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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 130+ at patreon.com/Emik01.
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The Navy headquarters conference room.
It was silent.
For over two hours, the Navy's top brass sat in silence. Sengoku had been staring at the Den Den Mushi in front of him for more than an hour, not moving a muscle, not even blinking.
"Bururu-bururu—"
The Den Den Mushi rang.
All eyes instantly snapped toward it.
Garp, who had been dozing off in his seat, woke up in an instant.
Sengoku slowly reached for the Den Den Mushi and picked it up.
"Kuke is dead!"
The result had finally come.
Kuke was dead!
Though this outcome had been long expected, when he heard it confirmed, the heavy weight that had been pressing on Sengoku's heart for the past year finally lifted.
He froze for a moment, then laughed uncontrollably, albeit with some loss of composure.
"Finally, he's dead."
The person responsible for hundreds of sleepless nights had finally died.
"So, he's really gone."
Garp lazily slumped back into his chair, trying to resume his nap. But no matter what, he couldn't fall back asleep.
"Ace will probably cry when he hears this."
...
...
"Are you certain he's dead?"
Sengoku still wasn't entirely at ease, fearing that it might be a false alarm.
"We watched him die right in front of us. He was burned to ashes by the magma," confirmed Kizaru and Akainu with absolute certainty.
"The photos will arrive at headquarters soon."
Finally, Sengoku had no more doubts.
"Good, good, GOOD!"
Sengoku's voice rose, his pent-up frustrations of the past year bursting out in a shout of triumph.
"The Sun and Moon Pirates—have the rest of them been captured as well?"
"No, they escaped. Kuke held us off by himself right from the start. With the appearance of the Rayleigh, dividing our forces would have easily led to mission failure," Akainu admitted, taking full responsibility.
Sengoku frowned slightly.
What he had most hoped for was the complete annihilation of the Sun and Moon Pirates, especially since key individuals like Nico Robin and the wielder of the Op-Op Fruit were targets of the World Government.
But compared to Kuke's death, letting the others escape was a minor issue. None of them could compare to Kuke in importance.
"You made the right decision, Sakazuki. Ensuring Kuke's death was the priority. You did well. I will personally call the Five Elders and recommend they restore your position as admiral."
Sengoku didn't hold back on his praise, commending Akainu and the others.
Today's victory was, in Sengoku's view, the greatest achievement of his career as Fleet Admiral.
"For justice," Akainu replied with firm resolve, though his voice carried a hint of satisfaction.
After waiting so long to regain his admiral position, Akainu was delighted. Killing Kuke and regaining his rank—two victories in one. Even the pain from his injuries felt less intense now.
"How are you all holding up? Any injuries?" Sengoku asked casually, not really worried about Aokiji, Kizaru, or Akainu.
With the three of them working together, there was no way anything could have gone wrong.
If, with the three of them, something had still gone wrong, then they didn't deserve to be called the Navy's top power.
"....."
Akainu glanced down at himself and then over at Zephyr, who had just been pulled out of the sea by the Marines.
Zephyr had lost his entire right arm and half of his right side. He was unconscious, and the medics weren't sure if he would survive.
"Is the situation dire?"
Akainu's silence made Sengoku uneasy.
If they had suffered heavy losses just to kill Kuke, the glory of the victory would be tainted.
Kizaru leaned toward the Den Den Mushi, speaking in his usual exaggerated tone:
"Sengoku-san, today was truly terrifying! Kuke was much stronger than we anticipated. At first, Sakazuki wanted to fight him one-on-one, and oh, the scene... It was terrifying. In the end, the three of us together still couldn't take him down quickly."
"We thought we had finally cornered Kuke, but then Zephyr-sensei arrived, insisting on finishing Kuke himself."
"As his students, of course, we had to let him fulfill his wish."
"Sengoku-san, can you guess what happened next?"
Kizaru's dramatic tone made Sengoku's heart race.
"Polusalino! Just say it!" Sengoku was furious with Kizaru's teasing.
"Uh... well, no one expected it. Kuke still had the power to control lightning. He'd been hiding part of his strength all along. With one strike, Zephyr-sensei was... well, you can imagine."
Sengoku's expression darkened.
Kizaru's voice carried a tone of schadenfreude. What was that supposed to mean?
"What happened to Zephyr?"
"Oh, nothing major. Just lost an arm and half his body. He got hit by one of Kuke's strikes and was sent flying into the sea. He's still unconscious, and the medics are working on him. Whether he makes it or not... we don't know."
It was as if a bolt of lightning struck Sengoku and the other top officers in the room.
Many of them were Zephyr's former students or old comrades.
"What?"
For a long moment, Sengoku was speechless.
Four-on-one, and they still managed to get one of them killed?
