Rising slowly, River walked to the window and looked down at Marineford before him.
The broad plaza, the calm Inner Bay, the enormous Gate of Justice-from here, he could clearly see every part of headquarters.
"They all came!"
As River murmured those words, one figure after another surfaced before his eyes.
Back then, everyone in the Recruit Corps had been young and inexperienced. But under his leadership, they had become a spearhead of Marine Headquarters, crushing pirates.
They had sailed countless seas and saved more civilians than anyone could count. Naturally, among them were men who stood out and showed considerable talent.
Promi had told him that, of the three thousand recruits, few had stayed at headquarters as he had. Most had volunteered for postings across the Four Seas, while some had fallen in battles against pirates over the years.
But among those who remained, a considerable number were officers. Even Vice Admirals and Rear Admirals were far from rare.
The strongest among them were every bit the equal of headquarters officers of the same rank.
That was precisely why so many at headquarters dreaded his return. As long as River was there, he represented a powerful faction.
Scattered around the world, these men rarely kept in close contact, each tending to his own patch of territory. But if they heard that their Admiral had returned, they would come back immediately, no matter how many mountains and seas lay between them.
That afternoon, warships sailed through the Gate of Justice one after another.
The man aboard the leading warship was burly, with two swords at his waist, an imposing gaze, and a heavy air of bloodlust. His white justice cloak snapped in the wind.
As his warship passed through the Gate of Justice, the man suddenly looked up at the