Bullet's corpse, along with the crumbling stone debris, crashed to the ground. Blood splattered across the already-ruined plaza. Even though Bullet was dead, the surrounding Marines still harbored a deep fear of him and dared not approach. Instead, it was Borsalino who slowly walked to the corpse, crouched down, and carefully examined the wounds.

"So scary…"

The moment he squatted, the pungent stench of blood mixed with burnt flesh rushed into his nose. Even for someone as seasoned as Vice Admiral Borsalino, it was overwhelming. He instinctively pinched his nose.

Looking at the charred wounds covering Bullet's body, Borsalino glanced up at Yoriichi and let out a sigh.

Bullet was truly dead.

That realization brought a quiet relief.

Bullet had once been a member of the Pirate King's crew. No one knew why he'd left, but given the Roger Pirates hadn't pursued him, their separation likely wasn't hostile. There must have been some kind of bond between them.

If Yoriichi had any real relationship with Roger, there was no way Bullet would've died here. With Bullet's strength, Yoriichi could've held back, let him escape. Borsalino himself would never have noticed.

But the fact was, Yoriichi didn't hold back. He went all out.

That meant he had nothing to do with Roger.

And now, Yoriichi's strength had clearly reached an astonishing level. His Conqueror's Haki coating easily pierced even Bullet's hardened defenses. Borsalino couldn't help but admit that in terms of offensive capability, he now lagged behind.

"Vice Admiral Borsalino, are you alright?"

Yoriichi walked over and looked at the standing Borsalino with a calm expression, then spoke with an exaggeratedly mournful tone.

"Wow, I didn't think you had such enemies on this sea. To think one would storm our Dawn Marine Base all alone."

"Vice Admiral, because of your past… my base has suffered greatly!"

"…???"

"My enemy?"

"That man was Bullet. A former crewmate of the Pirate King. He came here for Roger, not me. I don't know what you're talking about, Vice Admiral Yoriichi."

Borsalino's tone stiffened. Though he hadn't met Yoriichi often, each encounter had left a deep impression. This young man wasn't one for smiles or theatrics. He was calm, composed, and rarely showed emotion.

But now, even after defeating the infamous "Demon Heir," Yoriichi wore a mournful expression that made Borsalino smell something… fishy.

"No, no, no," Yoriichi said, shaking his head. "He was clearly here for you. After all, you were the one who escorted Roger. And didn't he ignore me at first and head straight for you? If he didn't hold a grudge against you, why else would he have done that?"

Borsalino opened his mouth to retort, but Yoriichi casually raised a hand and cut him off.

"No need to say more. I understand."

"As a frontline soldier of justice, it's normal to have enemies."

"But the damage to my base? That's on you."

"I'll be reporting this to Fleet Admiral Sengoku."

With that, Yoriichi waved to Kōshirō in the distance. The swordsman jogged over at once.

"Kōshirō, hand me the Den Den Mushi for contacting Admiral Sengoku. Something this big, I need to report it personally."

Kōshirō hesitated. "Report? Aren't we claiming the bounty? That guy was part of Roger's crew, right? The reward must be…"

Then he saw the look on Yoriichi's face.

Immediately realizing his mistake, Kōshirō shut up, stole a quick glance at Borsalino, and silently handed over the Den Den Mushi from his coat.

By rule, Marines were never allowed to claim bounties for pirate heads. This was one of the Marine Headquarters' ways to control funding to the branches, controlling the budget meant controlling supplies and paychecks. This system prevented bases from growing too strong and acting independently.

After all, not everyone joined the Marines for justice. Most were just trying to survive.

For many Marines, especially those who would never see a named pirate in their entire career, this was just a job, nothing more.

"Vice Admiral Borsalino," Yoriichi chuckled, "it's just your imagination."

"We're all law-abiding Marines here."

He let out a light laugh, then picked up the Den Den Mushi and dialed.

In some sea of the New World, the fleet transporting Pirate King Roger sailed through the dark. Night had fallen, but the Marines aboard weren't sleeping. They pressed on.

No one dared let their guard down. Not even Admiral Sengoku.

Inside the brig of the 0-class battleship, Sengoku sat before a cell, going over documents. He and Garp took turns. One watched during the day, the other at night, ensuring Roger was under constant surveillance.

They both knew well, those Seastone cuffs weren't enough to hold Roger. If left unwatched, he could escape any time.

