Marshal, The Times Have Changed!

Sakazuki didn't know whether to pick up the documents thrown at his feet or not.

Images of his childhood flashed before his eyes. Though many things had blurred with the passage of time, and some were completely forgotten, the memory of his mother closing her eyes in his arms was still vividly etched in the depths of his mind.

He was only seven or eight then. His parents were alive, and their life was decent.

But good times didn't last. One day, a pirate ship docked at his hometown's pier. The pirates immediately disembarked, setting fire to houses and slaughtering people. His father was beheaded by a pirate while trying to protect him and his mother. His mother, too, was pierced by a pirate's sword while shielding him.

Even so, his mother used her body to shield him, making the pirates believe he was also dead!

He had actually been so terrified by the suddenness of everything that he'd hidden beneath his mother's body, not daring to breathe.

Only after the pirates finished their rampage and left did he dare to crawl out from under his mother.

Even though decades had passed, he still remembered his mother's hand, with her last breath, caressing his cheek.

Since all the elders and villagers in his hometown had been brutally murdered by the pirates, with no survivors, he could only bury his mother in their backyard. Then, filled with hatred for pirates, he embarked on an adventure to a Navy base, determined to exterminate all the pirates in the world.

Decades flew by. Countless pirates had died by his hand, and an immeasurable number had been captured and imprisoned. Yet, he had never forgotten the vow he made at his mother's grave to eradicate all pirates.

After a brief silence, though he was certain in his heart that Akira must have made a mistake, he still uncontrollably bent down and picked up the documents.

The moment he opened the file, a photograph immediately assaulted his unprepared eyes.

The photograph showed a stooped, wrinkled old woman, appearing to be nearly seventy years old.

The old woman sat on a living room sofa, a kind smile on her face. Standing beside her was Akira, clad in his Rear Admiral's coat.

He had heard about Akira rescuing an old woman while on a mission, but he hadn't inquired about it. Even when Akira was promoted to Vice Admiral and assigned under him, he hadn't visited Akira's home. He only knew that Akira had been taking care of this elderly woman for three years.

Moreover, he was a workaholic who rarely wandered around the family housing area. He was either going to work or on his way to work every day, so he had never met the old woman Akira had brought back.

The instant he saw the old woman in the photograph, he froze as if struck by lightning.

Then, he eagerly began to read the investigation report in the file.

The further he read, the more uncontrollably his hands, holding the documents, trembled.

After finishing the investigation report, he could no longer hold back. He looked up at Momonga and Akira, his voice hoarse and incoherent as he stammered, "You... no, this is impossible. I buried Mother myself back then. She... she couldn't possibly still be alive."

He paused, then picked up the photograph again. Although decades had passed, and the woman in the photo didn't look like the mother he remembered, he felt an overwhelming sense of familiarity. His heart pounded wildly, leaping into his throat, causing him to lose the composure of an Admiral and the seriousness and indifference he had maintained for decades. His emotions out of control, he changed his tune, "Akira, where is the old woman now!"

Hearing this, Akira calmly sheathed his sword and said curtly, without even looking at Sakazuki, "Let's go!"

"No, you can't go!"

Sakazuki lunged forward, blocking Akira's path, and said in a deep voice, "Take me to her!"

Akira frowned slightly at this.

Momonga, standing beside him, quickly stepped forward and bowed, "Lord Akira, shall I take Admiral Sakazuki there?"

Akira nodded, then walked past Sakazuki and strode out of the already ruined prison.

As they exited the prison gates, the tens of thousands of Navy soldiers standing in two neat rows simultaneously brought their legs together and raised their hands, shouting in unison, "Loyalty!"

The neat and resounding voices echoed through the night sky, lingering over Marineford for a long time.

Hearing the sudden slogan that filled the night sky, soldiers controlling the major dormitories, armories, science divisions, and the main fortresses of headquarters also stopped, facing the Marineford Plaza.

It was clear that an unprecedented rebellion had ended the moment Akira walked out of the prison gates.

Looking at the officers and tens of thousands of soldiers standing neatly in two rows, Akira nodded slightly, then raised his head, chest out, and strode forward.

Meanwhile.

Sengoku, who had rushed out of his home after receiving the news, was hit by a pungent smell of blood the moment he entered the headquarters building.

Before he could react, Vice Admiral Hound led hundreds of soldiers rushing out.

"Marshal Sengoku, please stay where you are!"

Hound, who had quickly reached Sengoku, saluted and then delivered a shocking statement: "Marineford is basically under our control now. If you don't want Marineford destroyed, please stand still and await Lord Akira's arrival!"

"Hm?"

Marshal Sengoku's expression changed slightly, and he quickly scanned his surroundings.

Seeing that the familiar figures in the headquarters' first-floor lobby were nowhere to be found, and only soldiers pointing their guns at him met his gaze, he could no longer restrain himself. His Marshal's coat billowed as if in a wind, and he berated Hound, "Hound, how dare you treat your colleagues so brutally! Speak honestly, were the soldiers on duty in the headquarters building all murdered by you?"

Before Hound could reply, the Bass Trio, who had been accompanying Sengoku, suddenly jumped out, pointing at Hound and shouting furiously, "This is a rebellion! You traitors will pay for everything you've done!"

Seeing the Bass Trio suddenly appear, Hound's eyes flashed with cold light. "Noisy!"

Before he finished speaking, several soldiers behind him immediately rushed forward and opened fire on the Bass Trio.

Bang, bang, bang--

Accompanied by a series of gunshots, the Bass Trio were riddled with bullets before they even had a chance to scream!

"Damn it, Hound, how could you..."

Sengoku almost spat blood on the spot, shocked that Hound had killed the Bass Trio without hesitation. The Bass Trio were, after all, the chief judges of Enies Lobby, holding the same rank as him. As long as they were alive, he still had a sliver of hope to salvage the rebellion. But with their deaths, the situation had become completely uncontrollable.

"Lord Marshal, times have changed!"

Hound waved his hand, signaling the soldiers to retreat, and then said calmly, "Lord Akira said that in troubled times, strict measures are needed. Sacrifice begins with us! The Navy must be reformed, and the corrupt officials and parasites of the World Government must be purged."