A moment later, Sengoku's expression gradually darkened:
"I understand."
"We'll discuss it in detail when you return."
"Mm, mm, alright."
Clack—
He hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Bang—
"Left to rot on the streets?"
"Such arrogance!"
Suppressing his anger, he picked up the Den Den Mushi and dialed the Elders...
...
At the same time.
Sabaody Archipelago, Marine Branch.
In the hospital ward, Demora lay there completely wrapped in bandages, not daring to move.
But he still commanded his subordinates one order after another, his voice filled with hatred:
"Remember what each of you has to investigate."
His many subordinates stiffened nervously:
"Yes, sir!!!"
Demora's voice was chillingly cold:
"All their families... even their illegitimate children, don't let a single one go."
"If one day I die, they'll all be buried with me!!!"
"Investigate them!"
"Start now!!!"
None of the subordinates dared to hesitate:
"Yes, sir!!!"
They all rushed out in a frenzy.
Demora, trembling with emotion, his eyes bloodshot, gasped for breath:
"Huff—"
"Huff—"
You couldn't blame him for being this agitated—he had really brushed shoulders with death.
If Sakazuki had gone any harder, his life would have been over. Even now, these injuries would take three months to heal.
And the key thing was—he had gained nothing from this incident. In fact, others had even swallowed up much of his profits.
The merchants who used to pay him protection fees—after high-ranking government officials seized their shops, he could no longer collect from them.
Profits dropped sharply, and there was nothing he could do about it.
Those people up there used power to crush him, and since he wasn't clean himself, he had no choice but to endure it.
But things were different now.
His life had nearly ended—why should he care about them anymore?
Besides, the Headquarters already had records of his dirty dealings, so what was there to fear?
Worst case, if he died, they would all be buried with him.
Buru buru~ Buru buru~
The Den Den Mushi beside the bed began to ring.
Looking at it, his barely suppressed rage surged back up again.
He picked up the call and growled fiercely:
"Get lost!"
"From today onward!"
"This island! I call the shots!"
"All those businesses! They belong to the Marines now!!!"
"If you don't like it, come and try me!"
"If I die, your whole family dies with me!"
"Don't think you're hiding so well—Kea Island, Reese Island, hmm?"
"Want me to keep listing them?"
"If I die, your! whole! family! dies with me!!!"
Clack—
He slammed the call shut.
Crash!
The table beside him, along with the Den Den Mushi, was knocked over by Demora, scattering everything across the floor.
The movement tore at his wounds, and Demora leaned back against the bed, taking deep, ragged breaths:
"Huff—"
"Huff—"
"Huff—"
The losses this time were massive... dragged down by those damned fools who never knew when to stop.
He hadn't gained a single thing, and had nearly been killed by Sakazuki.
Half a lifetime's savings spent just to buy his life back...
Damn it! Damn it!!!
Boom!!!
A fist mark appeared on the wall.
Large fragments crumbled down...
...
Holy Land.
A high-ranking official furiously hurled the Den Den Mushi aside:
"Damn it! Who gave him the guts?!"
"Bastard!!!"
Though furious, a trace of panic flickered in his heart...
He had hidden everything so well—how did this... damn it.
He got up and paced back and forth, thinking hard:
"No, no, I need to transfer everything. Transfer it."
It was almost laughable—at his level, how much he had shouldn't have mattered.
But no choice... the one at home was too domineering, tolerated no rivals, and had a stronger background than him.
Taking a few deep breaths to steady himself, he picked up the photos on the table and headed toward the Elders' main hall.
The bloodbath in Sabaody had already begun to ferment.
Countless photos were spreading through the surviving journalists and residents.
And the ones in his hand showed the most brutal scenes...
...
Sabaody Archipelago, Marine Branch internal harbor.
Bullet stood on the uppermost deck of a warship.
He watched as soldiers below carried crates of treasure onto the ship.
Bullet looked at the mass of soldiers beneath him:
"With this many people, won't the secret leak out?"
Sakazuki shook his head:
"Demora is good at keeping his men in line."
