On the returning Marine warship
The anger that had been suppressed for so long finally erupted.
Inside the room where Sengoku and Akainu stood—
Roars echoed so loudly that even the guards outside could hear them.
"Sakazuki! Look at the mess you've made!"
Sengoku slammed his palm onto the table with a loud bang.
His face was ashen, his chest heaving violently.
"If you hadn't acted on your own, ignored orders, and rashly led troops to Amazon Lily—"
"How would Hibari and Kujaku have fallen into that bastard Leno's hands?!"
The more he spoke, the angrier he became.
He placed the entire failure of the mission—
And the loss of the hostages—
Squarely on Akainu's recklessness.
And truthfully—
He wasn't entirely wrong.
If Akainu had just waited a little longer—
And gone with the main force—
Things wouldn't have ended like this.
Akainu was already in a foul mood over his daughter being captured.
Even though he knew deep down that he had acted impulsively—
Under Sengoku's relentless accusations—
Especially while he was worried about Hibari—
His explosive temper ignited instantly!
He had wanted to admit fault.
But now was not the time!
"Sengoku!!"
Akainu stood up abruptly.
Magma churned uncontrollably around him.
The temperature in the room rose sharply.
(Thankfully not in any kind of romantic way.)
He glared at Sengoku.
"What's the point of saying all this now?!"
"The most important thing right now is figuring out how to rescue Hibari!"
"Not listening to you nag me endlessly!!"
When it came to his daughter—
Akainu didn't care about rank or hierarchy anymore.
He shouted right back.
"Rescue? How?!"
Sengoku snapped back just as fiercely.
"She's in Leno's hands! That brat won't listen to reason and fights dirty!"
"He's using hostages to threaten us! If you try to rescue her now, do you want to force him to kill them?!"
"Then are we just supposed to watch Hibari suffer in his hands?!"
Akainu's eyes were bloodshot, saliva flying as he shouted.
"Suffering is better than dying!!"
Sengoku refused to yield an inch.
"That bastard Leno won't kill them."
The two continued arguing fiercely.
Their voices grew louder and louder.
On the deck
Tina, Ain, Tashigi, and the others—
Now freed from their restraints—
Heard everything clearly.
They listened as Sengoku and Akainu argued over Hibari and Kujaku—
Yet never once mentioned them.
The ones who had also been treated as bargaining chips.
The ones who had nearly been sacrificed.
Their expressions turned ugly.
The last trace of expectation they had toward the Navy's higher-ups—
Completely vanished.
What was the point of such a Navy?
Tina lit a cigarette and took a deep drag.
Ain clenched her fists tightly.
Tashigi pressed her pale lips together.
Even Sadie muttered inwardly:
"Should I be sad too…?"
Honestly—
She felt more relieved than anything.
As long as she could return to Impel Down—
Being used as a bargaining chip didn't matter.
She didn't like Leno.
Nor was she truly part of the Navy.
But… since she was here, she might as well blend in.
So she also put on a sorrowful expression.
Not entirely fake—
After all, being treated as a pawn would shake anyone.
Back inside
Neither Sengoku nor Akainu paid attention to what was happening outside.
At that moment—
A Den Den Mushi rang.
"Pururururu~ Pururururu~"
The urgent ringing interrupted their argument.
Sengoku took a deep breath and suppressed his anger.
He glanced at the Den Den Mushi.
At this time, the caller was most likely…
Tsuru.
A trace of guilt flashed across his face.
This operation had been a complete mess.
Not only had they failed—
They hadn't even rescued the hostages.
He didn't know how to face his old friend.
Still—
He picked up the call.
"Hello, this is Sengoku."
"Sengoku, what's the situation? Kujaku, she…"
Tsuru's voice came through.
Sengoku fell silent for a few seconds.
Then briefly explained everything—
How they were threatened by Leno.
And how they ultimately had no choice but to withdraw.
Silence.
Long silence.
Only faint breathing could be heard from the other end.
After a while—
Tsuru finally spoke again.
Her tone was complicated.
Relief… mixed with deep helplessness.
Relief—
Because Kujaku wasn't dead.
Helplessness—
Because even Sengoku and Akainu couldn't bring her back.
"Come back. Let's leave it at that."
She paused.
Then her tone turned… strange.
Hard to describe.
"Sakazuki… you should prepare yourself."
"Prepare for what?"
Akainu instinctively asked.
His heart tightened.
Tsuru sighed.
"Prepare… to become a grandfather."
"WHAT?!" Sengoku and Akainu shouted in unison.
Akainu nearly flipped the table.
Damn it—
He suddenly remembered what Leno had said!
"Catch one, return many," huh?!
"A big one with several little ones," huh?!
Leno, you bastard—!!!
Tsuru understood very well what Leno's intentions were.
Her title as a great strategist wasn't for show.
"That brat… what exactly is he planning…"
Capturing Kujaku—
Was clearly to restrain her and prevent interference.
Then she sighed again.
"Who knows what else he might do…"
"You've seen the kind of women around him."
"That boy is definitely a lustful little devil."
"Kujaku and Hibari have been in his hands for so long… sigh…"
She didn't finish her sentence.
But the meaning was obvious.
Sengoku: "…"
Akainu: "!!!"
Meanwhile, on a desolate island
Not far from Amazon Lily—
The remnants of the Blackbeard Pirates had regrouped.
But the atmosphere—
Was nothing like before.
It was ice-cold.
Completely devoid of relief from surviving.
Blackbeard's earlier escape—
Without warning, without hesitation—
Was burned into their minds.
Their bodies were covered in wounds.
Their eyes filled with distrust and anger.
Even the original crew members who had followed Blackbeard from the start—
Felt the same.
Catarina Devon's eyes flickered with unknown thoughts.
The other commanders were no different.
Everyone was on edge.
As if a fight could break out at any moment.
Blackbeard looked at this fractured crew—
And nearly cursed out loud.
He felt utterly sick.
He hadn't gotten the Tremor-Tremor Fruit!
Lost several powerful subordinates!
And now his crew was falling apart!!
He felt like he'd lost everything.
The fact he hadn't collapsed on the spot—
Was a testament to his mental resilience.
His ambitious plan had ended in disaster.
His future looked bleak.
He didn't even know what to do next.
"Leno… just wait."
"When I get the chance—I'll kill you!!"
At this point—
Blaming Leno was the easiest outlet.
Then—
Blackbeard suddenly burst into laughter.
"Zehahahaha!!"
"My dear companions…"
"Congratulations on surviving!"
"The Blackbeard Pirates…"
"Have no need for trash!"
✨ Bonus Chapter Goals ✨
10 Reviews = 1 Bonus Chapter
100 Power Stones = 1 Bonus Chapter
◇ You can read 60+ chapter ahead on P@treon if you're interested: patreon.com/CanonBreaker