Grand Line, a sealed island port.
The smoke had not yet dispersed. Eneru idly played with the electric arc flickering at his fingertips, while a dozen charred bodies of CP agents lay haphazardly at his feet.
“What boring ants,” he yawned, “even their screams are all the same.”
Gern stood at the edge of the dock, the sea breeze rippling the word “Justice” on his cloak.
Behind him, Marine soldiers were escorting women and children back to town, and each person who passed him unconsciously cast a look of awe in his direction.
“Report!” A communications soldier hurried over, lowering his voice, “Vice Admiral Gern, we just received an urgent telegram from Marineford. Admiral Sengoku requests you to…”
“Ignore it,” Gern interrupted, tapping the hilt of his black blade eight desolations, “Proceed according to the established plan.”
...
Marineford, Marine Headquarters, Fleet Admiral’s Office.
Kong stood by the window, his back to Sengoku, his gaze passing through the glass and out towards Marineford’s harbor.
“Fleet Admiral Kong,” Sengoku said with a look of indignation, “This mission, sending Gern, was a mistake from the start.”
“And, most importantly! He actually hung up on me, hung up a full thirty times!”
After speaking, Sengoku angrily plopped down on the sofa, his brows tightly furrowed.
“Fleet Admiral Kong, you clearly know that with Gern’s personality, he would never act according to the World Government’s orders.
Sending him to execute such a mission will only deepen the rift between him and the World Government!”
“Rift? Heh heh.” Fleet Admiral Kong suddenly turned around, his eyes sharp as he sneered.
“As early as when the World Government rejected Gern’s Admiral proposal, it was already impossible for them to coexist peacefully!”
Sengoku was startled.
“Sengoku,” Kong walked to the desk, his finger tapping heavily on the tabletop, “Do you think I don’t know what you’re thinking?
You’re worried that Gern’s actions will worsen the relationship between the Marine and the World Government, but I want to tell you… this is precisely necessary!”
“Necessary?” Sengoku’s brows furrowed even tighter.
“Exactly.” Kong took a deep breath, his tone softening, “Because, I’m doing this for you too.”
“For me?” Sengoku was stunned, “Fleet Admiral Kong, let’s not say such ambiguous things between us.”
Kong: “…”
“Ahem, it’s June 1499 now, and I only have a few months left in my term!” (Kong’s term as Fleet Admiral ends in sea circle calendar 1500)
“Fleet Admiral Kong…”
“In a few months, the Marine will be your era!” Kong sat back in his chair, his gaze profound.
“No faction within the Marine can become too powerful; there needs to be a balance of power.
On this point, I don’t doubt your methods.
But between the Marine and the World Government… there also needs a ‘buffer point’.”
“You mean…” Sengoku’s pupils slightly contracted.
“Gern is that ‘buffer point’,” Kong said in a deep voice, “He belongs neither to the dove faction nor the hawk faction.
His ‘Calamity’ faction operates independently of the traditional Marine system.
The World Government fears him, yet they have no choice but to rely on his strength.
And the Marine also needs someone who dares to challenge the World Government.”
“So…” Sengoku remained silent for a long time, finally speaking slowly, “You deliberately sent Gern to execute this mission?”
“Sengoku, you are the future Fleet Admiral of the Marine, and you need to understand…” Kong did not directly answer, merely stating faintly,
“Some conflicts must exist.”
In that instant, outside the office’s floor-to-ceiling window, thick clouds rolled by, as if pushed by an invisible hand, slowly swallowing the blazing sunlight.
The light in the room suddenly dimmed, and shadows crept onto Sengoku’s face, making his expression appear even more profound.
His keen political intuition, in Kong’s recent words, caught another extremely dangerous signal!
“So, Fleet Admiral Kong…” Sengoku slowly raised his eyes, his glasses reflecting a cold gleam in the dimness.
His voice remained steady, yet carried an undeniable sharpness, “Can you explain?”
“What does it mean: 【‘Calamity’ faction, independent of the traditional Marine system】.”
The air solidified.
Kong’s pupils slightly contracted, and a drop of cold sweat silently trickled down.
Astonishment.
Relief.
And even… a sense of unburdening.
Indeed, the strategist he had favored was now truly ready to take full command of the Marine!
“After Gern and Kuzan’s ‘Admiral contention’ duel…” Kong slowly began, his voice firm,
“I will use my final authority during my term to issue a major decision.”
“A major decision?!” Sengoku leaned forward slightly, his fingers silently gripping the edge of the desk.
And Kong’s next sentence was like a heavy hammer.
“Formally grant Gern Reginald Sigma—‘Subordinate Independent Autonomy’!”
“Bang!!!” Sengoku’s palm slammed heavily onto the office desk, the solid wood surface instantly cracking, fissures spreading like a spiderweb, and wood chips flying!
“Are you insane?! Kong!” Sengoku’s roar exploded in the Fleet Admiral’s office, making the window frames hum and vibrate.
Sengoku could no longer afford to be polite. He abruptly pushed himself up from the desk, his Justice coat billowing without a breeze, like an enraged lion.
“Do you know what this means?!” His finger almost poked into Kong’s chest.
“Subordinate Independent Autonomy? What does it represent? It includes independent fleets, independent decision-making, independent appointments, independent deployment, independent execution!
If this happens, Gern’s power will be unprecedentedly magnified!
In other words, during my tenure, Gern will be a complete bomb!
That kid will become an out-of-control beast within the Marine system!”
Kong silently watched the enraged Sengoku, his gaze as hard as an anvil.
“Sengoku,” he slowly began, his voice deep like an ocean current, “Do you think we Marines still have a so-called ‘Absolute Justice’ sword-wielder?”
(Not Akainu’s Absolute Justice ideology, but the absolute recognition of independent authority for justice)
The air suddenly solidified, and Sengoku fell silent.
Kong stood up and walked to the window, his back appearing particularly old against the light, yet carrying a certain resolute sharpness.
“The World Government has secretly been siphoning off Marine elites from the Four Seas branches, and CP0’s tentacles have even reached into the New Recruit Elite Training Camp.”
As he spoke, Kong clenched his fist tightly, his knuckles cracking, “Now, during this power vacuum period of transition,
Not only are internal Marine factions vying for power, but the World Government is also taking action!!
Those five old geezers now want more than just obedient dogs; they want watchdogs with their teeth pulled out!”
Sengoku’s face was ashen, but Kong’s words continued to pierce him like a sharp knife.
“Gern is a bomb? Yes! But what the Marine needs now is precisely a bomb that can blast through conspiracies!”
He turned to face Sengoku, his eyes burning with a desperate flame.
“Rather than watching power be eroded, it’s better to proactively take up the sword!”
“But this sword is not easy to wield?!” Sengoku sharply interrupted.
Kong suddenly smiled.
That smile sent a shiver down Sengoku’s spine.
“That depends on how the next Fleet Admiral uses it,” he gently patted Sengoku’s shoulder.
“After all, even in the worst-case scenario…
But, the Marine is still the Marine!”