Looking at the documents laid out before him, Sengoku hesitated, as if he wanted to say something.
In the end, he chose to compromise. He picked up a pen and quickly signed his name on the documents.
As soon as Sengoku had signed, Hound, standing nearby, stepped forward and took the documents. He handed them to his adjutant and said briskly, "Send copies of these documents to every branch and fortress at once!"
"Yes, sir!"
The adjutant didn't dare delay. He took the documents in both hands, turned, and hurried out of the conference room.
Hound didn't leave. Holding a broadcast Den Den Mushi, he stepped in front of Sengoku and bowed. "Lord Sengoku, you'll also need to make a broadcast. Tell all officers and soldiers who haven't yet laid down their arms to gather at Marineford Square within ten minutes, and announce that Lord Akira will temporarily assume the duties of Marshal."
At that, Sengoku stopped dragging his feet and took the broadcast Den Den Mushi without hesitation.
After a brief silence, Sengoku took a quiet, deep breath, then spoke in an unhurried voice. "This is Sengoku. All officers and soldiers who can hear this broadcast, please stop fighting at once, lay down your weapons, and go to Marineford Square. This farce has to end~"
As Sengoku's voice rang out through the broadcast Den Den Mushi, loudspeakers installed throughout Marineford crackled to life, carrying his words to every corner.
The women officers' dormitory at Marineford.
When they heard the broadcast, Major Hina and the other women officers standing in the dormitory straightened up and turned their attention toward the Headquarters Building.
"Major Hina, that's Lord Sengoku's voice!"
"Thank goodness, the rebellion is over!"
"Did we win?"
Hearing the voices around her, Hina furrowed her brows. "Did none of you understand Marshal Sengoku? He told us to stop fighting, lay down our weapons, and go to the square."
"What does that mean?" one of the women officers asked, blinking in confusion.
Hina didn't explain. She simply turned and walked out of the dormitory.
By the time she stepped outside, more than a hundred women officers from Headquarters had gathered in front of the building. Many of them were already heading in orderly lines toward Marineford Square.
It wasn't just their dormitory. A steady stream of people was also pouring out of the men officers' dormitory nearby.
Before long, the road leading to Marineford Square was packed. Some people looked tense, while others chatted and laughed, as if everything happening in Marineford had nothing to do with them.
People greeted Hina as they passed, but she kept a distant expression and barely spared them a glance. She walked straight toward the square with the crowd.
A few minutes later, Hina arrived at the square's entrance with the rest of the group.
The square could hold as many as a hundred thousand people. It was brightly lit, and the crowd, which had been noisy just moments earlier, fell silent as soon as they entered.
It wasn't because they were choosing to keep order. Soldiers stood packed around the square, rifles in hand. Almost every one of them wore a red scarf around the shoulder, making them easy to distinguish from the soldiers entering the square.
"W-what's going on?"
Seeing the armed soldiers surrounding the square and a Commodore or Rear Admiral stationed every so often, the woman officer beside Hina nervously ducked behind her. Her voice trembled as she said, "Hina, did the rebels win? Will they kill us? Waaaaah!"
Before Hina could react, Sengoku's voice came through the broadcast again.
"I apologize to everyone for what happened tonight!"
"From this moment on, Vice Admiral Akira will take over the duties of Marshal in my place..."
The announcement set off an uproar in the previously quiet square.
The officers who had entered the square first—those who had been trapped in the dormitory—were the first to speak up, raising their voices in protest.
"Marshal Sengoku, how could you give in to the rebels?"
"What has Akira done to deserve replacing you as Marshal of Headquarters?"
"Marshal Sengoku must have been taken hostage by Akira!"
At the sudden uproar, the soldiers around the square raised their rifles.
A Rear Admiral then led a hundred-man unit in a rapid charge into the square.
As he rushed toward the chaos, the Rear Admiral barked, "Quiet! All of you, be quiet!"
"Traitor!"
"We'll never accept Akira leading the Navy!"
Facing the charging Rear Admiral, an officer wearing a Rear Admiral's coat raised his arm and shouted, "Who'll join me in storming the Headquarters Building?"
"Bang, bang, bang!"
