The damage caused during the Summit War had mostly been fixed. The buildings no longer looked like a pile of ruins.
Today, the three warships led by Admiral Aokiji finally returned to base.
Many in the Marine Headquarters already knew about Aokiji's mission. After all, the followers of the Dream Crew had gathered at the edge of the New World without even trying to hide it—almost like they were announcing their arrival.
The Marines wouldn't risk going after the Dream Crew, but those other pirates who hadn't officially joined them yet? Those were fair game.
That's why Aokiji had been sent out.
Sengoku was worried the Dream Crew would bring those pirates under their wing, which would make the crew even stronger.
That was something the World Government absolutely didn't want to see.
But now Aokiji had just gone there and come back. Not only had he not caught any pirates, he actually watched more than ten pirate crews leave freely.
"Kuzan, this is not how Marines should act! You let all those pirates go," Akainu yelled at him the moment Aokiji returned.
To Akainu, this was unacceptable. In his mind, he was the only rightful candidate to become the next Fleet Admiral. So seeing Aokiji act this way only made him angrier.
All the other Marines quietly backed away from the two—one with ice powers, the other with fire.
Things were tense within the Marines. Everyone already knew that Sengoku was stepping down as Fleet Admiral.
The next Fleet Admiral would be either Akainu or Aokiji.
So now, the Marines were standing between two future leaders. No one wanted to get caught in the pressure coming from either of them.
Behind his sunglasses, Aokiji's eyes narrowed. In a low voice, he said, "Sakazuki, I think it's time we settle this."
Akainu froze for a second, but then his face turned serious. "I was thinking the same thing."
Neither of them tried to hide their words. News of their upcoming duel spread through Marine Headquarters in an instant.
At the main building—
On the balcony outside the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku, Garp, and Tsuru stood watching Akainu and Aokiji down below in the plaza.
"Crunch crunch~~" Garp kept munching on his rice crackers.
"It's finally starting... Sengoku, who do you think has the better chance of winning?" Tsuru asked softly, arms crossed.
Her eyes stayed fixed on the distance, as if she could already see the battle ahead.
Sengoku's gaze was just as deep and calm. He frowned slightly, then after a moment of thought, said, "It's hard to say. I'd call it fifty-fifty."
Tsuru wasn't surprised by the answer. After all, both Aokiji and Akainu were top fighters in the Marines, and their strength was very close.
Still, she had hoped Sengoku might give more of his thoughts.
Garp, still chewing his snack on the side, added, "Kuzan feels different now. I wonder what Ryuen said to him..."
There was a hint of curiosity and doubt in his voice.
When he said that, both Sengoku and Vice Admiral Tsuru glanced at Garp, but neither of them spoke.
Sengoku was silent for a moment, then suddenly said, "Let them fight on Punk Hazard. Since both of them use Logia-type Devil Fruits, the damage could be huge. That place should be more suitable."
Vice Admiral Tsuru slowly nodded, agreeing with Sengoku's decision.
Punk Hazard used to be a research base for the World Government, but after a poisonous gas leak, it became a deserted and abandoned island.
Choosing this location would help avoid damage to other areas as much as possible.
Also, it was a fairly closed-off place, which made it easier to control the situation.
Sengoku looked at Vice Admiral Tsuru and went on, "I'll leave this matter to you. Make sure everything goes smoothly."
Tsuru nodded and replied, "Don't worry. I'll take care of the arrangements and make sure the fight is fair and just."
With that, she turned and left to pass on Sengoku's orders.
Red Adventure Island.
This island, near the Red Line but not very developed, had suddenly become lively because of the arrival of over a dozen pirate crews.
These were the same pirate crews that had been guarding the entrance to the New World!
"Captain Cass! Captain Storf! Everyone! There's news about the veterans!!!" a pirate shouted while running toward them, waving a newspaper in his hand. His face was filled with excitement and joy.
As his voice rang out, the whole port came alive. People turned to look at the pirate, eyes filled with curiosity and anticipation.
When Cass heard the news, he felt a wave of happiness rush over him. He jumped off his ship and ran straight to the pirate.
"That's great—we finally found them! Quick, tell me, where are they?" Cass's voice was full of urgency and hope.
The pirate, catching his breath, handed him the newspaper and said, "Here, look—they're on Rainy Island..."
Cass grabbed the paper and scanned it quickly. When he saw the article about the Dream Exploration Team, his eyes lit up.
"So that's it... They went to Rainy Island..." Cass mumbled to himself, smiling.
At the same time, the other pirate captains also arrived. They gathered around Cass, eager to know more.
"Hand over the paper!" Google seaʀᴄh NovᴇlFirᴇ.ɴet
The captains reached out all at once, trying to grab the newspaper, their faces full of excitement.
As the noise grew, crew members from the other ships started coming ashore too. They gathered together to share in the moment.
For a while, the whole port was filled with laughter and cheerful chatter. Everyone was in a great mood.
"Captain, now that we know they're on Rainy Island, let's head out right away!" one of the pirates shouted excitedly.
"Let's go find them now!"
The others quickly joined in. The ship echoed with calls and shouts from the excited crew.
The voices rose like waves, one after another. Everyone was eager to set sail and meet the people they had looked up to for so long.
The pirate captains glanced at each other and immediately understood what needed to be done.
"In that case, let's set sail now!"
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