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•———•———•———•———•
Chapter's Events:
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"If you mean to resign as Fleet Admiral… then I ask that you do it the right way, Sengoku," said Kong, his eyes narrowing.
"… Yes, I accept your proposal. That doesn't sound like a bad way to spend the rest of my years…" Sengoku nodded, agreeing to Kong's offer.
"… So, the two men who have led the marines from the front lines since Roger's era will now step down from active duty… This is indeed significant news," Kong added.
"There are still many pirates out there worthy of being called 'legendary,' especially those who escaped from Level Six of Impel Down," Kong remarked, to which Sengoku replied:
"The greatest among them was Whitebeard, and now this pirate age is on the verge of rebirth… Is this really a time to have old men running the Marines?"
"Justice is a system of values… It cannot bridge the gap between generations," Sengoku continued to justify his decision to retire, then finally suggested his successor.
"More importantly, Kong-san… For my replacement as Fleet Admiral, I would like to nominate Aokiji."
•———•———•———•———•
Sakazuki's expression soured after reading that particular passage.
He glanced deeply at Sengoku's back, who was speaking over the Den Den Mushi at the moment. His thoughts seemed to be running deep.
Kuzan noticed Sakazuki's gaze filled with a mixture of dissatisfaction, frustration, and a hint of hatred toward Sengoku's back.
"..." Kuzan understood what was going on—after all, the Fleet Admiral had nominated him as his successor. This meant Sengoku saw Aokiji as superior to both Akainu and Kizaru.
Kuzan quickly spoke up, "It seems Sengoku-san prefers moderate justice over extreme or lazy justice… I bet he chose his successor wisely."
Borsalino laughed in response to Kuzan's words, "Good thing Sengoku-san didn't nominate my counterpart. I'd be more than happy to stay away from political conflicts."
"You mean he prefers soft justice? He's soft by nature," Sakazuki commented dryly, adding nothing further as he focused on the manga pages, reading with an indifferent expression.
Hearing that, Sengoku felt a slight sting of insult, but he didn't want to address the issue. After all, he hadn't thought that his counterpart had a favorite among the three admirals.
'Maybe because Kuzan was Garp's student?' Sengoku wondered why his counterpart favored Aokiji more than the others.
'Or perhaps, as he himself said, his moderate justice was good enough for me?'
Sengoku kept his thoughts hidden before smiling and saying, "My counterpart's choices have nothing to do with me. His world is different from mine. We may share the same mentality, but we don't live in the same world or circumstances."
"In the future, my choices for retirement may differ this time… if there's even a future at all, and it isn't destroyed by the conflict between the hunters and the government."
As he said this, he glanced at Sakazuki's empty arm and Kizaru's hand, which had been replaced with a metal prosthetic.
He also looked at Aokiji, who remained unharmed, despite having also participated in the cold war against the hunters and invading the central prison alongside the other admirals. He had even been involved in the assassination of the top hunter on the legendary list in the past, but every time, he came out unscathed.
'Perhaps his stance towards Robin in the manga helped him find an exit with Rob…' Sengoku thought internally about why Aokiji hadn't suffered any permanent injuries, unlike the others who weren't as fortunate.
'Sometimes, moderate justice might be much better for living a stable life.'
Sengoku looked at Sakazuki and smiled, adding, "Don't be too extreme in your judgments of different realities. What is here may not be the same as what is there."
"Even though the reality in the manga seems to control our real-world situation in some way, we might as well admit it's influencing us unconsciously."
…
East Blue, on the final island of the Polestar Islands, Loguetown:
Inside an art store, a young boy with light green hair stared at the manga pages with a strange expression on his face.
On the manga page, the main Marineford building was shown, and work was well underway to restore it to its original state after half of it had been destroyed by both Whitebeard and Blackbeard.
•———•———•———•———•
[Grand Line, Marineford: Marine Headquarters]
"So he's still alive!"
"Have you heard the news? Straw Hat is up to his antics again."
"… Indeed."
