock, completely ignoring the gazes of the Five Elders and Garling.
"Garling," she said, her voice quiet yet piercing. "This is my granddaughter. My only granddaughter. Her name is Peacock." She paused, letting the weight of the statement settle. "I would like to ask you, were you aware of this?"
Figarland Garling: "..."
Tsuru's aura was entirely different from Sengoku's sternness or Garp's bluntness. Faced with her "calm interrogation," Garling offered no reply. When he had been on the scene, he hadn't concerned himself with the identities of the Marines. Had Tsuru not spoken up, he would still be ignorant of their relationship. The duties of the God's Knights seldom intersected with Marine Headquarters. The Five Elders might know the familial ties of the Marine high command in detail, but Garling had never bothered to learn.
"Garling," Tsuru continued, her tone still even, "your life... was saved at the God Valley Incident by Garp, and by Peacock's grandfather. Have you forgotten? Shall I help you recall more details?"
From start to finish, her voice never rose above a conversational level. Yet her words sent a chill through the highest echelons of the Marine leadership.
Ian's inner thoughts: Absolute carnage.
These high-ranking officers protecting their juniors were truly fearless! If this continued, Tsuru might very well expose the dirtiest secrets of the Celestial Dragons right there in the chamber.
It was astonishing. From what Ian recalled, the senior officers of Marine Headquarters had never dared to confront Mary Geoise so directly. Hadn't it always been a story of frustrating obedience and endurance? It turned out the Marines did have a backbone. There were moments when they could unite and stand against overwhelming power.
Peacock, standing behind her grandmother, intertwined her fingers tightly behind her back. The white-haired figure before her felt like an immense, unshakable fortress. It had been this way since she was a child, and it remained so now.
SLAM!
Garling could no longer remain seated. He stood up so violently the chair behind him splintered. "Tsuru!" he barked. "What are you trying to imply? Don't you know what is and isn't permissible for someone of your station to say?"
Tsuru merely rubbed her palms together, a strange light flickering between them—the power of her Wash-Wash Fruit. "I recall that members of the God's Knights, before their so-called 'graduation pilgrimage,' are required to spar with the top brass of the Marines. The one who tested you back then was my husband, was it not?" A faint, almost imperceptible smile touched her lips. "I've always been a little... unconvinced by the results of that match. Your strength may not be quite as he described."
She took a small, deliberate step forward. "As Chief of Staff, I may not have the 'qualification' to attack a Commander of the Celestial Dragons, but I do possess the power to defend myself and my own." Her gaze was steady. "Would you care to hear more details about your past?"
Ian's inner thoughts: Wow. What a calmly formidable grandmother.
She never sought trouble, but she was utterly unafraid of it when it came. The details Tsuru kept revealing were clearly Garling's own buried secrets. With the lethality of her words, she was provoking him, daring him to try and silence her.
First Garp and Kuzan, then Akainu, and now Tsuru. Ian was beginning to understand that his team wasn't just a collection of well-connected individuals. They were a trigger. A catalyst that could mobilize the entire upper echelon of the Marines. With these members, he held not just powerful backing, but a potential powder keg of support.
"Enough!" The voice of Saint Jaygarcia Saturn cut through the tension. "Do you think this is a battlefield? This is Pangaea Castle! The very heart of the World Government's power in Mary Geoise!"
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