More than three hours later, Rorschach and the others, under the escort of five naval warships, returned to the island housing the G2 Marine Branch.
The long duration was because he used his ability to tow back the badly damaged warship belonging to Rear Admiral Kadaru.
Originally, Vice Admiral Gumir had planned to abandon the ship, sinking it completely to rest at the bottom of the sea, since it was already riddled with holes.
But Rorschach believed that the ship had played a crucial role in ensuring Kadaru and his men survived the night.If possible, it should return home with the fallen marines to rest in peace.
By the time they returned to G2, it was nearly 4 a.m.
Beneath the deep night sky, the enormous military fortress on the G2 naval base island towered into the air. Black coastal defense cannons flanked both sides like a beehive, emanating a cold aura of death.
The massive fortress lay silently on the dark sea, like a sleeping leviathan.
One by one, large and medium-sized warships were docked in the inner bay in front of the base, silent like giants at rest.
"This layout is quite similar to Marineford," Rorschach said with some nostalgia as he stood at the bow of the Kirin and watched the fortress port draw closer.
Back at Marineford, he hadn't felt anything special about it.Now, just a month away, he found himself missing the place a bit.
"Except for the bases in the Four Seas, most of the bases in Paradise and the New World follow the same design: fortress, plaza, and an inner bay in a semi-enclosed layout. It's mainly to maximize security," explained Gumir, the bald-headed vice admiral standing beside Rorschach.
Rorschach quickly understood what he meant.
With this kind of semi-enclosed island structure, pirates at sea could only launch attacks from the front via the inner bay.
The back and sides of the island were protected by towering, sturdy walls.Pirate ships had no docks to anchor at, and pirates had no entry points to land.
Thus, they could only attack head-on.
Naturally, the front was the most fortified area, manned by fully prepared marines ready to meet any invader.
Despite it being the middle of the night, the island was brightly lit.
On the vast plaza, marines stood in neat rows.
At a glance, Rorschach and Hibari saw that the assembled marines looked like a sea of white, exuding an air of solemnity and lethality.
In front of them stood naval officers arranged in their own phalanx formation.
Large "Justice" capes billowed behind them in the wind.
"Speed is the key in warfare! Rear Admiral Rorschach, please come with us to the meeting room. We're holding an emergency combat meeting to finalize tomorrow's battle plans," said Vice Admiral Gumir as he jumped from Rorschach's warship and waved to the lined-up officers.
Immediately, the officers in "Justice" cloaks split into two groups.
One group rushed toward Kadaru's ship to handle the incident.
The other followed Gumir toward the fortress.
"Hibari, Law, come with me. Bepo, Pamela, stay on the Kirin and guard the ship," Rorschach instructed.
Only officers at least of commodore rank could attend such military meetings in the main headquarters.
For branches in Paradise, the threshold was lower—major rank was sufficient.
With Hibari and Law's ranks, they qualified to attend this meeting called by Gumir.
As they walked through the plaza lined with soldiers, Rorschach couldn't help but admire the discipline.
At least three thousand marines filled the entire square, yet not a single one made a sound.
The silent plaza exuded an oppressive, mountain-like atmosphere.
"No wonder the Grand Line marines have a higher level of discipline than those in the Four Seas. Vice Admiral Gumir may appear kind and gentle, but he really acts decisively," Rorschach remarked.
Trailing behind him, Hibari chimed in, "Rorschach-nii, don't be fooled by Uncle Gumir's friendly appearance. Back in HQ, he was known as a dual-blade swordmaster famous for his hatred of evil. But ever since he was transferred to G2, he's become a bit disheartened. His sense of justice changed from 'absolute' to 'calm and composed' justice."
"You know quite a lot, Hibari," Rorschach said, surprised.
"Of course! Every naval strategist has to understand the files and background of every officer. I might not be an official strategist, but Grandma Tsuru taught me a lot," Hibari said proudly, lifting her pale chin.
Rorschach chuckled and asked casually, "Oh? Really? Then let me test you. Can you name the most powerful vice admirals currently in the navy?"
"Powerful vice admirals?" Hibari blinked and answered without hesitation:
"Except for the vice admirals in charge of logistics and government liaison roles, almost every vice admiral at headquarters is pretty strong.
