From the Den Den Mushi, Tokikake spoke in a low, heavy voice.
"I just received word from Headquarters. On the surface, Fleet Admiral Sengoku was invited to Mary Geoise to hold talks with the Five Elders regarding military funding and related matters. As for Garp-san, CP agencies issued an official notice and took him away directly, citing his involvement with classified intelligence related to the Revolutionary Army and requiring his cooperation in an investigation. The Chief Staff Officer was temporarily detained by the newly appointed director of the Naval Criminal Investigation Bureau, Aramaki. As for Zephyr-sensei, since he has already retired, he was ordered to confine himself at home and is forbidden from leaving for the time being."
"That Aramaki?" Hina blurted out in disbelief. "He can detain the Chief Staff Officer?"
"All changes at Headquarters have been eerily calm," Tokikake said with a hint of helplessness. "No clashes at all. Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Garp-san boarded the fleet bound for Mary Geoise immediately and left Headquarters. The Chief Staff Officer also cooperated fully with Aramaki's investigation. Zephyr-sensei shut down his academy as ordered… no one resisted."
"Why?" Hina said, completely baffled. "If the Fleet Admiral didn't want to leave Headquarters, no one could—"
Before she could finish, Tokikake cut her off.
"That's enough, Hina. I'm not calling to debate this with you, and it's not our place to discuss it. I need you to relay this to Ortoren immediately. With upheaval of this scale at Headquarters, the next step will likely—"
Before he could finish, a knock sounded at his office door.
Tokikake told Hina to wait a moment and went to deal with whatever was happening on his end.
Soon, through the Den Den Mushi, Hina could hear Tokikake angrily questioning someone, though the words were unclear.
A moment later, Tokikake picked the Den Den Mushi back up.
"The situation has worsened. Half an hour after Fleet Admiral Sengoku was taken away, Headquarters received a handwritten administrative order bearing his name."
"What do you mean?" Hina asked, confused.
"It means that people from Mary Geoise issued an official order in Fleet Admiral Sengoku's name," Tokikake said through clenched teeth. "The first directive concerns our New World forces. Following an internal review by the Intelligence Division and the Naval Criminal Investigation Bureau, Admiral Benn Ortoren of Marine Headquarters has been found to have committed serious violations of law and discipline. By decision of the Fleet Admiral, Benn Ortoren is temporarily suspended from his post as Admiral overseeing the New World and ordered to return immediately to Marine Headquarters, Marineford, to undergo an internal investigation and prove his innocence. During this period, Admiral-candidate Borsalino of the Science Division will temporarily assume Ortoren's position."
In that instant, Hina completely panicked.
What was going on? An Admiral stripped of authority just like that?
The people of Mary Geoise were moving far too fast.
There were several more orders issued in the name of "Fleet Admiral Sengoku," but Tokikake clearly had no intention of continuing. Instead, he asked urgently,
"Has Ortoren's battle still not finished?"
"No…" Hina swallowed hard as she looked toward the violently raging battlefield.
At that moment, Momonga reached out and took the Den Den Mushi from Hina's hand, speaking calmly.
"Tokikake? This is Momonga."
"Momonga? You're there too?" Tokikake said with clear relief. "That's perfect…"
There were matters Tokikake couldn't properly discuss with Hina. Her rank was too low, and she lacked the experience. Momonga was different. He was a veteran who had followed Ortoren into the New World and helped build everything from nothing. Back then, if his strength hadn't been just slightly lacking, making him unable to fully suppress the New World frontlines, he would have been even more qualified than Isshō to lead G-5.
Even now, within the entire New World naval structure, although Tokikake temporarily handled the duties of Admiral in Ortoren's absence, Momonga was the true second-in-command, the unquestioned number two.
Momonga glanced at the fierce battle on White Salt Island and then spoke.
"Ortoren's fight will take a little longer. But before it ends, he gave me instructions. From now on, issue orders according to what I say."
"Understood," Tokikake replied without the slightest hesitation.
"First," Momonga said in a deep, steady voice, "order Stolobelli at G-1 Base to immediately join forces with Stainless at G-3 Base. Seal off the New World gateway sea. No armed forces are allowed to enter the New World through the gateway. Any vessel that attempts to do so, whether flying the flag of Mary Geoise or Marine Headquarters, is to be treated as hostile. Open fire immediately."
