The Navy's Choice for a New Era

In the Marineford brightly Flame, the entire Harbor illuminated as if by daylight by the emergency lighting system, and a suffocating atmosphere permeated the air.

With Roy's abilities enhanced, the Warship returned in a straight line from the New World in a way that almost defied common sense, speeding back home.

On the dock, Vice Admiral Tsuru and Zephyr, who had already been informed in advance, stood quietly waiting.

The night wind howled, their cloaks fluttered silently, and their expressions were as cold and resolute as iron.

"Whoosh--!"

A sudden Spatial Ripple, and with a sound like water breaking, Roy, along with Sakazuki, Ace, and Enel, descended abruptly.

The four appeared under the lights, and the aura they exuded in that instant seemed to cause the entire Marineford to tremble slightly.

Without a word, several sharp gazes met. Roy scanned the group, his robes fluttering slightly, and he raised his arm:

"Click--!"

Space suddenly collapsed and folded; the Harbor, the night, the sea breeze... seemed to be forcibly torn apart, vanishing into nothingness in an instant.

The next moment, everyone had landed safely in the Marineford.

The heavy alloy door closed automatically, isolating all information fluctuations.

The air was so still that only the occasional crackling sound of lightning could be heard.

At the conference table, Tsuru slowly placed her hands in front of her, her voice low and steady. "Sengoku has been at Mary Geoise for several hours, and there is still no intelligence coming back."

"Garp has been recalled by me under a 'special emergency order,' and will arrive as early as tomorrow."

"Kuzan had already led his fleet to garrison the seas where Whitebeard's forces had the highest concentration of civilians, prioritizing the protection of innocent civilians."

Although her tone was calm, it couldn't hide the deep urgency within it.

Zephyr frowned and added in a deep voice, "Once news of Whitebeard's death spreads, the New World will inevitably descend into chaos, and the existing balance will be completely shattered."

"Various forces are stirring, and we must prepare for the worst."

Sakazuki snorted coldly, his tone carrying a long-suppressed sharpness. "The remaining poison of Whitebeard Remnants must not be allowed to fester."

"Now is the perfect time—take advantage of the chaos and eradicate them completely!"

Lightning danced on his fingertips on the side of the conference table, while Enel leaned lazily against the backrest, remaining silent.

In the corner, Ace sat upright, his fists clenched unconsciously, his palms soaked with sweat.

Roy's words from the Rest Room earlier were still echoing in his mind—

"If we strike unexpectedly, it's not impossible to instantly kill Admiral- level combatant."

If someone else had said that, he would have burst out laughing.

But recalling those brief seconds of being completely swallowed by darkness, unable to escape, and with my abilities locked away—the suffocating feeling of death—

He suddenly felt...

That might actually be possible.

He couldn't help but look at Roy standing by the window.

At that moment, everyone's eyes turned to him in unison.

By the window, Roy's figure was cast as a quiet silhouette in the dim light.

He did not turn around, but simply gazed silently at the unseen sky in the distance, as if contemplating the trends of the entire era.

His tone was calm, yet it struck everyone's heart like a hammer blow. "Tomorrow, once Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Grandpa Garp arrive..."

I will explain everything.

No one responded.

An oppressive silence fell over the meeting room.

But beneath that silence, it seemed as if a ferocious beast was about to awaken within the navy's iron cage.

Everyone knew this wasn't the end, but rather the final silence before the storm.

Marineford Harbor

The first rays of sunlight in the early morning had not yet pierced through the pervasive sea fog.

The dock was heavily guarded, with even the soldiers stationed there gripping their rifles tightly and looking solemn.

"Waaaaah--!"

With a deep blast of the ship's horn, a uniquely designed warship with a giant dog's head carved on its prow emerged from the fog.

That's Iron Fist 'Garp personal warship.

Even before the ship arrived, the overwhelming sense of oppression that swept across the entire harbor had already engulfed it.

On the deck, Garp, who was usually lazy and yawning with a smile on his face, was now frowning and looking ashen.

Those fists, weathered by countless battles, were now silently held behind his back, as if they might shatter the sky at any moment.

Luffy, unusually, abandoned his usual carefree demeanor and stared blankly at his grandfather's back, his eyes filled with confusion and a hint of unease.

"Grandpa... you seem very different today," Luffy murmured softly. "Has something serious happened?"

Garp did not answer, his gaze fixed on the approaching dock.

Trafalgar Law stood already in the morning mist at the Harbor.

His black and white trench coat billowed in the wind, and his gaze beneath the mottled brim was as cold and sharp as Razor —he said nothing, but the suppressed solemnity spoke volumes.

As Garp stepped onto the dock, Law bowed politely in greeting but asked no questions, preparing to lead them toward the secure meeting room.

"Luffy, you go back to Roy's place first," Garp said calmly, his tone leaving no room for argument.

"Oh." Luffy, though full of questions, was unusually obedient and didn't ask any more, simply nodding and turning to leave.

Just as Garp and Law were about to head to the conference room, Garp suddenly stopped.

His eyes narrowed, and he abruptly turned to look into the depths of the sea fog.

A few breaths later--

A deafening roar, like thunder, echoed from afar!

The sea fog suddenly billowed up, and a warship painted in black with the "Fleet Admiral" flag flying high at its bow pierced the morning light, rapidly approaching the shore!

On the deck, Sengoku stood ramrod straight, wearing a platinum Fleet Admiral's coat.

Sunlight fell on the gold-trimmed military uniform, casting a beam of light and shadow as tall as a pillar.

The two gazed at each other through the mist.

In that instant, without words, it was as if countless messages had been exchanged between them.

After the Warship docked, Sengoku strode down the gangway and stood beside Garp, the two top "veterans" of the navy standing side by side.

At this moment, even the sea breeze seemed to dare not make a sound.

"Let's go," Garp said in a low voice.

"Hmm," Sengoku responded lightly.

The two veterans walked side by side with Marineford.

The heavy defensive door slowly closed with a loud bang.

The sea was silent, and the morning light broke through the fog.

And so began the most crucial high-level meeting of this era.

However, the world does not know what was discussed at that secret meeting.

The only thing that can be confirmed is--

That meeting lasted the entire morning.

When the conference room doors slowly opened again, the sun was already high in the sky, but the entire Marineford remained silent.

Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, Zephyr, Sakazuki, Enel, and the others stepped forward one by one, without uttering a sound.

The expressions on everyone's faces varied:

Some frowned in deep thought, as if they had already made some kind of decision;

Some eyes gleamed, as if they had glimpsed the outline of the future;

Some fists were clenched, as if suppressing some kind of impulse;

Some people, in silence, quietly raised a faint smile at the corner of their eyes.

Their expressions were as if they had just glimpsed a forbidden truth in the darkness—or as if they held the key to change the world.

This scene was witnessed by several Marine Vice Admirals standing at a distance, and they were deeply shocked:

--What exactly happened at that meeting?

Since that day, the entire structure of the Marine Headquarters has quietly changed.

There were no public orders.

No official transfer order has been seen.

But all the senior officers keenly noticed one phenomenon—

Vice Admiral Roy became the most powerful and authoritative figure in the Navy.

No matter how outrageous his battle plans were, how much manpower and fleet he mobilized, or even if he issued orders that bypassed his superiors on short notice...

No one in the entire naval leadership objected.

It was as if wherever he decided, that became the Battlefield where the navy's Razor would strike.

No one knows what secrets or what stakes lie behind this "tacit consent"...

But one thing is certain --

The spark of New Era has been quietly ignited in Marineford.

Everything is just beginning.