Akira's answer caught Gion completely off guard. Her beautiful eyes widened, then she shook her head with a wry smile.
As expected, the Akira she knew hadn't changed just because he'd staged a coup and seized sole control of the Navy.
From the time Akira first arrived at Marine Headquarters until the coup began, he'd always struck people as a witty, good-humored young man. Even when Chief Judge questioned him in court, Akira had come out with lines like "I like using Beli to light my cigarettes," making it hard not to laugh.
"Is everyone here?"
Akira moved on from the topic, glanced around at those attending the meeting, and said unhurriedly, "Before we begin, there's something I need to let you all know."
"Unless something unexpected happens, the Revolutionary Army and Doflamingo, one of the Shichibukai, should both know about the coup by now and have already taken action!"
"Of course, they didn't get the news so quickly because their spies in Marine Headquarters are especially capable. I allowed it to happen."
He paused briefly and glanced at Borsalino before continuing, "The Revolutionary Army may have found out even earlier than Doflamingo, because their spy in the Navy holds a fairly high rank."
"As for Doflamingo's spy, he isn't stationed at Headquarters. So I had another Vice Admiral from a branch relay what happened here to him—or rather, force him to make a choice!"
Hearing Akira bring up spies before the meeting had even begun, Sengoku, who was sitting in on it, looked up at him in surprise.
As a former Marshal of the Navy, Sengoku knew very well that various factions had placed plenty of spies inside the Navy. He'd quietly rooted out some of them by his own methods, but he was certain there were still spies at Headquarters he hadn't uncovered.
Akira's words made it clear that he'd already learned the details about those spies.
Unlike Sengoku, who remained silent, several of the Vice Admirals attending the meeting began speaking up.
"Doflamingo actually planted a spy at Headquarters?"
"Who is this spy? He isn't at Headquarters? Could he be the commander of some branch base?"
"Lord Marshal, why not root out these spies?"
Akira raised a hand to quiet them, a mild smile on his face. "There's no need to root out every spy. Often, leaving them in place is more useful than killing them."
"Their usefulness is already becoming apparent."
"We've just received word from the Sabaody Archipelago. The Revolutionary Army, having learned of the coup within the Navy, has sent out all five of its armies. I'm certain that if the Holy Land makes a major move against us because I staged this coup, they'll seize the opportunity to expand their territory and influence."
"After getting this information from his spy, Doflamingo will inform Kaido, the Yonko who rules the New World, right away. You heard me correctly. Doflamingo, one of the Shichibukai, has another identity: he goes by the code name Joker. He's not only a broker in the Underworld but also has close ties to Yonko Kaido!"
"What will Kaido do once Doflamingo tells him that our relationship with the World Government has broken down? Kaido has always been eager to see the world destroyed."
"Eventually, the whole world will learn what we've done when the newspapers spread the news everywhere. But there'll be a delay. The Holy Land will surely seize that window of time, hoping to end the war as quickly as possible and crush us in one fell swoop!"
"I dared to stage this coup because I'm not afraid of going to war with the World Government. The key question is, once we're at war with the Holy Land, what will the other forces do? The Revolutionary Army probably won't attack us at a time like this. They've been committed to overthrowing the World Government, so they won't launch a sneak attack against us. They may even send an envoy to make contact, because this is the best opportunity they'll ever get to win the Navy over."
"For the Revolutionary Army, the World Government is their ultimate target. But to the other factions—especially the lawless pirates on the seas—the Navy is the greatest threat!"
"That's why I deliberately threw the situation into chaos ahead of time. It'll make the Holy Land think that everyone has something to lose, and persuade them to sit down and talk with us calmly."
After speaking at length, Akira suddenly turned toward Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr, who were sitting in on the meeting, and smiled. "You must be eager to see Imu, the one pulling the strings behind the World Government, with your own eyes."
"Of course, I'm sure many others here are curious about Imu, too!"
"As long as the Holy Land is willing to talk, you'll all meet Imu soon!"
"After I sent those Knights of God flying back to the Holy Land, Imu's existence stopped being a secret to us. If Imu doesn't want the Revolutionary Army and the D Clan to profit from a war between us, you'll all meet Imu soon enough."
"Buru buru~"
As soon as Akira finished speaking, the Den Den Mushi resting quietly in front of him suddenly rang.
Then a familiar voice came from the Den Den Mushi. "This is Gunko."
Everyone present turned to look, especially Sengoku and Garp. So engrossed were they that they each absentmindedly took out a box of rice crackers and popped one into their mouths.
"Miss Gunko, it seems you weren't hurt by the impact of my Conqueror's Haki." Akira narrowed his eyes. "That's a relief. We haven't reached the point of no return yet, after all. Who knows? We might end up fighting side by side."
At the other end of the call, Gunko stood in the great hall of the Holy Land's palace. She glanced uneasily at the imposing figure before the throne, then got straight to the point. "Lord Im wants to see you."
"Fine." Akira didn't hesitate. "When?"
"Tomorrow."
Akira nodded. "I hope to see Spandam and his father when I arrive at the Holy Land tomorrow."
With that, Akira ended the call and looked up at everyone, who had turned their attention toward him. He gave a slight shrug. "Looks like the Revolutionary Army and Kaido will have gone to all that trouble for nothing!"
Holy Land, World Government Headquarters.
CP9 Chief's office.
Spandine sat at his desk, his face ashen and his eyes blank as he stared at the Den Den Mushi on the desktop.
Just moments ago, he'd received devastating news.
The warships he'd sent from Enies Lobby to Marine Headquarters had all been sunk. Not a single person aboard had survived.
Their deaths alone weren't the main problem. The fact that Marine Headquarters had sunk warships bearing the flag of "Justice" without a moment's hesitation meant that either Akira or Spandine himself would pay with his life over this incident.
Judging by the Holy Land's reaction, Spandine, a man skilled at scheming, had roughly figured out that the Holy Land wouldn't go to war with the Navy under Akira's control—not for now, at least.
No war meant compromise and concessions.
And compromise and concessions came at a price. For example, they might offer up Spandine, the CP9 Chief, to quell the anger of Akira, who had staged the coup.
"Father! Father!"
Suddenly, Spandam's panicked voice came from outside the office. Before Spandine could react, Spandam burst through the door and rushed to the desk, frantic with urgency. "The Knights of God are on their way here!"
At that, Spandine slumped helplessly in his chair, despair and fear flickering in his eyes.
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