It had been over a week since Vice Admiral Garp's assault on one of the Elders, and yet, save for those directly involved, the details of the incident remained cloaked in mystery. Marineford had suffered massive destruction, with more than half of the island reduced to rubble.
The cause of such devastation was still unknown to most, with the public kept in the dark about what had transpired. If not for Admiral Raylene's swift evacuation order, the casualties among the marines would have been catastrophic.
Rumors spread like wildfire throughout Marineford—whispers of Garp quitting the Marines, but no official statement had yet been made. Meanwhile, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Vice Admiral Tsuru, and Admiral Hazard were all recuperating from injuries sustained during the chaos. The story going around was that Garp had halted his attack only to prevent Marineford from being completely sunk, sparing the lives of the marines on the island.
One fact was undeniable: every CP0 agent that had accompanied the Elder had perished, while the Elder himself had only managed to retreat with life threatening injuries due to the intervention of Sengoku and the others. The World Government's unsettling calm response to such an event left even Sengoku on edge.
"Damn that bastard! He's doomed us… doomed everything we've worked for!" Sengoku's fury exploded, his fist shattering a vase against the wall of the medbay. Bandages wrapped his body, a testament to the brutal battle that had taken place. His eyes darted to the latest report, anger bubbling beneath the surface. Garp had once again handed over his duties to his loyal subordinate, Bogard, and disappeared into thin air.
Tension between the Marines and the World Government was already teetering on the edge, and Garp's violent outburst only poured fuel on the fire. Rumors had begun to circulate that the World Government had orchestrated the events in the Sorbet Kingdom to eliminate Admiral Zephyr. Such accusations fanned the flames of discontent within the ranks of the Marines.
"Sengoku-san, calm down," came the steady voice of Admiral Kuzan, standing by the entrance to the medbay. "I'm sure Garp-san had his reasons. If this was a deliberate move against Admiral Zephyr, then Garp's actions were justified."
Sengoku shot Kuzan a frustrated look. He had sent the Admiral to convince Garp to return, but even Kuzan had failed to sway the Marine hero. Kuzan knew that Garp's restraint at Marineford had been purely for the sake of the marines stationed there. If Garp had unleashed his full fury, the island would have been obliterated.
"Kuzan, I have enough trouble without you adding to it!" Sengoku snapped, his frustration boiling over. "Help me find Garp. Try to persuade him to come back before things get worse."
Kuzan gave a cynical smirk, his usual laid-back demeanor untouched by Sengoku's outburst. "Come back? Sengoku-san, you can't seriously believe the Elders would welcome Garp back with open arms after what he did." Kuzan crossed his arms, his eyes gleaming with dark amusement.
"He attacked one of them with the intent to kill. I'm surprised they haven't declared him a fugitive already. Can you imagine what Garp-san's bounty would be?" he mused with a chuckle.
"Enough, Aokiji," came the stern voice of Vice Admiral Tsuru from her bed, her voice carrying authority despite her weakened state. "That's not something to joke about. The World Government won't act rashly, not in a situation like this. Sengoku and I will speak with the Elders, and we'll settle this matter before it spirals out of control."
Yet even as Tsuru spoke, doubt gnawed at her mind. She knew the Elders well enough to know they wouldn't take such an insult lying down. Garp hadn't just attacked Elder Ju Peter; he had left a lasting mark on one of the highest authorities in the world. To attack an Elder was to spit in the face of the World Government itself. Tsuru couldn't shake the feeling that the Elders were already preparing their retaliation.
But something was off. The silence from the World Government unnerved her. There had been no public denouncement of Garp, no immediate retaliation or condemnation. It wasn't like the Elders to remain so quiet after such a public affront. Despite Elder Ju Peter's retreat, Garp had left him injured, and the incident had been impossible to fully suppress. Whispers had leaked out, spreading like wildfire across Marineford and beyond. So why hadn't the Elders responded?
