Marineford
"God damnit…"
Despite what his name might imply, Fleet Admiral Sengoku was not a happy man. He was even less happy at being woken after a mere hour of sleep; to learn that nearly thirty percent of an entire Blue Sea's naval strength had gotten wiped out in a single corridor cleared like magic as he strode along, his pet goat trotting obediently beside him. There was no mistaking Sengoku; tall, broad-shouldered, with black hair in an Afro, and a well-trimmed mustache and beard. He hadn't bothered to don his coat.
"This is all we have?" he asked, to the man hurrying along beside him.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral," replied Commodore Brannew. He looked as sour as Sengoku felt. "They've been calling all over the North Blue, anywhere their snails can reach. They're sheltering in the remaining ships, but none are seaworthy."
They reached Sengoku's office, and he flipped on the lights.
"Get any available ships over there to evacuate them. And have Carmena fetch me coffee; I'll need it." Sengoku sat down at his desk. "While you're at it, have the Snails for Mariejois and Egghead sent up here. They'll need to hear this."
Brannew nodded, and strode out. Sengoku let out a long sigh, then opened the dossier. First up was a sheaf of photographs, taken by Chore Boys during the battle and Snail-faxed in by the survivors.
There were not many. Most of the photographs had likely been lost with the ships, and the Chore Boys who took them. Young boys and a handful of girls, whose dreams of being Marines had ended in the cold waters of Kaisafjord.
The thought of it stoked his anger even more, as he tried to focus on the images. They were dark, made fuzzy by rain and what might have been snow; and there wasn't a lot to see.
Then he paused, and looked again; lifting the photograph up to look more closely.
No, he was not mistaken. He had seen that sword before, and that hat, and those tattoos. The person in the picture was Trafalgar Law, Captain of the Heart Pirates.
Sengoku put down the photograph, and ran his hand down his face. The boy Rosinante had torn his heart out to save was now a man; and a pirate. He was healthy, from the look of him; cured of the malady that was slowly killing him. Rosinante had gotten that wish at least.
And now he was a 7-million-berry pirate; though not 7 million for much longer.
He slumped back in his chair, and looked up at the ceiling; feeling very, very old. Why hadn't he gone to North Blue himself? Why hadn't he done something when he had the chance?
Because when they had found Rosinante dead on Minion island, he had assumed Law was too.
"What they say about making an ass out of you and me…" he muttered as he closed his eyes, his mind wandering.
"Baaaah!"
He felt his goat nudge his thigh. He smiled, in spite of himself, and patted it on the head; the dark thoughts slipping away. It would do no good to dwell on the past, not now.
He turned back to the photos. There was John Giant's carrier, the Zephyr, being trounced by what looked like a man with four arms. Then there was a distant shot of Germa; quite a good one, despite the low light. It must have been taken just as the fleet was approaching, before John Giant had begun his bombardment.
The next was a closeup of the Vinsmoke Palace; bright lights flashing within the windows. Then there were two comets, one blazing red, one midnight black, battling in the sky.
And then a…shape, a black morass of tendrils, their tips shaped like hands; a bright flame glowing at the center. It made his skin crawl.
Then that four-armed man again, with three glowing eyes; leaping from a burning cruiser to another.
And then, last of all, another shot of Germa; a mass of ruins upon a bent, slanting deck. Atop the deck was an enormous creature, a wolf the size of a ship, shrouded in fog and snow, eyes glowing in the darkness, its form lit up by a belt of flame around its shoulders and some strange rope around its waist.
He flicked through the reports from the survivors. They were snail-fax printouts, but the handwriting was shaky, the lines uneven, even the spelling and grammar off in places. That was not how a Marine officer wrote a report.
Unless, maybe, he was frozen half to death. Or had seen his comrades slaughtered, his ship smashed to pieces, by powers beyond imagining.
Their accounts sort-of matched up. The four-armed man with the three eyes had attacked the Zephyr first. And then the wolf had emerged, and a storm of freezing cold had swept across the bay; freezing the water solid. Ships had been frozen in place, men in the water caught in the ice to freeze or trapped under it to drown.
A Mythical Zoan with ice powers. It had to be. The flame around the shoulders certainly fitted.
"Good God." Sengoku rubbed his forehead. Part of him was happy Garp was away. The last thing he needed was more cheeky ribbing.
Then again, if it was this serious, maybe Garp would take it seriously; instead of fooling around like the cookie and tea-obsessed gorilla he was.
