A few days earlier.
Grand Line, Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
The Fleet Admiral's Office doors were tightly shut, but the Navy officers standing guard outside could clearly feel the suffocating pressure seeping through the cracks.
"Bang!"
A loud crash rang out as a battle report stamped with a top-secret seal was slammed onto the broad desk. Several cracks instantly spread across the solid wood under the force of the blow.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's forehead veins bulged as he glared at Garp, who was sitting on the sofa and stuffing rice crackers into his mouth with a series of crunches.
"Garp! How much longer are you going to keep this from me? Look at what this monster you let run wild in the East Blue has done!"
Sengoku practically roared through gritted teeth.
The spacious office was heavy with tension.
The three Admirals representing the Navy's greatest military strength—Akainu, Aokiji, and Kizaru—were seated on sofas on either side of the room. Alongside them was Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Navy's great staff officer. Every face in the room wore a rare look of grim seriousness.
Aokiji let out a breath of cold air, picked up the battle report from the desk, and scanned the few lines of shocking red text.
"Looting the Heavenly Tribute paid by World Government Member States, defeating Vice Admiral Momonga's escort fleet head-on, and..."
Aokiji paused, his voice heavy with disbelief. "Defeating the Navy's new recruit instructor, former Admiral Teacher Zephyr, in a direct confrontation."
The entire office fell into deathly silence.
"What a fearsome rookie~"
Kizaru clipped his nails unhurriedly, drawing out his distinctively leering drawl. "A kid who only left the East Blue a few months ago actually managed to beat Teacher Zephyr, whose Armament Haki was at its peak, into a deep coma. Young people these days are such terrifying monsters~"
"Shut up, Borsalino. This is no laughing matter."
Akainu abruptly raised his head from the corner. Beneath his cap, his eyes brimmed with a cold, merciless killing intent. The magma on his body even dripped from his shoulder as his emotions surged, sizzling as it burned the floor.
"Anyone who dares loot the Heavenly Tribute and seriously injure a former Navy Admiral is an unforgivable, heinous pirate. They should be wiped out before they enter the New World! This provocation will not be tolerated by 'absolute justice'!" Akainu's voice was like a volcano held in check.
"Sakazuki is right."
Vice Admiral Tsuru, the great staff officer, rested her chin on her interlaced fingers and calmly looked toward Commodore Brannew, who stood beside the battle board.
"Brannew, report the details. How serious are Zephyr's injuries?"
Brannew wiped the cold sweat from his forehead, snapped to attention, and pinned several freshly developed photographs to the tactical board.
"Reporting to Vice Admiral Tsuru! According to the information Vice Admiral Momonga sent back, Teacher Zephyr lost their one-on-one fight. His breastbone was shattered and his internal organs were severely shaken, but..."
Brannew swallowed, his tone turning a little strange. "But before leaving, that pirate named Ace used a strange crimson-gold flame to forcibly heal Teacher Zephyr's mortal injuries. Teacher Zephyr is now out of danger and is being transported back to Headquarters aboard a medical ship."
"Healed?"
Sengoku frowned, his expression complicated. "A pirate actually saved an old Navy veteran after winning the fight?"
"And that's not all."
Brannew placed the blurry photograph of Ace in his semi-beast form at the center of the board. "According to several witnesses, corroborated by the Headquarters Science Unit, Portgas D. Ace's ability has been provisionally identified as the extremely rare Zoan-type Tori Tori no Mi, Mythical Zoan: Vermilion Bird Form! He has also mastered Armament Haki at an exceptionally high level!"
Mythical Zoan!
At those words, even Akainu's expression shifted slightly. Mythical Zoans were even rarer than Logias in these seas. A hand-to-hand combat monster with accelerated regeneration, extreme heat, and advanced Haki was unquestionably a potential threat on the level of a Four Emperor.
"And he's not the only one."
Brannew wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and pinned several freshly developed photographs to the tactical board.
"Reporting to Vice Admiral Tsuru! Aside from the captain, Portgas D. Ace, five other core members of this pirate crew known as the 'Eclipse Pirates' have been confirmed. They don't yet have the overall strength to contend with the great pirates of the New World, but their core combat force is already taking shape."
Brannew pointed to the first photograph.
"First mate Sabo, a Logia-type Mera Mera no Mi user. He's a genuine monster. During the battle to cover their retreat, he used powerful Dragon Claw techniques in combination with flames to defeat Vice Admiral Momonga head-on. His threat level is extremely high!"
Brannew then moved his finger to three other photographs, his tone somewhat more measured.
"As for the other crew members, although their current strength isn't yet top-tier, their potential and ability to cause trouble shouldn't be underestimated either."