What in the world was Zephyr thinking?
And from Kizaru's tone, it seemed that Akainu wasn't in great shape either.
"Kuke could still do that much, even while outnumbered four-to-one? Is that even possible?" Garp sounded skeptical.
Could any human really pull that off?
Did Zephyr rush over just to take a hit?
Why bother?
Before long, photos from the battlefield arrived.
There were pictures of Kuke standing atop the lava, leaning on his sword, as well as shots of him being completely engulfed by the molten rock.
There were also pictures of Zephyr lying in a stretcher, looking utterly devastated, and Akainu covered in blood.
Images of the Sabaody Archipelago's islands sinking, and Island No. 1 being completely frozen over, were also included.
Everyone examined the photos, growing more and more shocked.
No one had expected the battle to be this intense. They had assumed the four-on-one fight would have ended easily.
"Garp, I owe you an apology. You said you couldn't take him down before, and I didn't believe you," Sengoku admitted, looking regretful.
The last time Garp had mentioned Kuke's strength, Sengoku had berated him for not trying hard enough.
But now...
"Well... I was wrong," Sengoku quickly apologized, seeing Garp's gloating expression.
Garp huffed in response.
However, even Garp, as he gazed at the photos, felt a growing sense of disbelief. Kuke had grown so much stronger in just a few months—it was unimaginable.
"So, he had reached this level already," Sengoku muttered, staring at Kuke's image with a mixture of fear and relief.
"I'm glad he's dead. If we had given him a few more years, even Whitebeard might have had to relinquish his title as the strongest man," Sengoku thought to himself, feeling a wave of relief.
If Kuke had lived any longer, Sengoku wasn't sure what else they could have done to stop him.
"The battle is over. Let's immediately announce the result to the world and publish the photos of Kuke's death," Sengoku instructed with excitement.
After a year of humiliation, the Navy could finally regain its pride.
With newfound confidence, Sengoku picked up the Den Den Mushi to call the Five Elders and deliver the good news.
The Five Elders, who had already been laughing in their office, were even more pleased when Sengoku confirmed the news.
"Well done, Sengoku! The Navy has done an excellent job, as expected. You've proven once again that the Navy is the World Government's most reliable arm, and you, Sengoku, are the one we trust the most."
The Elders didn't hold back their praise.
Sengoku couldn't hide his satisfaction. All the effort and strategy over the past year had led to this moment.
"Now that Kuke is dead, we must swiftly reduce his lingering influence," the Five Elders ordered sternly.
They didn't want anyone to follow in Kuke's footsteps, attacking the Holy Land or assassinating the Celestial Dragons.
"Understood. The news of Kuke's death will surely serve as a deterrent to the lawless pirates."
"To truly intimidate them, we need Kuke's death to be a permanent reminder never to oppose the World Government," the Five Elders urged Sengoku.
The goal was to maximize the impact of Kuke's death, sending a clear message across the seas.
"It's a shame Kuke's body was destroyed by the magma. If we had his body, we could hang it at Sabaody Archipelago as a constant reminder," Sengoku mused, a bit regretfully.
Suddenly, his eyes lit up with an idea.
"Elders, we're almost ready to announce the new Warlords of the Sea to the world, correct?"
"Yes, the formation of the Warlords is crucial for maintaining stability in the seas. Despite internal opposition from within the Navy, we've silenced all dissent. The W
arlords will be an essential force in maintaining order during this chaotic era," the Elders replied firmly.
They cared only about stabilizing the increasingly chaotic age of pirates. Everything else was secondary.
"In that case, why not announce the Warlords over Kuke's grave!" Sengoku suggested.
Standing over Kuke's grave, they would establish a new order, signaling the dawn of a new era.
Sengoku couldn't help but admire his own brilliance for thinking of such a symbolic gesture.
By trampling on Kuke's legacy, they would elevate the Warlords' prestige and send a powerful message to the seas.
"Hmm?"
The Elders' eyes gleamed with interest.
What a clever idea.
By diminishing Kuke's legacy, they would further legitimize the Warlords.
"Very well, we agree. When the Warlords are officially established, make it a grand event. We want the entire world watching. Broadcast it live, and engrain in every pirate's heart the fear of ever challenging the World Government."
"Understood!"
Sengoku and the Five Elders shared a triumphant laugh.
"Let's set the date for 100 days from today!" Sengoku suggested.
The location was decided, and now the perfect date needed to be chosen.
"A hundred-day memorial?"
"Yes, 100 days later."
Hahaha!
The laughter of Sengoku and the Five Elders echoed throughout Navy headquarters and the Holy Land of Mariejois.
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P/S: If you are interested, you can read up to chapter 130+ at patreon.com/Emik01.