After glancing at Borsalino, who was slumped on the floor with his back against the desk, Hound immediately stepped back and saluted. Then he turned and ordered crisply, "Leave two men here with Admiral Borsalino. If the coup fails, you know what to do!"
"Loyalty!"
The two soldiers who remained saluted together, their expressions fervent.
Once Vice Admiral Hound had left the office, the two soldiers immediately turned to Borsalino and each pointed a gun at their own head.
A flicker of surprise crossed Borsalino's eyes.
When he'd heard Hound say, "If the coup fails, you know what to do," he'd assumed the two soldiers would choose to take him down with them.
But judging by their reactions, that clearly wasn't what they had in mind.
"Are you—"
Borsalino blinked, puzzled. "Are you planning to kill yourselves if the coup fails?"
"Yes!"
One of the soldiers raised his head, his expression resolute. "From the moment we chose to follow Akira, we were ready to die for him! If the coup fails, we won't cling to life!"
Borsalino shook his head. "What exactly has Akira done for you to make you so fanatically loyal to him?"
At that, the other soldier immediately stepped forward. "Admiral Borsalino, I used to serve under you. Two years ago, I went with your warship to the New World to fight pirates! But I'm sure you don't remember me—or, rather, you probably didn't even know I was there. I was only a corporal back then."
"But Akira knew my name, and when I was at my most desperate, he saved me from misery and despair!"
"Oh?" Borsalino looked up at the soldier, trying to find something about him in his memories. In the end, he gave up. There was nothing about the man in his recollections.
After a brief silence, he drew a quiet breath. Relying on his formidable strength, he forced himself to his feet despite the Seastone Handcuffs' effects, walked over to the desk chair, and sat down. "Tell me how Akira saved you from misery and despair."
The soldier stepped forward, his expression earnest. "I was born in the South Blue. Before I joined the Marines, I served in the Royal Army of a country in the South Blue. In that country, the greatest merit a soldier could earn was charging forward to protect His Majesty when the king was in danger."
"But how would a soldier feel if His Majesty were injured while saving him?"
As he spoke, the soldier suddenly grew emotional. He stared intently at Borsalino. "Two years ago, I went with your warship to the New World to wipe out pirates. Akira's warship was there too! The battle was brutal. We charged through a hail of cannon fire, boarded the pirate ship, and fought them at close quarters. I watched wave after wave of my classmates fall or get knocked into the sea by those damn pirates. To avenge my comrades, I charged at the enemy captain without a second thought."
"But I was too weak."
"My opponent didn't even consider me a threat. A single shockwave sent me flying into the sea."
"That was when you stepped in. You used your Devil Fruit ability to defeat the enemy captain, but the pirate ship couldn't withstand the destruction caused by your power. It broke apart and sank into the sea."
"At the time, I was floating on the water. All I could do was watch as the wreckage of the pirate ship came crashing down toward me. I don't blame you. War always brings death, and as a Marine who stands for justice, I was prepared to sacrifice myself for justice at any moment."
"But just as I gave up and prepared to embrace death, Akira's warship arrived. Before the wreckage could crush me, they pulled me aboard his ship, and he even bandaged my wounds himself."
"From that moment on, there was no justice in my heart anymore. There was only Akira!"
"When Akira hunts pirates, I'll follow him to the death. If he wants to take on the whole world, I'll give him my loyalty and my life."
In the Marine Headquarters prison.
The shrill alarm blared without pause, and gunfire rang out in every direction.
Sakazuki's expression darkened. He stared intently at Akira. He didn't need to look to know that the Marines and officers who had gathered on the plaza were using overwhelming force to seize control of Marine Headquarters.
"Akira, do you really have to let this get so out of hand?"
After a brief silence, Sakazuki slowly rose to his feet and spoke in a grave voice. "It's not too late to stop now. Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to take you down! Once you're dead, this rebellion will end!"
As soon as Sakazuki finished speaking, the Den Den Mushi in the pocket of the Commodore standing beside Akira suddenly rang.
"Buru buru~"
The familiar sound of the Den Den Mushi was especially piercing in the prison. The Commodore didn't dare delay. He immediately took it out and answered, "Go ahead!"
"This is Vice Admiral Hound!"
Hound's voice came through the Den Den Mushi, sounding somewhat excited. "Please inform Akira immediately: Admiral Borsalino has been secured!"
What?
Hearing the message, Sakazuki looked up in shock, his eyes full of disbelief.
In the entire Marine Headquarters, Borsalino was the brother he was closest to—there was no one else. That was precisely why Sakazuki knew Borsalino's strength better than anyone.
It was no exaggeration to say that unless both Sengoku and Garp had sided with Akira, Borsalino alone could have stopped the rebellion.
And yet the message coming through the Den Den Mushi was that Borsalino had been secured!
After a moment of shock, Sakazuki let out a quiet sigh.
He didn't believe Borsalino could have been taken down. If Borsalino had been secured, there could be only one explanation: his only brother, who followed an ambiguous brand of justice, had chosen to stand aside.
Just then, the Den Den Mushi that had just finished the call rang again.
Before the Commodore beside Akira could speak, the Den Den Mushi in the pockets of the other officers present began ringing too.
"Report: The armory has been secured!"
"Report: Barracks Building No. 7 has also been secured!"
"Report: The Science Division has also been secured!"
"Report: Vice Admiral Gion has stopped Vice Admiral Kaki!"
"Report: Major Hina has been secured!"
"Report: All Den Den Mushi used for external calls at Headquarters are under surveillance."
"Report: ..."
One report after another made Sakazuki's expression grow more and more grim.
He'd never imagined the coup would unfold so quickly. Even less had he expected Gion, a candidate for Admiral, to side with Akira—and to move against Vice Admiral Kaki, who was also an Admiral candidate.
Though there had been no report from Marshal Sengoku yet, he knew very well that if the coup wasn't stopped soon, Marine Headquarters would soon be plunged into unprecedented bloodshed.
Not everyone at Headquarters was loyal to Akira. At least half the officers and soldiers would eventually move to stop the rebellion from spreading further. When that happened, the stability of Marine Headquarters would be shattered. No matter who emerged victorious, the Marines would suffer an unprecedented blow—one that could leave them unable to recover and disrupt the balance and order of the entire world.
Most importantly, officers from branch bases throughout the Grand Line and the Four Blues might already be racing toward Headquarters at full speed. If the rebel branch warships arrived and joined forces with the rebellious Marines at Headquarters, then even if Akira failed to take the position of Marshal, he would still strike a devastating blow, reducing Marine Headquarters to an empty shell.
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