Chapter 194: Some Things Cannot Be Compromised
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Inside Oris Plaza port, the Black Loyalty was docked here.
Numerous damages caused during the battle with Shiki had all been repaired.
On the deck.
"Lieu... Lieutenant Hans, Lieutenant Pharrel—this... we haven't received orders for your departure."
The Marine in charge of the port said, his tone somewhat apprehensive.
No other reason.
"Ha?"
On this somewhat comical cola bottle-shaped warship.
Detention unit soldiers, usually carefree, were preparing with neat military discipline.
"Brother Katz."
Hans looked at the Marine below—he had wide connections and knew the port manager.
"We are preparing to depart under the Chief's orders."
But now, his gaze was extremely sharp.
"You mean—you want to stop 'Kuroyagi's' (Black Goat) warship from departing here!?"
Speaking to the end, his voice was almost a low roar.
"I... I certainly don't mean that, I... just... people from above..."
The port manager named Katz stammered.
But the next moment, he stopped speaking.
Because he saw all Marines on the Black Loyalty straightening their backs, bodies tense.
They raised their hands in unison, holding them high.
"Chief!" (xN)
Amidst the low salute, Katz seemed to realize something, turning his head instinctively.
Then, he indeed saw.
Behind him—Marines who also received orders and rushed here silently made way.
At the end of the opened path.
Whoosh! Whoosh!
The Marine coat fluttered in the wind.
The cuffs of the coat were pitch black, dotted with stars within the darkness.
Step! Step! Step!
That figure walked forward.
Every step seemed to tread on everyone's heart.
At the military exercise, they witnessed the power he possessed.
At Marine Headquarters, they heard of his temperament.
Not long ago, he personally ended the legend of the previous era.
And now, under the intentional promotion of the World Government and Marine Headquarters, that title had long resounded.
[Legend of the New Era Marines]
"Vice Admiral... Roy, you..."
A Marine wanted to say something.
But Roy just glanced at him.
That sharp gaze stopped the Marine from speaking further.
So...
Under everyone's gaze.
Roy walked to the port edge, leaping up.
His agile figure landed on the deck instantly.
"Everyone here?"
A calm voice came from the deck.
"Yes! Chief—Detention Unit DT-31, all present!"
"Ready?"
"...Of course!" (xN)
Simple dialogue proceeded.
Then...
"Then—Depart!"
"Yes! Sir!" (xN)
As words fell, the Black Loyalty weighed anchor.
Inside the entire port, among all Marines temporarily assigned the task—not a single person dared to stop them.
But just then...
"Vice Admiral Roy! Vice Admiral Roy!"
"Den Den Mushi—it's Fleet Admiral Sengoku's call!"
On the port, the special snail Katz just received rang in his arms.
He shouted at Roy, wanting him to stop the ship.
But...
VMMM!
Invisible fluctuations surged.
The snail in his hand flew up instantly, soaring into the air.
"Hey! Roy—don't be impulsive first, this matter, this old man is discussing with the Government..."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Roy's voice transmitted through the sea breeze into the snail.
"I have never been impulsive."
His voice was very calm.
"And I know what you want to say."
As mentioned before.
Compromise, considering the big picture—Fleet Admiral Sengoku always worried about this, always swayed by this.
Roy understood Sengoku's thoughts.
This Fleet Admiral knew the world's darkness best, witnessing the sea's chaos for years.
He knew—pirates, World Government, Underworld... those were the world's ugly abscesses.
While they entrenched in this world, the importance of 'Order' was unquestionable.
Only with order could the world, this 'Patient' covered in abscesses, continue.
So even compromising with darkness, Sengoku wanted to preserve this order.
He wanted to rely on the Marines, slowly purging evil through the hands of Justice.
He wanted to remove the world's abscesses one by one, from small to big.
Before that, enduring the pain brought by some huge abscesses was unavoidable.
But...
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku—"
The snail began to fall on the sea surface.
"Some things cannot be compromised."
It could only transmit the last words into the receiver.
"Once principles can be compromised, it's not considering the big picture—it only means you have become a 'Slave' to order."
Words fell.
The snail sank into the ocean.
The warship raised sails, breaking through waves.
At the same time.
Marineford, Tenshukaku, Fleet Admiral's Office.
Listening to the 'Gulp gulp' choking sound and subsequent hang-up from the other end of the snail.
"..."
Sengoku's expression was extremely gloomy.
His hand tightly gripped the newspaper released by the World Economic News Paper not long ago.
Just as Kuma was notified.
