From This Moment On, Set Your Sights on Mary Geoise!

On the Dark Bird Ship, the dazzling lights made the deck as bright as day. Gawain sat in the center of thousands of people and raised his wine glass. Instantly, hundreds of wine bowls were smashed by his soldiers.

Hearing the sound of the wine bowl shattering, Gawain looked amusedly at the person beside him.

The large group of people around me were drinking, but their expressions were far from pleasant.

Therefore, even their return couldn't make them put aside their grudges for the time being.

The trouble between them has really gotten a bit out of hand!

Having made up his mind, Gawain raised his glass again.

"Aramaki, pull your note out of the barrel!"

If you're going to drink, then drink properly!

Drinking with a straw? Are you some kind of sissy?!

Take it out!

"Yes, sir!"

Hearing Gawain's words, Aramaki helplessly took back his note, rubbing his chin in frustration as he did so.

"I was trying to set a record for not eating for several years in a row, but the adults came back and broke my record."

Ugh, it's so uncomfortable, really uncomfortable.

Please, sir, I'll drink my fill!

As soon as he finished speaking, he awkwardly picked up the wine bowl and took a big gulp.

Beside him, Bullet, whose relationship with him was growing stronger, laughed and patted him on the shoulder.

In the distance, watching everyone feasting, Sakazuki snorted twice in dissatisfaction.

In his opinion, the scene before him was utterly disorderly!

How can a soldier indulge in such unrestrained drinking and revelry?

That's so rude!

Thinking of this, Sakazuki turned his head away unhappily, but just then, Gawain suddenly called out.

"Sakazuki, come, have a drink with me."

"Yes, sir."

Sakazuki's expression changed, and he quickly picked up the wine barrel and toasted Gawain.

Others drink alcohol out of debauchery, but I'm doing it to keep the adults in check for the future of the navy.

Others are playing, but I'm working—how can they be the same?

That said, the wine on the adult ship is really delicious, unlike the kind sold in stores.

So, this was brewed by the ship's cook himself?

The wine also has a faint herbal flavor, making it taste exceptionally fragrant and pure.

So doctors are involved in the winemaking business now?

Fine wine!

In the distance, watching Sakazuki drinking heartily, Garp suddenly burst out laughing.

He laughed as he put his arm around Rayleigh.

"Hahaha, all these years, I've been looking forward to this kind of scene."

No matter how many people die, as long as the future gets closer and the light gets clearer, that's enough!

There's no time for sentimentality; it's good enough to have lived this long. If I could just keep drinking like this, that would be even better!

It's really something to look forward to, even though I didn't like that kid at first.

But now it seems I was truly narrow-minded... narrow-minded... huff huff huff huff~."

"Um?"

Suddenly, Rayleigh couldn't hear Garp's voice anymore. He turned his head in confusion. Could that old man Garp have reached the end of his life?

Not far away, Luffy for a moment when he saw his grandfather suddenly collapse onto the table, then immediately burst into laughter.

"Haha, the old man's asleep, he really does fall asleep so easily... snoring~ snoring~ snoring~."

"Hehe..."

Beside Luffy, seeing Luffy also instantly fall, Ace curled his lip in disdain.

"What kind of drinking capacity do they have? They fall asleep as soon as they hear it. Come on, Prometheus, let's show them what a true wine connoisseur is!"

If you can't drink, what kind of man of the sea are you... a man... huff huff huff huff...

Okay, before we could finish speaking, Ace lay down too. The sight of these three guys falling asleep so suddenly really surprised everyone around them...

Beside Ace, Isuka was staring intently at Ace, looked at Ace with an expression of utter helplessness on her face.

Originally, she thought that the opposing identities of the Navy and the pirates were standing between her and Ace.

Later, after the identity issue was resolved, Ace was again bogged down by Gawain's career and training.

When Ace finally escaped the endless training, his brothers came swarming around him again.

She had finally gotten used to his younger brothers and even gained their approval as their sister-in-law.

As a result, Ace now has Prometheus by his side, always inseparable from him...

Aaaaaaah!!!

Isuka is going crazy!

Where did all these obstacles come from?

All I want is to get married, why is that so difficult?

Does this mean I have to wait until the Dark Bird Ship conquers the world, and until all my brothers are married and have kids, before that bastard Ace remembers to pin his mother down on the bed and writhe around like crazy?

