When the Sea Trembles
Marineford was never quiet, but that afternoon Sengoku's office trembled for reasons that had nothing to do with paperwork or pirates. The Den Den Mushi on his desk screamed with static as frantic voices poured through the receiver.
Sengoku slammed his palm onto the table so hard the wood cracked beneath it.
"What nonsense are you talking about?!" he roared. "What do you mean Wano and the sea around it are trembling?!"
The Marine on the other end swallowed audibly.
"We are not joking, Fleet Admiral! We are stationed outside Wano's territorial waters. The sea is shaking, and shockwaves are traveling across the surface like tidal quakes!"
Sengoku's jaw tightened.
"And what kind of absurdity is this about a monster so large that even a photograph can't capture it?" he barked. "Grabbing Kaido like a giant catching a snake? Are you out of your mind?! Kaido's dragon form is over a thousand meters long! How big would something have to be to do that so easily?!"
The soldier's voice trembled.
"Sir… we saw it clearly. A giant monkey… golden… holding a staff. It was too big. Onigashima looked small compared to it. We tried to frame it in a photo, but it exceeded the horizon."
Another Marine cut in urgently.
"And after it transformed into a Beast-Human form and started fighting Kaido, the shockwaves traveled through Onigashima to Wano… and then to the sea. They're still coming!"
Silence fell inside the office.
Sengoku's forehead and back were drenched in cold sweat. For a man who had faced the Pirate King's era head-on, this was not fear born of inexperience.
It was instinct.
A chill crawled down his spine as he tried to imagine something that dwarfed Kaido.
"Call all Admirals here. Now!" he barked.
Without another word, Sengoku leapt from the window of his office, kicking off the air in rapid Moonwalk steps as he shot toward the port.
He couldn't allow Garp to leave for East Blue yet.
Not now.
---
At the docks, Garp was casually preparing to board a ship, cracking open a bag of rice crackers as though the world were at peace.
Sengoku's voice tore across the harbor.
"Garp! Stop! Don't go!"
Garp turned, startled, crumbs falling from his mouth.
He saw Sengoku sprinting at full speed.
Garp's expression hardened instantly.
If Sengoku himself was running like this, then whatever was happening was not minor.
He jumped off the ship and met him halfway.
"What happened?" Garp asked sharply.
Sengoku didn't answer.
He grabbed Garp by the collar and dragged him back toward the office without slowing down.
Kuzan was already there, leaning against the wall with his usual lazy posture, though his eyes were serious. Kizaru stood near the window, hands in pockets.
Sengoku didn't waste time.
"Kizaru," he said sharply, "full speed. I want you in Wano now. No slacking. Move."
Kizaru blinked slowly.
"Eh? So sudden… can't I at least—"
"Now."
The seriousness in Sengoku's voice erased any hint of laziness.
Without another word, Kizaru dissolved into light and shot out the window toward Wano.
Sengoku remained standing, breathing heavily.
His hands were shaking.
Garp finally stepped forward.
"What's happening, Sengoku?"
Sengoku took a long breath and relayed the report in full—every word about the Golden Ape, about Kaido being thrown, about shockwaves traveling across an entire country.
Even Kuzan straightened slightly.
Garp's usual grin faded.
"A monkey… bigger than Onigashima?" he muttered.
"And grabbing Kaido like a toy," Kuzan added quietly.
Garp scratched his chin slowly.
"If that's true…"
He didn't finish the sentence.
He didn't need to.
Sengoku exhaled sharply.
"And that's not the worst of it. They're still fighting."
The room felt heavier.
Then Garp's eyes widened slightly.
"Sengoku… did you contact Sakazuki? Did you tell him to stop the attack on Kuja?"
Sengoku froze.
"If what you're saying is true," Garp continued, voice low, "and if that boy Ren finds out Hancock was harmed… his anger would shake the Marines."
Sengoku nearly had a heart attack.
"Contact Sakazuki immediately!" he barked at the soldiers outside. "Tell him not to harm Hancock and return at once!"
