Lord Marshal, Times Have Changed!

Looking at the file tossed at his feet, Sakazuki didn't know whether he should pick it up and read it.

The events of his childhood surfaced in his mind. Though the passage of time had blurred many memories, and some had vanished entirely, the image of his mother closing her eyes in his arms remained etched clearly in the depths of his memory.

Back then, he had been only seven or eight years old. His parents were alive, and their life was comfortable enough.

But those good days didn't last. One day, a pirate ship suddenly docked at his hometown's pier. The pirates jumped ashore and began burning, killing, and looting. His father had been protecting him and his mother when one of those vile pirates chopped off his head. His mother had also been protecting him when a pirate ran her through with a blade.

Even then, his mother had used her body to shield him, making the pirates think he'd been killed too!

In truth, he had been petrified by everything that had happened. He was hiding beneath his mother's body, not daring to make a sound.

Only after the pirates had finished their rampage and left did he dare crawl out from beneath her.

Though decades had passed, he still remembered his mother, with her last breath, stroking his cheek.

Every man and woman in his hometown had fallen to the pirates, leaving no survivors. He could only bury his mother in the backyard of their home. Then, carrying his hatred of pirates with him, he set out on the perilous journey to a Marine Base, determined to eradicate every pirate in the world.

Decades had passed in a flash. Countless pirates had died at his hands, and he had captured just as many and sent them to prison. Even so, he had never forgotten the vow he made at his mother's grave: to hunt down every last pirate.

After a brief silence, though he was certain deep down that Akira must have made a mistake, he still found himself bending down to pick up the file.

As soon as he opened it, a photograph came into view before his completely unprepared eyes.

The photograph showed a stooped old woman with a deeply wrinkled face, who looked to be nearing seventy.

She sat on a sofa in the living room, a kind smile on her face. Standing beside her was Akira, wearing a Rear Admiral's coat.

He had heard that Akira had rescued an old woman while out on a mission, but he'd never asked about it. Even after Akira had been promoted to Vice Admiral and assigned under him, he hadn't visited Akira's home. All he knew was that Akira had been looking after the old woman for the past three years.

Besides, he was a workaholic who rarely wandered around the family housing area. Every day, he was either at work or on his way there, 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 though struck by lightning.

Then he eagerly scanned the investigation report in the file.

The farther he read, the more uncontrollably his hands trembled.

After finishing the report, he could no longer hold back. He looked up at Momonga and Akira, his voice hoarse as he stammered, "You... No, this can't be. I buried my mother with my own hands back then. She... she can't still be alive."

As he spoke, he picked up the photograph and looked at it again. Though the woman in it didn't look like the mother he remembered after all these decades, she seemed impossibly familiar. His heart pounded faster, almost leaping into his throat, and he lost the composure of an Admiral—the stern, cold demeanor he'd maintained for decades. His emotions overwhelmed him as he blurted out, "Akira, where is she now?"

At that, Akira calmly sheathed his sword, then replied briskly without even looking at Sakazuki, "Let's go!"

"No, you can't leave!"

Sakazuki stepped in front of Akira and said in a low voice, "Take me to see her!"

Seeing this, Akira furrowed his brow slightly.

Momonga, standing nearby, hurried forward and bowed. "Lord Akira, let me take Admiral Sakazuki to her!"

Akira nodded, then walked around Sakazuki and strode out of the prison, which had been reduced to ruins.

The moment he stepped through the prison gates, the tens of thousands of Marines standing in two rows snapped their legs together, raised their hands, and shouted in unison, "Loyalty!"

Their orderly, thunderous voices rang through the night sky, echoing over Marineford for a long time.

Hearing the sudden slogan ring through the night, the soldiers occupying the dormitories, armory, science division, and the headquarters' various fortresses also turned toward Marineford Square and stood at attention.

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

Looking at the officers of every rank and the tens of thousands of soldiers standing in two orderly rows, Akira gave a slight nod, raised his chin, and strode forward.

Meanwhile.

Sengoku had hurried out of his home as soon as he received the news. The moment he entered the headquarters building, a pungent smell of blood hit him.

Before he could react, Vice Admiral Hound led more than a hundred soldiers surging out.

"Marshal Sengoku, please stop!"

Hound quickly walked up to Sengoku and saluted. Then he said something that stunned everyone: "We now have control over most of Marineford. If you don't want Marineford destroyed, please remain where you are and wait for Lord Akira to arrive!"

"Hm?"

Marshal Sengoku's expression shifted slightly, and he quickly looked around.

When he saw that all the familiar faces in the headquarters' first-floor lobby had disappeared, and that everywhere he looked there were soldiers pointing their guns at him, he could no longer hold back. His Marshal's coat billowed as he shouted at Hound, "Hound, how could you treat your fellow Marines so brutally? Tell me the truth! Did you kill all the soldiers on duty in the headquarters building?"

Before Hound could answer, the Bass Trio beside Sengoku suddenly jumped out and pointed at Hound, cursing in a furious rage. "This is treason! You traitors will pay for everything you've done!"

Hound's eyes flashed coldly at the sight of the Bass Trio. "Quiet!"

Before the words had even left his mouth, several soldiers behind him rushed forward and pulled the triggers at the trio.

Bang, bang, bang—

Amid a burst of gunfire, the Bass Trio were riddled with bullets by the soldiers, who emptied their magazines before they even had a chance to scream!

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

Sengoku had never expected Hound to kill the Bass Trio without hesitation. He nearly vomited blood on the spot. The trio were Chief Judges of Enies Lobby, equal to him in rank. As long as they were alive, he'd still had a sliver of hope of salvaging the rebellion. But now that they'd been shot dead, the situation had become utterly irreparable.

"Lord Marshal, times have changed!"

Hound waved for the soldiers to stand down, then said calmly, "Lord Akira said that troubled times require harsh measures, and the bloodshed must begin with our generation! The Marines must be reformed, and the corrupt officials and parasites in the World Government must be purged."