Sengoku, too, was puzzled by the eerie calm from the World Government. His fist clenched around the edges of the report in his hands, his brow furrowed in deep thought. "What are they waiting for? This isn't like them… they should've acted by now."
Kuzan, however, seemed less concerned. "Maybe they're not sure how to deal with Garp," he said casually. "The man's a living legend, after all. They can't just sweep this under the rug, but they also can't afford to make him a martyr. If they put a bounty on his head, it'll cause a ripple they can't control."
Tsuru, however, was thinking on a different line. What if the World Government wasn't reacting because they were preoccupied with something far bigger? She couldn't shake the feeling that they were handling a much larger crisis, one that made even Garp's rebellion seem secondary. And if that were the case, what could be so dire that even an attack on an Elder was temporarily set aside?
Meanwhile, inside Admiral Zephyr's residence, a heavy air of sorrow lingered. The walls were lined with memories—family portraits, accolades from decades of service, and moments of joy, now tinged with loss.
In the corner of the room, a woman sat holding a worn portrait of Admiral Zephyr, her husband, as silent tears traced paths down her cheeks. The weight of her grief seemed almost too much to bear, and she clutched the frame tightly, as if holding on to his image would somehow bring him back.
Across the room, Vergo, donning his Rear Admiral justice coat, stood with a solemn expression, holding Zephyr's young son in his arms. The boy, no older than seven or eight, had been crying for hours. His small hands clung desperately to Vergo's coat, seeking comfort in the young man who had become a part of their family.
"Big brother Vergo…" The boy's voice cracked, trembling with sorrow, "…everyone's saying Father is dead. Is it true? Is Father really gone?"
His large, tear-filled eyes looked up at Vergo, searching for a sliver of hope in the overwhelming darkness of loss. His face was swollen from crying, his little body trembling with the fear of a world without the man who had been his hero.
Vergo's heart ached. Though he had come here with a mission, he had grown deeply attached to Zephyr's family. Over the years, his assignment had transformed into something more than just an undercover duty. The love and trust Zephyr's family had shown him had melted through the layers of his stoic exterior, and now, he could not simply leave them in their despair.
Kneeling beside the boy, Vergo placed a hand on his shoulder, his voice soft but firm. "No, little one," he said, his words carrying both reassurance and belief. "I don't believe your father is gone. If anyone could survive what happened, it would be him. Your father is a warrior, stronger than anyone I've ever known. He will come back. You just need to be strong for your mother while I'm away on the seas. Can you do that for me?"
The boy sniffled, wiping his nose with his sleeve. He hesitated, but Vergo's confidence seemed to reach him. He nodded slowly, though his eyes still brimmed with tears. "I can try, big brother. But… what if he doesn't come back?"
Before Vergo could answer, the boy's mother, still holding the portrait of Zephyr, spoke through her sobs. "I... I don't know if I can bear this," she whispered, her voice breaking as fresh tears fell. "How could he just be gone, Vergo? He promised… He promised he would come back to us. What if… what if they're right?"
The depth of her despair sent a pang of guilt through Vergo's chest. Zephyr had been like a father to him, and seeing the man's family in so much pain shook him to his core. He stood up and walked over to the grieving woman, gently taking the portrait from her trembling hands and placing it on the table beside them.
"Ma'am," Vergo said softly, kneeling in front of her, his eyes meeting hers with a mixture of respect and empathy. "I know what they're saying… but I refuse to believe that Zephyr san is gone. He's been through hell before and survived things no one else could. He's too strong, too stubborn to let go that easily."
Zephyr's wife looked at him, searching his face for the certainty she so desperately needed.
"But… I don't understand. Why haven't we heard anything? Why hasn't he come back?"
Vergo's voice remained steady, though his heart was heavy with uncertainty. "Sometimes, the sea has a way of keeping people away longer than we'd like. But I promise you this: I will find him. Wherever he is, dead or alive, I will find Zephyr san and bring him home. You both have my word."
