Even as a CP0 operative, it was rare to have the chance to swagger about at Marine Headquarters—after all, Marineford still had a Fleet Admiral whose presence even the Gorosei had to take into account.

"Amiso, you'd better keep a low profile at Marineford. Don't forget where Delocas came from, and where he died."

Before the CP0 squad leader could speak, another slender CP0—so thin he looked like he could be blown over by a gust—snorted derisively.

Pushed into a corner by that jab, Amiso flew into a rage, but seeing that his team leader remained silent, he didn't dare retort to his superior comrade who was stronger than him.

The CP0 squad leader wore a monkey mask and had a build comparable to Sentomaru—an enormous, hulking man. Yet this huge man, who must have weighed at least four or five hundred pounds, now rode forward on a surfboard-like Viber with an agility that didn't fit his image at all.

In the blink of an eye, the CP0 leader had left his two subordinates far behind.

Compared to the two bickering underlings, Reva—the CP0 leader who had once partnered with the navy traitor Delocas—truly did not want to go to Marineford. But the Gorosei had issued a direct order, so Reva had no choice but to steel himself and head to the naval headquarters.

The Gorosei, after all, knew how difficult it would be to "challenge" the Fleet Admiral's authority at Marineford. Directly seizing control of the naval base would be the best result for them. If that proved impossible, getting the Marines to move quickly to support Mariejois would still mean Reva's squad had completed its mission.

If none of that happened, the mission would amount to a suicide run.

"Captain, don't go so fast—wait for me!"

Before the big captain could decide how to act once they reached Marineford, the broad-shouldered, burly Amiso had already sped up to catch him, his meat-lined face plastered in a flattering grin.

Although CP had not existed as long as the World Government or the Marines, it had nonetheless been around for several centuries. Given the Gorosei's usual tactics, no subordinate organization was allowed to become a monolith. One semi-independent body like the Marines was already troublesome enough; if CP were to slip out of control, the consequences could be even worse than a rogue navy.

So each generation of Gorosei cultivated factions inside CP. It wasn't just the Gorosei—Marines, Army, and even the World Nobles had their small cliques within CP.

By chance, Amiso and the other CP0 belonged to two rival factions with particularly sharp conflicts. Without the strongest captain stationed to keep the peace, Amiso had no doubt he would be the target of underhanded moves by that nominal "teammate."

And if the tables were turned, Amiso himself wouldn't show mercy.

"Speed up. We must reach Marineford within today!"

The large, rotund CP0 captain frowned slightly, ignoring the two subordinates who were subtly at odds with each other. Instead, he focused on calculating in his mind how to fulfill the task entrusted to them by the Gorōsei.

There was no doubt about it—taking over Marineford was an impossible dream.

Not only was the current Fleet Admiral that "monster of the Marines," but even if it had still been Sengoku the Buddha in charge, CP0 would never have been allowed to trample over Marine Headquarters.

So, the only thing he could do now was urge Marineford to deploy its forces as quickly as possible. The fat captain subconsciously touched the letters hidden inside his coat and silently prayed that the undercover agents planted by the Gorōsei were still useful. Otherwise, even if he sacrificed every last pound of his flesh, there was no way to force Kizaru to compromise.

"Understood!"

Amiso looked a little dejected but still picked up his pace obediently. For a CP0 agent, failure often brought consequences worse than death.

Without the captain's protection, he might simply be assassinated in the dark—but if the mission failed because of him, the Gorōsei would have no hesitation about reducing CP0's number by one useless member.

The other CP0 agent, a tall and lean man, also stopped provoking his teammate. The weight of the Gorōsei's command pressed just as heavily on his own shoulders, and if he failed to complete the mission, not even his superiors could shield him.

While the three CP0 members were fretting over how to pressure the Marines into deploying sooner, Sengoku—the Grand Inspector who had just reached an understanding with Kizaru—not long ago was also wracking his brain, wondering how to deal with Sakazuki's coming interrogation.

When Kizaru had sent nearly all the high-ranking officers of the Navy on "vacation" under various excuses, Sakazuki had flatly refused his so-called generosity, insisting on continuing his pursuit of the escaped prisoners from Impel Down.

Most of those fugitives had indeed joined the Revolutionary Army and been hidden away by Dragon, but there were still plenty of arrogant ones who refused to bow to the Revolutionaries—

And some were such vile monsters that even the Revolutionary Army couldn't tolerate them.

Having been imprisoned in Impel Down for so many years, these criminals, once freed, were eager to unleash their pent-up rage and hatred upon the world.

Not only were they numerous, but many possessed terrifying strength. Even Gion, who hadn't participated in the Summit War and had been hunting them ever since, couldn't fully stop their rampage across the seas.

