Explosive News

Marine Headquarters · Marineford

The once orderly, steady-paced Marine Headquarters fell completely into chaos the moment an intelligence report arrived.

The doors to the Intelligence Division were violently pushed open, and hurried, disorderly footsteps echoed through the corridor, as if even the air had been thrown into turmoil.

Sengoku took the highest-priority urgent report, still warm to the touch.

The next second, Sengoku's pupils abruptly contracted.

"Zephyr and Rock... fought Newgate at sea...?!!"

His voice was not loud, yet it exploded in the middle of the office like a depth charge.

"Pfft—!!!"

Garp, who had been stuffing rice crackers into his mouth beside him, sprayed crumbs all over the desk.

"Wh... what the hell—?!!"

His eyes widened as he shot to his feet, knocking his chair over with a piercing screech.

"I'm going to the harbor right now!!" Garp nearly rushed out on instinct.

"Garp, stop!!!"

Sengoku's furious roar, like a military command, nailed Garp to the spot.

"There's no need to go!!!"

As soon as the words fell, Garp spun around, his face full of disbelief. "No need to go?!! What do you mean—?!!"

His voice suddenly rose, and even his breathing became unsteady.

"Could it be they...?!!"

Just then, Tsuru beside Sengoku spoke.

Holding the report, she kept her tone steady, though it carried a tremor she could not fully conceal. "Calm down, Garp."

"The follow-up intelligence has already confirmed it. They forced Newgate back and are currently returning."

Garp froze for two seconds before his taut shoulders slowly sagged.

"That's good..."

He let out a long breath, as if putting his heart back into his chest from his throat. At last, some color returned to his face.

However—

The air in the room had not yet truly settled.

Sengoku's gaze had already moved further down the report, and his expression changed within seconds.

First, it froze. Then, it grew increasingly grave.

"Rock faced Newgate head-on and destroyed an entire deserted island."

"Zephyr led his team into battle against the Rocks Pirates led by Buckin..."

Sengoku's eyes continued downward, and then—

His eyes suddenly widened.

In that instant, even his voice slipped out of control as he shouted, "No prisoners—?!!"

Those words struck the room like thunder.

Tsuru and Garp turned at the same time, nearly speaking in unison. "What did you say?!!"

As soon as those words fell, the office erupted.

Documents were knocked onto the floor, Den Den Mushi shook frantically without anyone answering them, and several intelligence officers stood frozen in place, faces pale as though they suspected they had misheard reality itself.

"Vice Admiral Zephyr went on an expedition, and there were no prisoners?!!"

A moment later, outside the Fleet Admiral's office, the corridor regained its superficial order, though it could not suppress the undercurrent of unrest.

Sengoku and Tsuru stood side by side.

Sengoku raised his hand and knocked on the door.

"Come in."

Inside the spacious office, the sea breeze outside stirred the shadows of the curtains through half-open blinds.

Kong sat behind his desk with his back straight. He looked up at the two of them, and without saying much, Sengoku handed over the report.

Kong took it and merely glanced at the first page before one brow rose slightly on its own.

"That kid Rock went off to challenge Newgate alone on his first mission..."

His gaze paused for a moment.

"And he even forced him back?!"

His tone was light, yet for the first time, obvious ripples appeared in it.

Kong continued reading. The office was so quiet that only the sound of paper turning remained, until his fingers stopped on a certain line.

"Zephyr..."

He quietly read out the name, his tone sinking.

Sengoku spoke then, his voice steady. "We only realized Rock's true intentions after they set out."

"We just didn't expect..."

Tsuru nodded gently and took over, her tone remaining calm yet carrying deeper meaning. "This is Rock's first step in 'changing' the Marines."

When her words fell, the office sank into brief silence.

Kong closed the report. The sound of the pages coming together was soft, yet it seemed to mark the end of a certain stage.

He looked toward the vast, restless sea outside the window, his gaze deep as though he were watching a giant ship that had already strayed from its predetermined course and was speeding toward an unknown future.