"There are two legendary vice admirals—Vice Admiral Garp and Vice Admiral Tsuru.
"There are two admiral candidates—Vice Admirals Gion and Chaton.
"There are five elite vice admirals who lead Buster Calls—Burning Mountain, Strawberry, Doberman, Dalmatian, and Onigumo.
"There are also three giant vice admirals—Lacroix, John Giant, and Ronse.
"Vice Admiral Gumir is also quite capable. Oh, and over in the New World, the G5 Base Commander, Vice Admiral Vergo, is rumored to be a master of Armament Haki."
Law, who had been silently following behind them, suddenly trembled. He raised his head sharply, pupils narrowing. "Vice Admiral Vergo?"
"You've heard of Vice Admiral Vergo too?" Hibari asked curiously. "They say he's a marine officer with a strong sense of justice, who has remained stationed in the New World for over a decade fighting pirates—except when he returns to HQ for promotions."
Her words made Law frown deeply.
In his mind, there was also a man named Vergo who had left a profound impression on him.
Even in his youth, that man had already displayed talent in using Armament Haki—an exceptionally ruthless individual.
Perhaps... Hibari's Vergo was just someone with the same name?
At the very least, all that talk about justice and hating evil didn't match the Vergo Law remembered—the one known for cruel and brutal methods...
Wait a minute!
Law's eyes widened in shock as his mind flashed back to an unforgettable day years ago.
That day, when Vergo stopped Corazon, wasn't he wearing a Navy private's uniform?
Law's voice suddenly turned hoarse. "The Vergo you mentioned… does he wear sunglasses, have lightning-shaped sideburns on both cheeks, and always have leftover food crumbs stuck on his face?"
"Eh? How do you know that so well? Do you know Vice Admiral Vergo?" Hibari asked, clearly intrigued.
She had access to detailed officer files only thanks to Tsuru's guidance.
Law, who had also been in the elite training camp, shouldn't have been taught these kinds of sensitive details.
Because even such seemingly ordinary info could be exploited to threaten naval officers—only someone with a special status like her would be taught this.
"I've seen him."
Law only replied in a low voice, then lowered his head and said no more.
Rorschach gave him a subtle glance, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned.
Since Law already knew about Vergo, it likely wouldn't be long before Sengoku found out as well.
Doflamingo, the grudge from the North Blue's Kingdom of Princelands, wasn't over yet.
Even though Rorschach hadn't yet been ambushed by any of Doflamingo's men.
Still, Rorschach's instincts told him that Doflamingo was definitely watching him from the shadows.
He'd taken out Gladius in the North Blue and consumed the Kirin Fruit that Doflamingo had been coveting for ages. With that guy's vengeful nature and his loyalty to his crewmates like they were family, there was no way he'd just let Rorschach go.
And given Doflamingo's intelligence network, there was no way he didn't know Rorschach had left Headquarters and been gone this long.
Since there hadn't been any movement yet, Rorschach could only conclude that the guy was definitely holding back a major move.
He was waiting for a perfect, one-strike-kill opportunity.
The meeting room in the G2 Fortress wasn't large. Inside, there was only a long rectangular table and a few dozen chairs.
Above the blackboard at the front hung a plaque with the words "Justice in Calm Composure."
At this moment, a nautical chart of the Paradise Sea and another of the Chaos Sea were pinned to the blackboard.
After inviting Rorschach and the others to sit down, Gommir had someone serve coffee to everyone.
"I really must apologize, Rear Admiral Rorschach. You arrived so late, and by rights, we should've played proper hosts and treated you all well. But the current situation in the Chaos Sea is tense. We received a top-secret directive requiring us to act swiftly and with overwhelming force before those messy factions have time to react, and resolve the chaos in this sea. So, I can only offer you all some coffee."
"A top-secret directive?" Rorschach raised an eyebrow. "Is it from Fleet Admiral Sengoku?"
"No," Vice Admiral Gommir shook his head slightly. "It's from Admiral Akainu."
"Admiral Akainu?" Rorschach was stunned.
As a Marine Admiral, he did have the authority to mobilize branch forces.
But for a full deployment of G2 Branch like this—a major military action—normally the order should come from the Fleet Admiral.
But now, it came from Akainu.
