"Zoro and Law managed to hold back Momousagi. They really have grown a lot," Carl commented generously.
"Actually, I was almost risking my life. That Great Swordsman's strength isn't something she can hide. The pressure she brought was far greater than that of the three Vice Admirals—Onigumo, Doberman, and Mole—combined!" Zoro said, instinctively pressing his shoulder. The wound there still ached.
Momousagi was undeniably strong. Anyone who could reach the level of an alternate Admiral, especially without a Devil Fruit power, was undoubtedly a magnificent swordsman. Even if she was inferior to Hawkeye Mihawk, her skill was enough to earn the respect of most swordsmen.
Of course, the Vice Admiral Chaton was also very strong. The only reason he was caught so easily this time was a mix of his underestimating Marie and Riki, and Marie taking full advantage of his personal feelings. Everyone knew Chaton was desperately in love with Momousagi, remaining devoted despite her many rejections. Marie's Dream Rainbow power had brought Chaton's wish to marry Momousagi to life. Even though the dream was fake, Chaton couldn't help but fall for it. If the target had been Momousagi herself, the dream scenario would have been different, and she probably would have escaped the colorful illusion much faster. It turned out that Marie and Riki had made the perfect choice when they decided to confront Chaton first.
Thinking back on the fight, Zoro couldn't help but feel a chill. If something had gone wrong, they truly could have been killed.
Zoro clenched the hilt of his sword and declared, "My strength is still too low. Teachers Luffy and Carl weren't here, and I couldn't be the leader the crew needed. I have to train much harder!"
His words made the others fall into silence.
Within the entire Straw Hat crew, Zoro was already the most dedicated to training, hands down. He had grown rapidly, but the gap between him and the Tier 4: Emperors and their top commanders was enormous. Closing that distance quickly, let alone surpassing them, was extremely difficult. Considering this, the level Zoro had already achieved was remarkable.
However, Zoro felt a deep sense of responsibility. He considered himself the third-strongest force in the Straw Hat Pirates. If Luffy and Carl were not present, he had to step up. If anything bad happened to the crew on his watch, he would certainly blame himself.
Carl simply patted Zoro's arm without saying a word. Zoro's sense of duty was a good thing, and Carl always viewed him as the unofficial Vice Captain. Since this self-blame would motivate Zoro to train even harder, Carl saw no reason to offer comforting words.
Sanji, who was standing nearby, didn't offer a rare rebuttal to Zoro's self-criticism. He was smoking with his head down, his expression hidden by the rising smoke, so no one could tell what he was thinking.
In truth, Sanji felt a deep sense of self-loathing. Even though he had eaten one of the strongest Logia-type Devil Fruits—the Goro Goro no Mi (Thunder-Thunder Fruit)—he still wasn't able to step up when it mattered, and his combat power was often stretched thin. When it came to responsibility, he felt completely overshadowed by Zoro. While Sanji had been feeling somewhat complacent about his new power, Zoro had already been carrying the burden of protecting the weaker members of the Straw Hats, which made Sanji feel deeply ashamed.
He knew he couldn't keep going like this. Not only would he risk being compared to the 'chrysanthemum head' (a jab at an inferior rival), but he might also get knocked off the official Straw Hat battle strength ranking entirely.
A sudden tension gripped Sanji. He was aware of the crew's running joke about Usopp, Little B (Chopper), and Jango competing for the fifth spot on the power list. But Sanji had always been supremely confident, believing he could never be compared to any of them. Now, looking closer, he realized everyone else was making positive, steady progress. He felt he hadn't advanced much since his initial massive power boost from eating the Thunder Fruit.
Sanji originally should have been ranked in the top three after gaining the Thunder Fruit's power, but now he seemed to have slipped all the way down to sixth place! Carl, Luffy, Zoro, Tranan, and Marie were securely in the top five. He was sixth, followed by Riki, Usopp, Little B, and Jango.
The pressure had just increased dramatically. It was absolutely impossible to continue like this. A fire surged in Sanji's heart, a sudden, powerful motivation to become stronger.
After dinner, Luffy went back to sleep. Carl relaxed on the deck, drinking tea with Robin and Marie. The others, perhaps spurred by Zoro's intense declaration, consciously began to practice. Even Franky, who didn't strictly need to 'train' in the traditional sense, dragged one of the newly captured Pacifista cyborgs onto the deck to study its structure and mechanics.
Everyone wanted to get stronger, and fast.
Meanwhile, back at Mariejois, the Holy Land, Admiral Ryokugyu's (Green Bull) face was flushed red. He met the gazes of the many high-ranking officials and struggled to find a way to defend himself.
The truth was that Ryokugyu had been the Commander-in-Chief during the Straw Hat Pirates' operation, and he himself had deployed the battle plan. In the end, he had fallen right into Carl's trap. Both he and Admiral Kizaru were immobilized by Carl, and because of that, Momousagi and Chaton never received a message from the Holy Land requesting backup. This allowed the Revolutionary Army's infiltration and operation to proceed smoothly.
It was unclear if it was a coincidence, but Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Vice Admiral Garp, and former Admirals Akainu and Aokiji all happened to be in the New World at the time, discussing matters of great importance. Additionally, Commander-in-Chief Kong had left Mariejois on urgent business, and most of the strong members of the CP organizations were also absent. It could be said that Mariejois was essentially an empty shell when the Revolutionary Army infiltrated.
However, whether it was a coincidence or not, Ryokugyu, as a Marine Admiral, had the responsibility of protecting the Holy Land. His failure to uphold this duty during a critical moment made his position utterly compromised. This time, no matter how hard he tried to shift the blame, the biggest failure rested squarely on his shoulders.
Sengoku and Kizaru couldn't help but feel a secret satisfaction. During the Marineford Summit War, Ryokugyu hadn't contributed significantly, and when the battle was lost, he had used his connections and political maneuvering to shirk responsibility. This had truly disgusted Sengoku and the other Marine executives. Now, retribution had come swiftly, and there was no way for him to avoid it. In short, he deserved it.
"This failure is my fault," Ryokugyu shouted, clenching his fists. "No matter how the High Command decides to handle this, I will not complain! But I ask for one more chance. I want to personally arrest Sabo, the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army, and recover the wealth stolen from Mariejois to regain my standing!"
"I will report this matter to the Five Elders, but I cannot guarantee the outcome," Commander-in-Chief Kong said, simply waving his hand.
This incident was too severe, even greater than Fisher Tiger's solo invasion of Mariejois years ago. If news of this failure were to leak, people would immediately believe the World Government was weak and the Revolutionary Army was gaining strength. This might motivate even more people to join the Revolutionary cause.
Moreover, this incident would set a terrible precedent. It was highly likely that Revolutionary armies worldwide would take advantage of this momentum to revolt, invade noble territories, and even overthrow the regimes of the World Government's allied kingdoms. That outcome would be catastrophic.
Thinking of this, Kong's expression became extremely grave.
He immediately issued a critical order: "Effective immediately, Mariejois is to be placed under full martial law. We must ensure the absolute safety of all Celestial Dragons. The Marine Army must take up this crucial task. The Marines must quickly build the new Marine Headquarters and use all their resources to maintain peace across the seas. Do not allow those with ill intentions to use this opportunity to create chaos!"
"Yes, Commander-in-Chief! Don't worry!" the high-ranking personnel immediately saluted and acknowledged the order.
However, Sengoku was not optimistic about the current situation on the seas. Due to the failure of the Summit War, the Marines' deterrent power had been severely weakened. Their headquarters had been destroyed, and the Marine forces had suffered heavy losses. It was simply impossible for them to maintain strict control over the Grand Line in the short term.
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