For a moment, there was silence, the weight of his words hanging in the air. Vergo's gaze lingered on the woman and the boy, both so broken, so lost without the man they loved. He hadn't anticipated feeling so strongly for them, but in this moment, they were no longer just a part of his mission. They were family.
Zephyr's wife nodded, wiping her tears with trembling hands. "Thank you, Vergo. You've always been there for us… even when you didn't have to be."
Vergo gave her a small, reassuring smile, one of the few times he allowed himself to show such vulnerability. "You raised me like a son," Vergo said, his voice quiet but filled with emotion. "And I owe him more than I can ever repay. I won't let him down, and I won't let you down either."
The boy tugged at Vergo's sleeve, looking up at him with a mixture of sadness and hope. "Do you really think you can find him, big brother?"
Vergo placed a hand on the boy's head, ruffling his hair gently. "I know I can. And when I do, he'll be proud to see how strong you've been for your mother."
The boy smiled weakly, clinging to Vergo's words. For now, that small flicker of hope was enough.
As Vergo stood to leave, he cast one last glance at the portrait of Zephyr, silently vowing to fulfill the promise he had made. No matter what it took, he would find the man who had given him a family and bring him home, if not for himself, then for the ones Zephyr had left behind.
*******
Room of Authority, Mary Geoise
Elder Ju Peter stood with a grim expression etched across his scarred face, the fresh wound from his recent encounter with Garp stretching from his brow to his jawline, a testament to the battle that had shaken even the highest echelons of the World Government. If not for his immortality, he would have perished back on Marineford.
His chest bore similar marks of the fight—new scars crisscrossing the old ones. But despite the physical reminders of the Marine Hero's wrath, Elder Ju Peter's real concerns were far graver than the scars. His gaze was fixed on Elder Saturn, who sat across from him in the grand chamber, the air between them thick with tension.
"Are you certain about this?" Elder Ju Peter's voice was low, almost a growl, his tone grave as if weighed down by the implications of their recent discovery. His eyes, though steady, betrayed a flicker of doubt. It wasn't often that the elders were rattled, but this—what Doflamingo had revealed—had struck deeper than any wound Garp could inflict.
Elder Saturn, looking older than ever, leaned back on the velvet cushions of the ornate couch. He too bore the weight of their collective anxiety. His once-immaculate suit hung loosely over his frame, and the deep frown lines on his face carved shadows under his eyes.
There was a weariness in his demeanor that hadn't been there before, the kind that comes not from physical battles, but from the realization that they were facing an opponent whose cunning could be more dangerous than brute strength.
"I'm not sure anymore," Elder Saturn admitted, exhaling slowly as though the admission itself drained him further. "Doflamingo has become a threat we can no longer afford to ignore."
The words hung heavy in the air, and for a moment, the room seemed to close in on them. When had they, the rulers from the shadows, ever been placed in such a precarious position? The World Government, which had reigned supreme for centuries, unchallenged in its control, was now dealing with an entirely new kind of danger. One that knew their darkest secrets.
"And this… ancient weapon. You believe he's telling the truth?" Elder Nusjuro's eyes narrowed, his voice edged with skepticism. The mere thought of Doflamingo possessing such a weapon—the very thing that had cemented their rule over the world since the Void Century—was almost unfathomable.
The ancient weapons were not just tools of destruction; they were symbols of the government's ultimate power, capable of obliterating entire nations.
But even as he asked, Elder Nusjuro knew they couldn't afford to dismiss it as a bluff. Not after what Doflamingo had already proven he knew.
"I don't know what to believe anymore," Saturn said, rubbing his temple. "But we can't dismiss it. The fact that Doflamingo knows about our greatest secrets—and more alarmingly, our greatest weakness—means he has sources deeper inside the Holy Land than we could've ever imagined. And now, he claims to possess another Ancient Weapon."
