Momousagi Gion

Morning had just passed in Marineford. Warm golden sunlight streamed through the carved corridors of Marine Headquarters and fell across the oak floor of Gion's office.

She sat in a cushioned chair by the window, carefully polishing the famed blade Kimpira at her waist with a soft cloth. The gleaming blade reflected the gentleness in her eyes and brows, yet could not conceal the sharp edge forged through countless battles.

Urgent knocking shattered the room's quiet. A messenger's respectful voice came from outside. "Vice Admiral Gion, the Fleet Admiral has issued an urgent summons. Please report to the Fleet Admiral's office immediately."

Gion paused in polishing the blade and looked toward the door, her fingertips lightly brushing the cold hilt.

For Sengoku to urgently summon her at this hour, it could not be an ordinary disturbance at sea.

She rose, securely fastened Kimpira back at her waist, straightened the collar of her crisp Marine uniform, and answered in a low voice, "Understood. I'll be there at once."

Only a few minutes later, she stood before the Fleet Admiral's office.

The moment she pushed open the heavy solid-wood door, the thick scent of tobacco and an oppressive atmosphere that seemed impossible to dispel washed over her.

Sengoku sat at the head of the room with his brow tightly furrowed. Vice Admiral Tsuru sat on a nearby sofa, her knitting abandoned in her hands. The desk was covered in densely packed encrypted reports. Even the overhead lamp, normally glaringly bright, seemed dimmed by the solemn mood.

"Fleet Admiral, Chief of Staff." Gion gave a standard military salute, then looked at the two of them. "You summoned me urgently. Is there an assignment?"

"Look at this first." Sengoku nodded and pushed the complete set of encrypted intelligence Momonga had just sent back toward the edge of the desk. His tone carried undisguised gravity. "Something major has happened in West Blue. The situation is far more troublesome than we anticipated."

Gion stepped forward and picked up the reports, reading them carefully word by word. Her previously calm brow gradually drew together. The fingers holding the documents tightened slightly, and even her breathing slowed.

As a Marine Admiral candidate, she understood only too well what those black words on white paper meant—a mysterious force that had appeared out of nowhere, with no intelligence records whatsoever; during a routine patrol, they had dispatched combat power no lower than captain level, while their leader was at least stronger than veteran elite vice admirals;

They showed no trace of Devil Fruit power, yet could walk upon the waves and casually manipulate seawater to block naval cannon fire. They were practically natural counters to Devil Fruit users;

Even more terrifying was their counterintelligence capability. They had quietly entrenched themselves in West Blue for an entire year, swallowed nearly a hundred ships, and even destroyed two Marine patrol vessels. Yet until now, Marine Headquarters' intelligence network covering the Four Blues had not received the slightest hint.

She set down the intelligence, drew a deep breath, and looked up at Sengoku, her voice heavy with lingering concern. "Does the Intelligence Department have no past records at all on this force?"

"None." Sengoku shook his head, his knuckles striking the desk heavily. "I've had the Intelligence Department comb through every archive, even digging through records from a century ago. There is nothing related to the Red-and-White Fan Emblem or Feihong eyes bearing tomoe patterns. These people are like they sprang straight out of a rock."

At that moment, the office door was pushed open again, and two figures entered one after the other.

Leading them was Vice Admiral Onigumo. His pure black Marine uniform clung tightly to his body, and the crisscrossing scars on his face stood out sharply beneath the light. He radiated a cold, murderous aura. Several swords hung unevenly at his waist, and his footsteps made no sound, like a savage beast lying in wait in the darkness.

Following behind him was Vice Admiral Hōshō, a lit cigar clenched between his teeth. Gray-white smoke curled around him as he wore his usual steady, peaceful expression. He gave Sengoku and Tsuru at the head of the room a slight bow and military salute.

"Fleet Admiral, Chief of Staff." The two spoke in unison. Onigumo's voice was hoarse and icy, carrying undisguised ruthlessness; Hōshō's tone was much gentler, yet every word was precise.

"You're here." Sengoku motioned for them to come forward and pushed another copy of the intelligence across the desk. "Good. Take a look.

I called the three of you here because of this situation in West Blue.

Momonga encountered a tough opponent there. It is a mysterious force we have never seen before, and its strength far exceeds our estimates. He cannot hold the situation down on his own."

Onigumo stepped forward and snatched up the intelligence. His Feihong eyes swept rapidly over the pages, and the hand holding the documents instantly pressed against the hilt at his waist. His knuckles turned pale, while the ruthlessness in his eyes deepened.

Beside him, Hōshō slowly finished reading the report with his cigar in his mouth, exhaled a thick cloud of smoke, and lost his smile entirely. His brows twisted into a tight knot.

The office fell into dead silence again. Only the howl of the sea wind sweeping past the fortress cannons outside the window remained.

Gion gripped Kimpira's hilt and broke the silence first. "Fleet Admiral, what are your orders?"

Sengoku drew a deep breath and sat up straight. The authority of a Fleet Admiral instantly radiated from him, and his tone was an unquestionable command. "I order Vice Admiral Gion to serve as overall commander, with Vice Admirals Onigumo and Hōshō as deputy commanders. Lead three Headquarters mainline warships and two elite Marine regiments. Depart within three days for West Blue 74th Branch and rendezvous with Vice Admiral Momonga."

He paused, his gaze sweeping over the three of them as he added word by word, "Your primary mission is to determine this mysterious force's background, the location of its base, the scale of its total strength, and its ultimate objective. Assess the level of threat it poses to order in West Blue and Marine rule.

Without explicit orders from Headquarters, you are not to rashly engage the enemy in a full-scale conflict.

However, if they provoke you first or take actions that endanger Marines or civilians, you may take coercive measures directly without seeking permission and eliminate the threat completely."

"Understood!" The three answered in unison, their military boots clicking crisply together.

Vice Admiral Tsuru set down her knitting as well and looked at the three of them. Her tone was steady, but every word mattered. "A reminder: they can freely control seawater and are extremely effective at countering Devil Fruit users. Exercise utmost caution during the operation. Do not give them any opening."

The three acknowledged her words, their hands tightening further around their sword hilts.

Sengoku looked at the three foremost pillars of Marine strength before him, and the concern hanging in his heart finally eased a little.

With an Admiral candidate leading the force and two veteran elite vice admirals assisting her, even if the enemy leader truly possessed strength approaching that of an Admiral, they would certainly be able to fight.

Yet he had a faint premonition that this trip to West Blue would not go nearly as smoothly as expected.