"He certainly hasn't wasted any time… Sixteen chimes?! Is this some kind of message?!" Aokiji asked in surprise.
"Who knows…? More importantly, what about my reassignment request…?" Smoker was more concerned about his previous request.
"… Well, I'll see what I can negotiate with Sengoku-san, but… are you serious? G5 isn't the kind of place you can just request to be assigned to; it's got a mountain of problems…" Aokiji didn't refuse Smoker's request but tried to dissuade him from choosing such a strange place.
"The fifth Grand Line marine outpost… In other words, you're asking to be sent to the New World…"
"I prefer to keep my target close at hand…" Smoker, of course, was referring to Luffy as his 'target.'
•———•———•———•———•
This conversation between Smoker and Aokiji was reflected in the eyes of the young Smoker, who admired his cool counterpart.
"But he doesn't seem cool at all when chasing after Luffy! You'll never catch him no matter how hard you try…" sighed the 15-year-old Smoker, who had already joined the hunter training center that had replaced the Marine base in Loguetown years ago.
"What is G5? Is it a marine base in the New World? Why does Aokiji warn against it, I wonder?"
He wasn't the only one wondering about G5 at that moment; most of the readers in the art store in Loguetown were just as curious.
…
In an unnoticed corner of the same art store, a man with pink hair smiled while watching the scene where Koby appeared.
"The little guy has finally awakened…"
"Haki…? What is that?"
"Has Koby awakened the same mysterious power that Luffy and Rayleigh used before, the King's Haki?"
"Incredible! As expected from my son, who has challenged Luffy since their first encounter!"
This strange man firmly believed that Koby was his son, after all, the resemblance between them was strikingly ridiculous—they were almost identical.
…
Sorbet Kingdom:
"Buwahahaha!! Isn't that Fishbonen? He'll be thrilled to see himself in the manga."
"Not bad, not bad. Koby's already awakened Observation Haki… As expected from my student, whom I chose myself."
Garp laughed after seeing Koby successfully awaken Observation Haki, sensing the powerful presence of people around him.
"Could Koby one day reach the level where he can threaten Luffy?" Dragon wondered.
Hearing this, Garp responded, "We'll see how far Luffy goes after his training with Rayleigh. After that, the picture will be clearer."
"It seems Luffy's actions are about to be revealed…"
"Let's see what that troublesome grandson of mine has done, Buwahahaha!"
It seemed that Garp had already moved past the grief etched in his heart by the moment when Dadan struck him after what had happened with Ace.
…
Grand Line;
In the open seas, a strange thunderstorm surrounded the Moby Dick, stretching out hundreds of tornadoes that connected the ocean to the sky, making the ship look like a grain of wheat trapped in the apocalypse.
Whitebeard calmly walked to the front of the Moby Dick, his cloak billowing in the wind. His imposing presence alone reassured his sons, who were scrambling to keep the ship steady and prevent it from sinking.
Standing at the front of the ship, Newgate struck the ship with his Naginata, and the power of his earthquake ability formed a strange circle on the blade of his weapon.
Without hesitation, Newgate struck with unimaginable force, ripping apart the tornadoes surrounding his ship with his devastating quake, stronger than the hundreds of surrounding storms.
Moments later, the turbulent weather began to calm, and the tornadoes weakened one by one, losing their momentum.
After witnessing this scene, Newgate returned to his spot and reopened his One Piece manga. "Gurarara! This boy, Straw Hat, is braver than I was in my youth."
"But Oyaji, don't forget Rayleigh is with him, so his courage didn't come out of nowhere," Marco reminded.
"Even if Rayleigh wasn't with him, I believe he would've come alone to send his message to his friends. This boy knows no fear."
Whitebeard smiled, then added:
"Unlike a certain coward who thinks he can hide from me forever, Gurarara!"
Clearly, Whitebeard was referring to Teach in that last line.
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Upcoming chapter titles (spoilers):
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Chapter 817: 3D No, 2Y Yes. (Part 1)
Chapter 818: 3D No, 2Y Yes. (Part 2)
Chapter 819: The Turbulent New World.
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