When the warship returned to Marineford, the Marines at the harbor had originally been full of anticipation.
After all, the Shichibukai meeting had only just begun when Admiral Azure Dragon led all the Shichibukai out to sea.
Quite a few people thought something major had happened in the New World, or that Headquarters had some secret mission.
But when the warship slowly docked, everyone's expressions froze.
They saw the damaged hull.
They saw the shattered railings on the deck.
They saw several Marines staring blankly ahead, as though they had yet to recover from the shock.
And they saw the center of the deck.
Dracule Mihawk lay unconscious on a stretcher, yet still clutched Black Blade Yoru tightly in his hand.
The other Shichibukai were all silent.
Their expressions were strange, as though they had just witnessed something utterly absurd.
Finally.
Everyone's gaze fell upon the bow.
Rock stood there with his hands in his pockets, looking as relaxed as if he had merely gone out for a stroll.
The harbor instantly fell silent.
Sengoku stood at the front, his brow originally only slightly furrowed.
But as the warship drew closer, he saw the extent of the damage and then saw Mihawk being carried down. His expression darkened bit by bit.
Until a messenger nervously handed him the report—[The deserted island has been confirmed completely submerged.]
The vein at Sengoku's temple finally began to throb uncontrollably.
"Rock."
His voice was calm, but everyone familiar with Sengoku knew.
The calmer the Fleet Admiral was, the bigger the problem.
Rock blinked.
"Hmm?"
Sengoku took a deep breath.
Then he abruptly raised a hand and pointed at the warship, his voice suddenly rising.
"I only told you to hold a Shichibukai meeting!"
"I didn't tell you to take them out and sink an