When he stopped five steps away from Sakazuki, Liver halted.
Thud!
Behind Liver, over a hundred Astartes of the Third Legion's Black Marlin Honor Guard, their power armor gleaming, came to an abrupt stop in perfect unison. The synchronized stomp resounded like thunder.
Several of them instantly raised high the battle standard representing the Astartes Third Legion, the Black Marlin. Beneath the golden double-headed aquila's talons, wreathed in olive branches, the hollow Roman numeral "Ⅲ" shone with striking brilliance.
In the next second, Liver inclined his upper body slightly forward and, from five steps away, extended his right hand.
The meaning was self-evident. Liver was forcing Sakazuki, as the representative of the Navy, to take the initiative and place himself in a subordinate position beneath him.
The weaker party—the one seeking aid—was the Navy faction and Sakazuki. There was no comparison between the victor and the one surrendering.
Whether in momentum or equipment, Liver's side held an absolute and overwhelming advantage.
Seeing this, Sakazuki's expression dimmed slightly, but the moment passed quickly. He took the initiative to close the five-step distance, came before Liver, and, in accordance with diplomatic courtesy, reached out to shake his hand.
There was nothing humiliating about it. The World Government was gone. The Navy was not some diehard loyalist determined to be buried alongside it.
As long as the Empire was not a band of pirates—even if its upper echelons were no better than the Celestial Dragons—Sakazuki did not care. As long as you provided military funding and allowed him to eradicate pirates, that was enough.
Moreover, judging from the disciplined bearing of Liver and his troops, the Imperial Army was clearly a formally trained force, drilled for years. They were not brigands.
This time, he had gambled correctly.
Sakazuki now felt fortunate that he had stubbornly held his ground before, defying the Five Elders' order to abandon the New World and withdraw the entire army to reinforce the Red Line. He had not been wrong.
"Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, will you not introduce the gentlemen behind you?" Liver withdrew his hand with a satisfied nod. His gaze shifted to the Navy officers behind Sakazuki, a faint smile curving his lips.
Among them, the one who particularly caught his attention was a tall, lanky man in a yellow-and-white striped suit, wearing sunglasses, his mouth crooked in a perpetual slant. A sleazy air seemed ingrained in his very bones.
For some reason, that inscrutable temperament only made Liver more curious.
Hearing the question, Sakazuki did not refuse. He nodded and began the introductions, gesturing to the man on his right.
"This is one of the three Admirals of Navy Headquarters—Borsalino, codename 'Kizaru.'"
"Commander Liver, a pleasure to meet you. The things you've brought with you are truly terrifying."
Now that Sakazuki's decision to change allegiance was essentially settled and this was their first meeting with their new superior, Borsalino refrained from joking around. He withdrew his hands from his trouser pockets and, for once, spoke in a relatively serious tone.
Even so, paired with Borsalino's face—which could not be called ugly, only exceedingly awkward—it still felt oddly out of place.
"Terrifying? What an interesting choice of words. A pleasure to meet you as well, Borsalino."
"Ahem..."
Sakazuki coughed lightly and shot Borsalino a subtle glare. If you cannot speak properly, then do not speak at all.
He then gestured to the man beside him.
"This is Issho, one of the three Admirals of Navy Headquarters. Codename 'Fujitora.'"
His height was close to the average Astartes, around 270 centimeters. With short black hair and a ring of beard around his mouth, he held a cane-sword in hand and kept his eyes closed. An X-shaped scar stretched across his forehead, extending over both eyes.
He wore a light purple kimono tied with a black-purple sash, a Navy coat draped over his shoulders with a purple lining, a purple scarf wrapped around his neck, white hand guards, bandages around his arms, and wooden sandals on his feet.
He looked like a wandering ronin.
"Commander Liver, I am Issho."
"Mm. Admiral Issho..." Liver inclined his head in acknowledgment before asking curiously, "Why do you keep your eyes closed, Sir Issho?"
"Ah, because I am blind."
As he spoke, Issho opened his eyes, revealing only the whites.
"Blind, is it? If we can become warriors who bathe together in the radiance of the God-Empress, restoring your sight would be quite simple."
With that, Liver shifted his gaze away from Issho.
"Vice Admiral and Chief of Staff—Tsuru."
An elderly yet kindly woman, wearing a Vice Admiral's coat and her graying hair tied in a simple shoulder-length ponytail. Though aged, she did not appear frail. Her height was 204 centimeters.
