Farther away, a Marine fleet that had originally planned to ambush the Maelstrom Spider Pirates was also completely dumbfounded.
Jonathan, currently a Lieutenant Commande, looked through his binoculars at the wreckage floating on the sea, his expression one of utter shock.
Standing behind him was Marine Headquarters Commodore Bluegrass.
The very same officer who would later appear in the Egghead Incident alongside Borsalino and Saint Saturn as a Vice Admiral of Headquarters, a user of the Ride-Ride Fruit.
Back then she would be an old woman—but right now, she was still a strikingly beautiful Marine officer.
"Commodore, this… what just happened?" Jonathan lowered his binoculars, his expression utterly baffled as he looked toward Bluegrass.
Bluegrass was just as confused. Her gaze followed the icy crystalline slide stretching from the sky down to the sea, and she swallowed before saying, "It was too fast—I couldn't see clearly. Something seemed to slide down from the sky and directly wiped out the Maelstrom Spider Pirates?"
"Does this count as divine justice?" Jonathan scratched his head.
Bluegrass fell silent for a moment, then quickly turned and asked, "Was the Den Den Mushi recording just now?"
"Yes, Commodore! The recording Den Den Mushi has been active the whole time to capture the ambush!" a Marine soldier responded immediately.
"Play it back at the slowest speed. Replay what just happened!" Bluegrass ordered in a deep voice.
Soon, a group of Marines gathered around the recording Den Den Mushi, watching the scene that had just been captured.
After repeated playback, Bluegrass finally caught a crucial detail in one frame.
"Pause it. Zoom in on this!" she said.
The image she froze showed Maelstrom Spider Squard tumbling through the air, crossing paths with the massive block of ice.
After zooming in, she finally saw what was encased within the ice.
"The Oro Jackson!?" Bluegrass froze for a moment, then immediately issued orders: "Contact Headquarters. Report that we have sighted the Roger Pirates, who have been missing for months. They… they appeared from the sky, destroyed the Maelstrom Spider Pirates, and then vanished at high speed beyond our surveillance range. Based on this location, if nothing unexpected happens, they are highly likely to reach the Sabaody Archipelago within a month—or even enter the New World!"
After a brief pause, she added, "Send this recording back to Headquarters as well. Let them see it for themselves."
The reappearance of the Roger Pirates wasn't a problem in itself—but given how close this location was to the end of the first half of the Grand Line, near the Sabaody Archipelago, it became a serious issue.
Because, without a doubt, the Roger Pirates would enter the New World.
And right now, the New World was in chaos.
Over a month ago, Shiki's Flying Pirates had boldly declared war on the Whitebeard Pirates. Both sides had assembled massive fleets, and large-scale battles involving over thirty ships had already broken out four times.
A week ago, the "World Destroyer" Byrnndi World rampaged through the Sabaody Archipelago, destroying three warships before diving into Fish-Man Island.
Three days ago, confirmed sightings of the World Pirates had already been reported in the New World.
It seemed they intended to join the war between Shiki and Newgate—adding even more fuel to the already raging conflict.
And now, the Roger Pirates—who had kept a low profile for nearly three years and never entered the New World—were approaching the Sabaody Archipelago at this exact moment.
This could not be ignored.
If the Roger Pirates also entered the New World, they might get dragged into this massive conflict, and at that point, who knew what would happen?
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Fortress of Justice, Admiral's Office.
After carefully watching the playback, Sengoku's expression was extremely grave.
Standing before him was Vice Admiral Tsuru, who had recently been promoted to Chief Staff Officer of Marine Headquarters.
"After leaving Alabasta's Nanohana Port, the Roger Pirates disappeared completely… and now they've suddenly fallen from the sky. Tsuru, what do you think?" Sengoku asked after a moment of silence.
"At Alabasta, Fleet Admiral Kong instructed us not to take action against the Roger Pirates—after all, that individual was on their ship. It was an unprecedented special case. However, he still had me investigate their actions in Alabasta," Tsuru said calmly.
"Find anything?" Sengoku asked.
"Combining intelligence from the West Blue and South Blue, it's already confirmed—they are searching for Poneglyphs," Tsuru said, pausing briefly before continuing. "And now there's a critical issue."
She continued, "According to a recent confirmation from the Intelligence Division, the World Pirates currently possess a Poneglyph. So I can say with near certainty—once the Roger Pirates learn this, they will inevitably clash with the World Pirates in the New World."
"Why is Byrnndi World also searching for Poneglyphs? Have you figured out what he's trying to do?" Sengoku asked after a moment of thought.
"Coincidentally, just yesterday morning, the new CP-9 chief, Spandine, shared intelligence with us on this matter," Tsuru nodded.
"Oh? Since when does CP share intelligence with us?" Sengoku said in surprise.
"Well, orders came from above—regarding Byrnndi World, both the Marines and CP are to cooperate fully in intelligence gathering and capture operations. And… although I haven't interacted with him much, I think Spandine is quite a peculiar individual," Tsuru said.
They didn't dwell on Spandine for long before Tsuru continued:
"According to CP's investigation, Byrnndi World is searching for a family that possesses an ancient explosives technology."
"Explosives technology?" Sengoku frowned, clearly not understanding.
"Yes. While there's no definitive proof, this family is said to possess an extremely powerful explosive formula—possibly more advanced than even Marine technology. There are rumors they once supplied ammunition for the Ancient Weapon Pluton."
"Previously, World obtained some clues in Water 7. The origin and surname of this family can no longer be traced, but the only lead is that they now make a living as traveling circus performers. Because of this, after leaving Water 7, World's crew quickly attacked the Pandel Kingdom, where a grand national circus festival was being held, gathering troupes from all over the world," Tsuru explained.
"Did they find this explosives family?" Sengoku asked, his gaze turning serious.
As for why World was searching for them—did that even need explaining?
That lunatic constantly shouted about blowing things up.
One day he claimed he'd destroy Marine Headquarters.
Another day he said he'd blow up the Red Line.
Or that he'd fire a cannon and obliterate Mary Geoise.
With the power of the More-More Fruit, World was already terrifying enough.
It was said he had already constructed an extremely powerful cannon—what he lacked now was the right kind of ammunition.
And now he was searching for this circus-performing explosives family.
Wasn't it obvious?
He was trying to create a super bomb… and trigger a world-shaking incident with a single shot.
Considering that Marine Headquarters itself might be one of his targets, how could Sengoku, as an Admiral, not take this seriously?
...
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