Marine Headquarters, main conference room.
Besides Aiden, who was still pretending to be half-dead in the hospital ward, almost every senior officer at Marine Headquarters was present.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the Admiral candidates, the Vice Admirals, and even the senior members of the General Staff had all gathered.
The entire conference room was filled with smoke.
Several Vice Admirals, led by Onigumo, kept smoking one cigar after another, as if the nicotine could calm them down.
Everyone's attention was on the end of the long table.
Sengoku sat in the head seat.
His pet goat had not been brought in today, and even the rice crackers he usually kept close at hand were gone.
In their place, an urgent document sat in the center of the table, stamped with the bright red seal of the World Government.
Sengoku skipped the opening remarks and went straight to the point.
"You all should know the cause and result of what happened in the Kalga Kingdom."
"Aiden refused to stand by and watch a Celestial Dragon hunt civilians, so he killed the Celestial Dragon, Jaygarcia Brax."
Sengoku rested his hands on the edge of the table.
He looked like he had not slept in days. His hands stayed on the table as he continued.
"The World Government's stance is clear. They want him handed over immediately and escorted to Mary Geoise to face trial."
"Today's meeting will only discuss one thing."
"Do we hand him over or not?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Vice Admiral Onigumo, sitting in the outer circle, put out his cigar.
"Killing a Celestial Dragon is a capital offense. No matter the reason, the result is that he killed a World Noble."
"If we don't hand him over, who will bear the World Government's anger?"
"Next year's military budget, the trust of the member nations... even the Marines' right to act in the world will be questioned."
"Will the G-series branch expansion plan in the New World still go forward? Are millions of Marine soldiers supposed to hunt pirates on empty stomachs?"
"Are we going to put the entire Marines at risk for one uncontrollable Rear Admiral?"
The word "budget" made several officers who had wanted to speak for Aiden lower their heads and clench their fists.
Justice also needed ships, weapons, food, medicine, and money.
Vice Admiral Doberman spoke next. The scars on his face shifted as he talked.
"Rules are rules. Justice requires order. Aiden crossed the line. He is a danger to the Marines."
Several hawkish Vice Admirals nodded in agreement.
In their eyes, maintaining the system was more important than protecting a "criminal."
"What is there left to discuss, Fleet Admiral?"
"Bullshit!!"
Zephyr slammed his hand on the table.
The conference table shook.
The former Marine Admiral suddenly stood up, his chair scraping hard against the floor.
In this timeline, he had not lost his arm, nor had he lost himself after his students were slaughtered like in the original story.
Both of his arms were still intact.
His body was still strong.
And right now, his anger was clear to everyone in the room.
Zephyr pointed straight at Onigumo.
"A danger? You call someone who saved my life and saved a whole ship of recruits a danger?!"
"Back then on the sea, if Aiden hadn't arrived in time to block that monster Edward Weevil, my old bones would have fed the fish long ago! None of the students in the Elite Training Camp would have escaped either!"
"Aiden is my proudest student! He swung his sword at scum to protect civilians. This is the justice I taught him!"
"If the Marines can't even protect their own hero, and instead tie him up and hand him over to those pigs so they can vent their anger..."
Zephyr gripped the edge of the table.
"Then I might as well stop wearing this uniform!"
"Instructor Zephyr..."
Onigumo stopped arguing for a moment.
Facing his own mentor's fury, even he could not continue with the same force.
"I agree with Instructor Zephyr."
Gion, who had been silent all this time, stood up.
She looked around the room.
"Aiden killed the Warlord candidate Victor, who was harming civilians, at the G-17 Branch. He personally killed the escaped Golden Lion in Merveille, washing away Impel Down's disgrace. Everything he did was carrying out the Marines' justice."
"If he has to be thrown away because he killed a piece of scum who deserved to die..."
Gion placed both hands on the table.
"Then what justice is there left to talk about?"
After Zephyr and Gion spoke, several officers stopped nodding along with the hawks.
But Onigumo and the others still held their ground.
"Acting on emotion won't save the Marines! The reality is, we can't withstand the World Government's pressure!"
"Then let's talk about reality."
Great Staff Officer Tsuru, who had been sitting quietly with her arms crossed, finally spoke.
She did not look at Onigumo. Instead, she took several sealed documents from her coat and gently pushed them to the center of the table.
"If the big picture you are talking about only focuses on money bags, then that view is too narrow."
