章 83: 83. Marine Down To Impel, Declare War!
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Marine, Impel Down, and CP—the three pillars of the World Government!
Marine wields the strongest fist, and CP boasts the most impeccable intelligence.
But what about Impel Down?
It's caught between the two, neither as powerful nor entirely hidden from view.
To be blunt, its director might rank on par with the Fleet Admiral, but is he truly deserving?
In the past, to avoid suspicion from the Five Elders and Marine leaders, the director of Impel Down would rarely refuse requests for prisoner interrogations or cooperation. This was the price of maintaining peace, ensuring that the waters of the well did not mingle with those of the river.
But now, the director openly relies on his seniority to challenge Akira, the new Marine Fleet Admiral.
Akira thought to himself: if he tolerates this, Marine's reputation would plummet under his command.
In the future, the CP0 captain might even order him around as if he were a mere subordinate.
It's not unthinkable.
Just recall what happened to Fleet Admiral Akainu when he faced CP0 Lucci in the original story!
That wasn't dignified at all.
If you show weakness, everyone will take advantage of you.
So now that Akira is aware of this, he can't simply ignore it.
No way!
The next morning.
After a full night's rest, the senior headquarters officers regained some energy.
They arrived at the office one by one, ready to begin a new day.
But as they entered, they immediately noticed Akira sitting in the front seat.
Beside him stood Robin, with a stern gaze.
The officers were taken aback.
It was rare to see Akira, the Marine Fleet Admiral, up early and at work so soon.
Usually, he'd either be enjoying breakfast at the mansion or just waking up.
Despite their thoughts, they didn't dare hesitate and quickly greeted him with respect.
"Good morning, Fleet Admiral!"
"Fleet Admiral , you're early today."
"Fleet Admiral Akira, do you have any orders?"
Akira simply stared at them blankly.
Gradually, the greetings faded away.
The smiles on the officers' faces vanished, replaced by a seriousness as if something significant had happened.
With a snap, Akira lit a cigar and closed his eyes, waiting.
The three Marine Admirals also arrived.
As they entered, they immediately noticed the silent Akira and the serious officers.
The officers turned their attention to the Admirals, their eyes signaling for them to inquire about the situation.
"Did something... happen?" Kuzan instinctively lowered his voice.
"I'm not sure, but this is the first time I've seen that expression on Fleet Admiral Akira's face."
Borsalino pinched his chin, his old face slightly wrinkled. "The aura he's giving off is terrifying."
He glanced over at Sakazuki and raised his chin.
"Sakazuki, why don't you go ask?"
Sakazuki shot him a glare, crossing his arms without a word.
Do you think you're the only one who can sense emotions?
Who here doesn't feel Fleet Admiral Akira's urge to hit someone?
Going up to ask now? I'd be asking for it, wouldn't I?
"Let's wait until Admiral Sengoku and Mr. Garp arrive!"
Seeing this, Borsalino shrugged.
Kuzan nodded, leaning against the wall, quietly waiting.
The office fell silent once more.
With the arrival of the three Marine Admirals, the atmosphere grew even more tense.
Tick tock.
Time slowly passed.
More and more officers, who had been lingering on the way to work, joined the main group as they arrived.
"What's everyone doing? Why aren't you inside copying?"
"Being lazy? Looks like you're about to get a taste of my iron fist."
Garp's loud voice rang out from behind.
That bold, unrestrained voice cut through the tense atmosphere.
The officers let out a collective sigh of relief.
They quickly made way for him.
A puzzled Garp and a frowning Sengoku approached.
"Akira, why so gloomy today? Did you wake up too early? As a Fleet Admiral, you don't have to be like us..."
Garp raised his hand in greeting, but before he could finish, a large hand from behind pressed his head down, cutting him off.
Sengoku, in a deep voice, asked, "Fleet Admiral Akira, what happened?"
As the Resourceful General, he was not as carefree as Garp.
If Akira deliberately got up early to block the door, it couldn't be just because he was bored.
