The clock turned back to that night, at the very moment Gern arrived alone on Baterilla Island.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
The Fleet Admiral's Office was brightly lit.
Sengoku stood by the window, holding an intelligence report that had just arrived, his brow tightly furrowed.
Suddenly, the office door was shoved open with a loud bang.
Sengoku turned to see Garp stride in. His Marine coat still carried the damp, salty scent of the sea breeze, making it clear he had rushed back overnight.
"Sengoku, still working this late?" Garp grinned.
He casually pulled out a bag of senbei he had hidden in Sengoku's office and tossed it onto the desk. "Have something to eat. It'll perk you up."
Sengoku glanced at the senbei but did not reach for any. Instead, he said gravely, "Garp, you're finally back."
"My mission was called off. I heard there was an emergency at headquarters, so I hurried back as fast as I could." Garp shrugged, dropped onto the sofa, and crossed his legs. "So, what happened?"
Sengoku took a deep breath and handed Garp the intelligence report. "Read it yourself."
Garp took the report, scanning the findings Cipher Pol and the Marine intelligence network had gathered over the past few days.
His smile gradually froze. His fingers tightened involuntarily, making the paper rustle faintly in his hands.
"Roger... the Roger Pirates disbanded?" Garp's voice was low, tinged with disbelief.
"That bastard Roger... what the hell is he thinking?"
"That's exactly what we're worried about!" Sengoku walked over to Garp, his gaze behind his glasses as sharp as a blade.
"Why would someone who just became the 'Pirate King' suddenly disband his crew?
The World Government suspects he's learned some dangerous secret, one that could even threaten the stability of the entire world order."
"No