Three Days Later — Marineford Naval Base
The World Government's lavish ship glided into Marineford's harbor with slow, deliberate grace.
At the prow, Figarland Garling Saint stood tall, his crimson cloak rippling in the wind. His eyes narrowed as he surveyed the entire Marine Headquarters. Something didn't feel right.
The harbor was… empty. No docked warships, no Marines lined up to greet him. Not even a ceremonial guard.
"Hmph. Has the Navy completely disregarded the World Government?" one of the three white-masked CP0 agents accompanying him muttered, irritation lacing his tone.
"Utterly disrespectful!" another snapped. "How dare these mere Marines slight Garling Saint-sama?"
Garling Saint only let out a cold, mirthless laugh. The wind toyed with his crimson cloak as he surveyed the silent docks.
"Interesting…" he murmured, a faint curve lifting the corners of his lips.So, the Marines wanted a declaration of war.
The four of them disembarked, stepping onto Marineford's soil.The harbor remained desolate, only a few dead leaves scuttling in the wind.They walked along the central avenue. The buildings were still magnificent, but the streets were deserted.
"This is… off," whispered one CP0 agent. "The Marines can't all have retreated. Are they planning something?"
"Planning?" Garling Saint scoffed, dismissive. "Pathetic."
He led the group forward, through the main thoroughfare of the Marine Headquarters, finally arriving at the central plaza. And there they halted.
At the plaza's center stood a lone figure, back to them, a justice-themed black-trimmed cloak snapping in the wind.
Slowly, the figure turned, revealing a face that bore a teasing, confident smile.
"The commander of the God's Knights… Figarland Garling Saint," Gern Reginald Sigmar tilted his head, voice playful."Come to the Navy Headquarters… do you have orders?"
Garling Saint's eyes narrowed to knives. His voice was low, cold, and deliberate."Gern Reginald Sigmar. You attacked the Celestial Dragons in the Sabaody Archipelago, grievously wounding a World Noble. Your crimes are unforgivable."
He raised a hand, fingertip pointed directly at Gern."By order of the World Government… I will take you to Maryjois immediately to face judgment."
The three CP0 agents stepped forward in perfect unison, an overwhelming aura of lethal intent radiating from them as if they were about to strike at any moment.
Gern laughed, full-throated and unrestrained."Hahaha… Judgment?" His shoulders shook with laughter, as if the words themselves were the universe's grandest joke.
"What are you laughing at?!" one CP0 snapped.
Gern's laughter died instantly. His eyes turned ice-cold."I'm laughing… because I think you've misunderstood something."
He slowly raised his hand. An invisible, vibrating particle field formed in his palm.
"This is… the Navy Headquarters."
BOOM!
The shockwave rippled outward across the plaza. Air cracked like spiderwebs, chunks of stone flying in all directions.
Garling Saint merely shifted his stance slightly. His rapier slid from its scabbard in a flash, slicing the approaching shockwave cleanly in half.
"Heh," he sneered, blade tip aimed at Gern. "You really think an attack of this magnitude could threaten me?"
Gern's smile turned dangerous."Of course not."
THUD… THUD… THUD…
Suddenly, the echoing, synchronized steps of countless Marines sounded from every direction.
The vanished soldiers reappeared, emerging in perfect formation from every surrounding building. Like a torrent of steel, they encircled the plaza, transforming it into an immense arena.
Fleet Admiral Kong stood on the high platform, arms crossed, gaze piercing and unyielding. Below him, Sengoku stood on the right, Zephyr on the left, and Garp grinned wide in the center, fists cracking with barely-contained tension.
"What…?!" The pupils behind the CP0 masks constricted sharply.
"Welcome to Marineford!" Gern spread his arms, a wide grin lighting his face."If you want to 'judge' me… why not first ask the hundred thousand Marines here if they agree!"
The plaza erupted. A roar of justice thundered like a tsunami, vibrating through the air, shaking the ground.
Garling Saint's expression finally tightened. He met the gazes of the three atop the platform—especially Zephyr and Garp—who radiated the readiness to strike at any moment.
"Damn…" Garling Saint's brow furrowed. He realized he wouldn't be taking this man alive.