Moreover, they'd been diligently working in the office, copying documents without making any mistakes.
Given the situation, it could only mean something big had happened elsewhere.
Understanding this, Sengoku wasn't in the mood to wait for Garp to finish his jokes before asking.
Akira opened his eyes, seeing Sengoku's and everyone else's puzzled looks, and sighed.
"It seems Aunt Tsuru didn't tell you."
"That's right, you've been exhausted every day with all this copying, and someone as kind as Aunt Tsuru probably didn't want to add to your burden."
"I'm announcing that the interim meeting of high-level officers will begin!"
As Akira's voice fell, everyone immediately moved to their seats.
The curtains were drawn, and the front and rear doors were locked to avoid disturbances.
When it came to Tsuru, neither Sengoku nor Garp hesitated, quickly taking their seats.
However, it wasn't Fleet Admiral Akira who stepped onto the podium.
It was Robin, holding a file in her hands.
"Hello everyone, I'm Chief Staff Officer Tsuru's deputy, and my name is Robin."
"During this time, all Marines have been working together to implement the God General's plan..."
"Chief Tsuru has spent many days and nights on this, and the results are excellent..."
"But a crucial part of the plan has hit a snag!"
At that moment, the only sound in the office was Robin's voice.
She first mentioned the God General's plan so that everyone understood the reason for the meeting.
Then she got down to business.
The Impel Down link in the God General's plan had come to a standstill due to the director's refusal to cooperate.
In an instant, everyone was furious.
Even Garp, Sengoku, and the three Admirals wore visible scowls on their faces.
To be honest, if Akira had asked the jailers in Impel Down to push beyond their limits, the director's refusal might have been understandable.
But he didn't!
We just want those criminals, who have committed heinous crimes and are still being supported, to contribute the same way we do now. Let them, who have been removed from the world stage, play a role in curbing the era of great pirates.
This order doesn't interfere with their operations. It only benefits you without causing any harm.
How about Desmond?
Garp slammed the table, standing up in a fury. "That old bastard, Desmond, has been wasting his life for over seventy years, and I think he deserves a beating!"
Desmond, the current director of Impel Down, was in his seventies, much like the veteran Vice Admirals who had been dismissed by Naval Headquarters.
"Mr. Garp is right! That old fool is really relying on his age. What right does he have?"
"And to demand an explanation from Fleet Admiral Akira? Is a little man from Impel Down worthy of that?"
"He's gotten too used to lording it over others. Handling helpless criminals every day has made him think he's invincible."
"Though, you can't entirely dismiss him. They say he's of a special race, and his body doesn't age like ours."
The officers, one after another, slammed the table, their voices rising in anger. Some even cursed Desmond's ancestors out of frustration.
At that moment, Akira stood up, and the room fell silent. All eyes turned toward him.
"Everyone, follow my orders!" Akira said in a deep voice, his eyes narrowing.
Snap!
The officers instinctively stood at attention, their postures straightening.
"Put everything aside today. We're heading to Impel Down to demand an explanation."
"Yes, sir!"
The officers responded in unison.
Akira turned around, his cloak of justice fluttering in the sea breeze.
All the officers, led by Sengoku and Garp, followed closely behind him.
In the square, the busy soldiers who were training stopped in their tracks, bewildered.
"Hey, what's going on? Why does it look like the Fleet Admiral and all the top brass are heading out together?"
"No way, right? Not even the Whitebeard Pirates would warrant this kind of response from the Marines."
"Oh, man... All the warships are being readied. My God! Are they about to launch an extra version of the Buster Call?"
"Something huge must've happened. The Fleet Admiral is mobilizing all the headquarters' officers!"
Marineford buzzed with sudden activity.
Soldiers quickly gathered, rushing to the sides to watch in a mix of panic and curiosity.
Though the lower ranks didn't know what was going on, the sight of such a large-scale mobilization made it clear that something significant was about to unfold.
