Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
"Report!"
The office door burst open as a Marine officer rushed inside, panic written all over his face.
Sengoku looked up from his desk.
"What happened? Why are you in such a hurry?"
He set aside the feed he had been holding and gently patted the goat beside him before letting it wander off.
The Marine took a deep breath and quickly placed a confidential report onto Sengoku’s desk.
"F-Fleet Admiral! The Whitebeard Pirates have made a major move!"
"The Whitebeard Pirates?"
Sengoku’s brows drew together.
"Whitebeard’s practically at death’s door already. What kind of major move could he still make?"
As he spoke, he picked up the report.
Though it appeared ordinary, its contents were anything but.
His eyes scanned through the densely packed information.
Slowly, his expression changed.
His frown deepened.
The further he read, the more puzzled he became.
Instead of clarifying the situation, every page seemed to raise even more questions.
When he finally reached the last page, confusion was written plainly across his face.
After rereading several sections, he raised his head and looked at the Marine.
"What exactly are they trying to accomplish on Jaya?"
"And why are they purchasing resources on such a massive scale?"
He paused before adding sarcastically,
"Don’t tell me the Whitebeard Pirates have suddenly decided to build factories and become law-abiding citizens."
The Marine could only shake his head helplessly.
"I don’t know, sir."
Sengoku leaned back in his chair.
"Keep monitoring them."
"The moment the Whitebeard Pirates make any unusual move, report directly to me."
"Understood!"
The Marine saluted and hurriedly left.
Barely a minute later, another figure entered.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Garp walked in while happily munching on rice crackers.
He seemed completely unaware of Sengoku’s dark expression.
Dropping onto the sofa, he relaxed as if the world had no troubles at all.
The room had originally been quiet and peaceful.
Garp’s arrival immediately ruined that atmosphere.
Judging by the grin on his face, he was in an exceptionally good mood.
Every now and then, he even chuckled to himself.
Clearly, he was living in his own carefree world.
"GARP!!!"
Sengoku’s furious roar nearly sent him tumbling off the sofa.
A stack of newspapers flew through the air toward him.
"Look at what your grandson has done!"
"He’s practically turned Alabasta upside down!"
Garp casually caught the newspapers.
As he read through the reports describing Luffy’s latest exploits, his smile only grew wider.
"Hahaha!"
"That’s my grandson!"
"Well done, Luffy!"
"GARP!!!"
Sengoku nearly exploded from anger.
At that moment, he seriously considered stuffing goat feed straight into Garp’s mouth.
"Your grandson is already causing enough trouble!"
"And now Whitebeard is making moves in his old age too!"
"I’m getting headaches because of all of you!"
"Hm?"
Garp blinked.
"What happened with Whitebeard?"
Shoving another handful of crackers into his mouth, he continued,
"Isn’t that old man already halfway into his grave?"
"What could he possibly be up to?"
Sengoku pushed the report across the desk.
"Read it yourself."
"For some unknown reason, Whitebeard entered Paradise and occupied an island."
"What?!"
Even Garp was startled.
"Whitebeard came to the first half of the Grand Line?"
"When did that happen?"
He grabbed the report and began reading.
The further he got, the louder he laughed.
"Hahahaha!"
"What’s he doing?"
"Picking out a cemetery in advance?"
Unlike Garp, Sengoku wasn’t amused.
"I don’t believe it’s that simple."
"Whitebeard isn’t someone who acts without purpose."
"Every move he makes is deliberate."
"If he’s doing this, there must be a reason behind it."
Garp nodded.
"Then send someone to investigate."
"If he’s really plotting something, it’s better to find out early and prepare for it."
Sengoku sighed.
"That’s what I intend to do..."
Just as he was about to issue the order—
Rapid footsteps echoed from outside.
"Report!"
"Report!"
The same Marine officer rushed back into the office.
This time he didn’t even stop to knock.
"Fleet Admiral! Emergency intelligence!"
Sengoku immediately straightened.
"Report."
"Moments ago, three golden pillars of light shot into the sky from Jaya Island, currently occupied by the Whitebeard Pirates!"
"The phenomenon was enormous!"
"Our sources believe something extraordinary has appeared!"
The Marine swallowed nervously before continuing.
"The origin of the golden light appears to be inside the private estate of one of Whitebeard’s Division Commanders!"
Even Sengoku’s expression changed.
He exchanged a glance with Garp.
Both men saw the same disbelief reflected in each other’s eyes.
"Golden beams reaching the heavens..."
Sengoku muttered thoughtfully.
"Whatever it is, it can’t be ordinary."
"Perhaps Whitebeard is conducting some kind of experiment."
"Most likely."
Garp nodded.
Otherwise, there was no explanation for why Whitebeard would leave the New World, enter Paradise, and seize an island.
Sengoku’s expression turned serious.
"We need to investigate this immediately."
He looked toward the Marine.
"Bring Admiral Aokiji here."
"At once, Fleet Admiral!"
Not long afterward, Aokiji wandered into the office at an unhurried pace.
"Ara~"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, if I remember correctly, I’m supposed to be on vacation."
"Special circumstances."
"Your leave is temporarily canceled."
Sengoku quickly explained everything.
After hearing the details, Aokiji’s relaxed expression disappeared.
"If that’s true, then something important definitely happened over there."
"It’s worth investigating."
"Exactly."
Sengoku nodded.
"That’s why I called you."
"Ara~"
Aokiji casually waved his hand and headed toward the door.
His lazy voice drifted back into the room.
"Understood."
"I’ll leave immediately."
"But after this is over, I want double vacation time."
"Tch."
Sengoku clicked his tongue.
"See that, Garp?"
"Your disciple is already negotiating terms with the Fleet Admiral."
"Hahahaha!"
Garp laughed loudly.
"If you want people to work hard, Sengoku, you’ve got to offer proper rewards!"
Elsewhere on the Grand Line.
A tiny boat drifted across the sea.
Marshall D. Teach sat alone aboard it.
His beard was messy, his appearance rough and worn.
Yet his eyes shone brightly with ambition.
The oars never stopped moving.
"Zehahaha!"
"Pops, search all you want!"
"Even if you searched forever, you’d never guess I’ve already crossed to the other side of the Red Line!"
Teach looked around proudly.
Though he had only recruited a few followers so far, the feeling of freedom filled him with excitement.
"Once I establish my own pirate crew..."
"I’ll come back for you, Pops."
His grin widened.
"After all, the Emperor’s Devil Fruit was always supposed to belong to me."
"When that day comes..."
"I wonder what expression you’ll make."
"Pops."
"Zehahahahaha!"
His laughter echoed across the sea.
The boat surged forward as he rowed even harder.
For now, his most urgent task was simple—
Build his own pirate crew.
Grow stronger.
And obtain enough power to withstand the inevitable pursuit of the Whitebeard Pirates.