Snap!
As Kong rapidly worked through the documents before him, the nib of the fountain pen clutched in his thick fingers suddenly broke. Black ink sprayed out, instantly ruining a large swath of white paper.
"Was it because of the Tea Party...?"
Looking at the broken pen and stained documents before him, Kong felt an inexplicable sense of foreboding rise in his heart.
"In previous years, we would receive a general report on the Tea Party after the second day. But this year, nothing at all has come out. Could something have happened...?"
Bulu bulu! Bulu bulu!
The almost frantic ringing of a Den Den Mushi interrupted Fleet Admiral Kong's uneasy thoughts.
Instantly regaining his usual composure, Fleet Admiral Kong coughed twice, cleared his throat, and answered the Den Den Mushi.
"Hello! Kong speaking."
The Den Den Mushi reserved for communications in the Fleet Admiral's Office displayed a young face, pale as paper and drenched in sweat.
"F-Fleet Admiral, sir!!"
The communications officer reported in such a hurried, panicked voice that shock had almost altered its pitch.
"Charlotte Linlin, captain of the Big Mom Pirates! Was killed! By White Ghost! Yesterday!"
Kong's eyes changed in an instant. The Fleet Admiral, who had already begun to show the weariness of old age, suddenly unleashed the formidable presence befitting one of the sea's greatest powerhouses!
"Are you certain?!"
The communications officer answered loudly, "Confirmed! Both the underground networks in the New World and the World Economy News Paper—"
Before the communications officer could finish, Fleet Admiral Kong hung up the Den Den Mushi.
The next moment, the seasoned, steady Fleet Admiral pressed the button to summon Marineford's senior officers!
A shrill alarm instantly rang throughout Marineford.
Marine Headquarters, at the recruit training grounds.
Looking at the unfamiliar young faces before him