Thinking quickly, he scanned the crowd with Observation Haki and spotted Lipo, her wide-eyed innocence shining in the mass of Marines.
"A junior officer can't match Tenshin… the Navy likely won't intervene."
Garling Saint's command was immediate."By order of the World Government, target revised. Arrest Marine Headquarters Lieutenant Lipo Hope!"
"Understood!" The three CP0 agents moved without hesitation. In a blink, they closed the distance to Lipo, their forms leaving afterimages too fast for the naked eye.
The lead agent's fingers formed into claws, ready to seize Lipo's delicate neck.
"Ahlala…" a lazy voice cut through the tension.
Kuzan appeared like a phantom. One hand in his pocket, the other casually resting on the CP0 agent's shoulder.
"Touch her, and I won't know how to face my friend ever again."
In an instant, a piercing chill erupted. The CP0 agent froze mid-lunge, his entire body encased in ice, expression locked in eternal shock beneath his mask.
The remaining two CP0 agents panicked, splitting left and right.One aimed a finger-gun at Lipo's temple, the other swung a crescent kick toward her waist.
"MEIGOU!" A crimson lava fist smashed into the right-side agent, tearing through his chest.
Simultaneously, a golden leg whirled with preternatural speed like a war-axe, striking the left-side agent's back.
"Tsk tsk tsk," Borsalino murmured, pushing up his sunglasses. "First time I've ever kicked a CP0."
BOOM! CRASH!
The two top-tier World Government agents didn't even have time to scream. They flew like ragdolls into distant walls.
Sakazuki's lava flowed across the ground, Borsalino's golden light still shimmered, and Kuzan's frost crept across the plaza, converging at Garling Saint's feet.
The future three Admirals formed a triangle, Lipo safely at the center. The oppressive aura was so overwhelming that the air itself seemed to freeze.
Garling Saint's pupils trembled as he stared at the three figures shielding Lipo with absolute dominance.
"Sakazuki… Kuzan… Borsalino…"
At this moment, the Navy's top-tier forces were nearly fully assembled.
"Th-this…" Garling Saint's voice faltered as his gaze flicked to Fleet Admiral Kong."Kong… are the Marines… rebelling?!"
"Heh…" Kong lowered his gaze, a cold smile playing across his lips. He swept the crowd, finally settling on Gern."Garling Saint, you can eat anything you want, but words… words are not to be spoken carelessly.Rebellion? Today is the Navy's special tenth-anniversary event! And by coincidence… you showed up. So…"
Gern's lips curved into a dangerous grin, picking up Kong's words."Consider this… a welcome ceremony… just for you!" He slowly raised his hand, the black blade Eight Horizons pointing directly at Garling Saint.
Garling Saint's rapier trembled ever so slightly. He swallowed his unease, attempting one last negotiation.
"Gern, if you hand her over… your actions will not be pursued further by the World Government. Maryjois only seeks an explanation. She's merely a Fur Kingdom citizen! Hand her to the Rosward family, and everything will settle. Or… I can arrange a replacement Fur citizen…"
BOOM!!!
A tsunami of Conqueror's Haki erupted, so immense it could tear the sky asunder, crushing all around without reserve.
The plaza floor fractured, and the air screamed under the unbearable pressure.
Garling Saint's pupils shrank to pinpoints. Cold sweat cascaded from his brow.
"This… Haki…" He gasped. Even as the commander of the God's Knights, he struggled to breathe under its intensity.
"And that blade…" Garling Saint's gaze locked on the black sword, wrapped in violet-black lightning. Memories flashed back to the blood-red dusk on God's Island.
"Could it… be… the same man's…"
"Hey, Figarland Garling Saint," Gern's voice cut through the air, low and lethal, each word dripping with frost and malice.
The Eight Horizons black blade was fully unleashed. Its ancient runes writhed as if alive. Violet-black lightning twisted the space around it.
"Lipo is someone I brought out from the Fur Kingdom. She calls herself a partner of justice. You dare insult her with your filthy words again… and I will leave you here… permanently!"
With that, a Conqueror's Haki so potent it could tear the heavens erupted in full force, enveloping the entire plaza in a tangible, crushing storm.