The sun sank in the west.
The sun hanging high in the sky slowly descended toward the edge of the sea. As if melting, it spread across the boundless ocean, painting it a magnificent blood red.
After the meeting, Akira went alone to the rooftop of the Headquarters Building. He narrowed his eyes as he gazed out over the endless sea, his mind full of thoughts.
Six years ago, when he opened his eyes and discovered he had been transported to the world of pirates, his blood had immediately surged, and he'd been ready to roll up his sleeves and make his mark.
Of course, he'd also feared this unfamiliar world. He didn't know whether he would receive some powerful cheat, like the protagonists in all those transmigration novels he'd read before.
As time passed, the cheat he'd hoped for never appeared.
But he hadn't given up. Instead, he'd abandoned his fantasies and faced reality, training twice as hard every day while doing his best to build good relationships with the soldiers and officers around him.
Gradually, he realized that even without a system, he could probably carve out a place for himself in this world. So the man who'd originally only wanted to survive as long as possible began trying to make plans of his own.
As his strength continued to grow and more people gathered around him, his ambitions gradually grew as well.
Still, according to his plans, he wouldn't risk everything in a desperate fight at this point. With his current strength and connections, he could at most survive this trial. Seizing the Marshal's position and taking control of the entire Navy was almost impossible.
What he hadn't expected was that the system would actually appear—and that it would reward him before he'd even fully secured his position as Marshal of Marine Headquarters, raising all his abilities to their highest level with a single click.
When his abilities first improved, Akira had clearly felt his strength rise to an unprecedented level. Yet although the knowledge in his mind—how to use the Three Types of Haki, swordsmanship, and the Navy Six Styles—as well as the combat experience granted by the system's powerful functions, all felt as if they were innate, he still couldn't truly grasp how powerful his abilities had become. Only after fighting Garp and sending six Knights of God flying did he finally understand, in concrete terms, that his strength now stood at the very peak.
That was especially true of Conqueror's Haki. Before, his understanding of it had been limited to what he'd known before transmigrating. But after the system raised it to the highest level, he finally understood just how much weight there was behind the claim that "Conqueror's Haki stands above all."
Of course, all that had already happened. What lay before Akira now was his meeting with Imu tomorrow, along with the plans he had for the future.
Though Imu had made concessions, he wasn't so naive as to believe Imu had truly yielded. Imu had controlled the World Government from behind the scenes for so many years; how could a single mutiny force him to give in? He'd agreed to meet only to keep Akira in check for the time being.
Of course, Akira also needed some time to catch his breath.
Starting a full-scale war against the World Government, a behemoth that had stood atop the Red Line for eight hundred years, was not a wise move right now. A moment of reckless passion could easily turn his current advantage into a disadvantage.
Besides, if all he wanted was to become some sort of emperor of the seas, he wouldn't have needed to stage a mutiny. He could simply have left Headquarters with the officers and soldiers loyal to him and set up on his own. There'd have been no need for all this trouble.
As a great transmigrator wielding the power to slay dragons and possessing a system, running off to become a pirate would be an enormous joke.
"Lord Akira?"
A familiar voice suddenly came from behind him. He turned toward it and saw Gion striding over, dashing in her Vice Admiral's coat, with the Famous Sword Kompira at her waist.
Akira turned his head. "Is everything arranged?"
"Yes." Gion handed him a file, then continued, "Besides Lord Sengoku, Mr. Garp, and Instructor Zephyr, the three Admirals also want to go to the Holy Land. Also, I've noticed that Admiral Kuzan and Admiral Sakazuki seem rather dispirited. I'm worried about them... You know how it is, Lord Akira. Their conflicting beliefs have led to quite a few arguments over the years, and several times they've nearly come to blows."
"Don't worry."