Tsuru tapped the documents.
"This child, Aiden, is an orphan raised by the Marines. I watched him go from an executioner in Loguetown to where he is today."
"Handing him over would make every Marine wonder if Headquarters would abandon them too."
"Of course, I won't ask you all to decide based on feelings."
"Let's talk about interests."
Tsuru pointed to the documents on the table.
"King Cobra of the Alabasta Kingdom, in the name of the Nefertari family, has submitted a letter of protest to the Holy Land."
"Immediately after, the newly established Blacksteel Syndicate, along with Tom's Workers in Water 7, one of the most important shipbuilding centers in the world, also issued a joint statement."
Tsuru tapped the documents again.
"Their position is very firm. Aiden swung his sword to save civilians from atrocity, and he is a true hero. If the Marines hand such a hero over to die..."
"These factions, which control resources, technology, and sea routes in the first half of the Grand Line, will cut off cooperation with the Marines."
"I want to ask you all."
Tsuru finally turned toward Onigumo.
"Without the trust of these allies, how long can this 'big picture' of yours be maintained?"
Onigumo's face stiffened.
He opened his mouth but could not answer.
He had never expected that this young Rear Admiral had already built such strong political support without anyone noticing.
"Besides, do you think this is only about Aiden?"
Vice Admiral Tsuru spoke again.
She pushed her glasses up her nose, took a slightly yellowed old newspaper from a folder, and spread it on the table.
It was the news from two months ago.
On the page, a swordsman in a purple yukata stood alone in front of Aqua Laguna, a tsunami tens of meters high.
Behind him was Water 7, safe and intact.
"A man named Issho is now sitting at the G-17 Branch."
Tsuru's finger tapped on the photo.
"Everyone should still remember this photo, right?"
"This man was brought back by Aiden, and he follows Aiden's lead at G-17. Based on our intelligence assessment, his swordsmanship and Devil Fruit mastery..."
Tsuru looked around the table and said each word clearly.
"His strength is comparable to an Admiral candidate."
As soon as she said this, the room broke into an uproar.
"If we hand Aiden over to die today just to please the Celestial Dragons..."
Tsuru did not raise her voice, but several officers understood what she meant.
"What do you think Issho will do? Will he leave in disappointment? Or will he completely side with the pirates out of anger, or even seek revenge against the Marines?"
Zephyr nodded heavily beside her and agreed.
"To calm the anger of those pigs, are we going to cut off our own arm, force someone that strong, someone loyal to the Marines, into rebellion, and push a man who could become one of the Marines' strongest fighters away from us?"
"I absolutely refuse to accept this kind of self-destructive behavior!"
The conference room fell silent.
If Tsuru had thrown out political weight earlier, now she had thrown out a real threat of war.
Losing someone with strength comparable to an Admiral candidate would be a heavy blow even for Marine Headquarters.
Sengoku sat in the head seat. Fine sweat gathered on his forehead.
He looked at the documents on the table, then at Zephyr and Gion.
The pros and cons were already clear.
Protecting Aiden would offend the World Government and the Five Elders, but it would preserve the Marines' strength and future.
Handing Aiden over would mean the Marines facing internal division, revenge from powerful allies turned enemies, and the betrayal of important partners.
At the same time, he was being torn between his responsibility as Fleet Admiral and what he believed was right.
"Since everyone is deadlocked..."
Sengoku took a deep breath before speaking.
"Then let's vote."
"Those who oppose handing him over to the World Government and agree to protect Aiden from the World Government... raise your hand."
As soon as he spoke, Vice Admiral Tsuru, Zephyr, and Gion raised their hands almost at the same time.
Tokikake, sitting to the side, looked at Gion's back.
He scratched his head.
Even though he was jealous, he still sighed and slowly raised his hand.
"Sigh... If that kid dies, Gion will probably never talk to me again for the rest of my life. Whatever, I'll go crazy with you guys."
These few people were expected.
But looking around the huge conference room, very few hands were raised.
Most of the Vice Admirals were hesitating.
They were watching, fearing the World Government's anger.
Right in the middle of this stalemate.
Crack.
A cookie broke.
Garp, who had been eating like an outsider, suddenly stopped. He brushed the crumbs off his hands and slowly stood up.
The room quieted.
"Hey, Sengoku."
This time, Garp was not smiling.
"Remember what we said in the hospital room after the God Valley battle ended?"
