Chapter 26: An Unexpected Report
Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral's Office.
Sengoku sat behind his vast, paper-strewn desk, a cup of tea growing cold in his hands. Across from him, Admiral Kizaru lounged with his typical air of detached amusement, sipping his own drink. The atmosphere, however, was not relaxed.
"Sengoku-san, you seem… a bit on edge," Kizaru observed, his voice a slow drawl. "The rookies have some spark, sure, but with Brother Levi's capabilities, you really shouldn't anticipate any unpleasant surprises."
He didn't understand the Fleet Admiral's tension. Levi's raw power was a proven, frightening fact. A handful of overconfident Supernovas shouldn't pose a problem.
"It's not his strength I doubt," Sengoku muttered, staring into his tea as if it held portents. "It's his… judgment. This is his first official mission. The temper of youth, the lack of experience with the… intricacies of our world. If he were to encounter a Celestial Dragon there… premature exposure to certain realities might not be beneficial."
He was thinking of the absolute, grating privilege of the World Nobles. Of the explosive potential when untempered, immense power met infuriating, untouchable arrogance. Levi had shown a cynical, transactional view of his position. Would that hold if faced with the embodiment of the system he was supposedly serving? Sengoku had gambled on a simple, clean mission. Now, doubts gnawed at him.
Kizaru's eyebrows lifted slightly behind his yellow glasses. "Sengoku-san… could he actually be your… secret project? Illegitimate son, perhaps? All that 'uncontrolled power' last time… was it an act?"
The question was half in jest, but it held a kernel of genuine curiosity. Sengoku's paternalistic concern seemed disproportionate for a newly-minted Admiral, even a powerful one.
Sengoku shot him a withering look that quickly faded back into worry. "Don't be absurd. It's just… he's young. And you know how the Celestial Dragons can be. Even for someone of my… vintage… they can be trying. If he loses his temper…"
The unspoken consequence hung in the air: an Admiral clashing with a World Noble would be a political earthquake.
"You're making me nervous now, Sengoku-san," Kizaru said, though his tone remained languid. He took three deliberate sips of tea, as if to steady a non-existent tremor. The idea was far-fetched, but the potential fallout was catastrophic.
"I just hope he has a sense of discretion. He should. He must." Sengoku sighed, a heavy, world-weary sound. "It's my fault. I hardly know the boy. I've only managed to speak with him about ten times since he arrived at Headquarters. Ten times! It's not enough to gauge a man's character under pressure."
"Ten times?" Kizaru mused, a flicker of something like envy in his eyes. "When I was in the recruit training camp, I believe you graced us with your presence… once a year."
Sengoku waved a hand impatiently. "That's different. You were already a prodigy. A known quantity. Levi was… ordinary. Until he wasn't. And he's the last of my old comrade's line." He didn't add the rest—that for a man who had dedicated his life to the Marines, who had no family of his own, this unexpected, overpowering young man felt like a sudden, bewildering responsibility.
BANG!
The office door was thrown open with such force it rebounded off the wall. Sengoku's adjutant, a usually unflappable man, stood in the doorway, chest heaving, face pale.
"F-Fleet Admiral Sengoku! Major incident! A… a major incident has been reported from Sabaody!"
The man's panic was palpable, cutting through the office's tense atmosphere like a knife.
Sengoku's heart, already uneasy, seemed to stutter. His worst-case scenario flashed before his eyes—not a pirate battle, but a political cataclysm.
"Did… did a Celestial Dragon get struck by a Marine Admiral?!" The words burst from Sengoku before he could stop them, his worst fear given voice.
The adjutant froze, his mouth hanging open. The question was so bizarre, so specific, it derailed his panic entirely. "W-What? No, sir! That's not—"
Sengoku slumped back in his chair, a wave of profound, dizzying relief washing over him. "Oh. Good. That's… that's good." He took a shaky breath, collecting himself. A Fleet Admiral needed composure. He shot a glance at Kizaru, who had set his tea down and was now watching with focused interest.
"Explain yourself, Lieutenant," Sengoku said, his voice regaining its authority. "Barging in like this is unbecoming. Calm down and report. If it's not that, then what could possibly warrant this level of alarm?"
He reached for his teacup again, a gesture of normalcy. The Celestial Dragons were safe. Therefore, nothing else could be truly earth-shattering. Perhaps the Straw Hat had caused more damage than expected. Perhaps Garp's grandson had been captured—that would be a personal headache, but not a global crisis.
The adjutant straightened his jacket, took a deep breath to steady his nerves, and delivered his report with clipped, military precision.
"Fleet Admiral, Admiral Kizaru. Flash report from Sabaody Archipelago. The Vice-Captain of the former Roger Pirates, the legendary pirate known as 'Silvers Rayleigh' or the 'Dark King,' has been engaged and subsequently defeated in combat by Admiral Levi, codename 'Black Crow.' Rayleigh has been taken into custody. Repeat: Silvers Rayleigh is in Marine custody."
The world in Fleet Admiral Sengoku's office seemed to stop.
The teacup, halfway to Sengoku's lips, froze.
Kizaru's perpetual slouch vanished; he was upright, his glasses reflecting the light obscuring his eyes.
A beat of utter, disbelieving silence.
SPUTTER! Sengoku choked on the air itself, a fine spray of spit misting his desk. He stared at the adjutant, his eyes wide enough to see the whites all around.
Kizaru slowly lowered his own cup to its saucer. The soft clink was deafening in the quiet.
"What," Sengoku said, the word not a question but a flat, disbelieving statement, "did you just say?"
"The Right Hand of the Pirate King, Silvers Rayleigh," the adjutant repeated, his voice gaining strength with the sheer magnitude of the news. "Was apprehended by Admiral Levi on Sabaody Archipelago approximately twenty minutes ago. The confirmation signal from Vice Admiral Momousagi has been received and verified."
Sengoku was on his feet, palms flat on his desk, leaning forward. "Is this confirmed? Beyond any shadow of a doubt?!"
"Confirmed, sir. Multiple sources, including the Pacifista unit logs and Vice Admiral Momousagi's direct cipher."
Sengoku and Kizaru looked at each other. The calm, professional detachment they were known for had evaporated, replaced by pure, unvarnished shock.
Pluton Rayleigh. Captured.
The mission briefing flashed in Sengoku's mind: Apprehend the eleven Supernova captains. A clean, impressive debut.
Somehow, Levi had interpreted "Supernova" to include a living legend from the previous era.
And the most outrageous, impossible part… was that he had succeeded.
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