The mere mention of another Ancient Weapon sent a chill through all the other elders present in the room. Doflamingo hadn't just hinted at possessing Pluton; he'd dangled the possibility like bait, daring them to make a move.
The Elders had long known the terrifying power of the ancient weapons—Poseidon, Uranus, Pluton—their destructive potential was more than enough to crush entire empires. And if Doflamingo, the madman who reveled in chaos, had indeed laid his hands on one of these relics, then the world as they knew it could very well burn.
"It wasn't just a bluff then?" Ju Peter's voice softened, more to himself than Saturn. "He knows… far too much."
"I fear he knows everything," Saturn muttered. His hand tightened into a fist, frustration bubbling beneath his composed exterior. "And that's the problem. How? How does he know? The existence of the ancient weapon and its depleted power source is known only to us, to a select few within the World Government's inner circle. And yet, Doflamingo throws it in our faces like a game piece he's been saving for this very moment."
The silence between them grew darker, each elder contemplating the full scale of what was happening. Doflamingo, a former Celestial Dragon, a man who had danced with power but had never before seemed like a true threat to their rule, had suddenly become the single most dangerous man in the world. Not because of his strength, but because of his knowledge.
Elder Ju Peter's fists clenched tightly at his sides. He had always prided himself on staying several steps ahead of his enemies, but now it felt as though they were stumbling in the dark, while Doflamingo watched from the shadows, a puppet master controlling strings they hadn't even realized existed.
"And then there's the possibility of him already learning everything from Rayleigh," Saturn continued, his voice a low rumble, laced with fear. "We've always known about Pluton, but for him to even suggest that his brother could be joyriding on an ancient weapon… that poses a threat to Mariejois itself."
Elder Warcury's heart quickened at the thought. The Holy Land, the center of their power, reduced to ash. The very symbol of their dominance, under siege. "We can't let this go unchallenged, Saturn. If he truly possesses even one of the ancient weapons—"
"We'd be facing an all-out war," Elder Saturn finished, his eyes darkening. "And this time, it won't be a war we can afford to lose."
Elder Mars inhaled sharply, his mind racing. A war against Doflamingo, the revelation of the true power behind the World Government, and the potential for other powers to rise amidst the chaos—this was a far more precarious situation than any of them had anticipated. And what truly terrified him was the realization that, for the first time, they didn't hold all the cards.
"Then what do we do?" Ju Peter asked, his voice barely more than a whisper.
Saturn closed his eyes for a moment, the weight of the centuries pressing down on his shoulders. "We need to play our hand carefully. If we move too soon, we risk exposing everything. But if we wait too long, Doflamingo will have the advantage. We have no choice but to find out the extent of his knowledge, and if necessary—"
"Crush him before he can make his move, but for now our priority should be to find out about the Ancient weapon and if Doflamingo trily has control of it, we need to get that weapon under our control." Ju Peter finished, his voice hardening with resolve.
Elder Saturn opened his eyes, meeting Ju Peter's gaze. "Exactly. But make no mistake, if Doflamingo truly possesses an ancient weapon, we might be facing our greatest threat since the Void Century."
Elder Nusjuro's voice trembled with barely suppressed rage as he addressed the room.
"So what do we do about the Marines? Are we really going to let Garp get away with what he did to Ju Peter?"
His eyes flickered to Elder Ju Peter, his scars still fresh, a painful reminder of Garp's ferocity. There was fear buried beneath the rage, a recognition that Garp—who had left one of them permanently scarred—might even possess the power to kill them.
Despite the near-immortality granted by their regenerative abilities, the reality of Ju Peter's injuries had rattled them all. Each of the Elders knew they were far from invincible, but the idea that a man, a mere Marine, could do this much damage was unthinkable. Garp had shattered their illusion of absolute superiority.
Elder Saturn, however, didn't immediately dismiss the threat Garp posed. The Marine hero's strength was undeniable, but the bigger picture was far more complex.