Akira waved a hand and smiled. "It's only natural for them to feel dispirited right now. Imu's existence has shaken the justice each of them believes in. Sakazuki in particular has long resented the Celestial Dragons and the Five Elders in the Chamber of Power, but because of his position and the justice he upholds, he chose to endure it. Now the existence of a hidden ruler behind the World Government has suddenly come to light. Anyone with a genuine sense of justice would feel their morale sink."
"The same goes for Kuzan. Ever since the Ohara Incident, he's been uncertain about the Navy's justice. Now that he knows Imu exists, that uncertainty will naturally grow."
"But after we go to the Holy Land this time, I believe neither Sakazuki nor Kuzan will remain lost."
Gion's eyes brightened. She ventured, "So when you sent the Knights of God flying, you mentioned Imu in front of them because you wanted Kuzan and Sakazuki to hear it? You weren't just declaring our position to Imu and the World Government—you wanted the two Admirals to make their final choice?"
Akira nodded. "Not just them. Sengoku and Garp, too. For those old-timers and powerful people, simple force and the usual tricks aren't enough to make them fully choose to stand with us. They need to see the situation clearly and learn the truth for themselves. Only then, with everything we're doing now as a foundation, will they abandon their illusions and face reality."
At that, Gion turned her head slightly and looked at Akira.
He was still the same Akira, yet somehow he seemed a little unfamiliar to her now.
Akira was about the same age as Hina, yet his judgment and cunning were beyond anything ordinary. His mastery of people's hearts was polished to perfection, no less impressive than Sengoku's, the so-called "Strategist"—and perhaps even better.
The sea breeze swept in from the ocean, stirring the coats Akira and Gion wore and making them rustle softly.
Akira glanced over the file, handed it back to Gion, then looked toward the distance, narrowing his eyes as he murmured, "The wind's picking up."
A new day dawned, and the sun rose as usual.
As newspapers printed by news agencies across the world were delivered by News Coo, the articles inside stunned all the major powers of the Grand Line and the Four Blues.
New World, territory of the Red Hair Pirates.
The Red Hair Pirates, dressed in all sorts of ways, lay sprawled across the ground, either on their backs or facedown. Their snores thundered so loudly that the birds in the nearby woods didn't dare make a sound.
Shanks, captain of the Red Hair Pirates, who had only recently become one of the Yonko of the New World, had drunk himself into a stupor at a grand banquet with his crew. Clutching a bottle of liquor, he slept until he woke naturally.
As soon as he opened his eyes, Shanks saw a figure sitting across from him. It was the Red Hair Pirates' vice captain, Benn Beckman.
Beckman didn't even glance over when Shanks woke. He held the newspaper delivered by News Coo in both hands, his expression more solemn than Shanks had ever seen.
"Morning, Beckman!"
Rubbing his aching eyes, Shanks got to his feet with the bottle in hand and came over to him. He grinned. "Up so early? Didn't get enough partying last night?"
Beckman didn't answer. Instead, he handed Shanks the newspaper.
"Hm?"
The moment Shanks's eyes landed on the headline, his pupils contracted. He snatched the paper and read it in disbelief, eyes wide. "A mutiny at Marine Headquarters? Vice Admiral Akira seizes the Marshal's position!"
After a brief moment of shock, Shanks looked up sharply at Beckman. "Th-this... When did this happen?"
"While we were having our banquet last night!" Beckman took out a cigarette and lit it, his expression grave. "Before you woke up, I contacted our intelligence agents stationed on Sabaody Archipelago. It wasn't just Marine Headquarters. Most Marine Branch bases across the Grand Line and the Four Blues were completely purged at the same time, with overwhelming speed. The officers who took over as commanders of those Marine bases were all this Vice Admiral's trusted confidants."
He paused slightly, then looked up at Shanks. "He took control of the entire Navy in just one day. What an astonishing feat. I have a feeling that this Vice Admiral will completely overturn the balance between the Holy Land and the World Government Member States, as well as the balance between the Navy and the Yonko of the New World."
Before you continue