Sengoku looked up at his old comrade of decades.
"Back then, you said you wanted to climb higher. You wanted to become an Admiral, then Fleet Admiral. You said only by standing high enough could you change this messed-up world and carry out your justice."
Garp grinned, but there was no joking in it.
"But I never cared about becoming an Admiral."
"Because even if you stand high, there are still places you can't reach."
"I wanted to stay closer to the Marines below."
"Because from there, I could protect the young Marines who were still growing."
Garp stepped forward and planted both hands on the table.
"Right now, that kid Aiden is one of them."
"He is standing on the edge."
"That brat... did what I wanted to do back then but didn't dare to do! He protected the dignity I wanted to protect back then but failed to protect!"
"Sengoku! You became Fleet Admiral as you wished and stood where you wanted to stand!"
"Now tell me."
"Are you going to push him down with your own hands for your 'big picture'?"
"Or are you going to reach out with me and pull him up like a man?"
The room stayed silent.
Sengoku took off his glasses and roughly wiped the corner of his eye.
When he put his glasses back on, he had made his decision.
Meanwhile, a commotion began among the Vice Admirals below.
Vice Admiral Momonga was the first to look up. He slowly raised his right hand.
"I trust my judgment in people."
Vice Admiral Yamakaji smiled and raised his hand.
Next were Doberman, Strawberry, Comil...
One by one, more hands rose around the table.
They were soldiers too, and they had pride.
Even though Aiden's actions were reckless, he had done what they had wanted to do but had not dared to do.
But this was not enough.
The room turned toward the three seats at the front.
Only their stance could truly decide the balance.
"Arara..."
Kuzan, who had been leaning back and sleeping through the meeting, finally pulled down his eye mask.
At this point in his life, he still believed firmly in Burning Justice.
He sat forward.
"Protecting civilians without fearing those in power... This is what the Marines should be like, right?"
"I agree with that kid's actions."
"If even this kind of spark is put out, then this world would be too cold."
Aokiji raised his hand.
Following his statement, a group of younger generals raised their hands.
Borsalino pushed his new sunglasses up his nose and rubbed his cheek, which had not completely healed yet.
"Yeah~~ What a scary atmosphere."
"However..."
Borsalino slowly raised his right hand.
"Even though I got beaten up pretty badly, it would be a shame if the Marines lost this kind of talent."
"Besides... if he's gone, wouldn't I have to deal with all those scary pirates in the future? That would be too tiring. I don't want to work overtime every day~~"
Kizaru raised his hand.
Another group of generals followed and raised their hands.
Now, only the last person was left.
Everyone waited for Sakazuki.
He believed in Absolute Justice, and Aiden had killed a Celestial Dragon right in front of him.
Logically, he should be the one who hated Aiden's rebellious behavior the most.
What's more, he had just been severely injured by Aiden. That personal grudge was enough for him to vote against him.
Sakazuki's right hand tightened on the table.
He looked at his unhealed left arm.
Did he hate him?
Yes.
He hated that Aiden did not follow the rules, and he hated his reckless actions.
But what did he hate more?
He hated those pigs who treated the Marines like guards to order around.
He hated the way the Marines' dignity had been trampled by that trash.
"A Marine criminal..."
Sakazuki spoke through clenched teeth.
Then he raised his good right hand.
"Only the Marines have the right to judge him!!"
"Those arrogant pigs... have no right to interfere in Marine business!!!"
Akainu raised his hand.
As Akainu's arm went up, those hawkish Vice Admirals who had been hesitating out of fear of the World Government or concern over Akainu's stance finally made their choice.
One arm after another went up.
The motion passed unanimously.
For once, the room stood together.
Whether doves or hawks, veterans or rising stars, they all reached the same decision at this moment.
Sengoku looked at the raised hands around the table and at these subordinates who dared to openly defy orders for a Rear Admiral.
Sengoku smiled for the first time that day.
"Very well."
Sengoku grabbed the interrogation document sent by the World Government from the table.
Rip—!!!
Under everyone's shocked and excited reactions, Sengoku, who was always known as the Resourceful General, tore the document to shreds in public.
Sengoku slammed the table hard enough to make the room shake.
"The World Government!"
Sengoku stood straight behind the table.
"Regarding the order to hand over Aiden... Headquarters rejects it!"
"Meeting dismissed!"
...
After the topic concluded.