"Is that so..." he slowly said.

After a moment of silence, the corners of the mouth on that face weathered by countless storms lifted slightly.

"But this step isn't a bad thing."

"It's just that the road ahead may be a little difficult, Rock..."

No one in the office said another word.

Meanwhile—

International Charity Alliance Temple · Fotocoloni.

Gold, silver, and jewels had their seals torn away and poured out from the treasury, flooding the courtyard like a tidal wave.

"MAMAMAMA—!!!"

Charlotte Linlin carried a treasure sack larger than a person over her shoulder. Thunder exploded beneath her feet, and despite her massive body, she moved with astonishing speed, cracking the ground all along her path.

She threw back her head and laughed, her laughter shattering the stained-glass windows. "These! These!! They're all mine now!!!"

On the other side—

"Oh my, don't block the way~"

Golden Lion Shiki floated in the air, an unconcerned smile on his lips as he casually tossed down bomb after bomb.

"Boom—!!!"

"Rumble—!!!"

The explosions did not distinguish between friend and foe. Beams and pillars were blown apart, treasure chests were sent flying, and pirates who had just seized treasure were hurled straight into the walls by the shockwaves.

"You lunatic!!"

"Shiki! Are you fucking doing this on purpose?!"

Screams, curses, and greedy laughter mixed together.

Thunder and explosions intertwined as the entire temple began to collapse structurally. Finally—

"Boom!!!"

The roof of the main hall was completely blown apart. Amid flying dust and flames, a tall figure stood atop the shattered roof.

His cape snapped in the wind, his gaze sharp as a blade.

Rocks D. Zebek.

He looked down at these "companions," each harboring their own schemes. A vein twitched on his forehead as his voice crashed down like thunder. "What the hell are you doing?!!"

"You can even make stealing things into this kind of mess?!!"

"Move faster. We didn't come here to demolish the place!!!"

The people below were still arguing noisily, but eventually stopped their dirty tricks and carried away the treasures.

Rocks took a deep breath, his eyes darkening.

Something was wrong.

His gaze swept over the battlefield. Why was one person missing?

"Where's Newgate...?"

He had clearly been the first to set out. With his personality, he should have charged to the front long ago.

Just then—

"Pururururu—!"

The Den Den Mushi in his arms suddenly began to vibrate. Rocks raised a brow and reached out to answer it.

The Den Den Mushi's face swiftly changed, its mouth curling into Whitebeard's signature crescent-shaped grin.

"Newgate?"

Rocks asked coldly, "Where the hell did you run off to?"

From the other end of the Den Den Mushi came Whitebeard's somewhat low but still bold voice. As he continued speaking—

Rocks' expression gradually changed.

First he raised a brow, then he frowned, and finally, his gaze darkened completely.

"...Rock?"

He quietly repeated the name.

The wind swept across the broken roof and stirred his cape. After a long silence, Rocks slowly spoke. "I understand."

"You return to Hachinosu first."

"This side... will be finished soon."

The Den Den Mushi call ended. Rocks stood where he was, his gaze unfathomable.

Just then—

"Hey, look at the sea—!!!"

From the ruins below came a sudden rough shout.

Silver Axe Xiong kicked apart a broken wall and roared, "The Marines have surrounded us!!!"

Several warships had suddenly appeared in the waters around the temple. Their cannons slowly turned, their formation already complete.

Linlin stopped walking, licked her lips, and grinned. "They came quickly."

"Was there an intelligence leak?"

Shiki hovered in the air, shrugged, and smiled easily. "We were actually planning to leave anyway~"

Rocks came back to his senses. He raised his head, the shadows in his eyes fading away and replaced by pure, savage excitement.

"They came at just the right time..."

His voice was low, yet everyone fell silent without realizing it.

"Prepare to attack."

The next second, Rocks suddenly spread his arms wide as though welcoming a storm.

"Sink them—"

"Then plunder them—!!!"