Sunlight streamed through the towering floor-to-ceiling windows lining the corridors of Marineford, stretching the shadows of two figures long across the polished floor.
Gern Reginald Sigmar walked side by side with Garp, both hands tucked casually into his pockets, the black blade Bahuang secured at his waist. Their military boots struck the floor in crisp, rhythmic echoes as they headed toward the conference room.
"Vice Admiral Garp," Gern suddenly lowered his voice, a mischievous glint flashing in his eyes, the unmistakable spark of gossip.
"Do you think that guy Roger… might actually be the type who likes older bulls munching on young grass?"
Gern wasn't pulling the idea out of thin air—after all, Roger and Rouge were people from entirely different generations.
"Older bulls munching on young grass?!"Garp burst out laughing, his booming voice reverberating down the hallway, nearly causing a passing Marine clerk to drop the stack of documents in their arms.
"Hahaha! That's a good one—really nailed it!"
"But you, brat!" Garp slapped Gern hard on the back, the force nearly sending him stumbling."When did you get so damn gossipy, huh?!"
"Still," Garp continued, leaning in conspiratorially, lowering his voice,"that reminds me of something interesting."
He drew closer, eyes gleaming. "You know Gloriosa from the Kuja Pirates, right?"
"Of course," Gern raised an eyebrow. "Back in the Rocks era, they were basically idol-level pirates."
He thought for a moment before continuing,"But after Rocks fell, didn't Gloriosa return to Amazon Lily to become Empress?No—wait. If I calculate the timeline, she should be close to retirement by now.Wouldn't Shakky—the far more famous second-in-command—be next in line to take the throne?"
"That's exactly it!" Garp suddenly threw an arm around Gern's shoulders, nearly crushing him into his chest."I'm telling you something most people don't know…"
"In truth, Gloriosa liked Roger.Roger liked Shakky.And Shakky liked Rayleigh!"
"Ohhh?!" Gern's eyes lit up instantly. Ancient-era gossip like this was way more explosive than anything in the newspapers.
"That complicated? Then does Rayleigh like Gloriosa?"
"Nope!" Garp rubbed his nose smugly."Back then, they actually crossed paths.I remember the Kuja Pirates clashing with the Roger Pirates. After it ended, those idiots even planned some kind of 'friendly gathering.'Then this old man came crashing down from the sky and punched the lovebirds apart! Hahahaha!"
"That sounds amazing!" Gern sighed dramatically."How come there's no Empress who likes me? I could've been the 'King of the Marines'!"
"Hahaha, Gern, who knows?" Garp laughed."Maybe someone on Amazon Lily really does like you.Your reputation in the Marines isn't exactly small, you know!"
Whenever old memories came up, Garp's laughter was always especially carefree.
"So…" Gern stroked his chin thoughtfully,"does that mean Roger got his heart broken and ran off to the South Blue to find a young girl? That's pretty awful, isn't it?"
"Roger went to the South Blue?" Garp's laughter abruptly stopped. He rubbed his chin, thinking."How come I never heard about that?"
Realizing he'd slipped up, Gern was just about to explain—but Garp continued talking to himself.
"You must be talking about something earlier, right?""But now that you mention it… yeah, that actually sounds possible.After all, when Shakky rejected him, Roger was depressed for quite a while."
The two were deep in conversation when the doors to the conference room suddenly swung open.
Sengoku's dark, thunderous expression appeared in the doorway. Without hesitation, he grabbed one man in each hand.
"Hey! You two!" he roared. "The meeting started ten minutes ago, damn it!"
Seeing Sengoku, Garp instantly put on an innocent face."Huh? Didn't it start in another thirty minutes?"
"That's because you remembered the time wrong!" Sengoku's temples bulged with veins as his gaze shifted to Gern."And you, Gern! You're already a Vice Admiral—yet you still fool around with Garp?!"
"Hehe…" Gern scratched his head sheepishly.
...
Inside the conference room, the upper echelons of the Marines had already assembled.
Kong, the Steel Bone, sat at the head of the table as always, his expression solemn.
"Two time-blind idiots," Sengoku muttered as he returned briskly to his seat. Tsuru smiled faintly at him.
Although Zephyr had already stepped down from his Admiral position, he attended as the head of the elite training program, clearly intending to remain silent for most of the meeting.
On the other side, Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Borsalino sat together as Vice Admirals, each wearing a very different expression.
"So, what're we talking about today?" Garp swaggered to his seat, plopping down and casually pulling a pack of senbei from his coat.
Gern nodded politely to those present and took the empty seat beside Sakazuki.
"Sigh… since everyone's finally here…" Kong tapped the table, his voice low and authoritative."Let's begin today's agenda."
The lights dimmed. A Den Den Mushi projector cast a massive sea chart onto the wall, marked with the latest developments across every ocean.
Standing at the head, Kong swept his gaze across the room.
"According to the latest intelligence, after Roger became the Pirate King,the World Government suspects he has obtained some kind of 'dangerous secret' and has ordered us to hunt him down at full force."
"A dangerous secret?" Kuzan raised an eyebrow, speaking lazily."Sending us to clash with the Roger Pirates without even a concrete reason… sheesh. That's not exactly fun, you know?"
"Whatever it is," Sakazuki snorted coldly,"the very title of 'Pirate King' will only embolden pirates everywhere!He must be captured as soon as possible!"
Borsalino said nothing. He tilted his head slightly, dark sunglasses hiding his eyes, putting on a low-energy act—
When in reality, the man was already fast asleep.
Seeing Sakazuki's agitation, Sengoku directly took over from Kong and rapped the table, silencing the room.
He stood before the projector, which now displayed data showing a sharp rise in pirate activity worldwide.
"Sakazuki is right. Since Roger became the 'Pirate King,' pirate morale has skyrocketed," Sengoku adjusted his glasses, his tone heavy."The number of pirates in the first half of the Grand Line has increased by forty percent.The Four Blues are in complete chaos."
"Of course, all of this is still manageable—for now. We just need a comprehensive response plan.""But what's more troublesome at the moment is…"
He switched the projection.
Images of riots filled the screen—civilians storming royal palaces, Revolutionary Army flags fluttering through the streets, royal forces crushed and routed.
"Dragon's army?" Sakazuki said the name coldly.
"Correct," Sengoku nodded."Dragon's forces are inciting uprisings across the world. Three allied nations have already erupted into full-scale revolutions.The World Government is applying pressure, demanding that the Marines suppress them immediately."
Kong folded his hands, eyes sharp."Their actions are even more dangerous than pirates—subtle, organized.The higher-ups want this dealt with as soon as possible."
"Suppress them immediately?"Garp's previously relaxed expression froze. He slammed his hand on the table.
"Hey, Kong! Don't tell me you're planning to have the Marines suppress civilians?!"
Kong shot him a cold glance."Don't play dumb, Garp. Your son, Dragon, is now the World Government's most wanted criminal.His army is overthrowing legitimate governments."
Garp's face darkened."You know damn well what kind of 'legitimate governments' those are!Parasites that squeeze the people dry—if they get toppled, they deserve it!"
"Garp!" Sengoku shot to his feet, shouting sharply."Watch your stance!"