Under the gaze of countless eyes, Marine Fleet Admiral Akira was the first to board the warship.
He was followed by Sengoku, Garp, and the three Marine Admirals.
Then came the many other officers.
Once the ranks were full, Akira waved his hand, and a military operation, larger than a Buster Call, was launched across the sea.
There was no concealing such a massive operation.
In the Holy Land of Mariejois, the Five Elders received the news immediately.
"What? The top Marines have been dispatched? What are they planning?"
The Warrior God of the Environment, holding the Den Den Mushi, was filled with disbelief.
No wonder he was so shaken.
For the Marine Fleet Admiral to personally lead all the officers, including the Admirals, on a mission—this kind of thing hadn't happened in 800 years.
There is no pirate crew in the world that would warrant such a massive Marine operation.
Unless all the pirates in the second half of the Grand Line united, this might be possible.
Otherwise, the only other possibility is rebellion.
But the moment the word "rebellion" crossed his mind, the Warrior God of Environment immediately dismissed it.
Could Akira really be leading a Marine rebellion?
Why would he do that?
In recent times, the Five Elders had given Akira a lot of support. They had granted him everything he requested, except for money. They had provided him with great power and many conveniences to realize his ambitions. Both parties had been working together harmoniously.
Moreover, Akira had only been in charge for less than a month. Would Marine really rebel before he had fully consolidated his power?
Even if you were out of your mind, such a thing would be unthinkable!
"Do you know the reason?" the Warrior God of Environment asked urgently.
"My lord, the incident happened suddenly, and I haven't had a chance to investigate yet."
"Then find out as soon as possible!"
"Yes!"
The Warrior God of Environment hung up the phone and turned to face his four colleagues.
The other Four Warrior Gods had heard the conversation through the Den Den Mushi, and all of them looked very serious.
"A Fleet Admiral, leading all the high-ranking officers, leaves the headquarters without authorization? That's outrageous!" the Warrior God of Science and Defense exclaimed, slamming his scepter against the ground in frustration.
"If someone suddenly attacked Marineford, wouldn't he be leaving it vulnerable?"
"No matter how you look at it, this is reckless."
"The most important thing is, what is he planning? He didn't even inform us of such a large-scale movement."
The other Warrior Gods voiced their concerns one after another, all clearly troubled by Marine's actions.
The Warrior God of Environment, seeing their agitation, suggested, "Why don't we call him now and ask directly?"
Before the others could respond, the Warrior God of Finance frowned and shook his head.
"No, I believe that since things have progressed this far, it's better to keep watching. Let's see what he's planning with this massive force."
"If we intervene now, we may never learn the true cause of today's events."
The others fell silent, contemplating his words. After a moment, they nodded in agreement.
As leaders, they didn't need to speculate on every action, but when one of their Admirals made such an unprecedented move, they needed to understand the specific reasons.
If they intervened now, Akira could easily fabricate an explanation. But if they let events unfold, they would eventually know everything, even if Akira didn't tell them directly.
Moreover, Akira was still relatively new to them. They needed to understand him thoroughly, and this incident could be revealing.
"Indeed, what the Warrior God of Finance said is correct. I hadn't considered that before," the Warrior God of Science and Defense admitted.
"Then we'll continue to wait. Keep your subordinates informed, and we'll intervene if the situation escalates."
The Five Elders reached a consensus and fell silent, sitting quietly on the sofa, waiting for further information.
Soon enough, less than ten minutes later, the Den Den Mushi rang again.
The Warrior God of Environment answered without hesitation.
"Report!"
"My lord, our agents are observing from high altitude. We can confirm that Marine's destination is Impel Down."
"Impel Down? Why would Akira bring everyone there?"
The Warrior God of Environment frowned, but before he could fully process it, the Den Den Mushi erupted with the spy's shocked voice.
"Hiss... How could Fleet Admiral Akira dare to do this?"
"My lord... Marine is... attacking Impel Down!"
The Five Elders were stunned.
In unison: "???".
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