The Vice Admirals left the conference room one after another.
Sakazuki ignored the people around him. He walked straight out, supporting his injured arm. Only his slightly heavy steps showed that he was not as calm as he looked.
Borsalino followed behind with his hands in his pockets, yawning and muttering, "This is overtime."
He seemed to have returned to his usual laziness.
Soon, the large conference room became empty.
Only one person remained.
Great Staff Officer Vice Admiral Tsuru still sat in her seat, calmly organizing the documents on the table as if waiting for something.
Sengoku stood at the head seat.
He took a deep breath, adjusted his stiff face, and looked at his old partner of many years.
"Tsuru."
"Let's go to my office."
Sengoku did not try to hide his fatigue.
"Next, we need to discuss how to clean up this mess."
Tsuru paused for a moment, then closed the folder and stood up.
"Let's go. The Five Elders' call is probably going to come in any minute."
Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's Office.
As the heavy door closed, it cut off all sights and sounds from the outside.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who had just torn up the World Government's highest order, now dropped into his large office chair, not caring how he looked.
"Huff... huff..."
Sengoku took off his glasses and awkwardly wiped the cold sweat on his forehead with his sleeve.
In that moment just now, he had truly placed his life and the entire future of the Marines on the gambling table.
His heart was still racing.
"Baa~~"
By the desk, the goat that always kept him company slowly walked over and lowered its head to chew on the paper scraps scattered on the floor.
"Eat up, eat up... clean it all up."
Sengoku looked at the goat and smiled bitterly.
Then he turned to Vice Admiral Tsuru, who was standing by the window and calmly washing a tea set.
"Tsuru, do you think I'm crazy? To actually go along with your nonsense and openly defy the World Government's orders."
"You're not crazy. You just did what a Fleet Admiral should do."
Tsuru did not turn around. She simply placed the washed teacups neatly on the tray.
"Besides, your speech just now was excellent. The Marines rarely agree this completely."
Sengoku put his glasses back on and straightened in his chair.
"That being said, openly defying the World Government's orders is definitely touching their absolute bottom line."
"Those five old men will never allow the Marines to slip out of their control. To them, maintaining the dignity of their rule is higher than anything else."
"If we can't give them a satisfactory explanation to prove that the consequences of challenging the Celestial Dragons' authority are miserable, then their next move won't just target Aiden."
"It will be a purge of the entire Marine Headquarters."
"Therefore, we need an excuse to calm their anger."
Tsuru turned around and placed a cup of hot tea in front of Sengoku.
"Aiden is a Rumble-Rumble Fruit user. This point is crucial."
"It's one of the strongest Logia fruits. If we execute him directly, the fruit will respawn in some unknown place, which poses a huge hidden danger to the World Government."
"The Five Elders know this better than we do. So from the very beginning, direct execution was never the best option."
Sengoku nodded.
"According to procedure, the best destination for a heavy criminal like this is Impel Down Level 6, never to see the light of day again."
"Exactly. That is the World Government's bottom line."
Tsuru pushed up her glasses.
"The Celestial Dragon is dead, and that is an irreversible fact. What the Five Elders want right now is an explanation, a story to silence the public and protect the status of the Celestial Dragons."
"As long as the outside world believes Aiden has received a punishment worse than death, their reputation will be saved."
"So, we can make a deal with them."
Tsuru walked over to the giant world map. She slowly ran her finger across the Red Line, past Marineford, and finally stopped at the entrance of the New World, on a dangerous sea area marked in red.
"We cooperate with the World Government's propaganda and publicly announce that Aiden has been locked up in Impel Down. We give them enough face."
"At the same time, we promise to strip Aiden of all honor and status, and exile him to the front line of the New World to deal with the most vicious pirates there."
Sengoku stared at the spot Tsuru pointed at on the map and slowly understood.
Right at that moment.
Buru buru buru— Buru buru buru—
On the desk, the Den Den Mushi that had been quiet suddenly rang sharply.
Sengoku and Tsuru exchanged a glance.
It was here.
Sengoku took a deep breath, adjusted his sitting posture, and changed his whole attitude.
The firm look he had shown in the meeting vanished, replaced by the helplessness of a man being cornered from all sides.
Clack.
The receiver was picked up.
The moment the call connected, Saint Topman Warcury spoke.
"Sengoku, your meeting over there should be over by now."