On the newspaper, there was clearly information about the Warlords.
['Whitebeard Jr.' Edward Weevil, 'Tyrant' Bartholomew Kuma to assume position of Royal Warlords soon; our reporter will conduct exclusive interviews with them in a while]
[Reportedly, Edward Weevil suppressed internal turmoil caused by many pirates in North Blue recently, displaying overwhelming power; this paper firmly believes...]
And it was this newspaper that triggered today's incident.
"Yeah~ Teacher Zephyr couldn't be contacted earlier—this old man remembers he was chasing that Edward Weevil before, seemingly caught the trail already~"
"What will the old man do with his personality~ So scary~"
In the office, 'Kizaru' Borsalino said.
"And oh~ News came today saying there seems to be an accident with that 'Kuma' assuming the Warlord position~"
His greasy voice spoke exactly what Sengoku worried about most.
Yes—after forming the Pirate Guerilla, Zephyr had been hunting pirates on the sea with subordinates and disciples.
During the hunt, they gradually followed Ain's previous discovery, finding Edward Weevil's traces, even chasing him for a while.
So knowing Edward Weevil was about to become a Warlord, Zephyr "Lost Contact" directly.
Sengoku didn't need to guess what he would do.
But misfortunes never come singly—at this critical moment, he heard the Government's originally designated Warlord Kuma had an accident yesterday, seemingly tearing up the agreement with the Government.
This made 'Edward Weevil' even more important.
After all, the World Economic News Paper already warmed up for the Warlords—a Warlord refusing appointment now was already a huge scandal.
If Edward Weevil had problems too... the prestige of the already shaky 'Seven Warlords' system would become a joke.
Therefore, Sengoku called Roy just now, trying to persuade him—the situation was already very complicated.
But clearly...
Judging from the words just now, Roy didn't intend to listen.
"Should this old man stop him? Still in time at this distance~ Can catch up quickly."
Kizaru stood up, asking softly. "But speaking of which~ that kid gets stronger terrifyingly fast~ So scary~"
Speaking, he was ready to depart.
"..."
But the next moment, he clearly saw—Sengoku clenched his fist, punching the desk.
"No..."
The Fleet Admiral gritted his teeth, saying so.
Roy's words echoed in his mind.
Normally, firm-willed Sengoku wouldn't be shaken easily.
But...
"Zephyr..."
This time, the situation was different.
He and Zephyr were friends, best friends, comrades fighting side by side since joining the Marines.
So, regarding Edward Weevil becoming a Warlord.
His anger wasn't weak, just suppressed by himself.
He wasn't sure if the World Government knew about the grudge between Edward Weevil and Zephyr.
But one thing was certain.
The high-level officials of the World Government...
"They definitely don't care about such 'Small Matters', right?"
Knowing the World Government well, Sengoku could almost guess the Five Elders' thoughts.
This made him angrier.
The pain of a former Admiral, the most loyal veteran of the Marines... in their eyes, was it not worth mentioning?
Holding such thoughts, Sengoku naturally began to doubt himself.
Ultimately, he had been enduring and compromising these years, trying hard to bear the darkness, removing the world's abscesses slowly according to his ideas.
But he didn't succeed.
He killed the Pirate King, but Roger's dying words started the Great Pirate Era.
Four Emperors stood on the sea since then; evil ran rampant.
Until recently, one Emperor finally fell, but not by Marines, defeated by the newly appeared 'Evil' of the sea.
The era didn't stop; instead, it intensified, becoming more chaotic.
He was like a diligent paperhanger, compromising constantly, trying to patch up this era from spiraling completely out of control.
But now, Roy's words became the last straw.
Sengoku began to think sincerely.
Was his compromise with the World Government really too much?
Should he really be a bit tougher?
Could the world's abscesses really be removed slowly one by one as he originally planned?
He hadn't found answers to these questions yet.
But regardless, one thing was certain.
That was...
"No need to stop him."
"Let him go!"
Sengoku gritted his teeth.
VMMM!
Golden Buddha light flowed; invisible fluctuations surrounded his hand.
BOOM!
Next moment, the desk shattered directly into dust out of thin air.
Sengoku stood up from the shattered desk, roaring in a low voice.
That was his posture when he was young, just joined the Marines not long ago.
Back then, he was the man called 'Explosive-Tempered Afro' by Garp!
Yes.
He would compromise for the big picture, willing to make rational choices after weighing pros and cons.
But there was one thing he absolutely couldn't accept.
That was...
"That self-righteous brat... who are you calling a 'Slave'!?"
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