"Leave," Leo said three days earlier on Sky Island.
The Marines had been gathered together, standing in neat formation.
Even after being imprisoned and put to labor by the Revolutionary Army for a full year, although Marines had continued surrendering in twos and threes, they still retained their organizational capabilities. So far, aside from Akainu Sakazuki and the Vice Admirals of his faction, almost none of the remaining Fleet Admirals, Admirals, and Vice Admirals had surrendered. Most of those who had surrendered were low- and mid-ranking Marines. Coming from the lower ranks, they were not truly vested interests, nor did they possess especially firm beliefs or ideals. To them, the Marines had only been a job, perhaps one bolstered by a sense of honor.
But that honor was not truly any different from the honor of the Revolutionary Army. As they gradually began surrendering to the Revolutionary Army, their comrades naturally followed suit.
As for these diehards, Leo no longer had the energy to deal with them.
Thus, after gathering them today, Leo bluntly told Sengoku and the others that he was giving them their freedom.
These Admirals and Vice Admirals were the essence of the entire Marine force, but since the Revolutionary Army could not absorb them into its ranks, it could only reluctantly give them up.
To be honest, guarding them did not require many people, but it still required some. Keeping manpower tied up here was a waste, and now that the Revolutionary Army needed people, it could not be bothered wasting its human resources watching them.
"You're free," Leo said to Sengoku and the others, spreading his hands.
"The pirates have already disappeared. Next, we'll launch a campaign against the great pirates of the Grand Line and bring the Great Pirate Era to a complete end.