"When will that sinner Aiden be escorted over? CP0's ship is already on the way. You'd better have the person ready in advance."
Facing what sounded like a question but was clearly an order, Sengoku did not fire back like he had in the conference room.
Instead, he let out a heavy sigh before answering.
"Escorted over?"
"Lord Saint Topman Warcury... If I could hand him over, I would have done it already."
"But this time, the person... I really can't hand him over."
"What do you mean?"
"You have no idea how out of control the situation just got! My old bones almost died in that conference room!"
Sengoku began his performance.
"As soon as I brought out the document, that old guy Zephyr slammed the table and said if anyone dared touch his student, he would lead his students and charge out of Headquarters! He'd stop being a Marine!"
"And Sakazuki! Even though that stubborn mule got his arm broken by Aiden, he actually went crazy on the spot. He said this was the Marines' disgrace, and if I dared to sign that paper, he'd lead the entire radical faction to resign together and become pirate hunters!"
"The worst part is that old bastard Garp! He straight up flipped his desk and said Aiden is the future of the Marines, and whoever dared to touch Aiden, he would fight them to the death!"
Sengoku lowered his volume on purpose, as if people were eavesdropping nearby.
"Former Admiral Zephyr, Marine Hero Garp, plus Admiral candidate Sakazuki... That is three of the Marines' strongest names! Add the Vice Admirals who support Aiden..."
"My Lord, this kid Aiden's prestige in the Marines is simply too high!"
"If I force an arrest now, Marineford will split tonight! When the time comes and the Marines slaughter each other... no one will be left to police this sea!"
The other end of the line went silent.
As politicians who had played this game for centuries, how could the Five Elders not hear the excuse in Sengoku's words?
All this talk about "not being able to control them" and "Marineford splitting" was Sengoku refusing to hand Aiden over.
He was using the danger of a Marine rebellion to pressure the World Government.
But that was exactly what made it hard to deal with.
They could tell he was acting, but they could not ignore the result he was describing.
CP0's intelligence confirmed that this feeling really existed inside the Marines.
If they pushed too hard, Sengoku might actually let the situation spiral out of control.
"Enough, Sengoku."
Saint Topman Warcury cut him off.
"Don't think we can't tell you're acting. Using your subordinates as a shield, is this your method as Fleet Admiral?"
"But since you admit you can't control them, that only proves your incompetence, Sengoku!"
"We can switch you out for someone who can!"
The threat was clear.
Changing the commander was the greatest political humiliation for the head of any military branch.
Sengoku leaned back and stopped pretending to panic.
"Change commanders?"
"If the Five Elders have a suitable candidate who can immediately suppress Sakazuki's explosive temper, make Borsalino obediently listen, and also control that old rogue Garp..."
"Then please send them over right now."
"Facing this group of proud and unruly generals, I'm out of my depth anyway and was just thinking of stepping down for someone more capable."
The Five Elders on the other end were left speechless.
It had not been long since Sengoku took over this position after Fleet Admiral Kong was promoted to Commander-in-Chief.
Changing commanders again at this critical point would not only trigger severe turmoil within the Marines, but also send a signal of internal instability to the outside world.
Furthermore, although the Marines took orders from the Government, no one except Sengoku, the Resourceful General, could handle that complex web of factions and the personal wills of the strongest officers.
Anyone else would fail.
Seeing the other side stay silent, Sengoku dropped the shameless act and started throwing out his real cards.
"Five Elders, I am not threatening you. I am stating a dangerous fact. In the current situation, using force will only backfire."
"Moreover, there is an even more critical hidden danger that we must guard against."
Sengoku paused, then continued.
"You must know that what Aiden ate was the Rumble-Rumble Fruit."
"That is known as one of the strongest Logia fruits. If we execute him now, it means this fruit will respawn again in some unknown corner of the sea."
"The Great Pirate Era is already out of control right now. The layout of the New World is unsettled, and the Revolutionary Army is growing more active."
Sengoku lowered his volume again.
"What if... this fruit falls into the hands of some Great Pirate, or that Revolutionary Army?"
"A major enemy with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit's power, with light-speed mobility and enough destructive power to wipe out islands..."
"Compared to a Rear Admiral who made a mistake but at least still belongs to the Marines in name, which one is a bigger threat to the World Government?"
That was the part the Five Elders could not ignore.
The Five Elders certainly remembered the lessons from the God Valley Incident, and the disasters that happened when powerful fruits fell into the wrong hands.
