Despite putting up a fierce fight, Bullet was unable to turn the tide on his own. The coordinated attacks from Claudius and the others became increasingly overwhelming, leaving Bullet struggling just to defend and dodge. Eventually, exhaustion and the weight of his injuries caught up to him. With one final punch from Sakazuki, the mighty Bullet was struck on the head, his blonde hair singed and turned to ashes. He collapsed to the ground and did not rise again.
On the flagship of Admiral Sengoku, anchored near Cyborila Island, Claudius and the senior Marines gathered for a debriefing.
"Even though the results of this mission were perfect, the plan was indeed disrupted, not due to any force majeure, but because some individuals took it upon themselves to change the course of action. Yes, it worked out this time, but that doesn't make it acceptable. If it had failed, who would take responsibility?" Sengoku said, his tone tinged with disapproval as he sat at the round table in the conference room.
Claudius, always quick on his feet, put on an innocent expression and said, "Well, I sensed that something felt off at the time. The plan didn't seem necessary as originally outlined, but Garp told me not to dwell on such details and to just follow his lead. Considering his experience, I figured he knew best, so I went along with it..."
Garp, who had been sipping tea, almost spat it out. Sure, his plan was shaky, but he hadn't intended to skip the original goal of luring Byrnndi World to the island, it was Claudius who had suddenly suggested capturing World directly.
"Hey, Claudius, you—" Garp began, but Sengoku cut him off with a sharp reprimand.
"Garp! You were the one in command, not His Highness Claudius. Isn't that right?" Sengoku's voice echoed through the room, silencing Garp immediately.
Caught off guard by Sengoku's outburst, Garp shifted uncomfortably. "Yeah, but—"
"No 'buts'!" Sengoku snapped.
Sengoku knew well enough that both Garp and Claudius had likely made that decision together. But Claudius was a Celestial Dragon, placing him out of Sengoku's reach for reprimands. Besides, Claudius wasn't technically part of the Marine chain of command; his status as a member of CP-X and his rank in the World Government hierarchy made him administratively higher than Sengoku himself. As an Admiral, Sengoku had no real authority to chastise Claudius, so he focused his frustrations on Garp, who, despite being a Marine hero, still held the rank of Vice Admiral and thus was under Sengoku's purview.
However, Sengoku's expression softened a moment later. "That said, you did achieve the mission objectives. Well done."
"Hahahaha! I knew it was the right call to change things up," Garp said, immediately rebounding with a grin.
Sengoku rolled his eyes at Garp's casual demeanor. "Next, we return to Mariejois. While Bullet is no longer a threat, Byrnndi World's devil fruit power is too dangerous. We need to make some preparations for that."
The room grew thoughtful at Sengoku's words, but Claudius looked puzzled. "Preparations? What kind of preparations?" he asked directly.
Chief Staff Officer Tsuru's eyes softened as she explained, "The Marine Science Unit has recently developed a device that can freeze a person's body and keep them alive indefinitely."
Claudius raised an eyebrow. "So, you're planning to freeze Byrnndi World? Just... store him away?"
Sengoku met Claudius's gaze and nodded. "Precisely. The Marine Science Unit has made significant progress over the past two years, especially in studying Devil Fruit abilities. We have reason to believe that, within the next few decades, we might be able to control the rebirth of Devil Fruit powers."
"The Moa Moa no Mi is indeed a dangerous ability. If Byrnndi World were to die, that fruit would reincarnate somewhere in the world, potentially causing untold chaos," Tsuru added.
"So your plan is to freeze Byrnndi World, keeping him alive and thereby keeping the fruit's power contained until such a time when the World Government can control Devil Fruit rebirths and harvest the Moa Moa no Mi for itself. This would prevent its power from falling into the wrong hands?" Claudius summarized thoughtfully.
Sengoku nodded. "Exactly. We may also use this process for other high-risk individuals, such as Golden Lion Shiki. His Fuwa Fuwa no Mi is another Devil Fruit with considerable destructive potential."
Claudius couldn't help but smirk. Shiki, once a fierce rival and the greatest challenge of his early exploits, had been reduced to a vegetative state after being captured. Now, the plan was to freeze him as well. The idea that Shiki might remain indefinitely trapped, unable to escape, was almost comical.
Sengoku looked around the room. "If there are no objections, we'll move forward with these arrangements. Now, let's discuss how we're going to announce the results of this mission—the capture of Douglas Bullet and Byrnndi World."
Claudius leaned forward. "CP-X has plans for this announcement and would like Marine's cooperation."
"Oh? What kind of plans?" Sengoku raised an eyebrow, intrigued.
"We intend to use this event to promote the implementation of the Seven Warlords of the Sea program. The first candidate we've selected is Crocodile, so we'd like Marine to emphasize his involvement in this mission," Claudius explained.
At the mention of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the room's atmosphere shifted. Sengoku and the other senior officers remained composed, while Garp said nothing, perhaps remembering the favor he owed Crocodile. Sakazuki, however, visibly stiffened, his face set in a disapproving frown. As a hardliner, the idea of "fighting pirates with pirates" grated against his principles. But at this moment, he was only a Vice Admiral. His objections, for now, carried little weight, so he sat in silence with a scowl.
Sengoku sighed, nodding. "Given what we've seen, including Doflamingo's involvement in capturing the Red Count and Crocodile's role in this mission, we can't deny that the Seven Warlords of the Sea plan holds some merit. If it benefits Marine operations, we'll cooperate with CP-X's initiative."
Claudius noted the slight unease in the room but pressed on. Unlike the original Seven Warlords of the Sea concept, which felt like a reluctant compromise, this iteration had been carefully crafted. It was more akin to embedding trusted operatives within the ranks of pirates, shifting the nature of the arrangement and making it more palatable for some of the senior officers.
With the major players on board, the plan was ready to move forward.
***
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