The World Government's Reply

The next morning.

A full report on Rock's official return to duty, as well as his successful persuasion of King Harald to lead Elbaf in proposing a "cooperation plan" to the Navy and the World Government, was sealed layer by layer under the highest level of encryption before being submitted to the World Government.

Yet within Marineford, the atmosphere was exceptionally delicate.

Nearly every high-ranking official who knew of the matter was waiting for an outcome.

By all logic—

No matter how justified Rock's original intentions had been, his actions at God Valley had crossed several unspoken red lines: arbitrarily expanding the scale of the conflict, overstepping his authority by intervening in World Government affairs, and even, in terms of the outcome, threatening the absolute safety of the Celestial Dragons.

Even for a highly decorated Vice Admiral, such actions were enough to send anyone before a tribunal.

Thus, quite a few officers at Headquarters who were close to Rock had privately worried for him.

Yet the World Government's final response consisted of only two cold, succinct words.

—Approved.

There would be no accountability, no questioning, not even a token internal investigation.

It was as though everything that had happened at God Valley had merely been a gust of wind swiftly erased.

Inside Sengoku's office.

The sunlight beyond the window was bright, and shimmering light danced across the sea, but the room was filled with a complicated air—

The calm after surviving a disaster, and the undercurrents deliberately suppressed beneath it.

Garp, Tsuru, and Zephyr sat gathered together.

Sengoku stood before his desk with both hands braced against its surface, his voice low and steady. "This matter has been completely covered up by the World Government under its highest authority and redefined."

Sengoku raised his head, his gaze meaningful. "The God