"We can't get through."
The female officer shook her head, then continued, "None of the Den Den Mushi are working. Headquarters' communications must have been cut off!"
At that, Hina's expression gradually turned serious. "Why is this happening? Hina doesn't understand! No, I'm going to ask Gion!"
"Don't, Major Hina!"
The female officer hurriedly tried to stop her. "Didn't Vice Admiral Gion just say that we all have to stay in our dorms? Anyone who disobeys will be executed on the spot!"
Hina ignored her and turned to leave.
The other female officers didn't dare disobey Vice Admiral Gion's orders, but she wasn't afraid. Rank aside, she and Gion had a pretty good relationship in private. She believed Gion would never kill her without even asking what was going on.
As soon as Hina reached the gate, more than a dozen female officers who had been hiding inside hurried over and peppered her with questions.
"Major Hina, what's going on? Has Headquarters been invaded?"
"It can't be an invasion! If it were, Vice Admiral Gion wouldn't have told us to stay in our dorms!"
"A mutiny? Is there a traitor at Headquarters?"
"Wait, could this be about Vice Admiral Akira? A colleague from the courthouse sent word yesterday. The Chief Judge in charge of investigating Vice Admiral Akira's case supposedly declared in court that he would sentence Vice Admiral Akira to death and transfer him to Enies Lobby this morning!"
"Major Hina, do you know what's going on?"
Watching the female officers crowd around her, Hina furrowed her delicate brows and replied coolly, "Hina doesn't know what's going on either. Move aside. I'm going to ask Vice Admiral Gion."
With that, Hina started forward.
"Hina, don't come out!"
Gion's voice rang out from a distance as soon as Hina stepped through the gate. "The only thing you need to do now is stay out of this and wait in your dorm until it's over."
"Gion, not even I can leave the dorm?" Hina kept walking, completely ignoring Gion's warning. As she approached, she asked, "Headquarters is under attack. Why won't you let us leave the dorm and join the fight? Hina doesn't understand!"
"Headquarters hasn't been invaded!" Gion rested a hand on the hilt of her sword, her expression stern. "Hina, go back at once. This is for your own good."
Hina stopped less than five meters from Gion. After glancing around at the soldiers standing ready, she looked straight at Gion. "If Headquarters hasn't been invaded, why are you all arranged like this? Is it because of Vice Admiral Akira? Are you trying to stop Enies Lobby from taking him away?"
"Yes!" Gion didn't hide it. She gazed at Hina with a complicated expression and said softly, "Hina, don't make this difficult for me. Go back to your dorm. Once this is over, you'll still be a Marine captain!"
Hina was about to speak when the dozens of soldiers standing in formation behind Gion suddenly turned around as one, raised their hands in salute, and shouted, "Loyalty!"
Hina looked toward the sound, her beautiful eyes narrowing.
There, ahead of her, was Admiral Sakazuki, wearing a Marine cap and a dark red civilian outfit. As if in a great hurry, he strode toward the residential quarters with Vice Admiral Momonga at his side, without so much as glancing at anyone present.
Hina hadn't expected Admiral Sakazuki to ignore everything happening before him and hurry away as though nothing had happened. A flicker of confusion crossed her eyes. "Gion, is Admiral Sakazuki involved too? What's going on? Hina is confused!"
Gion didn't answer. Instead, she watched Sakazuki heading toward the residential quarters with Vice Admiral Momonga and finally felt the weight on her heart lift.
Clearly, Admiral Sakazuki had been persuaded by Akira—or had reached some kind of agreement with him. That meant their operation would face one less major obstacle. Otherwise, given Sakazuki's temperament and his belief in Absolute Justice, he would surely have done whatever it took to crush this rebellion.
She couldn't imagine how many people would die in the operation if that happened.
After watching Sakazuki and Momonga disappear from view, Gion turned back to Hina, who was still full of questions. She said softly, "After tonight, a new Marshal will replace Lord Sengoku at Headquarters. A new era for the Marines is already counting down. Tonight's events aren't an external invasion. Lord Akira intends to reshape the Marines!"
Marine Headquarters, residential quarters.
With Vice Admiral Momonga accompanying him, Sakazuki arrived in front of a small two-story house.
Soldiers in full combat gear stood guard every few paces around the gate—two or three dozen in all. Clearly, Akira had worried that the operation might affect this place, so he had arranged for a squad to guard it.
The courtyard was a mess. The ground in front of the gate had been dug up, and flowers and plants lay scattered everywhere, almost all withered and ruined.
This was Akira's little house. The surrounding ground had been dug up by the Investigation Unit, who were searching Akira's home and the nearby earth for any enormous sums of illegal money he might have buried.
But Sakazuki had no time to concern himself with such trivial matters. As soon as he reached the gate, his eyes settled on a hunched figure in the courtyard.
The figure trembled as he picked up the flowers and plants scattered across the ground, muttering to himself as if cursing the Investigation Unit members who had destroyed them.
Though the figure had his back to him, Sakazuki's heart began to race the moment he saw him.
Momonga, standing beside Sakazuki, hadn't expected to find someone in the courtyard, picking through the ruined flowers and plants beneath the cover of night. He froze for a moment, then his expression changed dramatically. Without stopping to think, he vaulted over the low fence beside the gate and went straight to the old man.
"Sir, why are you still awake?!"
As soon as he reached the old man, Momonga anxiously took the withered plants from his hands and supported him.
The old man looked up at Momonga in bewilderment and rasped, "Who are you?"
"Momonga! I'm Momonga!"
Supporting the old man, Momonga carefully turned him around and led him toward the two-story house in the courtyard. He raised his voice. "I'm a colleague of your grandson!"
At the words "your grandson," the old man suddenly grabbed Momonga's arm. His emotions surged, and his speech became remarkably clear. "Where's my grandson? Where did he go? Bad people have been coming to wreck the place every day these past few days. You're a Marine, right? Go catch those bad people!"
"Of course, of course. I'll go arrest them all and throw them in prison in a little while!" Momonga said, nodding repeatedly.
Just then, Sakazuki walked in.
With the old man right before him, Sakazuki looked as if he wanted to speak, but in the end he didn't say a word. He simply stared at him without blinking.
"I'm hungry~"
The old man seemed not to see Sakazuki. He also seemed to have forgotten what he had just said, and looked up at Momonga like a child.
"Let's get you inside to sit down for a while!"
Momonga supported the old man into the house, then continued, "I'll go get you some—"
Before Momonga could finish, Sakazuki had already turned and walked into the kitchen.
Before you continue