Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
"You little brat! Why the hell would you drag me into your oath?!"
"Old man, you're the most important person in my heart. Swearing on you just makes it more convincing," Yahn replied matter-of-factly.
"Hmph! You better not be lying, or else I'll—"
Sengoku trailed off, glancing unconsciously at Vice Admiral Tsuru before continuing, "—I'll make you regret it."
"All right now, Fleet Admiral, stop fooling around," Tsuru said flatly.
She gave Sengoku a sharp side-eye and took the Den Den Mushi directly from his hand.
Then she calmly spoke into it.
"Yahn, explain the situation in full. What exactly happened?"
?!
Yahn froze.
Vice Admiral Tsuru is listening?! That was close!
Compared to Sengoku, Tsuru was far harder to fool.
Quickly, Yahn's mind raced to come up with a proper response.
Originally, he had planned to bamboozle the old man Sengoku first, then bluff the rest of the marines on board. After that, Ensign Hope would give a vague report to Sengoku, and the matter would blow over.
But now?
No chance.
"Well… it's like this…"
Clearing his throat, Yahn began in a slightly shaken voice:
"After the warship passed through the Gates of Justice into the Maelstrom, we suddenly encountered the gate on the Impel Down side slowly opening. That's when we spotted 'Golden Lion' Shiki."
"To prevent Shiki from hijacking the warship and escaping, I immediately ordered evasive maneuvers. Unfortunately, the ship wasn't fast enough. Shiki caught up and attacked."
"Facing the notorious pirate's outrageous demands, our marines showed bravery and resolve. They drew their blades without hesitation and attempted to apprehend him—to uphold justice on the seas."
??
Sengoku, Tsuru, and Vice Admiral Borsalino (Kizaru) all raised their eyebrows.
"So, you're telling me this young man, Yahn, repelled Golden Lion Shiki himself?" Borsalino asked, clearly amused.
It wasn't just Borsalino—Sengoku and Tsuru both wore skeptical expressions.
After all, if a single warship could repel or arrest Shiki, the Navy wouldn't have suffered such catastrophic losses back in the day.
'Is this brat trying to take unearned credit?'
'Good. Doubt me. Don't believe me…' Yahn thought on the other end, smiling inwardly.
Then, without missing a beat, he shifted gears:
"Of course, dying for justice is an honor for any navy man. But I deeply understand that senseless sacrifice achieves nothing. So, I quickly de-escalated the conflict to preserve our combat strength."
The Den Den Mushi, mimicking Yahn's solemn expression, made Tsuru glance sideways at Sengoku.
"You taught him this? Making cowardice sound so righteous?"
Sengoku's mouth twitched—but at the same time, he breathed a subtle sigh of relief.
This, at least, was in line with Yahn's usual personality.
As for Borsalino… something about Yahn's style felt familiar. That slippery tone, the artful vagueness that left no room for direct reprimand—it reminded him a bit too much of himself.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, I must object!" Yahn said firmly.
"This isn't cowardice! I simply didn't want my subordinates to die needlessly. I chose to preserve their lives—to wait for a better chance to fight for justice."
"It takes far more courage to endure humiliation than to rush headlong into death. Especially for my crew—it was the only responsible choice."
After a brief pause, he added with firm conviction:
"If my hesitation cast the Navy in a negative light, I'll take full responsibility. Even if that means being stripped of my rank and court-martialed—I have no regrets."
Retreating to advance? Not bad, kid… Borsalino thought.
Even if the Navy did punish Yahn for being captured or failing to subdue Shiki, he'd walk away with the reputation of a commander who protected his troops—earning admiration from countless marines.
That kind of prestige was worth far more than a mere lieutenant's rank.
Still, Sengoku saw through it immediately.
If we really did dismiss this kid, he'd be laughing in his sleep.
"Enough nonsense. What happened after that? Why did Shiki leave? And where are you now?" Sengoku demanded.
Thanks to the time he'd just stalled, Yahn had already figured out what to say next.
"Afterward, Shiki tried to recruit me to join him as a pirate."
Ridiculous, right?
"But how could I? I'm a proud child of the Navy—raised by justice. I swore I'd rather die than betray the Marines."
"But the shameless Shiki threatened the lives of my adorable subordinates… so I had no choice but to stall for time, hoping headquarters would send reinforcements."
Then, as the three officers on the other end blinked in disbelief, the Den Den Mushi, imitating Yahn's voice, let out a deep sigh.
"During our 'negotiation,' I realized something shocking. Shiki didn't just want me because I was the Fleet Admiral's son—he truly believed that Gol D. Roger wasn't dead."
"He thought the Navy was secretly hiding Roger and wanted my help to rescue him."
"But reality is cruel. Roger is dead. That's an irrefutable fact."
"Overwhelmed with grief, Shiki… coughed up blood and left. Alone. In sorrow."
Yahn paused again, then quickly added, just in case Sengoku and Tsuru still doubted him:
"Oh—and before he left, Shiki said something poetic…"
'Ten years of life and death, two realms apart. I try not to think of you—but can't forget.'"
???
Sengoku, Tsuru, Borsalino: …What?!
Yahn doubled down.
"Old man, judging from Shiki's expression… he looked utterly broken. I'm worried he might do something drastic—maybe even commit suicide."
"If you want to capture him, you'd better act quickly."
Suicide?!
Is this… a tragic romance?!
Sengoku, Tsuru, and Borsalino sat in stunned silence.
"…Could it be," Sengoku muttered, "that there was… some unknown relationship between Roger and Shiki that we, the Navy, never learned about?"
"…Honestly, it's not impossible," Borsalino said, pushing up his amber sunglasses. "Didn't Shiki invade Marineford back then just to try and rescue Roger?"
---
Currently at chapter 370 for advance chapters
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