The Marine New Year's banquet was incredibly lively. Even the iron-fisted Akainu, after having a bit too much to drink, couldn't resist the prodding of the other two and performed a 'Great Eruption' to roast some Sea Kings. Kizaru and Aokiji teamed up to create a massive firework display. Garp, unable to contain himself, wanted to launch the glowing Sengoku into the sky to light the way for everyone, but he was stopped by the combined efforts of the others.
Amidst Garp's excessive boasting, everyone learned that Garp's granddaughter had joined the Marines and had awakened both Armament Haki and Observation Haki at such a young age. Everyone also realized there was now one more person on this sea who should not be provoked.
Hera and Kuina were frantically devouring food at the banquet. Hera, who had long been exhausted, pounced on her beloved roasted meat the moment she saw it. She didn't even have time to use Life Return to digest it before she ended up sprawled on the ground with a bulging little belly.
In the midst of the lively environment, Hera, lying on the ground, gradually felt drowsiness wash over her and fell fast asleep.
Early the next morning, Hera woke up with a start, instinctively wanting to check the time to see if she had missed the assembly. Instead, she saw Kuina holding her next to her; the two of them were lying together. Kuina was also startled awake by Hera's sudden movement.
Only then did Hera remember that it was currently a holiday. Wanting to crawl back under the covers and keep sleeping, a groggy Kuina wrapped herself around Hera again, and the two fell back into a deep sleep.
They slept until noon. Kuina had woken up long ago, but seeing Hera hugging her in her sleep, she didn't have the heart to disturb her sweet dreams and simply stared blankly at Hera from the side.
When Hera woke up and found herself tightly hugging Kuina, while Kuina was staring intently at her, she suddenly turned into a boiling kettle. Steam rose from her head, her face turned beet red, and she quickly let go of Kuina and got up.
After the two changed their clothes and walked out, they discovered they were in Garp's home. Garp and Zephyr were chatting in the living room. Seeing the two wake up and emerge from the room, Garp spoke to Hera.
"Seeing you two fall asleep yesterday, I brought you back. While you're resting these next few days, stay here. I prepared this room specifically for you a long time ago."
Zephyr also dropped his usual strictness from the training camp and said with a smile, "Since it's a holiday, take a good rest. Once the training camp starts next year and you're on the ships, you won't have such a nice space to rest."
The Marine Base was plunged into a state of revelry for the New Year; this was the most leisurely time of the year for the Marines. The Big Mom Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates were both celebrating the New Year, and even the smaller Pirate Crews chose to hold banquets. With the Three Admirals all back at the Marine Base, no pirate with half a brain would choose to attack at this time.
The Marines, who had been busy all year, could finally enjoy this rare leisure at the base, but the atmosphere among the high-ranking officers was not nearly as relaxed.
During a meeting, Sengoku slammed a newspaper down. The headline read: 'The New Emperor of the Sea, Red Hair Shanks; The Sea Enters an Era of the Four Emperors.'
He asked the crowd, "The current situation is very disadvantageous for the Marines. The Shanks Pirates have come into their own and are no longer something we can easily shake. Now, the latter half of the New World has completely slipped from the Marines' grasp and has become a paradise for pirates."
Akainu said, "Can't we just blockade Fish-Man Island and the Sabaody Archipelago? Since they've turned the second half into a paradise, we should just make it so they can never reach the New World."
Sengoku replied, "It's not that simple. First, Fish-Man Island is Whitebeard's territory; we can't just blockade it suddenly. Furthermore, that man from the Roger Pirates, Pluton Rayleigh, is still at the Sabaody Archipelago. If we blockade it, there's no telling if the remnants of the Roger Pirates will continue to stay in retirement."
"The current New World cannot withstand any more turmoil. We can only compress our battle lines and withdraw from the latter half first."
Sengoku then took out another proposal and said to the group, "Look at this. It's the Shichibukai Project proposed by the World Government."
Akainu's reaction was the most intense upon seeing it, and he stood up from his seat. "Recognizing the legal status of certain Pirate Crews? Are you joking? Pirates should be completely wiped out! How can we recognize their status?"
Sengoku looked coldly at Akainu and barked, "Making such a scene in a meeting—show some decorum! Sit down."
After seeing Akainu sit down, he continued, "This proposal was pushed heavily by the Celestial Dragons. I don't have a better solution, and besides, we have no other choice."
Vice Admiral Tsuru shared her view: "While the passing of this proposal is already inevitable, we can carefully consider the candidates. We should choose Pirate Crews that haven't plundered civilians, or people like Hawkeye who are only on the wanted list because they challenge the strong."
Seeing that no one had any objections, Vice Admiral Tsuru continued, "We can even use the Shichibukai as a bone to let them fight amongst themselves like dogs, and then we go in to clean up the mess at the end."
Sengoku summarized and made the final decision. "The Shichibukai can be established, but the power to select the members must remain in our hands."
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