Pirates: A Family Slaughtered, Every Celestial Dragon Must Die!

Zephyr could no longer swallow the humiliation and moved to pursue them.

The instant Zephyr moved, Kotetsu's tip was at the Celestial Dragon's throat!

"Wait, Zephyr! Don't do anything rash!"

Kong grabbed Zephyr at once.

The Celestial Dragon absolutely could not die!

Otherwise, the consequences would be severe!

Even Kong, a Marine Admiral, would face serious punishment!

"But are we supposed to just watch them leave?" Zephyr couldn't understand it.

Rono had defeated Garp!

If they let him go, could the Marines bear the consequences later?

Kong could only fall silent and watch Rono and Whitebeard leave.

He had no choice. A Celestial Dragon's life mattered too much!

Letting one wanted man escape was nothing!

An entire country could be destroyed for offending a Celestial Dragon!

The World Government wouldn't even blink!

That was how much a Celestial Dragon's life was worth!

As a Marine Admiral, Kong knew that better than anyone!

At the harbor, Rono and Whitebeard boarded a ship and sailed away.

Kong and Zephyr hurried to the harbor to find the Celestial Dragon.

They soon spotted Saint Charlos, stripped of his limbs!

But Saint Charlos was already dead. A sword had pierced his heart, clearly only moments ago!

"Rono, you bastard! Stop!"

Kong glared at the receding sailboat and erupted in fury!

His rage unleashed a terrifying pressure from his entire body!

The waves of air around him nearly rivaled a typhoon.

Boom!

He threw a punch so powerful it split the sea in two!

Such was the terrifying might of an Admiral-level fighter!

The force of his punch shot out in a streak of white light, about to catch the sailboat carrying Rono and Whitebeard!

Then—

Crack!

Fine cracks appeared across the sea and in the air, visible to the naked eye!

It was unmistakably the power of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit!

A moment later, waves surged up on every side!

A tsunami rose and blocked Kong's attack outright.

"Rono, you bastard! You broke your word!"

Kong knew their escape was inevitable. All he could do was shout.

"Why would I keep my word with trash like the Celestial Dragons?"

Rono gazed at Kong's regretful face on the shore, his expression unmoved.

"Are they... gone?"

Sengoku had rescued Garp, and the two reached the harbor.

Burns of varying severity covered Garp's body. He looked dreadful!

"Garp... are your injuries all right?"

Kong hadn't expected Garp to be hurt so badly!

"I'm fine. They're just flesh wounds. Ten days or two weeks of rest should do it."

Garp wasn't particularly concerned about his injuries.

They looked awful, but none were serious.

With plenty of meat and milk, he should recover in ten days or two weeks.

He was Luffy's grandfather and Dragon's father, after all. Everyone in that family had a monstrous constitution.

"My injuries aren't what matters. Rono is!"

Garp turned to Kong, his face grave.

"Admiral Kong, we need to reassess Rono immediately. That guy's a monster!"

Garp then recounted the entire battle.

By the time he finished, Kong, Sengoku, and Zephyr had all gone pale!

"Is everything you said true, Garp? Can Rono really learn something just by watching it once?"

Kong was stunned. He had to ask again.

If the account hadn't come from someone as honest as Garp, Kong would have dismissed it as a lie.

"Every word! The Rocks Pirates have gained one hell of a monster!"

Garp's voice was heavy.

Rono's talent defied common sense. If they let him remain with the Rocks Pirates, the Marines would face a grim future.

"All right. We return to Marine Headquarters at once and call everyone to a meeting!"

"And we must notify the Holy Land!"

Kong looked up at the sky, his head aching.

Extremely Dangerous! The World Government's Headache as the Bounty Soars ### Marineford, the island at the center of the world, lay on the Grand Line and housed Marine Headquarters.

Nearly every officer of Vice Admiral rank or higher had gathered in the conference room, apart from those away on assignments.

A projection Den Den Mushi stood at the center of the vast room.

It displayed five old men seated in the Holy Land's Hall of Power.

"The Five Elders..."

Several Headquarters Vice Admirals swallowed hard.

Aside from the Fleet Admiral and Admirals, many were seeing the Five Elders for the first time.

These five men held the highest authority in the world!

Even through a screen, their commanding presence was overwhelming.

"Saint Charlos is dead, Kong. Don't you owe us an explanation?"

The Five Elders began berating Kong the moment they saw him. Their anger was palpable even through the screen.

"It isn't what you think!" Kong began to explain.

The Five Elders didn't interrupt. They listened in silence.

With every crucial detail, their expressions darkened.

"Kong, is what you're saying true?"

Their faces had turned ashen by the time he finished. They could scarcely believe it.

"Every word. Garp experienced it firsthand!" Kong assured them.

"He has an extraordinary talent that lets him learn anything after seeing it once!"

"He excels in swordsmanship, Haki, and hand-to-hand combat. He's at least top-tier in all three!"

"He also has the powers of the Flame-Flame Fruit!"

"If that's true, it's no wonder Saint Charlos died by his hand."

"Worse still, Rono is only seventeen!"

The Five Elders went over Kong's words again.

Every detail gave them a headache!

Most troubling of all, Rono was bound to grow even more terrifying now that he had joined the Rocks Pirates!

"Damn it! Rono already hated the Celestial Dragons, and now he's joined the Rocks Pirates!" The more the Five Elders thought about it, the worse their headache became.

Rono and Rocks were a perfect match, like dry tinder meeting a flame.

The seas were about to erupt again.

"Worrying won't solve anything. At this point, we can only strengthen our own forces as quickly as possible!"

Another of the Five Elders chose to face reality.

"That's our only option. Marine Headquarters has already begun recruiting talent across the world!"

"I hear we recently brought in three exceptionally promising recruits!"

"Kuzan, Kuzan, and Borsalino!"

"All three have Logia Devil Fruits: the Ice-Ice Fruit, the Glint-Glint Fruit, and the Magma-Magma Fruit!"

"They're all powerful Logia fruits, and the three recruits have a strong sense of justice!"

Kong nodded and shared the good news.

Sure enough, the Five Elders' expressions eased.

The Rocks Pirates had gained a monstrous prodigy, but the Marines hadn't come away empty-handed!

Three powerful Logia users had limitless potential!

With proper training, they could greatly strengthen the Marines.

"Zephyr, focus on training those three. Add Garp's son Dragon, too. We need them to develop as fast as possible."

"Sengoku, help Zephyr train the recruits. We urgently need new blood to strengthen the Marines."

Kong then began assigning duties.

Sengoku and Zephyr nodded.

Both had nearly broken through to the Admiral level and reached a bottleneck!

The strongest fighters of that caliber stood near the pinnacle of the world!

Advancing further would depend on their talent and a fortunate opportunity.

In any case, improving their own strength in a short time was nearly impossible.

Training promising recruits was the most effective use of their time.

"Where's Garp, by the way?"

Kong realized someone important was missing from the conference room.

"Garp? Rono got under his skin, and he's been training like mad for days!" Sengoku opened a window.

The first thing everyone noticed was a deep, rumbling sound.

It seemed both distant and close.