"Vice Admiral and Admiral candidate—Gion, codename 'Momousagi.'"
Black hair, a beauty mark beneath her lip, a pink short top, and a spider tattoo on her fair thigh.
"Vice Admiral and Admiral candidate—Tokikake, codename 'Chaton.'"
His appearance was somewhat awkward. Dressed in an earthy yellow casual outfit and wooden clogs, he looked like an old farmer.
"Vice Admiral—Momonga."
A striking dark-purple mohawk and long hair, a mustache shaped like the character for eight, and a light purple pinstriped suit.
"Vice Admiral—Onigumo."
He wore a helmet engraved with a twin-dragon emblem, his expression fierce, dressed in a gray suit.
"Vice Admirals—Doberman, Strawberry, Dalmatian, Bastille..."
...
Such a detailed introduction of his officers—was he laying all his cards on the table to secure better terms for the Navy's reorganization within the Empire?
Liver pondered silently.
"After such thorough introductions, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, will you not invite me to sit and discuss your reorganization in detail?"
"My apologies. Please."
Stepping aside to open the path toward the conference room within the fortress, Sakazuki extended his palm upward and took the lead.
"Afuu, bring a squad. The rest remain here."
"Yes!"
Liver headed directly toward the Navy Headquarters conference room. Along the way, none of the Navy soldiers dared obstruct them. Each appeared tense and uneasy.
Upon entering the conference room and following Sakazuki's lead, Liver took a seat directly opposite him.
At the center of the room, aside from the seagull-and-scales emblem representing the Navy, the black five-pointed cross symbol of the World Government still remained.
Without hesitation, Liver raised his right hand, upon which he wore the Teigu Water Dragon Possession · Black Marlin.
"Turbid Flow Spear."
Pshhh—Slash!
Water manifested from thin air. Under high-pressure abrasion, both the World Government's emblem and the Navy's insignia were instantly scoured away by the torrent. Yet the surface of the conference table itself remained completely undamaged, revealing Liver's astonishingly precise control.
He did not stop there.
With movements as gentle and refined as a conductor guiding an orchestra, the bloodstains left behind from the slain CP0 agents were drawn forth, flowing together and spreading across the center of the table.
Gradually, they formed the blood-red emblem of the Empire's double-headed aquila.
This display left Onigumo and several other officers—who had instinctively drawn their swords—stunned into silence.
"Sheathe your weapons. Sit down."
Lifting his firm face from beneath the brim of his Navy cap, Sakazuki spoke in a low, commanding voice.
"The World Government has already fallen. Now, it is time to decide the future of all Navy officers and soldiers. Your thoughts?"
As Sakazuki's words fell, everyone sheathed their weapons and sat back down. No one responded. Silence hung heavy in the conference room, steeped in a palpable sense of decline.
"Sakazuki, if the news of the World Government's destruction is accurate, then I have no objection to changing allegiance. After all, with so many people in Navy Headquarters, our stockpile of living supplies will last less than three months."
"Without a powerful central government to provide military funding and logistical support, an organization of the Navy's scale simply cannot exist independently," Tsuru said.
Just how strong had the World Government been? Few could truly answer that question.
It had stood firm in this world for eight hundred years. There was reason for that.
And yet, after eight centuries of development, the World Government—whose absolute status none could shake—had been completely annihilated within mere days under the Empire's assault.
This...
Though it was called a meeting, in truth the Navy had only one choice: surrender to the Empire. Becoming pirates and plundering was unthinkable. Defecting to the Revolutionary Army was even more impossible—they simply did not have the capacity to absorb Navy Headquarters.
At that moment—
Tap, tap, tap.
Liver lightly knocked his fingers against the table, drawing everyone's attention. His ten fingers interlocked as they rested on the tabletop.
"A wise choice. Had you chosen to resist to the bitter end, orbital cannons from our battleships would already be descending here today."
"You!"
At those words, not only the hawkish officers but even several doves stood up in anger.
"Sit down! One more offense—and you're all out!"
Gurgle—
The sulfurous scent of magma instantly filled the conference room.
"Spine. Good. If you were all cowards, I would look down on you instead," Liver said calmly, still seated, his expression unchanged.
"Speak. State your conditions for surrender. Or ask your questions. This is the preferential treatment the Empire grants to those who recognize the times."
Unexpectedly, the previously silent Issho spoke.
"What connection does the God-Empress and Creator you speak of have with the so-called descendants of gods—the Celestial Dragons? And is the Empire truly the organization you represent?"