Before anyone else could respond, a string of ear-piercing gunshots rang out without warning. Blood sprayed from the Rear Admiral who had just raised his arm and shouted.
"You're asking for it!"
After emptying their magazines, two soldiers following the Rear Admiral charged up to the wounded officer and swung their rifle butts hard into his head.
The sudden scene plunged the chaotic square into deathly silence.
A Rear Admiral of Headquarters had just been taken down by two soldiers?
Everyone's eyes widened in disbelief as they stared at the Rear Admiral lying on the ground, felled by the brutal blows.
Meanwhile,
Sengoku, in the conference room on the top floor of the Headquarters Building, immediately rose and went to the window when he heard gunshots from the direction of the square.
The square was some distance away, and it was packed with people. He couldn't make out what had happened. All he could see was that everyone had gone quiet, like the calm before a volcano erupted. A thick, invisible tension hung in the air.
Akira showed no reaction. He watched Sengoku with interest.
The situation was more or less under his control, so he wasn't worried about anything going wrong. But getting every soldier and officer at Headquarters to give up resisting wasn't something Sengoku could accomplish with a few words.
Feeling the tension surging from the square, Sengoku didn't have time to think. He raised his voice and shouted, "Do you want Marineford to run red with blood? If you want to see that happen, then keep fighting! I'm sure the lawless pirates out at sea would love to see you destroy each other in this infighting!"
"If you want this farce to end, obey the order."
"I hereby announce that Akira will temporarily assume the duties of Marshal."
"From this moment on, anyone who resists will be considered... a traitor."
After saying the word "traitor," Sengoku seemed to have been drained of all his strength. His legs went weak, and he nearly collapsed to the ground.
Though it was Akira's side that had truly rebelled, Sengoku had to say this to keep the situation from worsening and prevent further bloodshed.
As for where the Navy would go from here, he could only place his hopes in the Holy Land and in the choice Akira ultimately made.
Just as Sengoku announced that Akira would temporarily assume the duties of Marshal, a sudden voice rang out in Akira's mind.
"Ding!" "Congratulations, Host! Your coup has succeeded, and you have become Marshal of Marine Headquarters!" "Notice: Rewards are being issued." "Notice: Checking the abilities the Host has already mastered!" "Notice: The Host's mastered abilities are: Armament Haki, Observation Haki, Conqueror's Haki, swordsmanship, and the Navy Six Styles." "Notice: Upgrading the Host's mastered abilities!" "Notice: Swordsmanship has been successfully upgraded to its highest level!" "Notice: The Navy Six Styles have been successfully upgraded to their highest level!" "Notice: Armament Haki has been successfully upgraded to its highest level!" "Notice: Observation Haki has been successfully upgraded to its highest level!" "Notice: Conqueror's Haki has been successfully upgraded to its highest level!"
As the system notifications rang out one after another, Akira, completely unprepared, felt his vision blur.
The next moment, he found himself in a completely unfamiliar space. Information about the abilities the system was upgrading surged toward him from every direction like a tidal wave. It was as if knowledge had been poured straight into his mind: in an instant, he fully absorbed and mastered everything about the Three Types of Haki, swordsmanship, and the Navy Six Styles—their principles, techniques, and use in battle. They all came as naturally as moving his own arms.
In the space of a single breath, Akira felt as if he had lived through an entire lifetime.
Sensing the abundant energy coursing through him, and the confidence that came with having every ability raised to its highest level, Akira's eyes slowly narrowed. He hadn't expected to receive the reward just for temporarily assuming the duties of Marshal, but getting it early was certainly a good thing. And the feeling of his strength increasing was incredible.
After savoring the thrill of having his abilities instantly raised to their highest level, Akira rose to his feet without showing a hint of what had happened. "Gentlemen, the outcome is more or less decided. Gather everyone and head to Marineford. I have something to say!"
As he spoke, Akira turned his gaze toward Akainu, Stainless, and the others.
As if they knew what Akira was thinking, Stainless and the others, realizing the tide had turned, stopped sitting in silence. They stood up straight, raised their hands in salute, and joined Hound and the others in shouting, "Loyalty!"
Akira nodded. "This will be the wisest choice you've ever made!"
Then Akira wasted no more time. He turned and strode away.
Before you continue