Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office, the atmosphere was oppressive.
Commander-in-Chief Kong and Admiral Sengoku were massaging their temples with headaches.
Piled high on the desk were documents, each representing a serious incident that would leave the commander of an ordinary base overwhelmed.
Kaido had gone to another kingdom to "attempt suicide" and ended up destroying a city in the process.
Charlotte Linlin had sent out death invitations for her tea party again, and some unlucky king was about to suffer.
The seas of this era were like a giant powder keg, and the Navy was the firefighter rushing everywhere to put out the flames, yet they were perpetually short-handed.
"Sigh, that bastard Garp has disappeared again…"
Kong sighed wearily, picking up the hot tea from his desk.
Just then.
Bang!
The office door was violently flung open.
A messenger scrambled in, his face a mix of terror and ecstasy.
"F-Fleet Admiral Kong! Major incident! A world-shaking event!"
"Calm down!"
Kong frowned, the imposing aura of the Navy's highest commander radiating from him.
"Speak! Has the sky fallen?"
"It's… it's even more unbelievable than the sky falling!"
The messenger trembled as he raised a small Video Transponder Snail.
"Y-you have to see this!"
Skeptical, Kong took it and pressed play.
The screen flickered.
When the battlefield, resembling the apocalypse, and the figure kneeling in disarray amidst the ruins at its center appeared—
Clatter!
The teacup slipped from Kong's hand, shattering on the hard floor.
Scalding tea splashed onto his trousers, but he didn't even notice.
He stood frozen in place as if struck by lightning.
The muscles on his normally stern and solemn face twitched uncontrollably.
"R-Roger?"
His voice was hoarse, filled with disbelief.
And when Kane's young face, smeared with "blood," filled the entire screen, and he shouted to the world in a raspy yet immensely powerful voice, "The chaos of the seas… must end!"—
Kong shot to his feet!
With such force that he even knocked over the Fleet Admiral's chair behind him, the symbol of supreme authority!
"Kane?!!"
Impossible!
Absolutely impossible!
That was Gol D. Roger!
The rival he, along with Garp, Sengoku, and himself, had fought for half a lifetime! The man standing at the pinnacle of this era!
Arrested single-handedly?
What kind of international joke was this!
Just as Kong's mind went blank and his worldview teetered on the brink of collapse, an earth-shaking roar of laughter suddenly erupted outside the office.
"WAHAHAHAHAHA!"
Boom!
The sturdy wall was smashed open, creating a huge hole as rubble flew everywhere.
Garp, his mouth stuffed with rice crackers, strode in through the hole, carrying a giant bag of rice crackers in one hand and waving a newspaper in the other.
"Kong! Sengoku! Did you see it! Did you see it!"
Garp's face was flushed with excitement, spittle flying as he roared.
"That kid Kane! He actually caught Roger! WAHAHAHA! Well done! Truly worthy of the man I've got my eye on!"
"Garp! Shut your mouth!"
Kong roared, forcing his brain to start working again.
He snatched the newspaper from Garp's hands.
It was an emergency special edition issued by the World Economic Journal, with a shocking headline.
The King's Fall, The Birth of a God! Marine Hero Kane Ends the Great Pirate Era Alone!
The newspaper featured a massive photo of Kane leaning on his sword, with Roger kneeling behind him and Rayleigh's fleeing figure in the distance, delivering an unparalleled visual impact.
"Something's not right..."
The ever-silent strategic genius Sengoku stared intently at the photo, his eyes sharp as an eagle's.
"This is very wrong."
"What's wrong with it?" Garp stuffed another handful of rice crackers into his mouth, mumbling indistinctly. "It just means that kid Kane is even stronger than we imagined! A complete monster!"
"This isn't about strength!" Sengoku growled. "It's a matter of logic! We know better than anyone what Roger's capabilities are! Even if he were terminally ill, it's impossible for one person to defeat him so quickly and in this manner!"
He pointed at the ruins in the photo.
"Look at this battlefield. This level of destruction requires Calamity-level power. Kane's Devil Fruit ability is strong, but..."
"But what?"
A powerful voice came from the doorway.
Admiral "Black Arm" Zephyr stood there, having arrived unnoticed.