Seeing Rorschach's confusion, Gommir calmly said, "Rear Admiral Rorschach, there's no need to worry. The Admiral said to eliminate the chaotic strongholds, with Mogu Town at the center. Then, using it as a base, we're to restore order to the entire Chaos Sea. As for any consequences, he'll take full responsibility."
"Heh, worry? Why would I? I love it. I should be saying, that's exactly what Uncle Sakazuki would do."
A smile spread across Rorschach's face.
It was long overdue for the Marines to strike the pirates in Paradise and the Four Seas.
The coating business in Sabaody was already under Marine control, and the largest gateway to the New World had been shut tight against pirates.
Paradise and the Four Seas were the main bloodline feeding new pirates into the New World.
If they didn't start cleaning up the pirates in the first half of the Grand Line now, then when?
Rorschach had to admit, Akainu handled this wave beautifully.
Only he could issue such a "act first, report later" kind of order.
Sengoku's nature was too cautious.
Even though under his leadership the Marines had grown stronger year by year…
His overly gentle methods inevitably allowed the pirate population—both in quantity and quality—to balloon to terrifying levels.
For this chaotic era ruled by pirates, Rorschach truly believed that no one was more suited to be the Marines' sharpest blade than Akainu.
Thinking this, Rorschach's mood lifted.
He picked up the coffee on the table and took a sip—
"Ugh..."
His mouth twitched, his eyes nearly rolled back, and coffee dribbled from the corner of his lips.
"So bitter! What the hell is this—coffee? It tastes as bad as a Devil Fruit!"
Rorschach's face twisted from the bitterness of the coffee.
Not just him—everyone in the room who had taken a sip spat it out in disgust.
"So bitter!" Hibari scrunched up her little face, shivering from the taste.
Vice Admiral Gommir's face was equally green from the bitterness, frozen in place like he'd been food poisoned.
"Say, doesn't your base ever stock other drinks? Like, I don't know, milk or something?"
Rorschach spat out the coffee and looked at Gommir's miserable expression, not even sure where to start with the criticism.
"Rear Admiral Rorschach is right. I think milk would be better. Doesn't the base head chef Lawson have dairy cows at home? Starting tomorrow, let's have him supply milk to the base," Kadalu chimed in.
Everyone else quickly voiced their agreement.
They had long since had enough of this cursed coffee.
Vice Admiral Gommir resisted the urge to gag and nodded.
"Alright, let's do that. From now on, we'll drink milk."
He scratched his balding head, cleared his throat, stood up, and knocked on the blackboard to refocus everyone's attention, which had been derailed by the coffee.
"Now, let me brief you on the most troublesome factions in the Chaos Sea."
Gommir gave a particularly sharp glance toward Rorschach and his companions.
"One, the subordinate pirate crews under the Shichibukai Donquixote Family."
"Two, the Germa Warfort's reception base in the Paradise Sea."
"Three, the World Government's secret slave-hunting fleets."
"Four, a suspected member of the Whitebeard Pirates was seen in Mogu Town recruiting crewmates. This intel is uncertain."
"These are the most difficult and persistent forces near Mogu Town and the surrounding waters. However, their overall combat power may not be that strong. They're under the Shichibukai or the Four Emperors, but they aren't the Shichibukai or Emperors themselves—so there's no need to worry. Also…"
Gommir turned to Rorschach, motioning for him to come forward.
Rorschach stood and walked to Gommir's side, facing the crowd.
Gommir gave his shoulder a friendly pat, raised a thumb pointing at him, and was just about to speak when Kadalu raised his arm, seemingly wanting to say something.
"Kadalu, what is it?" Gommir asked, puzzled.
Kadalu spoke weakly: "Vice Admiral, if you're planning to introduce Rear Admiral Rorschach, I suggest you do it out on the square."
Everyone paused—then seemed to understand.
Gommir blinked, then smacked his forehead. "Ah, right! It should be on the square. Kadalu, you're always so thoughtful."
Then he turned to Rorschach. "Rorschach, what do you think?"
Rorschach nodded with a smile. "Sure, I was hoping to say something to everyone anyway."
Gommir's eyes lit up and he clapped his hands. "Excellent! Let's go, let's go—outside, now!"
(End of Chapter)
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