Casting Issho a faintly displeased glance, Sakazuki said nothing and instead looked toward Liver, adding,
"Commander Liver, the troops stationed at Sabaody Archipelago and on the Red Line do not appear to be the same unit as those under your command..."
"Different paint schemes, you mean?" Liver interrupted bluntly. Seeing Sakazuki nod, a mysterious smile curved his lips.
"The conquest campaign of your world was originally the responsibility of Sanguinius and the Blood Angels of the Ninth Legion."
"I belong to the Astartes Third Legion—the Black Marlin. We are a strategic support force. It seems Her Majesty's patience has grown thin, so I led part of my forces here to supervise and urge them on."
"The Empire—the Holy Selene Empire—is a divine realm ruled by Her Majesty! As for the Celestial Dragons you mentioned, I have read my subordinates' reports. A bunch of bloated, misshapen aberrations—and they dare call themselves descendants of gods? Them?"
Liver spoke with disdain.
Recalling the grotesque appearances of the Celestial Dragons and the reports compiled after soul-searching interrogations, Liver felt his brain tremble. He muttered under his breath.
"If Her Majesty knew she had such self-proclaimed 'kin,' she would surely be disgusted..."
"'The conquest of this world.' 'The Ninth Legion, Blood Angels.' 'Her Majesty.' 'Supervision'..." Sakazuki repeated the key phrases from Liver's words, staring at him intently.
A power never before heard of. Warfare utterly incompatible with this world. Technology far beyond its level of development...
Combined with Liver's explanation, a possibility suddenly flashed through Sakazuki's mind—one he found difficult to believe.
"You are visitors from beyond the stars!"
"Ah. A sharp guess. Sanguinius refrained from large-scale orbital bombardment because he did not wish to cause excessive damage to this beautiful yet fragile world. The true fleet has not even entered your borders."
Then Liver's tone shifted. A faint purple-red glow flickered in his eyes.
"Enough. The question period is over."
"Now give me a definitive answer. Will you surrender—or not?"
"We surrender."
"Oh?" Liver arched a brow. "So decisive?"
"Because we have no other choice. A maritime blockade alone would suffocate us. Without supplies, the Navy cannot endure. Hunting Sea Kings would only buy time."
After several seconds of silence, Sakazuki suddenly stood.
He removed the Navy cap he had worn for decades and stepped forward, offering it to Liver.
"Though the defeated have no right to make demands, I still hope the Empire will treat the Navy well. As for me, I have no particular requirements. As long as I may continue eradicating pirates, that is enough."
Taking the cap, Liver rose as well, granting him due respect. In Sakazuki, he saw echoes of his own former vigor—before Honest had framed him.
"The Empire treats all loyalists well. Your request is clearly written in the Imperial Conquest and Surrender Regulations."
Studying the cap in his hand, Liver spoke thoughtfully.
"As for your wish—it is unlikely to be fulfilled."
"Unlikely? Why?" Sakazuki's brows knit tightly. He enunciated each word through clenched teeth as the scent of sulfur began to rise from him once more.
"Because piracy is about to vanish. Sanguinius has already advanced into the New World to conduct the final encirclement and extermination campaign."
"I see."
The surging magma subsided.
Sakazuki looked at Liver solemnly.
"Commander Liver, may I request an audience... with Her Majesty?"
"Why would you entertain such a thought?"
Liver did not refuse outright. He narrowed his eyes and studied Sakazuki for a long moment before finally producing his own Honkai Cube.
"Your Majesty, Liver requests an audience."
...
Honkai Dimension, Imperial Capital, Grand Imperial Palace, Schönbrunn Palace.
Within the projection, Astartes clad in purple and red livery ravaged the Grand Line. Countless pirates, the moment they heard the thunderous roar of bolter fire, saw their morale collapse. Chainswords tore them apart with effortless brutality.
"It's already entering the final phase. Good. That fellow Liver has finally shown some drive... Hmm, let me see what Arisa is up to."
The image shifted.
A vast expanse of azure filled the screen. A massive island composed of vibrant coral reefs and seashells came into Selene's view.
"Fish-Man Island?"
She rushed there so eagerly—don't tell me she really went to catch mermaids...
Beep, beep, beep...
Following the sound, Selene turned her gaze to the nearby desk, where a purple-red cube trembled lightly.
"Judging by the communication frequency... is that Liver?"