Isn't it said that it's easy for a woman to pursue a man?

But isn't there a black hole next to Ace???

Is this never going to end?!

Frustrated, Isuka suddenly stood up, shoved Prometheus aside who wanted to take care of Ace, then picked Ace up and left.

"Huh?!?"

Prometheus was startled and immediately tried to give chase.

But before he could catch up, Shakky caught him in her arms.

"Oh, Sister Shakky?"

Prometheus was startled.

And Shakky.

She nodded, then patted Prometheus on the back.

"Don't follow them, little Homitz."

On a romantic night like tonight, let's leave the time for the excited boys and girls.

Kids like them should be growing up by now, haha~."

At this point, Shakky turned her head and glanced at Rayleigh, Rayleigh immediately tensed up.

"I know, don't worry. After I take that old bastard Garp back to his room, we'll meet at our usual spot."

"Hmm~."

Shakky nodded in satisfaction after receiving Rayleigh's response.

She'd been holding it in for a very, very long time.

Ever since that old devil Garp lost all sense of decency and completely accepted the existence of the Dark Bird, he moved to Reverse Mountain and spent his days drinking with his man.

These two old guys have taken the young people from Reverse Mountain on a tour of almost every Four Blues, and their old garden is almost deserted.

But now things are alright, Gawain is back.

It wasn't that Gawain came back to visit him.

With Gawain's return, the Dark Bird and the Navy must have something important to do.

Once they get down to business, the old folks become serious.

As one old man after another left the stage, the banquet became the era of the young people. Even Yi Xiao, after thinking it over, went back to sleep, still feeling tipsy.

In the end, everyone around Gawain except for Hancock and Gion lay down.

Seeing the group of people completely drunk, Gawain waved his hand, and someone naturally took them back to their respective rooms.

In the end, Gion and Hancock remained on the deck with him.

Without further ado, after gazing at the moonlight with his wife all night, Gawain escorted them back to their rooms to rest.

However, instead of resting, he returned to the deck and sat quietly.

He sat there all night. When dawn broke and Zephyr began training the new recruits, Gawain beckoned to his second-generation Secretary, Kaya.

"Kaya".

He gave the instructions quietly.

"At 10:00 a. m. sharp, I summoned all the cadres to see me."

Remember, it's all of them.

"Yes, sir."

Kaya nodded and went down, while Gawain sat on the deck to continue watching the sunrise.

As the sun gradually rises, the sky shines brightly over the sea.

Rayleigh, Sakazuki, Mihawk, Kuma, and everyone else came up behind Gawain one by one.

They didn't say anything, just waited with Gawain. Before 9:30, everyone had arrived.

Even though everyone was there, Gawain remained silent.

So what if they didn't utter a single word? Even in this silence, no one dared to speak first.

At that moment, all the soldiers who were passing by the deck on official business were so frightened that their legs went weak.

They certainly didn't understand why the emperor and his officials were sitting quietly on the ship.

And what about the cadres?

Even just sitting there, they gradually came to understand.

Because, the direction that Gawain was facing at that moment was the distant Red Line!

Or rather, that direction is Mary Geoise!!!

For a moment, even in the absolute silence of the surroundings, everyone's heartbeats grew louder and louder uncontrollably.

Mary Geoise?

Mary Geoise!

Does the adult really mean that decision needs to be made?!

One minute... three minutes.

One hour, three hours...

The crowd sat in silence with Gawain, and they remained so until the afternoon, until sunset.

Gazing at the sunset reflected on the sea.

Watching the sun gradually set, until it approached the direction of the Red Line.

Just as the sun was being half-hidden by the Red Line...

Gawain spoke up.

He raised his hand, pointed to the setting sun on the horizon, and smiled.

"Hehe, even the sun that shines on the world always rises and sets in cycles."

So, gentlemen, shouldn't the world itself, like the sun, also undergo a cycle of birth and death?

After speaking, Gawain lowered his hand and then gently exhaled.

Behind him, everyone's breathing quickened instantly, but they still dared not speak.

After waiting a few seconds, Gawain exhaled a breath of stale air and then spoke softly to everyone.

"Even just sitting on the throne, I can still feel the unease in your hearts."

