Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In Fleet Admiral Kong's office.
Marine Headquarters Admiral, Buddha Sengoku, was leisurely eating senbei crackers in his hand.
"The Angel Fruit appeared in the Sabaody Archipelago? This is quite something..."
Fleet Admiral Kong glanced at the report on the desk, but his expression didn't show much fluctuation.
Similar to Whitebeard's attitude, Sengoku and Kong fundamentally didn't believe in the existence of the Angel Fruit.
In this world, there had never been a dual-fruit ability user, nor had there ever been any Angel Fruit.
Furthermore, Marine Headquarters had long known that the Forum Tabloid, which published the fake news about the Angel Fruit, was actually backed by Sig himself.
Not just Sengoku and Kong.
The vast majority of people in the Marines and the World Government did not believe in the existence of the Angel Fruit.
The more people knew about the truth of this world, the less likely they were to easily believe things like the Grilled Skewer Fruit or the Angel Fruit.
"Anyway, this must be Sig messing around again..."
"Is he trying to build momentum, using the influence of the Forum Tabloid to pretend he's some kind of multi-fruit ability user?"
Sengoku found it somewhat amusing.
As for the Angel Fruit appearing in the Sabaody Archipelago?
The Marines certainly didn't take it seriously either.
In the Sabaody Archipelago, especially in the island's black market, various true and false news circulated frequently.
If the Marines believed everything and treated every piece of fake news seriously, even dozens more Admirals wouldn't be enough.
"Speaking of which, Fleet Admiral Kong, didn't Headquarters dispatch a Vice Admiral?"
"Shouldn't there be news by now?"
Sengoku's expression was slightly lax as he continued eating senbei.
Sengoku was known as the Resourceful General, and Kong often sought his opinions.
When he had nothing else to do, he liked to bring a few bags of senbei to Kong's office for a chat; this was routine for him.
But then, a Marine officer ran in nervously.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, Admiral Sengoku, news from Vice Admiral Skaven, Sig appeared at the scene of the Angel Fruit auction!"
Sengoku and Kong both looked up simultaneously, their eyes suddenly sharp.
"Can Skaven confirm the authenticity of the news?"
Kong immediately pressed.
"There's no mistake! Sig demonstrated his multi-fruit ability at the auction site... that is, the power of the Grilled Skewer Fruit.."
The officer relayed the intelligence verbatim, holding a Den Den Mushi in his hand.
"It indeed matches Sig's style of doing things."
Both Sengoku and Kong's faces gradually became solemn.
"Wait, not just Sig..."
From the Den Den Mushi in the officer's hand came heavy panting; it was clear the Vice Admiral at the scene was in a dire situation.
"Here, another strong.... appeared"
The Vice Admiral's words stopped abruptly.
The Den Den Mushi in the officer's hand lowered its head; the communication had been forcibly cut off.
"Are other forces acting in secret?"
Sengoku thought for a moment, put down his senbei, and stood up from the sofa.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, I'll make a trip."
Sengoku shed his previous lax attitude and spoke.
He still didn't believe in the existence of the Angel Fruit, but Sig alone, with a bounty of one billion and intricate ties to the Pirate King's former crew, was worth Sengoku's deployment.
Moreover, the "other forces" mentioned by the Vice Admiral also concerned Sengoku somewhat.
Teach held Marine Vice Admiral Skaven's neck with one hand, lifting him high above his head, his gaze cold.
"Reporting Sig's appearance was enough."
"Don't do unnecessary things, Marine."
Without the slightest hesitation, Teach snapped the Vice Admiral's neck, letting his corpse fall heavily to the ground.
Behind Teach, the auction house was almost reduced to ruins, littered with fallen bodies, the entire place deathly silent.
"You.... you monster...."
"Clearly so strong, yet you resort to sneak attacks?"
A burly man knelt on the ground, half his body stained with blood, already breathing faintly.
A small box lay quietly on the ground beside him, but he no longer had the strength to pick it up.
His eyes, looking at Teach, were filled with resentment and unwillingness.
Not long after Sig left, a massive brawl erupted here, nearly turning the building into ruins.
But just as the brawl reached its end and he finally obtained the Angel Fruit, he was sneak-attacked by Teach.
But until the burly man breathed his last, Teach didn't spare him a single glance.
He simply walked step by step to the kneeling corpse, bent down, and picked up the small box containing the Angel Fruit from the ground.
"Now is not the time for me to step onto the stage and show my talent. I can only let all of you die...."
Teach chuckled coldly, didn't look back, took the box, and walked out of the ruins.
"The Angel Fruit is in hand..."
"Then, the next target is Sig."
Even Teach, who had endured for many years, couldn't hide the fervor in his eyes now.
Sig's strength made him very wary. Teach currently didn't have complete confidence that he could kill Sig and take his abilities.
So he placed his hope on the Marines.
The Marines and Sig fighting each other, while he just needed to watch from the sidelines – simply perfect!
"Marine Headquarters is very close to the Sabaody Archipelago. Sig isn't an unknown nobody like me. Getting away won't be that simple."
Teach let out a cold laugh.
Teach heard noisy sounds and gunfire in the distance; a commotion had already started.
"The Marine fleet? They arrived really fast..."
Sabaody Archipelago, Island 21 Port.
Warships from Marine Headquarters had already arrived here.
Headquarters Admiral Sengoku stood on the deck of the leading flagship, listening intently to the report from the officer beside him.
"Seal off the entire Sabaody Archipelago, don't let Sig escape!"
"Immediately track Sig's whereabouts... Report immediately upon discovery, do not act rashly!"
"A man of Sig's level, acting rashly against him is very dangerous."
Sengoku issued a series of orders.
Judging from Sig's past record and the intelligence from Garp's mouth, Sig was someone he couldn't afford to underestimate.
But not long after his orders were issued, he received a report from his subordinates.
"Hmm? Sig has already been found?"
"He's right here on Island 21, where the Angel Fruit auction was held?"
Sengoku was stunned for a moment.
He had already treated this seriously, mobilized the Marine fleet, and prepared for a heavy blow.
The result, Sig was found so easily?
"Sig moved so slowly? After so long, he hasn't even escaped this island, and he was found so easily by you?"
Sengoku frowned, realizing the matter wasn't simple.