The World Government's memory has always been rather poor.
For example, after Luffy punched a Celestial Dragon, the matter only stayed heated for about two years.
When he reappeared, the World Government seemed to have almost forgotten about it.
Imu spends his days thinking about how to extinguish "lights," yet he rarely extinguishes anyone personally.
Sometimes crossing out a picture seems enough to put the matter behind them.
The situation after Onigashima was similar.
Even though they knew that Luffy had awakened the Nika Devil Fruit, the Gorosei merely discussed it for a while.
And then… there was no "then." After the discussion ended, it seemed as if the matter had been forgotten.
Another example: even though Teach looked extremely similar to Rocks and had even been present during the God Valley incident,
the Gorosei still allowed him to become a Shichibukai, apparently failing to connect the obvious dots.
Therefore, even if the Rosward family truly clashed with the Revolutionary Army, at most the Marines would dispatch an Admiral to symbolically handle the situation.
However, once such a conflict occurred, the Revolutionary Army's hostility toward the World Government would only deepen.
When Black later wished to ignite open conflict between the two sides, it would become much easier.
After wandering around Area 16 of the Sabaody Archipelago and failing to buy the mermaid companions he had promised Ada, Black felt somewhat dissatisfied.
But thinking about it carefully, it was normal.
Mermaid girls were extremely rare slaves. Encountering one previously had already been pure luck.
He also did not encounter any slaves like Mandy or Stella women capable of catching his eye on Slave Street.
Black returned to Mary Geoise somewhat bored and resumed his decadent aristocratic life.
The first matter he handled was arranging the Trafalgar family.
Besides the Celestial Dragons themselves, Mary Geoise also housed many World Government officials and their families.
Therefore Black did not need to place them inside his own estate.
He then threw the remaining snipers and helmsmen of the Hyena Pirates into the slave gladiator arena.
Black sat in the exclusive third-floor box reserved for World Nobles, casually sipping red wine while watching the brutal battle below.
Beside him, Perona was curiously fiddling with the mechanisms built into the room.
Naturally, these mechanisms were not designed for the Celestial Dragons themselves.
Perona pressed one of the buttons.
A jar shot through a pipe and dropped into the arena.
With a loud bang, it exploded, releasing red smoke that splashed directly into the eyes of the two slaves currently dueling.
"Ah!"
Two miserable screams erupted simultaneously from the arena floor.
Perona giggled with delight as she leaned over the railing, watching the chaos with great interest.
That's right.
The private boxes on the third floor contained devices capable of throwing objects into the arena.
Not only childish tricks like chili powder, but also weapons and even ordinary Animal-type Devil Fruits.
These degenerate nobles were no longer satisfied with simple slave duels.
They wanted even more entertainment.
Only when the two slaves who had been thrown into the arena were eventually killed by others did Black finally signal for everyone to leave.
Each time he returned to Mary Geoise, he would bring the women along to experience the life of the upper nobility.
Such experiences could subtly reshape their way of thinking.
After returning to the estate, Black brought Mandy to the training ground.
"Come. Let me see how strong you've become."
This time Mandy did not hesitate.
She drew her sword and thrust forward immediately.
Black's palm was coated with Armament Haki as he casually blocked her strike.
After a brief exchange of blows, Black raised his hand to signal her to stop.
He nodded slightly.
"Your current strength is already comparable to that of an ordinary Marine Vice Admiral."
Ever since Black gave Mandy that ability card, her strength had grown almost every day.
Her improvement speed could practically be described as explosive.
It was only when they reached Sky Island that Mandy finally mastered the use of her power.
She was no longer like she had been in the Moonlight Circus Kingdom, where she clearly possessed Haki but still struggled to land a hit.
Now, after fully integrating the Master Swordsman Level Swordsmanship granted by the card, Mandy could finally unleash her full strength.
Black observed Mandy as she stood there slightly out of breath.
The cool metal armor reflected the beads of sweat rolling down from her chin.
Black raised an eyebrow.
He stepped closer and gently touched her cheek.
"In the blink of an eye, you've already been by my side for almost three years."
"Your Highness…"
Mandy raised her head instinctively.
But when she met the intense gaze in Black's eyes, her heart trembled.
Black's finger lightly brushed the scar on Mandy's temple, tracing the mark carved there in the shape of the World Government's emblem.
"You've become more and more beautiful."
His finger slid slowly down her neck until it tapped against the metal armor with a crisp sound.
The clasps of her knight armor loosened slightly.
A breeze swept across the elevated training ground, carrying the faint fragrance of tuberose as the final piece of her breastplate shifted loose.
Mandy suddenly pressed down on Black's hand.
Her armored glove brushed against the silk cuff of his sleeve with a soft rustling sound.
Sunlight filtered through the surrounding trees, scattering broken patches of light across Mandy's eyelashes.
"Don't worry."
Black's calm voice seemed to reassure her.
Mandy slowly closed her eyes.
Her normally cold expression now carried a faint blush.
The distant clock tower chimed softly.
A rapier slipped from her hand and struck the ground, startling a flock of nearby nightingales.
Black leaned slightly forward, pausing in an ambiguous posture as the silk lining of Mandy's armor brushed against the gilded cufflink at his wrist.
The blue sand inside the hourglass on the training ground continued falling faster and faster, casting two overlapping shadows that gradually blurred into one.
Meanwhile, an important event was unfolding within the Marines.
After Sengoku became Fleet Admiral, Kong remained stationed in Mary Geoise, and Zephyr retired to serve as an instructor.
Suddenly the Marines had no Admiral available for deployment.
Until today.
At Marineford's central plaza, Sakazuki was officially promoted to the rank of Marine Admiral.
His codename was Akainu.
"The Marines do not need weak justice!"
"From today onward, my fist will become the measure of order, and the screams of pirates will prove it."
"Those scoundrels who shout about 'freedom' I will burn their flags to ashes with magma."
"Those traitors who sympathize with criminals—the muzzles of the military court are waiting for you."
Standing atop the podium, Sakazuki sneered coldly.
"Justice is the ruin left behind by cannon fire."
"It is the smell of blood lingering on an execution platform."
"Ohara was like this. Marineford is like this. And every island that dares to challenge the Government in the future will be the same."
"Abandon your mercy and embrace my wrath."
"Either live beneath absolute justice… or rot within magma."
Below the stage, Marines who believed in "Absolute Justice" roared in agreement.
Meanwhile, the more moderate Marines led by Garp and Kuzan frowned, clearly displeased.
Especially
Sakazuki's rapid promotion to Admiral was not only due to his own strength.
It was largely because of the "loyalty" he demonstrated during the Ohara Buster Call, which greatly pleased the Gorosei.
However, Vice Admiral Kuzan, who had also participated in that same Buster Call, had not been nominated by the Gorosei.
The Ohara incident had become the turning point that shifted Kuzan's philosophy from "Burning Justice" to "Lazy Justice."
At this moment, the seeds of division within the Marines were quietly planted.