With the escalating crisis involving Doflamingo, could they really afford to alienate the Marines? Even if Garp was a rogue element, losing the Marines' support would be a devastating blow.
The balance of power was already teetering. And if war were to break out, they would need every available force, including the Marines, to maintain order.
Turning to Elder Ju Peter, Saturn's expression softened slightly, though his eyes remained sharp. He knew Ju Peter's pride must have been shattered after his encounter with Garp, his sense of invulnerability now forever marred by the scars.
But as the one who had faced Garp directly, Ju Peter was the best suited to assess the situation and advise on how to handle the Marines.
Ju Peter sighed deeply, his frustration evident. He had returned to the Holy Land fully intending to declare Monkey D. Garp a fugitive, to place a bounty on his head for daring to attack him. But now, faced with the bigger picture, he knew that such a move would be reckless.
As much as he wanted to see Garp punished, they couldn't afford to lose the Marines, especially not now with Doflamingo challenging their authority with the threat of an ancient weapon.
"Garp," Ju Peter began, his voice filled with bitterness. "In my opinion, as long as we don't provoke him, he won't retaliate. If he were truly committed to bringing us down, he wouldn't have stopped at Marineford. He still holds some attachment to the Marines, to his comrades. I suggest we set aside the matter of Garp for now and focus on the immediate threat."
There was a tense silence as the words settled in. Ju Peter was right. Garp, for all his strength, hadn't crossed the final line. If they pushed him now, they might lose him—and the Marines. And if Doflamingo truly possessed an ancient weapon, they would need every ally they could muster.
"As for the Donquixote brothers," Ju Peter continued, "we should tread carefully. It's better we not disturb them for the time being. Let this stalemate continue—it will buy us the time we need to prepare."
Elder Warcury, his brow furrowed in frustration, interjected sharply. "This also means giving them more time to grow, more time to strengthen their position. Are we really going to sit here with a knife hanging over our heads? We should erase Doflamingo now. As for his brother, I'm sure Imu-sama will understand the necessity once we explain the situation."
Elder Saturn's gaze shifted to Warcury, a reprimanding tone in his voice as he responded, "And what if they truly possess an ancient weapon? Do you think you alone could stop something of that magnitude?"
The room fell quiet, the gravity of Saturn's words sinking in. They all knew what an ancient weapon was capable of. Even with all their power, even with centuries of control, they might not survive the fury of such a destructive force.
These weren't tools that could simply be dealt with by force—they were relics of a forgotten era, capable of razing entire civilizations.
"So, what do you suggest we do now?" Elder Mars asked, his voice low but edged with frustration. "Do you really think remaining passive is our best option?"
"Yes," Elder Saturn replied firmly, his tone brooking no argument. "Until we know the full extent of Doflamingo's hand, we cannot afford to act rashly. He thrives on chaos, but he's not foolish. If he wanted an all-out war, he would have already made his move. For now, he's relishing in his moment of glory. Let him enjoy it, for a few years even. Meanwhile, we must prepare."
Mars scowled, clearly dissatisfied with the answer, but said nothing.
Saturn continued, his voice steady but carrying the weight of authority.
"This is not just about Doflamingo. We need to plan for what comes after. A war is brewing, one that could reshape the very foundation of the world. If we are to maintain control, we must be ready for it. Ready to lay the groundwork for the next millennia."
His words sent a shiver through the room. This wasn't just about dealing with a rogue warlord or a defiant Marine. This was about the future of the World Government itself. The balance of power that had kept them in control for centuries was shifting, and they were running out of time to shore up their defenses.
"Doflamingo may believe he has the upper hand now," Saturn said, his voice cold and resolute. "But sooner or later, he will learn the cost of challenging us. And when the time comes, he will rue the day he dared to play this game."
The other Elders nodded in agreement, though unease still hung in the air. The path ahead was fraught with uncertainty, but one thing was clear: the world was on the cusp of change, and they would do whatever it took to ensure that they remained at the top when the dust settled.
*****
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