"Finn! This old man is entrusting you with the future of the Marine. You must keep your word!" Sengoku's voice was filled with emotion as he stared at Finn seriously.
"Understood, Grandpa Sengoku! Don't worry, we'll do this together!"
It was rare for Finn to be so serious, and he gave Sengoku a crisp military salute.
Sengoku then turned to Akainu and Kizaru: "Come here."
"Marshal!"
"Marshal!"
Both Akainu and Kizaru knew that something important was about to be announced.
"Sakazuki, Polusalino, you three—along with Kuzan—represent the Marine's greatest fighting strength. I had originally planned to choose one of you as the next Marshal when I retired, but Finn has stepped up, and I've changed my mind. I hope you both understand." Sengoku said slowly.
Upon hearing this, Kizaru raised his arms and laughed: "Marshal, what are you talking about? I raise my hands in full support of Master Finn as Marshal!"
Kizaru, who had no particular interest in the position of Marshal, saw no reason to oppose now that Finn's strength was undeniable. What's more, Kizaru had already formed a bond with Finn back in Mariejois.
He glanced at Sakazuki beside him.
Sakazuki's face was serious, his voice powerful: "A soldier's duty is to follow orders."
His words were a firm declaration.
"Good!" Sengoku said, "I'm sure you all understand the nature of the Celestial Dragons. We didn't have the strength to confront them before, but now we do. From now on, you must support Finn."
Sengoku gave the command.
At that moment, Finn remembered something important. "Grandpa Sengoku, to ensure Doflamingo has better control over the Golden City, it would be best to let his subordinates return."
"Doflamingo and I discussed this a few days ago, and he's already been freed. He's on his way to the Golden City," Sengoku replied.
"Good! That's taken care of," Finn nodded.
Sengoku's face suddenly grew serious. "Finn, there's something strange I need to tell you."
"What's that?" Finn asked, curious.
Sengoku's expression darkened. "The last time you captured the Red-Haired Pirates, your grandfather personally escorted them to the Deep Sea Prison. But when I asked your grandfather to retrieve Doflamingo's men, he discovered that none of the Red-Haired Pirates were there."
"Someone released them?" Finn's expression turned sly, a smile tugging at the corners of his lips. "Looks like the Red-Haired Pirates have some serious backing."
Sengoku shook his head. "No. Magellan reported that a group of unknown individuals raided the prison, wounded him, and freed the Red-Haired Pirates."
"More troubling is that this raid caused a number of notorious pirates to escape into the sixth level of the prison!" Sengoku said, his voice growing angry.
Crane Vice Admiral's tone was grim. "These criminals have been locked away for so long; they'll surely take revenge on the civilians once they're free!"
"Prison break? Any clue about the identity of the raiders?" Finn rubbed his chin thoughtfully, a mischievous grin forming. "What if I told you it was the World Government's doing?"
Crane Vice Admiral narrowed his eyes. "Though I doubt the World Government would involve itself, who else would have the resources and power to break into the Deep Sea Prison?"
Finn casually patted Crane Vice Admiral and Sengoku on the back. "Don't worry about it. The next time we catch the Red-Haired Pirates, I'll deal with them personally. Dead men don't escape."
With that, Finn departed for the time being.
After checking the time, Finn realized that it had been over 50 minutes since he had summoned the heroic spirits, and it would soon reach an hour.
Without a second thought, Finn recalled all ten heroic spirits in advance.
The directional summoning energy increased by 240 points, bringing his total to 590 points!
Although Finn had formed a connection with several of the heroic spirits, today was not the time for distractions. There were more pressing matters to attend to tomorrow.
At dawn the next day, an important army meeting was scheduled at the Naval Headquarters.
The meeting was held in the central square in front of the Naval Headquarters, with all of Marine's generals in attendance.
Large screens and speakers were set up in both the East and West squares, allowing all the Marine soldiers to watch the proceedings in real-time.
Meanwhile, on News Island, Island 53 was buzzing with activity.
"Go to Island 53!"
"All the major screens are broadcasting live. Something big is about to happen!"
"The last time this occurred was over 20 years ago when Roger was executed publicly. That broadcast reached every corner of the world!"
The people of Sabaody Archipelago quickly gathered at Island 53, eager to see what was unfolding.
"Old Rayleigh, stop drinking, it looks like something major is happening this time! Let's check it out!" Shakky said, dragging a tipsy Rayleigh along with her.
On the Moby Dick, Marco adjusted the signal, and the image on a makeshift screen began to clear up.
"Father, this is the signal from our brothers in Sabaody Archipelago. I don't know what Marine is up to, but they're broadcasting with such fanfare," Marco remarked.
"Gu la la la! What could possibly be bigger than Roger's beheading?" Whitebeard chuckled, though he had an uneasy feeling that it might be connected to that kid.
On White Island Baltigo, a large screen flickered to life in the Revolutionary Army's meeting room.
"Boss, the Marines are putting on quite a spectacle. Are they planning to attack us?" a Revolutionary Army officer asked with concern.
Monkey D. Dragon stroked his chin thoughtfully. "Let's wait and see."
In the lobby of the Five Elders in Mariejois, a high-end TV displayed the live feed from Naval Headquarters.
"What is going on? Why haven't we received any updates?" asked the bald elder holding a sword.
An agent with a lowered head replied, "Mr. Xing, we can't get through to Sengoku."
"Can't get through? Not even to Sengoku's phone?" The bald elder frowned.
"Yes, that's correct," the agent confirmed.
The five old stars exchanged uneasy glances. A bad feeling settled in their hearts.