They were all Marines,
Doll chose to believe Austin, Sengoku and Garp remained neutral, while others rejected it outright.
Crack, crack, crack—
Frost spread, crawling from the office all the way into the corridor as countless Marine soldiers cried out and backed away.
Inside the office, a man wearing a Marine cape and an eyepatch across his forehead stood with a frosty expression, his face incomparably grim.
He stared at the newspaper before him, as well as the casually seated figure in the photograph.
Just as I feared...
The thing he had worried about most had still happened.
With the restraint of the [Emperor] title gone, had Austin—who had never caused too great an impact on the seas and had even established order to some extent—begun showing signs of running wild?!!!
He had worried long ago about someone like Austin, who was more terrifying and more unpredictable than an Ancient Weapon.
Back when Austin's actions still followed a discernible pattern, maintaining a certain order on the seas and abiding by certain rules, it had been manageable.
But once Austin no longer wished to play along and decided to flip the table, it would be a catastrophic disaster for the seas.
And now, the signs were already there.
No matter what, wiping out the entire nation of Elegia...
Wasn't that a little too outrageous?!!!
Holy Land, Mary Geoise,
Chamber of Power.
Dark clouds blanketed the sky. Mary Geoise was in the midst of a storm, and the Chamber of Power was pitch-black.
Only the occasional bolt of lightning illuminated the Five Elders' grave profiles.
"Where is Red-Haired now?"
"He has actually gotten involved with Austin. Is it merely for the sake of their old friendship, or... does he have some greater scheme?"
Saint Mars considered many possibilities as he spoke