Who Wants to Be the Next Shiki?

Meanwhile, in the Fleet Admiral's office two kilometers from the naval harbor's mooring area.

Sunlight streamed through the enormous floor-to-ceiling windows, spilling across the dark hardwood floor as dust motes drifted gently through the beams.

Several months had now passed since Fisher Tiger had single-handedly wreaked havoc in Mary Geoise.

That disturbance, which had shaken the entire World Government, had thrown Marine Headquarters into unprecedented turmoil. Fleet Admiral Sengoku had worked without rest for days on end, dealing with the aftermath.

Although the Celestial Dragons had yet to stop pressuring the Marines, their demands had gradually become less urgent as time passed.

After all, Fisher Tiger had long since vanished without a trace. Coupled with the Marines' repeated efforts to mediate, the Celestial Dragons' fury had slowly been worn down.

At last, after several months of relentless overtime, Sengoku was able to enjoy one of his few moments of relaxation.

He sat across from Garp, with a plate of freshly opened senbei crackers and a pot of warm tea on the coffee table between them.

The two chewed on crisp senbei as they casually chatted about trivial matters, their voices filled with rare contentment.

Suddenly, the relaxed smiles on both their faces froze. Their brows furrowed sharply as their gazes snapped toward the harbor's mooring area.

An unfamiliar wave of Conqueror's Haki had abruptly appeared over there!

As the supreme form of Haki that carried a strong person's will, Conqueror's Haki was not something just anyone could possess. Only those born with the qualities of a king could awaken such power.

Moreover, every king's Conqueror's Haki carried a unique will and presence, as impossible to replicate as a person's fingerprints.

Sengoku and Garp were both seasoned powerhouses who had lived most of their lives and encountered many possessors of Conqueror's Haki.

Yet they had never felt this particular presence before!

Sengoku set down the senbei in his hand and thought, Had someone awakened Conqueror's Haki in Marineford?

Or had some pirate I don't know about silently infiltrated this place, intending to repeat Shiki's farce of wreaking havoc in Marineford?

Even Garp, who was usually so carefree, lost the smile on his face. He stopped chewing his senbei and asked in a serious tone,

"Who does that unfamiliar Conqueror's Haki belong to?"

Seeing Sengoku shake his head with an equally grave expression, clearly unaware of the source of that presence, Garp immediately rose to his feet, intending to investigate the harbor himself.

Just as he stood up, the office door was flung open with a bang.

The one who entered was none other than Marine Admiral Zephyr.

Though he had not awakened Conqueror's Haki himself, he had still clearly sensed that unfamiliar Haki fluctuation.

"What's going on with that unfamiliar Haki?"

The moment Zephyr spoke, he directly questioned Sengoku without any unnecessary pleasantries.

He had never been one to sit still. With no major missions lately, he had long been itching for action.

Now that he had sensed an unfamiliar presence, the desire to fight instantly ignited in his eyes.

"Want me to go suppress it directly? Whether it's some brat from nowhere or a pirate who doesn't know his place, I can take them down easily."

It was not as though he had never seen Conqueror's Haki before, nor was it as though he had never fought against it.

When Shiki had wreaked havoc in Marineford back then, he simply had not been present. Otherwise, there would not have been such heavy losses.

Sengoku did not answer immediately. He lightly stroked his chin, pondered for a moment, then nodded.

"Zephyr, take Garp with you and find out what's going on."

"Understood!"

Zephyr and Garp answered at the same time before turning and quickly leaving the Fleet Admiral's office.

Sengoku, meanwhile, returned to his chair in the office. Leaning back slightly, he reached into his desk drawer and rummaged through the piled-up documents, sinking into thought.

"An unfamiliar Conqueror's Haki appearing in Marineford at this time..."

"There's not much hostility in the Haki, and it isn't particularly strong. It was most likely just awakened."

"The source is at the naval harbor, most likely aboard one of the docked warships. So it definitely wasn't awakened by a Marine training at headquarters."

Sengoku's thoughts gradually became clearer.

"Then it must be a Marine carrying out a mission at sea, or one who had just returned from an outside assignment?"

"Someone arriving at headquarters to report at this time..."

At that thought, Sengoku's gaze fell upon a stack of documents in the corner of his desk.

He reached out and retrieved a report he had received several days earlier.

Two days ago, the Marine squad led by Beiyuan Heng had contacted headquarters via Den Den Mushi and explained why they had been delayed in returning.

Beiyuan Heng had frankly stated that he still had some loose ends to handle, which had delayed them by two days. Their arrival at Marine Headquarters was roughly scheduled for today.

"Could it be that kid..."

Looking at Beiyuan Heng's name in the report, Sengoku hesitated—a rare occurrence.

He knew something about Beiyuan Heng. He knew the kid was exceptionally gifted and formidable, but he had never heard any sign that he might awaken Conqueror's Haki.

If this unfamiliar Conqueror's Haki truly had been awakened by him, then how should he handle it?

Countless thoughts swirled through his mind.

Elsewhere, Zephyr had already assembled people below the Fleet Admiral's office. His prized students, Ain and Binz, stood at his side.

Aside from the three admiral candidates, Ain and Binz were Zephyr's two most prized disciples.

Behind them stood a group of students trained by Zephyr.

In addition, Garp and Vice Admiral Tsuru followed closely behind.

It was an enormous force, gathering Marine Headquarters' top combat power.

If they truly encountered a powerful enemy, they would have the strength to fight even a complete legendary pirate crew.

Yet now, they had assembled on such a large scale merely because of an unfamiliar wave of Conqueror's Haki.

"It's been a long time since I've fought. This time, I'm going to have a proper battle."

Zephyr rolled his wrists, his knuckles cracking loudly. He rubbed his hands together, his eyes brimming with excitement and eagerness.

Garp, meanwhile, remained as unconcerned as ever. He carried a bag of senbei, stuffing them into his mouth as he walked.

As the group advanced, Binz quietly moved closer to Ain and asked in a low voice, sounding somewhat puzzled,

"Do we really need this many people?"

Ain glanced around before slowly answering,

"You might not know this. More than ten years ago, there was a pirate called Shiki who broke into Marineford by himself. On his own, he destroyed half of Marineford. That incident caused devastating losses for Marine Headquarters.

"Now that the Fleet Admiral has gathered so many people, he is probably taking the lesson from back then to heart—preparing for the worst and preventing another accident like that."

Binz lightly nodded upon hearing this.

At the harbor.

Because Beiyuan Heng had "unintentionally" released his Conqueror's Haki, most of the soldiers aboard the warship had fainted.

Therefore, even though the squad led by Beiyuan Heng had already passed the harbor guards' preliminary inspection, everyone remained aboard the ship.

Beiyuan Heng leaned against the railing with his arms crossed, his expression calm. He was in no hurry to report to the Fleet Admiral's office.

They had already been delayed for so long. Waiting a little longer would not hurt anything, and he could use this time to properly experience the Conqueror's Haki he had just awakened and become familiar with it.

However, just then, orderly, heavy footsteps sounded from not far away. A vast group of people marched over with overwhelming momentum, instantly shattering the harbor's peace.

At the front stood a man with striking purple hair, a resolute face, and eyes as fierce as a wolf's. An immense aura radiated from his body—it was Marine Admiral Zephyr.

They stopped along the harbor shore. Zephyr stepped forward, swept his gaze across every warship docked by the coast, and demanded in a voice that carried unquestionable authority,

"That disturbance just now—who caused it?!"