Marineford, Marine Headquarters, the corridor outside the Fleet Admiral's Office.
"That Gern..." Sengoku clenched the report in his hand as he hurried down the corridor, his justice coat swaying behind him.
He had just received an urgent report from Magellan, the deputy chief of Impel Down.
The gist was that, while handing Bullet over, Gern had actually removed his Seastone restraints without authorization, allowed him to run wild outside Impel Down, and even let him seriously injure Chief Warden Shiryu!
"He's completely out of control!" Fury burned in Sengoku's eyes. He pushed open the door to Kong's office so hard that the frame nearly shook.
"Fleet Admiral Kong! We can't keep indulging Gern!" Sengoku growled, slamming the report onto the desk before declaring indignantly,
"What does he think Impel Down is? He actually dared to remove Bullet's Seastone restraints there, then let him injure Shiryu and threaten Magellan!
"This is no longer a matter of disobeying orders. He's openly defying Marine discipline! We can't let him sit around Headquarters any longer!
"I recommend transferring him out of the central theater immediately and sending him to monitor Whitebe-"
Sengoku abruptly stopped mid-sentence.
He had finally gotten a clear look at Kong's expression.
It was neither anger nor resignation, but a kind of... almost grim calm.
A Den Den Mushi lay quietly on the desk, its eyes closed. An unpleasant call had clearly just ended.
Sensing something amiss, Sengoku slowed his steps, his voice turning tentative. "Fleet Admiral Kong?"
"Hm? Oh, Sengoku!" At his call, Kong slowly raised his eyes and drew a deep breath.
His gaze held an unprecedented weariness as he set the Den Den Mushi in his palm back on the desk.
"Has something else happened? In the Four Blues, the Grand Line, or perhaps the New World...?"
"None