"Understood," Tokikake replied without the slightest hesitation.
"Second," Momonga continued, "notify Dressrosa immediately. In the name of Admiral Benn Ortoren, promote Donquixote Doflamingo to Admiral's aide, granting him the rank of Vice Admiral. Effective immediately, the Marine patrol forces are to enter full alert status. Ensure the Calm Belt routes remain unobstructed and that all development bases are fully secured against any interference."
Tokikake recorded every word precisely in his notebook and answered, "Understood."
"Third," Momonga went on, "still in Admiral Benn's name, order North Blue Fleet Commander T. Bone to immediately assume full command over all Marine bases across the North Blue. All forces are to enter a military drill state and block every order coming from Marine Headquarters."
Bone had originally served under Smoker at G-5. After the Hachinosu incident, he gradually caught the attention of the higher-ups and was quickly promoted from Lieutenant Commander to Captain.
Later, Ortoren transferred him to the North Blue to serve as its fleet commander.
Indeed, each of the Four Blues had its own Marine commander, known as a Sea Fleet Commander. This was a highly special position. The branches in the Four Blues lacked strong combat power individually but were vast in number. It was unrealistic for Marine Headquarters to relay orders directly to every local base, so the Sea Fleet Commander system was established.
These commanders acted as a bridge between Headquarters and the regional branches. Orders were passed down to them first, then distributed to the various bases under their jurisdiction.
As everyone knew, Marine ranks in the Four Blues were true branch ranks, three full levels lower than those of the Grand Line and Marine Headquarters. The highest attainable rank in the Four Blues was Captain, meaning a single properly appointed Captain was enough to hold the Sea Fleet Commander position.
Clearly, while the rank itself wasn't high, once authority was granted from above, a Sea Fleet Commander instantly became a figure of immense power.
Take Bone for example. In normal times, his role as North Blue commander was little more than that of a messenger. But the moment Ortoren issued his Admiral-level orders, Bone became the undisputed authority of the North Blue Marines. Just in terms of sheer numbers alone, the forces under his command exceeded even Ortoren's.
After addressing the North Blue arrangements, Momonga added a reminder.
"Bone may be highly valued by Ortoren, but he might not be able to withstand pressure from Headquarters for long. After all, he's only a Captain. The North Blue is too important to entrust entirely to him. You should head there immediately and take overall command yourself."
"So that's why Ortoren had me move toward the northern Calm Belt after leaving Golden City," Tokikake said with sudden clarity. "Understood. I'll proceed to the North Blue at full speed and take command."
The North Blue was simply too vast. Under ordinary circumstances, it might have been manageable, but in a situation like this, even if Bone dared to block Headquarters' orders, there was no way he could hold out for long.
Someone who could truly stabilize the situation had to be there. As the acting Admiral whenever Ortoren was absent, Tokikake had both the authority and the strength to do so.
"As for any orders coming from Headquarters," Momonga said coldly, "ignore every single one. Do not respond, and do not counterattack either. Act as though nothing was received. Maintain total silence across the board. Then notify Isshō. Have him lead G-5's elite main force to the gateway sea to support G-1 and G-3. G-7, under Kizaru's side, will handle internal defense. Let's see which fool dares to jump out first in the New World. Whoever does gets killed as a warning."
"I don't think anyone would be that stupid while the situation's still unclear," Tokikake said with a faint smile.
The New World was territory they had cultivated for years. Even if the local forces weren't absolutely loyal, none of them would be foolish enough to rebel right at the outset. At worst, they would wait until the World Government showed signs of weakness before trying to "set things right."
After thinking for a moment, Momonga continued.
"Next, issue a mandatory summons under Admiral Benn's name. Order all currently available Shichibukai to assemble immediately at G-7."
He paused, then let out a quiet laugh.
"As long as we don't lose our footing, Mary Geoise thinking they can fool us with a single piece of paper is pure fantasy. We, the New World Marines, take orders from the Admiral alone. Everything else can wait until the Admiral has dealt with the immediate threats."