In the evening, after sending off the many officers who came to visit,
Sakazuki returned home once the doctor had given him a thorough examination and found no issues.
The house was brightly lit, and as he pushed the door open—
Karol, Enel, and Vice Admiral Morris were all inside Sakazuki's home.
A table full of steaming dishes was set up.
This kind of warm atmosphere made Sakazuki momentarily dazed.
In the next instant, he composed himself, the corners of his mouth slightly upturned, and he walked toward the table...
Sakazuki inquired about what had happened over the past six months.
Karol organized his thoughts and spoke:
"The Skegli naval battle resulted in over twenty thousand casualties."
"Due to a shortage of manpower at Headquarters,"
"Recruitment started early this year."
"The elite class was also initiated ahead of schedule."
"Admiral Zephyr suffered serious injuries during the battle with Roger."
"He's been left with permanent internal damage."
"Coupled with the daily care needed for the children, he resigned from his position as Admiral."
"He's now serving as the Chief Instructor at the Headquarters Academy."
"Admiral Sengoku went missing during the Skegli battle."
"But recently, there have been reports of his whereabouts."
"Vice Admiral Garp has set sail to search for him."
"That's pretty much all the events on our side."
"What about the pirates?"
"The pirates have been much quieter lately."
"Whitebeard died in battle, and most of the Golden Lion fleet was wiped out."
"Over the past six months, pirates around the world have noticeably toned down their activity."
"The whereabouts of the Roger Pirates remain unknown."
"The Flying Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates are both licking their wounds,"
"Recruiting new subordinates."
"This year, the number of countries applying to become member states of the World Government has doubled."
"Quite a few weaker nations have even publicly pleaded in newspapers,"
"Hoping to be accepted as affiliated nations."
Sakazuki made a quiet "Hmm" sound, lost in thought.
The three others around him remained silent, not daring to interrupt.
After a moment, he looked at Vice Admiral Morris:
"Vice Admiral Morris, do you think Admiral Zephyr's change will affect the mindset of the soldiers?"
Vice Admiral Morris sighed softly.
"There won't be any major impact."
"Zephyr has changed a lot since that incident..."
"And training courses are now kept separate from education classes."
"His old ideology no longer spreads to the soldiers,"
"It won't affect the overall structure."
He looked at Enel and stood up to leave:
"We set sail tomorrow to patrol the Four Seas."
"Enel, let's see the results of your training."
Karol pulled out a Den Den Mushi to give instructions.
Enel, excited, ran out. Vice Admiral Morris followed behind.
In the courtyard training ground.
Sakazuki stood facing the spirited youth. He gathered Armament Haki in his hands—
But after a moment's thought, he retracted it and stood still.
"Come at me with everything you've got."
Enel spun the golden staff in his hand.
He suddenly took on a cocky, laid-back attitude, speaking mockingly:
"Have you ever been struck by lightning~?"
As he spoke, his whole body transformed into lightning, preparing to charge at Sakazuki.
At that moment, something seemed to snap in the minds of the other three...
Sakazuki's face turned dark, glaring at the two behind him.
The two also had pitch-black expressions—it was clear they had just found out.
A dangerous aura erupted from Sakazuki as he stared at Enel.
The Armament Haki he had just retracted was now coating his fist once more.
"WHO! TAUGHT! YOU! THIS!"
Each word dropped like thunder, carrying immense fury.
Enel could obviously tell... things had gone terribly wrong!
He immediately dropped the cocky act.
"Ah... this... um..."
He looked pleadingly at Karol and Grandpa Morris.
But somehow, both had vanished from their previous spots.
They were now behind him. As he turned around—
Karol had drawn the longsword at his waist, coated in Armament Haki.
Morris's fists were similarly clad in Haki.
A sharp sound cut through the air, startling Enel into turning back around.
Sakazuki was now standing directly in front of him.
The three had completely surrounded him...
Enel lowered his head in despair.
He slowly loosened his grip on the golden staff and crouched down with his head in his hands.
According to incomplete statistics... that night, 50% of Marineford's residents heard the scream.
Some brave souls ventured out to find the source, but no one could determine where it came from.
It became one of Marineford's great unsolved mysteries.
As for Sakazuki, who had originally planned to set sail the next day—he changed his itinerary.
He decided to stop by the Marine Headquarters Academy to give the elite class some guidance.
It was said that the stronger one's power, the more advice one received.
Especially this year's student known as a monster: the Logia - Glint-Glint Fruit user - Borsalino.
Rumor had it he was hospitalized for three days.
After being discharged, his strength soared, even drawing praise from Admiral Zephyr.
He invited Sakazuki to visit more often.
The next day, at Marine Headquarters' Marineford Port.
Vice Admiral Morris, with a bruised and swollen Enel, came to see Sakazuki off.
The soldiers, who hadn't seen Sakazuki in half a year, looked like they had regained their pillar of strength.
They were visibly excited.
After Sakazuki announced there would be a banquet that evening, their training passion surged.
Bullet's frame had grown a bit more robust, showing a hint of his future presence.
"Let's do some training."
Bullet blinked, then also grew excited.
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