"All these years, he's fed them plenty—they're dead loyal."
"They won't talk."
Bullet sneered:
"Dead loyal, huh..."
"That just means they won't obey us."
Those loyal to Demora obviously wouldn't listen to them...
Sakazuki snorted lightly:
"Just make do. There aren't better options."
The Marines in Sabaody, after years under Demora's lead, were already ruined.
Even if you swapped in a new commander, it would be the same. In fact, the new commander might even get corrupted too.
Unless you replaced everyone—all the soldiers and officers in the Sabaody Branch—and sent them to other bases, but there was no need for that.
Move them somewhere else, and they'd just become someone else's poison.
One spreads it to another, and it's even worse.
The Marines weren't under his control anyway. As long as they got the job done, that was enough.
After this lesson, Demora would definitely become a good dog...
...
New World, Punk Hazard.
Inside Enel's private laboratory, Enel and Vegapunk were hard at work.
On the screen was the blueprint of a new missile design.
At that moment, the Den Den Mushi rang.
Enel, in the middle of research, answered Sakazuki's call:
"Ah."
"Understood."
"Alright."
Clack—
He hung up the Den Den Mushi.
Looking toward Vegapunk, he said:
"The research funds have arrived."
"Send them to the usual place?"
Vegapunk raised his head from the screen:
"Again, huh."
"Send them to Egghead Island instead."
"Drop them off at the usual spot, let the robots handle it."
"The research base there is gradually taking shape."
"The focus might shift there in the future."
Enel grew interested:
"Oh?"
Vegapunk smiled lightly:
"Just a possibility."
"But after all, that place has only just begun to take shape."
"This one here has been used for years. Unless something unexpected happens, there shouldn't be any plans to move."
Enel nodded:
"I see..."
"Alright, I'll head out first."
Vegapunk said:
"Go on, the sooner you leave, the sooner you'll be back."
Enel made an OK gesture and walked out.
Not long after.
A bolt of lightning tore through the sky...
...
Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
The high-ranking official had barely stepped into the grand hall where the Elders resided when his pupils shrank sharply.
There, even the Commander-in-Chief Kong was... staring coldly at him...
He swallowed hard, a sense of dread surging inside.
Hiding the photo he held behind his back, he braced himself, stepped forward, and bowed respectfully:
"Elder-sama, I..."
The sword-wielding Elder cut him off directly:
"Enough. No need to speak."
"We already know the entire situation."
"Here to lodge a complaint, are you?"
It's over...
The official's scalp went numb, cold sweat pouring down.
"Uh..."
The burly Elder let out a cold snort:
"Quite the arrogance you have."
"Threatening a Marine Vice Admiral, killing at will."
"Your power exceeds even ours, does it?"
"Hmm?"
His gaze turned sharp.
Under the combined stares of the Elders and Kong...
Thud—
He collapsed onto the floor.
The curly-haired Elder waved his hand:
"Go home and reflect."
The calm words struck the official's heart like a thunderclap.
His future... completely severed.
Two CP agents appeared suddenly, dragging him out.
The official snapped out of it instantly, panicking as he pleaded:
"No... no, please!"
"Elder-sama!"
"Elder-sama!!!"
"I was wrong..."
Clang—
The doors slammed shut.
The blond Elder said:
"We can't just focus on the outside. The inside needs cleaning too."
The tall, thin Elder said:
"Indeed, some people have gotten far too arrogant. Hmph."
This incident had caused too much impact.
The bloodbath at Sabaody was one thing—what mattered most was the Marines.
The Marines were the government's greatest force for maintaining control over the world, but some officials in the Holy Land had been using their positions to act superior.
They treated Marine officers with utter disregard, behaving even more overbearingly than them.
They provoked two Fleet Admirals and an Admiral to come forward...
At a time like this, no one could protect him.
...
Grand Line, unknown waters.
Marine training fleet.
Boom—
An explosion rocked the air, followed by blaring alarms.
"Enemy attack! Enemy attack!!!"
-----------
The fanfic is Finished on p@treon/tambeerg. 414 chapters in total