Boom!
Akainu slammed his right fist onto the desk, molten heat scorching the surface as his fury erupted.
"Damn it. Rolan escaped just like that."
Fleet Admiral Sengoku let out a long sigh. "Sakazuki, I understand your anger. But Rolan has become an opponent that cannot be handled by brute force alone."
To Sengoku, it felt as though Rolan had descended into the world of One Piece without warning. Every tactic the Marines had refined over decades had proven useless against him.
In just one year at sea, Rolan had risen to the pinnacle of power. He had defeated Marine Admirals, crushed the alliance of Big Mom and Kaido, and disrupted the balance of the seas.
Even Sengoku, a veteran strategist, found himself without a reliable solution.
At this stage, the only option was patience, a carefully constructed trap, and flawless timing.
"But if all four of us had chased him," Akainu growled, "we could have taken Rolan down."
He did not bother hiding his dissatisfaction with Sengoku's decision.
Sengoku tapped his index finger against the desk, a dull thump echoing in the room, a habit he had whenever matters slipped beyond control.
"Based on your reports," Sengoku said slowly, "Rolan's speed is second only to Borsalino's. That means only Borsalino could keep up with him."
Crack.
Akainu bit down on his cigar, snapping it cleanly in half. His gaze burned as he turned toward Kizaru.
"Borsalino. If you had followed him and delayed him for even ten seconds, we would have caught up."
Kizaru calmly put away his nail clippers, his usual lazy expression unchanged. "That's asking too much. I've dealt with Rolan more than anyone here. I'll be honest, I don't believe I could hold him for even ten seconds."
Akainu clenched his fist, magma dripping as it burned a hole through the desk.
"It's because of people like you that the Marines are disgraced," he snapped. "If everyone acted like this, how would we enforce justice?"
Aokiji finally spoke, his tone cool. "Sakazuki, don't exaggerate. If it were you, how long do you think you could hold him?"
Akainu turned his head away, silent.
Aokiji gestured toward Akainu's empty sleeve. "He took your arm."
Akainu flexed his remaining hand, phantom pain flaring through his body. That wound had been carved into him by Rolan, and he would remember it forever.
"This was a necessary sacrifice for justice," Akainu said coldly. "If we had pursued him together, even losing another arm would have been worth it."
Aokiji snorted. "With your recklessness, losing an arm would have been the least of your problems."
"What did you say, Kuzan?" Akainu roared. "If it weren't for your hesitation, we would have captured Rolan long ago."
Before the argument escalated, Sengoku raised his voice. "Enough. Both of you, stop."
Akainu shot Aokiji a final glare before standing abruptly and storming out.
Staff Officer Tsuru sighed, rubbing her temples. No one commented. This was simply how Akainu was.
"Rolan has become a true destabilizing force," Tsuru said quietly. "If we had eliminated him earlier, we wouldn't be facing this situation."
"Hahahaha," Garp's voice echoed through the room. "Tsuru, you know Borsalino was the first to act against him. And what happened? Even he couldn't do a thing."
Tsuru's expression darkened. "No one expected a teenager to possess such power. Back then, he was just a bounty hunter, with no clear pirate inclination."
Sengoku spoke again, his voice heavy. "Every operation against Rolan was given the highest priority. Yet he's not just strong, he's elusive. Like a loach, impossible to catch."
The room fell silent.
Rolan had humiliated the Marines repeatedly, something few individuals in history had ever accomplished.
Worse still, he possessed technology capable of lifting islands into the sky. If he chose not to appear, the Marines had no way to force a confrontation.
Unless they lured him out.
A Den Den Mushi suddenly rang.
Sengoku exhaled slowly. He already knew who it was.
The moment he answered, a furious voice roared out. "Sengoku. What are the Marines doing? You can't even capture one Rolan?"
Everyone frowned, except Garp.
Sengoku remained silent.
"Find a way to capture Rolan immediately," the voice continued. "Or you won't remain Fleet Admiral."
The call ended.
…
Alabasta.
On the stone paved avenue leading toward the port, a blue haired girl rode atop a massive black duck, moving at full speed.
"Karoo, hurry," Vivi urged. "Lord Rolan will arrive soon."
"Karoo!"
Princess Vivi leaned forward, eyes filled with anticipation.
Two hundred meters behind her, a man with short dark tea green hair rode calmly atop a camel, wearing a reddish brown long coat as he followed at a measured pace.
High above the sea, within Alabasta's airspace, Rolan halted his floating island at an altitude of ten thousand meters, roughly five kilometers away.
The moment the island stopped, everyone felt it.
"Lord Rolan," Umon Belu asked, "are we above Alabasta now?"
Rolan nodded. "We are. If I lower the island now, it will rise again tomorrow. For now, endure it. We leave for the New World tomorrow."
Umon Belu and the Queen exchanged glances before answering in unison. "We follow Lord Rolan's decision."
For them, whether the island floated in the sky or rested at sea made little difference.
Rolan took Nami's hand without ceremony, and the two vanished from the main hall.
Umon Belu watched quietly.
"It seems following Lord Rolan was the right choice," the Queen said softly.
In just half a day, their impression of Rolan had shifted completely.
He did not behave like someone his age. His insight into governance and the wider world was unsettlingly deep, as though shaped by countless lifetimes.
Despite being the strongest man in the world of One Piece, he never acted domineering or theatrical.
Calm. Detached. In control.
Handing the Saint Kar Kingdom to him had been a forced decision.
Now, it seemed like the best decision they had ever made.
Far better than submitting to the World Government.
____
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