Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
"Report!" A Marine soldier rushed into Sengoku's office in a panic.
"What's got you so flustered?" Sengoku set aside the grass in his hand, patted the goat's head, and shooed it away.
The Marine swallowed hard and hastily slapped an important document onto Sengoku's desk.
"R-Report, Fleet Admiral! The... the Whitebeard Pirates are making a big move!"
"The Whitebeard Pirates?" Sengoku frowned slightly. "Whitebeard's already halfway in the grave. What kind of major action could he possibly take?"
As he spoke, he slowly reached for the seemingly ordinary yet critically important document on the desk and flipped open the first page.
His brows furrowed deeper as his eyes scanned line after line of densely packed text, each sentence feeling like an unsolvable riddle.
The further he read, the more his confusion grew, not diminishing but instead snowballing into something even more perplexing.
By the time he reached the final pages, he could no longer suppress the bewilderment in his heart.
Finally, after carefully reading the entire document from start to finish, he looked up with an expression of utter disbelief.
Then, he turned his gaze to the Marine standing nearby, his eyes filled with questions.
"What exactly are they planning to do on Jaya? And why are they stockpiling so many resources? Are these pirates trying to open a factory and become a legit businessman?"
His tone carried both astonishment and sarcasm, clearly finding the situation utterly baffling.
The Marine shook his head, indicating he had no idea.
"Fine. Keep observing. If the Whitebeard Pirates make any further moves, report to me immediately!"
"Yes, sir!"
The Marine hurriedly left the room.
The entire exchange had taken less than a minute.
Just then, Garp strolled in, munching on rice crackers and laughing heartily.
He seemed completely oblivious to Sengoku's furrowed brows and displeased expression, plopping down casually on the sofa and enjoying the rare afternoon leisure.
The air was filled with the faint aroma of tea, but the tranquility was slightly disrupted by Garp's arrival.
Garp appeared to be in high spirits, a relaxed smile on his face as he occasionally let out satisfied noises.
He was entirely absorbed in his own little world, as if none of the outside world's troubles concerned him.
"GARP!!!"
A furious roar sent Garp tumbling off the sofa.
Sengoku angrily flung a stack of newspapers at Garp while shouting at him.
"Look at what your grandson has done! He's about to turn Alabasta upside down!"
Garp caught the newspapers, but instead of getting angry, he burst into laughter at the sight of Luffy's exploits.
"That's my grandson for ya, Bwahahahha!"
"GARP!!!"
Sengoku was so furious he genuinely wanted to shove the goat's grass into the old man's mouth.
"Not only is your grandson a headache, but even Whitebeard in his old age is stirring up trouble. You people are driving me insane."
'Hmm? Whitebeard?'
Garp looked at Sengoku with confusion, stuffing a handful of senbei into his mouth as he asked between bites.
"What's up with Whitebeard? That old man already halfway in the grave—what trouble could he possibly stir up now?"
"Here." Sengoku pushed a document forward. "That old fool has gone and occupied a small island in Paradise for some reason."
"NANI?" Garp froze for a moment. "Whitebeard came to the Grand Line? When did this happen?"
He picked up the document and started reading, the more he read, the more amused he became.
"Bwahaha, is Whitebeard picking out his own grave now?"
Sengoku, however, believed the matter wasn't so simple.
Analyzing the situation, he said, "Whitebeard isn't the type to act on a whim. Whatever he does is carefully considered. There must be a reason behind this move."
Garp agreed with this assessment.
"Then just send someone to check it out. If Whitebeard really has some ulterior motive, we'll know in advance and can prepare accordingly."
"That's the only option..."
Just as Sengoku was about to issue the order, rapid footsteps suddenly echoed from outside the door.
"Report!"
"Report!"
It was the same marine from earlier, but this time he didn't bother knocking—he barged straight in.
"Fleet Admiral, urgent report!"
"Speak!"
"Fleet Admiral, just moments ago, three towering golden beams of light suddenly shot into the sky from Jaya Island, the island Whitebeard has occupied!"
"Something unexplainable is definitely happen over there!"
"Moreover, according to intelligence, the location where the golden light appeared is the private estate of one of the Whitebeard Pirates' division commanders."
Hearing this, even Sengoku couldn't stay calm.
Exchanging a glance with Garp, they both saw shock and confusion in each other's eyes.
"Towering golden light?"
"It must be something extraordinary, or perhaps Whitebeard is conducting some kind of experiment."
"That has to be it."
Garp nodded in agreement.
Otherwise, he couldn't think of any other reason that would make Whitebeard leave the New World for Paradise and occupy an island.
"This matter must be investigated immediately."
Realizing the gravity of the situation, Sengoku turned to the marine and ordered.
"Go summon Admiral Aokiji."
"Yes, sir!"
....
Before long, Aokiji lazily strolled into the office.
"Arara~ Fleet Admiral Sengoku, isn't this supposed to be my vacation time?"
"Special circumstances have arisen. Your vacation is temporarily suspended."
Sengoku then recounted the events he had just heard.
After listening, Aokiji frowned. "If it's as you say, then something significant must be happening there. It does warrant a thorough investigation."
"That's why I called you here."
"Hmmm" Aokiji waved his hand and turned to leave, his voice drifting back from the doorway.
"Understood. I'll head out now. Just remember to double my vacation days when this is over."
"Tch... your disciple do really take after you, Garp. Even he dare to bargain with the Fleet Admiral now!"
"Hahaha, Sengoku, you've got to give people some rewards to get things done."
*****
Somewhere in the Grand Line,
On a lone canoe, the scruffy Teach rowed with all his might.
His bright eyes brimmed with ambition as he stared fixedly ahead, never pausing in his rowing.
"Zehahaha! Old man, go ahead and search the whole world for me! You'd never dream I've already crossed to the other side of the Red Line!"
Teach looked around with satisfaction.
Although he had only managed to recruit a few crew members in such a short time, the sense of freedom... filled him with exhilaration.
"Once i assemble my own crew, I'll come for you, old man!"
"Because I still need to reclaim your devil fruit that rightfully belongs to me!"
"I hope you won't be too shocked when the time comes. I can't wait to see the look on your face, old man! Zehahahaha!"
With that laugh, he rowed even harder.
His top priority now was to gather his own pirate crew and fend off the pursuit of the Whitebeard Pirates.
---------------
Damn it i hate this golden light = treasures nonsense.