Dragon knew all too well—Kizaru didn't keep that gold vault for power or leverage. It was just a collection to satisfy his own hoarding obsession.
Trying to threaten Kizaru with his own gold?
That was a one-way ticket to an early grave.
"…Not a bad outcome. Except, after escaping from Marineford, the Supreme Commander of the Revolutionary Army just so happened to catch Admiral Kizaru's attention—
And ended up half-paralyzed, bedridden for three months.
Are you okay with that result?"
Kizaru let out a cold snort, his voice laced with open threat.
Dragon's mouth twitched.
Even after all the years he had spent following Kizaru, even he couldn't keep a straight face at that.
Because in a way, Kizaru was dead serious.
If he said Dragon would be bedridden for three months—
Even if Dragon's recovery abilities let him get back on his feet in one month—
Kizaru would just beat him down again and throw him back into bed for the remaining two.
But the Revolutionary Army couldn't afford for him to waste three whole months doing nothing.
Caught between a rock and a hard place, even Dragon had no choice but to try and bargain.
"…A month and a half?"
At this point, Dragon was deeply regretting his earlier actions.
He had definitely gotten a little too cocky—jumping around and showing off in front of Kizaru.
He should've just let Whitebeard and Shanks take the spotlight instead.
"Three months! Keep talking, and I'll make it six!"
Kizaru immediately shut down any negotiations.
At the same time, he dismissed the energy field surrounding them—
And the howling storm slammed into him all at once.
Pouring rain soaked him to the bone in seconds.
Not that it really mattered.
With his current level of strength, Kizaru didn't particularly care about the sea's effects on Devil Fruit users.
Sure, he could feel a slight weakness from being drenched in seawater—
But he could still beat ten Dragons without breaking a sweat.
"I hope that next time we meet, we'll no longer be enemies," Dragon said solemnly, lifting the still shell-shocked Sabo onto his shoulder.
He knew Kizaru wanted to change the World Government from within, using the Navy as his foundation.
But in Dragon's eyes, that was impossible.
"That's for next time.
Next time, I have a certain someone to punch—and I'm not holding back."
Kizaru scoffed, turning and disappearing into the rain.
Dragon had messed with his gold vault.
That debt?
It was far from settled.
—
As the storm raged on, even the ever-bloodthirsty Akainu—desperate to exterminate every last pirate—was finally forced to give up.
Pinned down by Shanks and Rayleigh working together, all he could do was watch as the battered remains of the Red-Haired Pirates escaped to the Red Force.
Meanwhile, the heavily injured pirates and revolutionaries had no choice but to flee through the storm.
Fortunately, Dragon made it back to his ship in time, using his wind powers to keep the storm at bay.
One by one, the pirate ships vanished into the endless rain.
Some Marines still burned with anger, wanting to give chase—
But the freezing downpour extinguished their rage.
"This war is over. Begin treating the wounded. Start compiling the casualties…"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku had already moved on to damage control.
Under normal circumstances, he should have been giving some rousing victory speech—
Proclaiming the Navy's triumph.
But the storm showed no sign of stopping.
If this rain kept up, it wouldn't just be the injured Marines at risk—
Even the healthy ones would start dropping from hypothermia.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! A call from the Five Elders—!"
Before Sengoku could finish his orders, his adjutant came stumbling through the rain—
Clutching a backup Den Den Mushi like his life depended on it.
On the surface, the victor of this war was undoubtedly the Navy.
Even if the pure gold couldn't be counted as part of their spoils—
They still had Whitebeard's severed head to prove their strength to the world.
But from the very beginning, this war had been fought under the banner of executing Fire Fist Ace.
And yet, in the end—
Ace had escaped.
Some might even argue that the Navy had lost.
"You've done well. Go help with the wounded… Hello, this is Sengoku."
As Sengoku took the call, his face remained calm and unfazed.
Unlike his adjutant, who was still trembling with nerves.
Because Sengoku understood the Five Elders.
As long as the pure gold was still in Kizaru's hands—
Even if Whitebeard had survived, the Five Elders and the World Government wouldn't dare to blame the Navy.
"…Is the pure gold still with Kizaru?"
As soon as the call connected, the impatient voice of the Five Elders came through.
Even though they had already confirmed the situation through CP0's secret channels, they still wanted to hear Sengoku's direct confirmation—just to be safe.
"As you wish, no pirate has been able to take the pure gold from Kizaru."
Sengoku answered without the slightest hesitation.
But the fact that the Five Elders didn't even bother to ask about the Marine casualties left a bitter taste in the veteran Fleet Admiral's mouth.
"Excellent! The Marines have done well! The rewards and commendations will be issued soon."
The Five Elders sounded very satisfied.
While the outcome of the battle wasn't ideal, as long as they had secured the pure gold, the Marines were still in the clear.
"…Understood. On behalf of the Marines, I thank the Five Elders and the World Government for your recognition.
However, since the execution of Fire Fist Ace ultimately failed, someone must take responsibility.
I will be resigning as Fleet Admiral and officially nominating Admiral Kizaru as my successor."
Standing amid the ruins of Marineford, Sengoku spoke with guilt in his voice.
If his strategy had been just a little tighter—
If he had realized earlier that Delocas was a traitor—
If he had summoned more forces to the battlefield—
…Perhaps the final result would have been far better.
"…Very well. However, Commander-in-Chief Kong still has a year and a half left in his term.
For now, you will serve as the Grand Inspector of Marine Headquarters—consider it an opportunity to assist Kizaru."
The Five Elders, eager to finally obtain the pure gold, were in an exceptionally good mood.
