Marineford.
Fleet Admiral's Office.
"Report! Latest news received! In the skies above Onigashima, within Wano Country, the Four Emperor Kaido of the Beasts and The Plunderer Shirogai Yamikuro engaged in a fierce battle! It is suspected that Kaido was ultimately defeated!"
"After Linlin, another Emperor has fallen to that man's hands?"
Sengoku, seated in the Fleet Admiral's chair, rose abruptly in disbelief.
He snatched the telegram from his subordinate's hands, scanned it with growing irritation, and slammed it down onto the table with a sharp crack.
"Nonsense! Utter nonsense! What exactly is this Shirogai trying to do?!"
His furious voice thundered through the entire Fleet Admiral's office.
Suddenly, the door creaked open, and a familiar lazy voice accompanied the crunching sound of chips.
"Crunch, crunch... huh? Who ticked you off this time?"
"Hmph!"
Sengoku shot an icy glare at the Naval Hero, Garp, who strolled in casually, still munching on potato chips as though the world were peaceful.
"You still have the nerve to show your face? The Celestial Dragons have been calling nonstop to complain! How did Shepherd Simone die?"
"No choice. He was already dead before I arrived," Garp replied bluntly, grinning as crumbs fell from his hand. "What a pity, what a pity!"
"Get out! Don't play dumb with me! You think I don't know you've always wished all the Celestial Dragons were gone!"
Sengoku's glare deepened. "Did you deliberately slow down your warship, Garp? Is that why you arrived late?"
"I certainly didn't!" Garp laughed, dumping the last few chips into his mouth before tossing the bag aside. "The sea was frozen solid. We had to wait for the icebreaker. Otherwise, we'd have been there much sooner."
Sengoku groaned, rubbing his temples. "Aokiji's Ice-Ice Fruit… It's troubling to see such an ability fall into the hands of the enemy."
He sighed deeply. "Now, not only has that troublesome man mastered two Admirals' Devil Fruit powers, but he's also learned Linlin's and Kaido's abilities as well!"
"Oh? So this is the guy giving you headaches—Plunderer Shirogai?"
Garp leaned over Sengoku's desk, picked up the telegram, and after a moment of reading, burst into booming laughter.
"Hahaha! After Linlin, Kaido too? That guy really did it? Two Emperors defeated in a single day?"
"You still have the mood to laugh?" Sengoku snapped, snatching the telegram back. His expression turned grim as he reread it. "Kaido is reported to have fallen into the sea... Could it be that the balance among the Four Emperors has been shattered?"
The room grew heavy.
The fragile equilibrium between the Four Emperors had taken the World Government years to engineer—each Emperor restrained the others, none trusting enough to unite.
They fought, schemed, and deceived one another.
This tension ensured that no single force could stand against the Marines.
But now—two had been defeated in one day, and both by the same man.
If the mutual restraint among the Four Emperors collapsed, the entire balance of the world could shift overnight.
"You're overthinking it, Sengoku," Garp said, patting his shoulder with a hearty laugh. "The prestige of the Four Emperors isn't gone. They were beaten by a monster that stands above the world's rules, not by a Pirate Crew."
He leaned back, arms crossed. "Besides, Shirogai didn't kill Kaido or Linlin. That means the structure among the Four Emperors still exists—for now."
Sengoku frowned. "But Kaido fell into the sea."
"Hahaha! Kaido isn't some weakling who'd die just from sinking."
Garp chuckled. "You've dealt with him long enough to know his vitality is ridiculous. The man's practically immortal!"
"I hope you're right," Sengoku muttered. "Otherwise, the empty throne among the Four Emperors might end up being filled by The Plunderer himself."
His voice dropped low, filled with unease. "And a man that unpredictable… who knows what chaos he'll bring if he becomes an Emperor?"
"This Shirogai guy is something else!" Garp said proudly, grinning ear to ear. "As expected of my grandson's Vice-Captain!"
"You've got some nerve saying that!" Sengoku shot back, disgusted.
"Your son's the leader of the Revolutionary Army, your grandson's a pirate, and now his Vice-Captain is a madman who just defeated two Emperors! Do you even realize how much trouble your family's caused the Marines?"
"Hahahaha! Don't praise me too much!" Garp beamed proudly, as if he'd just been honored.
"Who's praising you?!" Sengoku snapped. "I'm mocking you, you fool!"
Seeing Garp's smug expression only deepened Sengoku's frustration.
Even after all these years, this so-called Hero of the Marines still acted like a reckless soldier.
"Speaking of which," Sengoku said, tone suddenly serious, "can't you use your grandson's connection to persuade Shirogai to join the Marines? Do you know what it would mean if we had him on our side?"
Garp picked his nose lazily. "No idea. I couldn't even make my own grandson a Marine. How am I supposed to recruit his Vice-Captain?"
Sengoku's face went blank for a moment before he exploded.
"Garp! Can you take anything seriously?!"
"Tch," Garp scoffed, reclining in the chair he'd dragged across the room. "Even if Shirogai joined, would that really make the Marines invincible?"
"Of course!" Sengoku said, voice firm and cold. "If he joined us, the era of pirates would end. The Marines could finally eradicate them once and for all."
Garp stared up at the ceiling, chuckling softly.
"Maybe so... but somehow, I doubt that man would ever let himself be chained by anyone—not even justice."
---