Grand Line — Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Brrrring... brrrring... brrrring...
Inside a top-floor office in the main base, piles of reports were stacked high on a yellow pearwood desk. A Den Den Mushi on the side buzzed nonstop.
"Moshi moshi, this is Sengoku," said the Fleet Admiral, barely looking up from the documents he was signing.
"Hi! Fleet Admiral Sengoku, this is Commodore Salos Cray of GOC-148*," came the voice from the other end—the call was from Commodore Cray, who had just withdrawn from Little Garden.
"What is it? Did you retrieve the item?" Sengoku asked while continuing to sign papers.
"Negative, sir. The mission failed," Cray reported, his tone noticeably downcast.
"What?!" Sengoku jolted, dropping his pen and leaning in toward the Den Den Mushi. "What happened? Speak clearly!"
"We were intercepted by another pirate crew. Their strength was overwhelming. I, along with Captain Aron Wazz from G9 base, was defeated almost instantly. We had no chance to recover the item."
Sengoku could feel the frustration in Cray's voice. He knew the young Commodore well—a former student of ex-Admiral Zephyr, known for his tenacity and strength. Already a Commodore at such a young age, Cray had always been considered a rising star. That he and another officer together could be crushed so easily meant this opponent was no ordinary pirate.
But that didn't ease Sengoku's mood either. That item was a Devil Fruit—a priceless treasure of the sea. Even one with a modest ability could, in the right hands, elevate a promising Marine to Vice Admiral-level strength. It was a loss not just of power—but of future potential.
Holding back his frustration, Sengoku asked through gritted teeth, "Who was it? What's their bounty?"
Cray responded promptly: "It was the captain of the Chris Pirates, from the East Blue. Chris T. Aeridar. His bounty is 80 million Berries."
"Him?!" Sengoku furrowed his brows, his headache intensifying. Of course—it had to be him.
Within the past year, only a handful of new pirates could boast overwhelming power against standard Marine forces. Chris T. Aeridar—better known as the "Golden Ring" from the Loguetown Incident six months ago—was top among them.
Plenty of rookies in his generation had bounties exceeding 100 million, but in terms of raw power, none stood out more than Aeridar. He had nearly overpowered two Rear Admirals during that Loguetown battle. Had he possessed more experience fighting high-level opponents, he might already have reached Water 7. But instead, he was still lingering around Little Garden.
Little Garden—Sengoku had heard of that prehistoric island. It wasn't right at the Grand Line's entry point, but it was only about a week's sail from there. That meant Aeridar was finally advancing.
After thinking it over, Sengoku gave his orders: "Understood. I don't blame you. Have Captain Wazz return to G9 base. You stay on standby in the waters near Alabasta."
"Yes, sir!" Cray obeyed without question, though he didn't understand why Alabasta. Orders from the Fleet Admiral weren't to be questioned.
Sengoku ended the call, rubbed his temples in frustration, and muttered, "This kid's gotta be eliminated soon. If we let him grow, he'll be another monster of the sea."
Without hesitation, he grabbed the Den Den Mushi again.
Near Water 7 — eight Marine battleships floated in formation in the nearby sea.
Brrrring... brrrring... brrrring...
On the deck of the largest ship in the center, a veteran Marine in a white "Justice" coat sat sipping coffee. A small round table beside him held a kettle and a plate of donuts. The white Den Den Mushi nearby rang endlessly.
This officer had close-cropped gray hair and a sleazy little mustache under his nose. His face was lined with age, and his eyes were heavy with sleep. He wore his Justice coat loosely over white pajamas patterned with black spots.
This was Vice Admiral Nielmark Syrons, a 62-year-old Marine veteran and peer to both Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp. His nickname: "Ghost Hammer." He was the wielder of the Hammer-Hammer Fruit, a Paramecia-type Devil Fruit.
Frowning, Syrons put down his cup and lazily picked up the call.
"Moshi moshi. First Assault Fleet here. Syrons speaking."
"Syrons, this is Sengoku." The Fleet Admiral's voice came calmly from the office in Marineford.
"Eh? Well, if it isn't the Fleet Admiral himself," Syrons said, surprised. "What's the mission?"
"Don't give me that crap, Syrons. You usually just call me by name," Sengoku replied, rubbing his forehead. "Where's your fleet right now?"
"Hohoho... Sengoku, I'm near Water 7. Is there a tough nut to crack nearby?" Syrons chuckled. He knew Sengoku wouldn't personally call unless it was serious.
"Water 7, huh..." Sengoku paused for a moment before replying sternly. "Then get to the waters near the Kingdom of Alabasta. Commodore Cray will be joining you. Your target is the Chris Pirates—particularly their captain, Chris T. Aeridar, who disrupted the Loguetown operation six months ago. They've entered the Grand Line and recently seized a Devil Fruit from Cray at Little Garden. They're likely headed toward Alabasta. Eliminate them once they leave the kingdom's territory."
By the end, Sengoku's tone had grown severe.
Syrons rolled his eyes and mocked, "Really, now? This is embarrassing, Sengoku. A rookie pirate giving you this much trouble? What about the local bases and branches—are they just decorative now?"
"Shut up, Syrons!" Sengoku snapped. His face flushed with anger. "If the war in the New World wasn't draining most of our forces, we wouldn't be in this position. And you're in charge of that stretch of the route anyway. This is your job!"
After a moment, Sengoku continued more calmly, "And this Aeridar kid isn't just some rookie. He's strong—too strong for standard branch Marines. G8 and G9 had a third of their ships and troops redeployed to the New World half a year ago. A big chunk of that support went to your fleet. Right now, those branches barely have enough to defend their bases and patrol nearby waters, let alone hunt down elite pirate crews."
"Unbelievable," Syrons muttered, sipping his coffee while brushing crumbs off his comfy pajamas. "The Navy's really gone soft. Huh... this sleepwear Garp gave me is actually super comfy. Gotta ask him where he got it so I can grab a few more."
Sengoku, hearing this, exploded again. "YOU DAMNED OLD COOT! I HEARD THAT! YOU'RE A MARINE, NOT SOME LAZY IDIOT IN BEDWEAR! MOVE YOUR ASS! And as for Garp—I'm confiscating every last one of his senbei and donuts!"
The white Den Den Mushi on Syrons' table perfectly mimicked Sengoku's furious yelling, yelling, "BASTARD! GET TO WORK!"
T/N: "G.O." is the code for Marine HQ. Other Grand Line bases use "G1" to "G9." Outside the Grand Line, base codes are numeric only. Marine ships are ranked by class from A to E, preceded by the base code to which they belong. GOC-148 is basically Marine HQ Third-Class Warship base 148. I am not quite sure for the "base code", though.
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