Marines scrambled out of the room.
Minutes passed like hours.
Then they returned.
Their voices were shaking.
"Sir… we lost contact with the battleship. We can't connect to anyone."
The room went silent.
Sengoku's face drained of color.
Kuzan removed his blindfold slightly.
Garp clenched his fists.
"This is serious now," Garp muttered.
Sengoku pressed his fingers to his temples.
"Damn it…"
Garp sighed heavily.
"This is going to be a headache. Now we wait for Kizaru."
---
Fifteen minutes later, the Den Den Mushi rang again.
"Moshi moshi~ Sengoku-san…" Kizaru's voice came through lazily.
But beneath that laziness was tension.
"Did I do something to you? Sending me here feels… dangerous."
"What's happening there?" Sengoku demanded.
Kizaru's tone shifted.
"It's like gods are fighting."
The room fell silent again.
"I can't go near Onigashima," Kizaru continued. "The entire island is covered in raging Conqueror's Haki. Kaido and that kid Ren are fighting in their Beast-Human forms. Each clash is shaking Wano."
A massive explosion boomed through the transponder.
Even through the Den Den Mushi, they could hear it.
"Onigashima is already half destroyed," Kizaru added. "They're fighting like madmen."
Garp stepped forward.
"This is bad."
He spoke slowly.
"By what Kizaru is saying… Ren and Kaido have grown beyond Emperor level."
Kuzan narrowed his eyes.
"If their Haki is affecting an entire country…"
Garp nodded grimly.
"They've reached the level of Roger, Newgate… and me in our prime."
Even Sengoku didn't argue.
Kizaru's voice came again.
"Mmm… so what should I do? Should I go closer?"
"NO!" Garp snapped immediately. "Don't go anywhere near them!"
Kizaru blinked.
"Their Haki is strong enough to affect the real world itself," Garp continued. "If you get too close, you won't be able to elementalize. Their Conqueror's Haki will suppress your Logia state."
Kizaru broke into cold sweat.
"Eh? That sounds… troublesome."
In his heart, he cursed Sengoku repeatedly.
Sengoku steadied himself.
"Observe from a distance. Do not engage. Report everything."
"Understood."
The line remained open as another thunderous clash echoed through the receiver.
---
Far away, above Onigashima, Ren and Kaido collided again.
Their weapons didn't even make contact, yet the air between them detonated.
"Worororororo!" Kaido roared, blood dripping from his mouth. "This is what I wanted!"
Ren laughed wildly, golden aura blazing.
"Then don't slow down!"
"You think I would?!" Kaido grinned, eyes burning with renewed purpose. "I lost myself chasing shadows. But not anymore!"
He swung again.
"Thunder Bagua!"
Ren blocked with his staff, countering instantly.
"You're finally fighting like yourself!"
"Shut up!" Kaido barked, though he was smiling. "You talk too much for a brat!"
The island below split further, massive chunks breaking away and falling into the sea.
Their Conqueror's Haki clashed repeatedly, black lightning splitting the sky into jagged fractures.
Each collision amplified their presence.
Each impact sent tremors through Wano.
Back at Marineford, even the Den Den Mushi vibrated with every shockwave.
Kuzan spoke quietly.
"If this continues… Onigashima won't survive."
Garp's gaze was distant.
"This isn't just a fight for territory anymore."
Sengoku clenched his jaw.
"This is the birth of something far worse."
---
Meanwhile, far from the Marines' knowledge, Morgans had already acted.
Back on Wano's coast, his printing presses roared to life.
The photos of the Golden Great Ape towering over Kaido, of the sky splitting, of Onigashima cracking in half—every image was being developed and distributed.
Morgans trembled as he watched the first papers roll out.
"This is it…" he whispered.
"An era-changing headline."
He looked toward the battlefield one last time.
"They're not fighting for dominance."
He swallowed.
"They're redefining it."
And soon, the world would know.