Even after yesterday's banquet, the restlessness in your hearts has not dissipated; on the contrary, it has intensified with the passage of time.

I should be dissatisfied, because I have the right to be dissatisfied, and I have even more reason to be dissatisfied than you!

While I was still calm, you all began to think about the problem of being agitated. Little did you know that while you may have thought about it before I did, you had absolutely no right to make a decision!

What do you think, Sakazuki, and Kuzan?

At this point, Gawain's tone suddenly became stern, and he abruptly turned his head, looking coldly at Kuzan and Sakazuki.

Immediately, meeting Gawain's gaze, Sakazuki and Kuzan knelt down.

They all lowered their heads in unison, without saying a word.

After glancing at the two kneeling men, Gawain turned his attention to the other anxious people.

After a moment, he smiled and sighed, then stood up and knelt on one knee.

"It's my fault, sir, it's my fault..."

"It has nothing to do with him!"

Suddenly, Zephyr stood up, interrupting Yixiao's words.

He stood there with that arrogant smile for a moment, then began to explain.

"You can surely imagine my hatred for pirates, sir. It was because I was first attracted by Sakazuki's decision that I influenced Issho and others who were on good terms with me, and they became determined to hunt down the pirates as soon as possible!"

As you know, sir, I never imagined I would cause such a huge mess.

Not only are there obvious signs of division within the Navy, but even the Dark Bird Ship has been affected, and that old man Garp hasn't spoken to me in a long time.

In short, no matter what the fault is, it's all mine!

How could you possibly do something like this?

Anyway, I'll accept the punishment. Even if I have to clean toilets or something, it's no problem!

After saying that, Zephyr stood there with his neck stiff like an old angry young man.

Looking at Zephyr, who resembled a defeated rooster, Gawain stared coldly into his eyes.

A moment later, just as Yixiao was about to plead for Zephyr...

Gawain suddenly broke into a smile.

"It's good to know it's your problem, Professor Zephyr."

You are no longer just a mere Marine Admiral; as a member of the emerging power of the Dark Bird, your every word and action can have an impact on the entire force!

Don't blame me for becoming increasingly alarmist lately; it's just that at this moment, I need us to have only one voice.

My voice!

Now, sit down, Professor Zephyr.

Keep listening to what I have to say, and remember, it's my words!

As soon as he finished speaking, Gawain waved his hand, and Zephyr breathed a sigh of relief before quietly sitting down.

In the distance, Garp took a deep breath and then spoke into Sengoku's ear, who had arrived late last night.

"Look at them, the Sengoku, their momentum is much stronger Koby yours."

In their eyes Kuzan and Sakazuki are just Admiral generals, not even capable of uttering a sound.

Unlike you, if you stood in front of them, the noise from your argument would almost deafen me..."

"Stop whispering, I'm talking to you, Garp!!!"

Gawain rolled his eyes and turned to look at Garp, whose serious atmosphere had been completely ruined.

Garp waved awkwardly at Gawain, then sat up straight with a serious expression.

Looking at the rogue-like Garp, Gawain took a deep breath.

The people in front of me are from the Pirate World. It's already quite impressive that they can remain so quiet. I shouldn't ask for too much.

All I want is discipline and obedience to myself!

Because everyone's strength comes from their inherent pursuit and desire for freedom.

Restricting those things is tantamount to restricting the potential of rising stars!

In short, after the atmosphere returned to silence, Gawain raised his right hand again and gently pointed to the towering Red Line in the distance.

Then, he said seriously.

"Whether it's a more radical attack on the New World."

Or it's a more stable erosion of the Grand Line.

While both of these things are necessary, their priority is... far too low compared to my goals!

From the start of the last war, an irreparable rift has existed between us and Mary Geoise.

When the combination of the Dark Bird and the Marines can defeat the combined forces of all the pirates in the New World, it means that when we unite, we also possess the power to threaten Mary Geoise!

Ladies and gentlemen, open your eyes and look at that towering city that reaches into the clouds.

Think about his past, and think about the fate of every force in history that could threaten that city!

If you don't know the history, go find Robin and have her explain it to you one by one.

And today, all I need you to remember is this.

From this moment on, put aside all your disputes, for I will need the strength of each and every one of you in the future!

Take a good look at Mary Geoise, and then be prepared!

Be prepared for... the arrival of our forces!!!