The oil lamp above burned dimly, casting long shadows.

"You're still working this late, huh?"

"Admiral Sengoku… so diligent."

Roger lay on the cell floor, staring at the ceiling. Then he rolled his head to the side and smiled.

Even though this was the path he had chosen, the shadow of death required some mental preparation.

Clink, clink,

The chains clattered as Roger sat up. Sengoku's brows furrowed. He set down his pen and stared into the cell.

"Relax," Roger said, laughing as he saw the tension on Sengoku's face. "You still don't trust me?"

"With you, I never relax," Sengoku replied coldly. "And I suggest you don't entertain any foolish thoughts. Without Rayleigh, there's no chance of you escaping Garp and me."

Sengoku tapped the table. His words were firm, but deep down, he knew the truth.

Roger might not win in a fight against both of them, but if it came to that, the entire fleet would be sunk before they subdued him.

The best-case scenario would be executing Roger on the spot.

The worst? Roger escaping.

"If I wanted to escape, I wouldn't have waited for you and Garp in Dressrosa," Roger chuckled. "Yoriichi's strong, but not strong enough to keep me here."

"Now, how about we chat, like old times?"

There was a rare smile on Roger's face. Of all his final goodbyes, only Sengoku and Garp remained.

Sengoku hesitated, then quietly gathered the documents, set them aside, and folded his arms.

"If we're talking… then answer me this," he began, "What's your connection with, "

Riiiiing,

A sudden call interrupted him.

The Den Den Mushi in his pocket vibrated. Sengoku pulled it out and immediately noticed its features: a tuft of red hair and a fiery forehead mark.

His eyes narrowed. Without waiting, he grabbed the receiver.

"This is Sengoku."

Yoriichi's voice came through respectfully. "My apologies for the late hour, Admiral. But I have something important to report."

That tone… Sengoku immediately had a bad feeling.

He'd known Yoriichi for some time now. The young man almost never used polite speech, especially not with him.

Something was off.

"No need for pleasantries. Just tell me," Sengoku replied, curt.

Yoriichi's voice followed.

"Well, it's like this… Our Dawn base was attacked by an enemy of Vice Admiral Borsalino."

"There were… significant losses."

The moment Sengoku heard Borsalino's name, his pupils shrank.

Had Yoriichi discovered the secret investigation?

Could it be…?

Yoriichi paused, then continued.

"The attacker was Douglas Bullet, former crewmate of the Pirate King. The so-called Demon Heir."

Inside the brig, Roger stood up.

He clutched the bars tightly, trying to hear more.

"No need to worry, Admiral. Bullet has been executed. Vice Admiral Borsalino is fine, just a few minor injuries. His nose may be broken."

"Still, fighting someone like Bullet is no small matter. Our base was nearly destroyed."

"I was seriously injured as well. If another enemy attacks, I might not be able to defend it."

"That's why I'd like to request, please temporarily assign Vice Admiral Borsalino to our Dawn base as tactical advisor."

"He can be half a rank below me."

"You know how tough the pirates here are. I'm still young, not strong enough, and now I'm hurt. I really need someone experienced like him."

"Once things settle down, I'll let him return to HQ."

The weight of Yoriichi's request slammed into Sengoku, but he wasn't even listening anymore.

His brain had stalled the moment he heard "Douglas Bullet was executed."

That man was classified by Marine HQ as Top-Tier Threat, only Admirals or Garp were allowed to engage.

Yet now… Yoriichi claimed to have killed him.

In the cell, Roger's pupils shrank.

An invisible shockwave of Conqueror's Haki burst from him, rattling the cell.

"I accept," Sengoku blurted. "I have things to do. Goodbye!"

He hung up before Roger could make a move.

At Dawn Base, Yoriichi blinked at the receiver in his hand.

"…That was fast."

Then he turned to Borsalino, smile widening.

"Vice Admiral Borsalino, you heard that, right?"

"Admiral Sengoku agreed."

"From today, you're our Dawn Base's Tactical Advisor."

"Don't worry. If HQ wants to make you Admiral, I won't stop you."

"But until then… well, you're mine."

Borsalino sighed.

"…Please take care of me from now on, Base Commander Yoriichi."

✦✦---------------------------------------------------------------------✦✦

100 P.S = 1 Extra Chapter

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