The Grand Line, G-8 Branch.
Jonathan stood at the entrance to the base, welcoming Sakazuki back.
Looking at the piles of stone statues, he shook his head and said to Sakazuki as he disembarked:
"So you failed after all."
"That woman..."
Sakazuki gave a quiet scoff.
"Half a success."
"Find somewhere to store these statues for now."
"Once we turn that woman into a weapon, these soldiers will come back to life."
Jonathan looked puzzled.
"Turn her into a weapon?"
Sakazuki rolled his neck.
"I beat her into a vegetative state."
"We'll send her to the Navy Research Team. Once the Pacifista project succeeds..."
"They can turn her into a robot, and the soldiers will naturally come back to life."
Jonathan drew a sharp breath.
"Hiss-"
"You can actually do that?"
"Then what about the Shichibukai appointment?"
Sakazuki said:
"I granted it to the entire country."
"I gave them three years to prepare."
"In three years, they'll establish a defensive line at the edge of the Calm Belt."
"They'll use it to raid passing pirates. If they can't, they die."
"It's that simple."
A bead of cold sweat trickled down Jonathan's forehead.
"Only you could come up with... a solution like that."
Sakazuki chuckled.
"All right, hurry up and get some men to unload these statues."
"We need to leave right away."
"Without specialized equipment to keep her alive, we'd better get her to Punk Hazard quickly."
"We don't want her dying on the way."
Jonathan didn't dare delay either. After all, the petrified soldiers' lives were at stake.
"Quick! Quick! Quick!"
"Pick up the pace!!!"
"Get them all moved, hurry!!!"
Soldiers streamed out of the base, joining the unloading effort.
Jonathan sighed.
"Nothing for it, then. I even had Jessica prepare a whole table of good food."
"I'll have