A strategic-level weapon like the Rumble-Rumble Fruit would be a nightmare if it became uncontrollable.
After a long silence, Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro spoke from the other end.
"So your meaning is... we just let him off? Let him kill a Celestial Dragon and still get away with it?"
"Of course not!"
Sengoku immediately replied.
"Killing a World Noble is an unforgivable crime! How could we let him off? He must be severely punished! We must make him wish he was dead!"
"Then what is your plan?"
They had accepted the direction of the discussion.
Since they could not kill him because they feared losing the fruit, and they could not let him go because they feared damaging the Government's face, they would accept a compromise.
Sengoku glanced at Tsuru, took a deep breath, and followed the plan they had prepared.
"First, to maintain the World Government's face, Headquarters will immediately issue a public notice declaring that Aiden is stripped of all military ranks and duties, sentenced to life imprisonment, and immediately locked into Impel Down Level 6."
"Of course, this is only the public statement. In reality..."
"Second, we can make use of his remaining value. We will secretly exile Aiden to the Marines' absolute front line in the New World."
The breathing on the other end of the phone paused.
Sengoku continued at once.
"You all also know how turbulent the situation in the New World is right now. The power of the Great Pirates is rapidly expanding. That place is a real meat grinder, and countless Marines and pirates die every day."
"Throw Aiden into the G-5 Branch. Strip him of all command authority and let him fight those vicious New World pirates as an extra-staff member carrying a guilty sentence."
"This way, it maintains the Government's dignity, uses his remaining value to clean up pirates, and avoids the risk of the fruit leaking out."
"It solves three problems at once."
After saying this, Sengoku held his breath and waited for their answer.
Time passed minute by minute.
Every second felt painfully long.
Finally, Saint Topman Warcury spoke again. The anger from before was gone.
"The G-5 Branch... Hmph, that is indeed a fitting place for him."
"But!"
His next words cut straight through the room.
"Tell that brat, you all had better not try any other tricks."
"And remember to coordinate the propaganda work with CP0. The face of the World Government and the Celestial Dragons cannot be desecrated."
"Publicly, you must announce that he has been locked up in Impel Down. If even the slightest rumor leaks out and he is seen alive in public, Sengoku, no one will be able to protect you then."
Clack.
The phone hung up.
The busy signal echoed in the quiet office.
Sengoku's hand holding the receiver froze in midair.
He looked as if he had just gone through a hard battle. Then he collapsed back into his chair and let out a long breath.
"Huff..."
"These old men... Finally fooled them."
Tsuru walked over and poured him another cup of hot tea.
A faint smile appeared on her face.
"It's the best solution we could get."
...
Saint Topman Warcury slowly put down the receiver and leaned back in his chair.
"Just as expected."
He lightly tapped the desk with his fingers.
"That old thing Sengoku refused to hand over Aiden."
"This was all expected, wasn't it?"
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro wiped the blade of his Shodai Kitetsu.
"Aiden's reputation in the Marines is at its peak. He is the banner of the new Marine generation. If Sengoku really just happily handed him over, then we'd have to suspect there was some scheme."
"The current situation, although ugly, is still within manageable limits."
Saint Shepherd Ju Peter pushed up his glasses.
"And thanks to Sengoku for coming up with this compromise plan of exile."
"If the negotiation broke down just now and we had to use the Holy Knights to force an arrest at Marineford, triggering severe internal turmoil within the Marines, it would be a huge problem for the current world situation."
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro sheathed his sword.
"But no matter what, Lord Imu's will is above all. Aiden must absolutely be brought in."
"Since the open pressure was blocked, then let's carry out the real plan."
Saint Marcus Mars, who had been silent, looked up.
"Then send out Giant King Harald."
"Since Sengoku sent Aiden to the New World, let him wait there."
"When Aiden arrives in the New World, skip the Marines completely. Secretly capture him and bring him back to Pangaea Castle."
"As for the Marines..."
Saint Topman Warcury smiled.
"Since they are willing to help us announce that Aiden is locked in Impel Down, then when Aiden suddenly goes missing, they won't have anything to say either."
"After all, for a prisoner officially recognized as locked up in the sixth level of the great underwater prison, whatever happens to him in the New World concerns a man who should not officially exist."
The five old men standing at the peak of power exchanged a glance.
Then the room returned to silence.