According to the few marines who barely made it back alive, the report was true. Those two outlaws had openly declared their intention to join the Rocks Pirates.
"What a troublesome pair," muttered one of the Five Elders, his face darkening as his trembling hand clenched around the sheath of his cursed blade. "The Rocks Pirates are already nearly impossible to deal with. Now, two young prodigies who've awakened all three forms of Haki plan to join them? Are we supposed to abandon our entire operation because of this?"
The Rocks Pirates were not merely a powerful crew they were a force that dominated nearly the entire Grand Line. And more terrifying than their scale was the sheer talent within their ranks.
There was Edward Newgate, better known as Whitebeard, a man with a bounty of 1.73 billion Berries and mastery of all three colors of Haki.
Then there was Shiki the Golden Lion, a Haki master and user of the Float-Float Fruit, his bounty reaching 1.887 billion.
And Charlotte Linlin, called Big Mom, worth 911 million and the wielder of the Soul-Soul Fruit, also a user of all three Haki types.
Beyond those three stood Silver Axe and Wang Zhi, both veterans whose strength could rival even the Admirals of the Navy Headquarters.
Now, two more prodigies those daring enough to raid the Celestial Tribute were about to join them. It was nothing short of a disaster for the World Government.
"Since your Navy already has intel on this, that means the Rocks Pirates must know as well," said one of the older Elders, his tone low and grave. "We need to act. Rocks will never let two awakened Haki users slip through his fingers."
The Elder with the long mustache, known as Topman Vochuli, stood by the window of Mary Geoise, his sharp eyes scanning the artificial gardens outside. His calm, deep voice carried authority that made the others fall silent.
"Send word to both the Navy Headquarters and CP0," he ordered. "Deploy all available forces to support Admiral Kong at Demon Island. If necessary, destroy the entire island. Those two cannot be allowed to join the Rocks Pirates."
The room fell quiet. The other Elders exchanged brief looks, none daring to object.
"Yes, Elder. The Navy will carry out the mission," replied the Marine Vice Admiral, snapping to attention before hurrying out of the oppressive chamber.
Since the Holy Land of Mary Geoise was under the protection of the Marine Headquarters at Marineford, the Vice Admiral quickly returned to deliver his orders.
Inside Marineford, Fleet Admiral Netanya still holding onto his position, though unaware of his impending dismissal had summoned the Navy's top fighters: Garp, Zephyr, and Sengoku. These three were the mightiest soldiers the Navy possessed.
Lesser marines, even Vice Admirals, weren't qualified to join this meeting. Against the Rocks Pirates, anyone below that level would be slaughtered like fodder.
"Orders from the Five Elders," Netanya began, his voice strained as he pressed a hand against the wound on his chest. "Two young pirates who've awakened all three Haki types have stolen the Celestial Tribute. They plan to join the Rocks Pirates. The government demands we intercept and eliminate them before that happens. This mission involves Celestial Dragons, so we cannot afford failure."
Across the room, Garp leaned back with his usual grin, clearly unimpressed. Zephyr, on the other hand, flipped through the intelligence reports, studying the printed wanted posters carefully.
"Two young men capable of awakening all three colors of Haki..." Zephyr murmured, half to himself. "If they'd joined the Navy instead, they might've become the next generation of Admirals."
He still believed in the Navy's justice pure, unwavering, even as corruption rotted the World Government from within.
Garp, meanwhile, barked out a booming laugh. "Bwahaha! The Celestial Tribute, huh? What's that got to do with us? If it were Roger causing trouble, maybe I'd bother getting off my chair!"
Netanya sighed heavily. He wanted to scold Garp for his insolence but knew better. Even as Fleet Admiral, he couldn't command the "Hero of the Marines." Garp obeyed no one.
"Forget him," Netanya muttered helplessly. "Zephyr, Sengoku one of you will go support Admiral Kong. There are three Celestial Dragons on Demon Island right now. If anything happens to them, our entire budget for the next six months could be cut in half."
Sengoku adjusted his glasses and frowned as he examined the files again. "Sir, something seems off about these two pirates," he said cautiously. "The reports suggest they didn't harm any of our Marines. They only went after the Celestial Dragons."
According to intelligence, after Rahu and Kaido seized the Celestial Tribute, they had deliberately spared the Marines who escorted it. Their target was not the Navy it was the so-called gods of the world.
Rahu had once been a simple fisherman, living peacefully with his family, until the Celestial Dragons visited his island. They had opened fire on civilians for sport, annihilating his home and everyone he loved.
Kaido, meanwhile, had been a heroic soldier, betrayed by his own king and handed over to the World Government as a bargaining chip. Forced into piracy, he carried the scars of betrayal deeper than any wound.
Both men had every reason to hate the Celestial Dragons, but none to despise the Navy itself.
If the Marines hunted them now just to appease those corrupt nobles it would only drive them further into darkness. And when that happened, no one could blame them for fighting back.
"This isn't about truth," Netanya said grimly. "They stole from the World Government. As Marines, our duty is to retrieve what was taken." Without another word, he turned and left the office.
The room fell silent for a long moment. Then, a deep chuckle broke the tension.
"Bwahahaha! You two really are idiots," Garp said, smirking at Sengoku and Zephyr. "If you don't want to follow an order like that, there's a simple solution."
Zephyr and Sengoku exchanged confused looks. "A… fake fight?" Sengoku asked hesitantly.
Garp grinned wide, biting into a rice cracker with a crunch. "Exactly. Pretend to fight, make it look real, and everyone's happy. Nobody dies, nobody gets blamed."
The two younger men blinked, then slowly smiled as realization dawned.
"Fake… battle," Zephyr repeated under his breath, a spark of mischief in his eyes. "Now that's an idea."
The laughter that followed filled the room, light and rebellious a rare moment of defiance in the iron halls of justice.
They were still soldiers of the Navy, bound by duty. But sometimes, even justice needed a touch of humanity.
And somewhere out there, on the seas of the New World, Rahu and Kaido sailed toward Demon Island, unaware that a "fake war" might soon decide their fates.
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