This was completely different from what he'd expected.
Garling had merely wanted to teach this insolent Marine a lesson, so why had these bastards immediately turned hostile?!
He'd heard that Jake had good relations with the Marine higher-ups and that the kid had a bright future ahead.
That was precisely why he'd wanted to put Jake in his place.
In Garling eyes, the fact that he was willing to pressure Jake was already an honor—he only bothered with those who'd caught his attention.
Garling wanted Jake to feel sufficient pressure from him before he could fully grow.
Like an elephant restrained by a rope since childhood, even after growing up, it would never break free from that rope.
But clearly, Garling had misjudged the situation this time.
Jake's importance to the Marines and his standing in the hearts of the senior Marine officers differed significantly from what Garling had assumed.
He'd thought the Marine higher-ups were merely cultivating goodwill with Jake out of consideration for his future potential.
But now it seems that Jake wasn't valued by these guys because of his outstanding potential, but rather his outstanding potential emerged because these guys valued him!
Thinking this, Garling expression darkened.
He ignored the visibly irritated Garp and instead directed the pressure toward Kizaru, who was usually the least able to withstand it.
He knew that continuing to argue with Garp at this point would gain him nothing and might even result in being publicly contradicted by that reckless fool.
Garling understood Kizaru's personality well—apply enough pressure, and he would most likely choose not to resist to the end.
Everyone knew Kizaru had always been a rather selfish man.
"Borsalino, what do you people mean by this?"
Feeling Garling gaze immediately lock onto him, Kizaru sighed inwardly.
He knew the other man assumed he would choose to compromise.
To be honest, if this were about anything else, Kizaru would have compromised.
He didn't want trouble, especially not anything involving the Celestial Dragons.
But this time was different.
It wasn't just about the residents of Borudoana—Kizaru genuinely saw Jake as his disciple!
With a Devil Fruit ability similar to his own, Jake had been learning and growing stronger under Kizaru's guidance ever since joining the Marines.
Kizaru had watched Jake progress step by step, and by now, he truly regarded him as his disciple.
For Garling to demand Jake kneel before him was nothing less than a slap to Kizaru's face.
This time, Kizaru absolutely would not back down!
"Saint Garling, there's something I'd like to advise you on. Most of the time, you shouldn't humiliate the justice of an outstanding Marine—especially in matters like this!"
Hearing Kizaru's unusually stern tone, so different from his usual lazy demeanor, Garling was momentarily stunned before letting out an angry laugh.
"Are you sure you want to do this, Borsalino?!"
"Please show some respect, Saint Garling! I am Marine Headquarters Admiral Kizaru!"
As he spoke these final words, Kizaru's aura erupted—a killing intent that completely shattered Garling perception of the typically carefree admiral.
His face twisted with rage as he glared at Kizaru before shifting his venomous gaze to Jake, his eyes promising death right then and there.
"I'll remember you, Rear Admiral Jake. Your courage is admirable, but I hope your life proves just as memorable!"
With that, Saint Garling turned away coldly and strode toward Borudoana Island, drawing his sword with a grotesquely contorted expression.
That twisted look made it clear the prisoners of Impel Down were about to suffer.
Watching him leave, Jake sincerely thanked the senior officers around him.
In response, Garp just chuckled and picked his nose before saying.
"That damn old bastard, I've been wanting to punch him for ages. If he dares lay a hand on you this time, even if I really beat him up, Sengoku won't say anything about it in the end. Even if my 'Hero' title gets revoked, it'd be worth it!
Because I'll definitely punch that bastard so hard so he loses every single tooth!"
Garp's words were filled with violence and absurdity, but everyone knew he was dead serious.
If he said he'd do it, he would.
Zephyr rolled his eyes at Garp and said.
"You old fool, stop giving Sengoku headaches. It's obvious Saint Garling wanted to put Jake in his place—or use Jake to intimidate us, to remind us of the Celestial Dragons' status. But unfortunately for him, his plan failed.
Whether he was targeting Jake or not, we could never let a Marine Headquarters Rear Admiral kneel before him in a place like this. That would crush the morale of the entire Marine force. If Jake hadn't replaced the island's villagers with prisoners, what would our actions today have amounted to?"
Before Zephyr could finish, Sakazuki answered.
"Without Jake, what we did today would've been escorting a Celestial Dragon to massacre innocent civilians—and then kneeling before them in front of all our lower-ranking Marines, shattering every last illusion of justice they held!
If that had happened, it would've been the end of the Marines!"
After speaking, Sakazuki silently returned to his seat, closing his eyes and refusing to look in the direction of the Celestial Dragons.
For Sakazuki, with his Absolute Justice, it was nearly impossible to accept the actions of the Celestial Dragons.
But he had no choice.
Faced with reality, he could only submit.
Perhaps this was the biggest difference between him and Kuzan.
Kizaru watched them and shook his head, then quietly said to Jake.
"Jake, you really made me steal the spotlight for you today. You owe me two weeks' worth of meals—no, make it a month!"
"Don't worry, Borsalino-sensei! As long as I have the time, even a month is fine."
...
Meanwhile, on the other side of the island, Saint Garling stared at the corpses that clearly didn't resemble villagers, his expression twisting in disgust.