They even went as far as hinting that once Kong retired, Sengoku would take over as Supreme Commander of the entire military.
Under any other circumstances, Sengoku would have been honored by such a show of trust.
But now?
He knew exactly why the Five Elders were treating him so kindly—it was all because of the pure gold.
And that left a bitter taste in his mouth.
The blood, sweat, and sacrifice of over a million Marines over the years—
Meant less to them than a single piece of gold.
"…Understood. I will do my best to support Kizaru in becoming a capable Fleet Admiral."
Sengoku let out a deep sigh.
But what choice did he have?
As long as the Five Elders remained the highest rulers of the World Government, the Marines had no option but to obey.
"Good. But before that, have Kizaru personally escort the pure gold to Mary Geoise."
The Five Elders couldn't hide their urgency.
Even though Marine Headquarters was at its weakest right now, their desire to secure the pure gold outweighed everything else.
"…Understood. I will arrange for Kizaru to depart as soon as possible."
Sengoku paused for a moment but ultimately accepted their decision.
Not everyone could be like Dragon—
Willing to abandon everything they once believed in and stand against the World Government.
"Once you finish handling Marineford's aftermath, come celebrate the Marine's victory."
With that, the Five Elders finally ended the call.
Had it not been for Kizaru's immense power—making him the most reliable choice to guard the pure gold—the Five Elders would have likely sent CP0 to take over instead.
"Go inform Kizaru. Tell him to escort the pure gold to Mary Geoise immediately."
Sengoku took a deep breath and issued the order to his adjutant.
He still had to focus on the recovery efforts at Marineford—doing whatever he could to minimize the Marine losses from this war.
"Yes, sir!"
The adjutant responded loudly before rushing off into the storm with the Den Den Mushi in hand.
Trying to find someone in this downpour was no easy task—
But just then, a brilliant burst of light illuminated the Marineford plaza—
Like a miniature sun had suddenly appeared.
"…Tsuru-san, I think we still have some floodlights in storage.
Because this is just embarrassing…"
Kizaru stood there, his entire body radiating a light so bright that it illuminated all of Marineford. With a deadpan expression, he muttered under his breath,
At the moment, he was simply following Tsuru's orders—putting his full effort into becoming the biggest light source in Marineford.
While the brilliant radiance pierced through the storm, it also made sure every single Marine could see Admiral Kizaru's towering presence.
Not even the fiercest storm could obscure his dazzling light.
And with it, the previously demoralized and wounded Marines found themselves steadied, their spirits lifting slightly.
"No, this is perfect.
Everyone can see you, and it makes treating the wounded easier."
Vice Admiral Tsuru shot Kizaru a knowing glance—not giving him a single chance to slack off.
She wasn't exactly thrilled that Kizaru would be the next Fleet Admiral.
But her sense of duty to the Marines made her determined to at least mold him into someone more fitting for the role.
There was no way she could make him as diligent as Sengoku—
But at the very least, she could ensure the Marines felt his presence.
As Kizaru's golden light bathed Marineford, the unease in the Marines gradually faded.
They began moving systematically, carrying out orders to rescue their fallen comrades.
Even the injured soldiers found themselves relaxing—
In their minds, each ray of light was a reminder that Admiral Kizaru was watching over them.
And if Kizaru was there, they had nothing to fear.
Following his lead, even the officers who were supposed to return for rest stayed behind to help with the rescue efforts.
Admiral Aokiji used his ice to construct makeshift shelters, shielding the Marines from the storm.
The Giant Vice Admirals carefully tended to the wounded or simply sat down, using their massive bodies as wind barriers.
Even Admiral Akainu was personally transporting the wounded—though the ones he carried princess-style were visibly trembling, looking pitiful in his arms.
"…This is getting kinda ridiculous."
Kizaru felt the urge to cover his face.
Luckily, he had turned off the livestream and had already sent Esdeath back to the Akame ga Kill world.
Otherwise, the dimwits in the chat group would never let him hear the end of it.
Unfortunately, he hadn't been able to send Hancock away—
Despite being the dignified Pirate Empress, she was currently hiding behind Vivi, sneaking photos of him like a shameless fangirl.
Just then—
"Admiral Kizaru! Fleet Admiral Sengoku orders you to escort the pure gold to Mary Geoise immediately!"
Sengoku's adjutant had easily found Kizaru by following the light source and spoke with genuine respect.
Because if there was one person who had stolen the show in this war—
It was Kizaru.
He had snatched the pure gold from the hands of Dragon himself.
He had claimed Whitebeard's head.
He had seriously wounded the Red-Haired Pirates.
Even without the pure gold, his achievements alone outshined ten thousand elite Marines combined.
So even Sengoku's adjutant couldn't help but look at him with awe, like a fanboy meeting his idol.
With all that in mind, Kizaru's mood upon receiving Sengoku's orders must have been… absolutely fantastic.
"Ahem… Let Fleet Admiral Sengoku know, I'll be departing immediately."
Kizaru didn't hesitate at all.
Even though he was heading to his most hated place—Mary Geoise.
"Remember to watch yourself in Mary Geoise."
Tsuru reminded him, her tone carrying a hint of concern.
Plenty of Marines despised the Celestial Dragons—
But the only one reckless enough to outright clash with them was Kizaru.
Had his reputation not been at an all-time high, he might have already swapped places with Delocas.
"Relax, Tsuru-nee.
As long as those fat pigs don't mess with me, I won't mess with them either…"
Kizaru replied casually—though in his mind, he added a silent,
At least not for now.
"Sigh… You never change."
Tsuru let out a weary sigh.
°°°
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