"Sengoku, you old bastard!"
Garp, who had been snoring loudly, suddenly jumped up in surprise after being sprayed in the face.
"You old geezer! I only drank one cup of your coffee because I ate too many donuts and got thirsty, and you spray it all over my face?!"
Though he had been asleep, he was fully aware of what was happening around him.
It was a skill he had developed years ago while chasing Roger, allowing him to rest without ever completely lowering his guard.
Sengoku ignored his outburst.
His full attention was on the recording.
The footage had clearly been edited. It only showed the segment where Amon killed Nezumi. None of the prior conversation was included.
Without context, it looked like Amon was brazenly murdering a Marine officer in open defiance of the Navy.
After watching it, Sengoku slammed his fist onto the desk.
"How arrogant!"
"Does he really think the Marines have no one left to stand against him?"
They had originally decided not to provoke Amon again. His strength made them wary.
After all, what had he really done before? Beat up a Celestial Dragon. That alone was not enough to justify a full-scale confrontation.
But this was a direct challenge to Marine authority.
He had killed a Marine Major openly.
If Headquarters did nothing, the Marines would become the laughingstock of the world.
The morale of their own soldiers would collapse.
Given the strength Amon had displayed, sending an Admiral alone might not even be sufficient.
Sengoku decided, he would go personally. And he would drag Garp along too. That old bastard's strength had surged recently. If the two of them went together, Amon would have nowhere to run.
"Sengoku, what's going on?"
Garp finally noticed Sengoku's expression.
"You watch it yourself. Don't say I didn't give you face this time. He made the first move. If we don't deal with this, the Marines will be a global joke."
Sengoku tossed the recording over.
"What is this?"
Garp scratched his nose with one hand while playing the footage with the other.
He casually flicked the nose debris toward Sengoku.
Sengoku's face darkened even further. If not for the fact that he might actually lose, he would have punched Garp already.
"Hmm?"
"Oh! It's that brat Amon."
"Did he beat up those Celestial Dragon trash again?"
Garp continued watchin casually.
"Garp, you old idiot! He killed a Marine Major!"
"Hahaha. You're right. I almost forgot. That was one of ours."
Sengoku stared at him in disbelief.
You only just realized that?!
"Strange," Garp muttered thoughtfully.
"From what I know about that brat, he may be sly, but he's not the type to kill without reason. Why would he attack Marines?"
He still remembered clearly how Amon had tricked him out of one billion Beli.
"It's because of you and your idiot son! Have you forgotten what that brat Dragon did?"
Sengoku snapped.
"Enough. I'm going personally this time. He asked for it. Don't say I didn't warn you."
He flung his justice coat behind him and strode out.
"Hey, wait."
"That was ages ago. Dragon is a pain, sure, but this Amon brat doesn't strike me as—"
Sengoku had already left in fury.
Garp sighed and followed.
Before long, a massive Marine warship led personally by Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp departed Headquarters at full speed, heading toward the Calm Belt.
Their pace was astonishing.
It would not take long to reach East Blue.
Sengoku was truly angry this time.
…
Meanwhile, back in Cocoyasi Village, Amon continued sitting with his legs crossed, waiting.
"Mr. Amon…"
Bell-mère finally stepped forward, clenching her teeth.
"How much do you know about Marine Headquarters?"
Amon looked at her with amusement.
"What do you want to say?"
"Marine Headquarters represents the highest military power in the world. There are countless powerful individuals there."
"Leaving aside the three Admirals, the Fleet Admiral, and Marine Hero Garp… even the Vice Admirals alone are as numerous as fish in the sea."
"I don't know how strong you truly are, but I think it would be better if you avoided this confrontation."
"Don't worry. We would never reveal your whereabouts."
Amon laughed softly.
"Bellmère, relax. I'll be fine."
He truly was not worried.
He was confident Sengoku and Garp would not immediately issue a bounty without investigating. More likely, they would come in person. And once they arrived, everything could be settled properly.
"Nokjiko, come here. Let's see what the rest of your Jar contained."
Amon pulled out the remaining items Nokjiko had obtained earlier.
He had only looked at the Observation Haki card before being interrupted. Now was a perfect time to finish the inspection. After all, once this task was complete, he could unlock his own exclusive Jar again.
Bell-mère could only stare at him in disbelief.
What kind of heart allowed someone to sit calmly and chat about Jars while Marine Headquarters' top figures were possibly on their way?
Was he truly not worried at all?
Or…
Was this the confidence of someone who had already seen beyond fear?