That was precisely why Sakazuki had refused to take leave—he had chosen instead to personally lead the hunt for these escaped prisoners.

And with most of the other high-ranking officers of the Marines conveniently "out of reach," the Gorōsei, upon finally establishing contact with Sakazuki, naturally clung to him like a drowning man to a life raft.

Fortunately for them, Sakazuki wasn't the same kind of two-faced traitor as Kizaru. While not exactly the Gorōsei's lapdog, he was still loyal enough to be considered reliable.

After learning of the upheaval in the New World and the strange movements at Marineford, Sakazuki immediately sought out Sengoku, the Grand Inspector.

At first, he had wanted to confront Kizaru directly—but Kizaru, unwilling to waste time arguing with the Gorōsei, had simply cut the line to the Fleet Admiral's office.

Thus, with no way to contact Kizaru, the only senior Marine still reachable at Marineford was Sengoku.

So Sakazuki, unable to take out his anger on Kizaru, came to interrogate Sengoku instead—demanding to know whether he and Kizaru were planning a full-blown rebellion.

"Marineford harbors no traitors like the ones you're imagining! And everything Kizaru has done—absolutely none of it was out of ambition to become some kind of king or emperor…"

Sengoku argued into the Den Den Mushi with a headache brewing. If he had known this would happen, he would have disconnected his office line too. Sakazuki was infamous for being stubborn — trying to persuade him with words was practically impossible.

And to make matters worse, Sengoku felt a bit guilty himself. Compared to Kizaru, who had fully committed to "rebelling," Sengoku seemed more like someone forced into rebellion by circumstance.

With the Navy unable to completely cut ties with Kizaru, even if Sengoku had no intention of joining a rebellion, he was compelled to side with him — unless he was willing to stand by and watch the Navy tear itself apart through internal conflict.

Moreover, even if Sengoku chose to side with the Gorosei and successfully defeated Kizaru, the Navy would still face inevitable suppression by the World Government afterward.

Faced with this dilemma, Sengoku ultimately chose to support Kizaru's faction. But that reasoning wouldn't convince Sakazuki.

Given the same situation, the hawkish admiral known for his uncompromising nature would only choose to fight Kizaru to the bitter end.

"I don't care what that bastard Kizaru's goals are! As the former Fleet Admiral, are you seriously going to stand by and watch him drag the entire Navy into the abyss?!"

Sakazuki roared furiously — even through the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku could feel the man's searing rage, almost as if it would ignite the receiver.

Although Sakazuki hadn't openly objected when Kizaru was appointed as the new Fleet Admiral, that didn't mean he would let Kizaru do as he pleased!

"Watch your tone, Akainu! Don't forget — Kizaru is the Fleet Admiral now!"

Faced with Sakazuki's fury, Sengoku's own temper flared. Being "kidnapped" by that damned Kizaru was already frustrating enough, but he endured it for the Navy's greater good — even if it meant cleaning up Kizaru's messes.

But why should Sakazuki get to yell at him too? Just because he was mild-tempered didn't mean Sakazuki could be insolent. Even a Buddha has his limits!

Stunned after being yelled at in return, Sakazuki instinctively wanted to lash out, but in the end, he restrained himself.

It wasn't because he feared Sengoku — far from it — but because there were more important matters at hand.

"It's not too late to change your mind, Inspector General Sengoku… No — Fleet Admiral Sengoku! If you stand with me and rally the Navy Headquarters to set things right, it's still not too late!"

Sakazuki had a sense of Sengoku's internal struggle. Though he despised the older man's hesitation, he used it as leverage to persuade him.

Given his usually blunt and iron-fisted personality, the fact that Sakazuki was softening his tone and trying to reason with Sengoku spoke volumes about how much he still respected him.

"Do you intend to betray the Navy, Sakazuki?!"

Unfortunately, Sengoku failed to understand Sakazuki's "good intentions." His voice turned cold and sharp as he cut him off.

To Sengoku, protecting the Navy's interests mattered far more than loyalty to the World Government.

"The Navy is a direct arm of the World Government! Don't tell me you want to follow in that bastard Kizaru's footsteps and betray it too, Sengoku?!"

Sakazuki finally couldn't suppress the fury burning in his chest and roared into the Den Den Mushi.

Blazing magma dripped continuously from his body, igniting the floor of the captain's quarters — a reflection of the raging fire in his heart.

The poor Den Den Mushi was sweating profusely from the heat, yet still did its duty faithfully, mimicking Sengoku's furious expression and glaring back at Sakazuki.

"The Navy is a force that upholds justice, not a dog of the World Government. You've lost your way, Sakazuki!"

Sengoku made a final attempt to reason with him, but Sakazuki had already lost his patience and slammed the Den Den Mushi shut.

°°°

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