"Chef Leona, a Two-Sword Style swordswoman. She was suppressed throughout her fight against a Headquarters Commodore, but showed the tenacity of a wild beast and managed to seriously injure the Commodore in a desperate moment. We suspect she has begun to touch the threshold of Observation Haki."
"Mechanic Jeno, with no Devil Fruit ability. He's equipped with a specially made exoskeleton with astonishing defensive capabilities. He was mostly on the receiving end of attacks on the battlefield, but thanks to armor as thick as a city wall, he managed to hold off one of our Commodores."
"Financial manager Carina, a former East Blue pickpocket. Her combat ability is average, and she only provided support from the rear with an ordinary flintlock. However, she was involved in moving the looted Heavenly Tribute throughout the entire operation. She seems to handle both navigation and accounting aboard the ship, making her an accessory to the crime."
Brannew finished his report in one breath, and the tension in the meeting room eased a little.
It seemed that aside from the captain and first mate, who were true monsters beyond the norm, the rest of the crew were still developing.
"They're just a bunch of deadweight being dragged along by two monsters," Akainu snorted, his eyes full of disdain.
"No, Admiral Sakazuki. There's one last person."
Brannew's finger trembled slightly as he pointed to the comical photograph of a red nose in the corner of the tactical board.
"The Eclipse Pirates' head butler, 'Jester' Buggy. He used an ability resembling splitting to clear out foot soldiers on the battlefield. His combat performance was mediocre."
Brannew took a deep breath and dropped a bombshell. "However, a comparison with the Headquarters' highest-security archives revealed that he was once an apprentice aboard Pirate King Gol D. Roger's ship! He belongs to the same generation as the current Four Emperor, 'Red-Haired' Shanks!"
"Pwahahahahaha!"
An unrestrained burst of laughter suddenly erupted in the otherwise quiet Fleet Admiral's Office.
Garp, seated on the sofa, showed not the slightest trace of worry. Instead, he slapped his thigh proudly, laughing as he noisily crunched on rice crackers.
"He even took an apprentice from Roger's ship as his butler, then went and robbed the Heavenly Tribute! He never does things the usual way! Pwahahahaha! That's my boy, the brat I beat up all the time when he was little! Not bad at all!"
"Garp!! You bastard, shut up!!!"
Sengoku's forehead veins bulged with rage. He rushed over, snatched the bag of rice crackers from Garp's hand, and screamed hysterically, "Do you have any idea what kind of monster you let run wild in the East Blue?! He robbed the Heavenly Tribute! He seriously injured Zephyr! Do you even understand how much trouble this has caused the Navy and the World Government?!"
"What's the big deal? The kid didn't kill anyone, and that old Zephyr is still alive. Pwahahaha!" Garp picked his nose, completely unconcerned.
Sengoku's gaze turned immeasurably deep and troubled.
He knew perfectly well whose son Ace was. But he had never imagined that a former crew member of Roger's would willingly work as a mere errand-running butler for a rookie who had only just set sail!
Did that red-nosed guy know Ace's identity? Was he secretly supporting the Pirate King's bloodline, using his many years of hidden experience to protect these rookies?!
The thought gave Sengoku a headache unlike any he had felt before.
If that was true, the political significance and potential danger of this pirate crew would reach a level that would keep even the World Government up at night.
"We can't let these people keep growing unchecked."
Sengoku abruptly stood up, slammed both palms down on the desk, and delivered his final decision with a blazing gaze.
"Reassess the Eclipse Pirates' threat level immediately! Set their bounties according to the standards for major criminals in the New World!"
"Brannew, issue the new wanted posters!"
Sengoku took a deep breath and made a decision to raise the bounties of rookies—a move almost unheard of in Navy history.
"Eclipse Pirates first mate, 'Flame Dragon' Sabo! For defeating a Headquarters Vice Admiral, bounty—530 million Beli!"
"Head butler, 'Jester' Buggy! A remnant of the Roger Pirates, hiding his strength and acting unpredictably. Bounty increased to—200 million Beli!"
"Head chef, 'Mad Beast' Leona! Bounty—89 million Beli!"
"Chief mechanic, 'Iron Man' Jeno! Bounty—76 million Beli!"
"Financial manager, 'Wild Cat' Carina! An accomplice in the Heavenly Tribute robbery, bounty—23 million Beli!"
Sengoku's gaze finally fixed on Ace's wild, unrestrained photograph. The ambition in his eyes made Sengoku feel as though he were looking at Roger—the man who had once given Marine Headquarters endless headaches.
"As for the Eclipse Pirates' captain, Portgas D. Ace!"
Sengoku gritted his teeth and pronounced the seas' initial price for the young overlord, one word at a time:
"Possesses a Mythical Zoan and advanced Haki, seriously injured a former Navy Admiral, and robbed the Heavenly Tribute!"
"Bounty—770 million Beli! Dead or alive!"
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