His expression was a mix of a teacher's pride and a trace of unconcealable worry.
"I think nothing is impossible."
Zephyr slowly walked into the office.
"That boy's growth rate has defied logic since the very first day he entered the training camp."
"Perhaps we have all underestimated him."
By now, the entire Marine Headquarters had erupted into chaos.
Countless Marine soldiers rushed out of their barracks and flooded the square, hysterically shouting "Kane's" name, waving their fists, tears of excitement streaming down their faces.
The capture of the Pirate King was an unprecedented, monumental victory for them!
It was the loudest, most inspiring declaration of "Justice"!
...
Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
Pangaea Castle, Hall of Power.
Five elders standing at the pinnacle of the world's power gazed at the massive screen of the Video Transponder Snail before them.
Even the air in the Hall of Power seemed to have shed its usual heaviness, becoming lighter.
On the screen was the frozen image of Kane's blood-stained, righteous face and his deafening line.
"Pfft..."
Saint Saturn, the Science and Defense God with long white curly hair, let out an uncontrollable snicker, his cane tapping a cheerful rhythm on the carpet.
"He acts so convincingly..."
"If I hadn't seen that greedy look on his face, even I might have believed this nonsense about 'Justice.'"
"Hahaha, but this is exactly the 'hero' we need."
The giant blond Saint Peter sipped his red tea, a smile curling at the corner of his mouth, filled with contentment and control.
"Even if his mind is full of Berry and power, he can shout himself hoarse for the greater good."
"A smart man like this, with both strength and an understanding of the rules, is ten thousand times more useful than stubborn fools like Sengoku and Zephyr who have nothing but 'Justice' in their heads."
"Ten billion Berry."
The Legal Military God, Marcus Mars, leaned back on the sofa, his fingers lightly stroking his chin, his tone playful.
"We only gave him an annual operating budget of ten billion, and he delivered Roger to us as a grand gift."
The bald Financial War God, Saint Nusjuro, who held the First Generation Ghost Cutter, now had a slightly subdued sharpness in his eyes.
He adjusted his glasses, scrutinizing Kane's figure on the screen.
"The power of the Storm Fruit has indeed been developed to a fearsome extent... One could even say that if this power were in someone else's hands, it would be a tremendous problem."
"But precisely because it is Kane who wields this power, it has become our good fortune."
Saint Nusjuro's tone shifted, carrying an absolute arrogance that seemed to control everything.
"The more powerful a weapon, the more it needs an obvious weakness."
"And this kid's weaknesses are far too apparent—greed, ambition, and a pathological craving for power."
"As long as we remain in these positions, as long as we can give him what he desires, this sharp blade will serve us with unwavering loyalty."
"Exactly."
Marcus Mars nodded, a gleam of shrewdness flashing in his eyes.
"If he wants fame and status, then give them to him."
"Pass down the order."
The Financial War God, Saint Zumbal V. Nusjuro, made the final decision, his voice resounding through the Hall of Power.
"Let that old man Kong personally go and welcome our hero."
"Make the spectacle as grand as possible. Let the entire world see just how glorious it is to remain loyal to the World Government!"
"Additionally, preparations for the public execution of Gol D. Roger can now begin."
"Since Kane's blade is so effective, we shall use the blood of the Pirate King to sharpen it!"
"And in doing so... usher in a new era of Absolute Justice, entirely under our control!"
...
Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral Office.
An encrypted Den Den Mushi rang abruptly. Kong answered, and from the other end came the steady voice of the Five Elders—one he dared not disobey.
After the call ended.
Kong trembled with excitement, his entire body shaking slightly.
The Navy desperately needed this victory!
The Great Pirate Era represented by Roger had brought the Navy's prestige to an all-time low.
Now, with Kane capturing Roger, this was more than just an achievement!
It was the most potent shot of adrenaline for the Navy's low morale!
Kong turned sharply to face everyone in the office.
"Prepare the highest-level welcoming ceremony. I will personally go to the port to welcome our hero's return!"
His voice carried a barely suppressed excitement and fervor.
"Also, notify everyone immediately to prepare for the promotion ceremony!"
"The sea needs a new hero, a new... supreme combat force!"
"The Navy!"
"Will have its third Admiral!"
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