He looked over the reports. He had a fair idea of the situation, but it would take a while to get a comprehensive report put together; to say nothing of the investigation that would surely follow. Weeks at least, more like months.
"Sir, the Snails are ready."
Sengoku looked up, adjusting his glasses as the secretaries brought in the Snails and connected them for a conference call. He put his snail speaker on the desk, and input the commands.
This done, there was nothing to do but wait; as the Snails came to life. One snail had 'SSG' upon its shell, the other the Five Orb Cross.
"Ring ring ring ring ring. Ring ring ring ring ring. Clank."
Both snails came active, both their faces shifting. One had a neutral expression, its tongue dangling out. The other had a wide white beard and mustache, and eyes sharper than swords.
Sengoku took a deep breath. This was not going to be pleasant.
"Good evening, Lord Saint Saturn," he lowered his head in reverence. "Doctor Vegapunk."
"Fleet Admiral" replied Saint Jaygarcia Saturn. "It's quite late in Marineford. What is the meaning for this priority call?"
"A conference call no less. It take it this is urgent?" added Doctor Vegapunk. "I was in the middle of a very important experiment, and my time is limited as is."
"Lord Saint, Doctor." Sengoku cleared his throat. "A disastrous event has occurred in the North Blue. The Germa Kingdom, and the Heavensward Fleet, led by Vice Admiral John Giant, have been destroyed."
Saturn blinked. Vegapunk's eyes widened.
"Germa… Judge is dead?" Vegapunk asked, sounding surprised and even a little sad.
"The survivors of the Heavensward Fleet recovered his body," confirmed Sengoku. He decided to leave out the grisly details for the moment.
"Who is responsible? Do you know?" asked Saturn sternly.
"We only have a partial ID on the attackers." Sengoku nodded to the secretaries, who started feeding the photos into a Snail Fax. "They included the Heart Pirates, led by Trafalgar Law."
"That is impossible." Saturn did not raise his voice. He didn't have to. "The Germa Kingdom is one of the strongest within the World Government's member nations. A simple pirate crew from the Blue Seas could not have challenged them."
"We are sending the photos and survivors' reports now, Lord Saint. Law was clearly seen among the attackers, though I suspect he was not the prime mover."
"How bad were the losses?" Vegapunk asked.
"Of twenty thousand, only nineteen-hundred have been accounted for thus far," replied Sengoku. "Casualties are expected to rise, due to wounds and the elements, both natural and Devil Fruit made. There may also have been desertions."
"Eighteen thousand lives…" Vegapunk lowered his eyes. "I…suppose you included me because of my…past association with Vinsmoke Judge?"
"Yes doctor. I know you worked with him at MADS many years ago; and I need to make a request of the SSG. As you will see in the reports, the kingdom is entirely destroyed and sunk. I am concerned that the Heart Pirates may have salvaged their technology; or someone else may try to in the future. The SSG can handle this, yes?
"We have the means, of course," mused Vegapunk. He seemed to be thinking. "We have plenty of diving suits, but we'll need to make extra long breathing hoses for Kaisafjord. Oh!" He perked up suddenly. "I can use my new prototype to aid in this endeavor!"
"A new prototype?" Sengoku asked.
"Yes, my Mechanized Sea-Beasts! I am building them to help relieve the Marine garrison here in Egghead. Once they are constructed, Egghead Island will be impenetrable." Vegapunk grinned. "Don't underestimate my scientific genius, or my concern for your wellbeing, Fleet Admiral."
"Will they be able to salvage the sunken snail cruisers?"
"Of course. We just need the remote pilots on site to direct them." Vegapunk was positively beaming. "And our divers will collect what's left. Whether any of it will be of any use is another matter."
"Regardless, the SSG will require protection." Sengoku stared back at the scowling Saint Saturn. "Lord Saint, I request authorization to deploy one of the Three Admirals to protect Vegapunk's flotilla. If the Heart Pirates are nearby, they might try to salvage the technology themselves."
"Hmm…" Saturn pondered. "It would be troublesome if this… Trafalgar Law were to return. An Admiral would do well to deter it, and ensure the salvage goes smoothly. I'll allow it."
"May I request for Kizaru if he's available?" Vegapunk asked. "He knows my assistant Sentomaru well." Sengoku nodded.
"I will send him to Egghead immediately. Assuming he's properly motivated he should arrive promptly."
"Thank you." Vegapunk nodded. "He will if it's me," he added with a light smile.
"Sengoku." Saturn glared at him as the black haired man felt those hardened eyes bore into him. "It's only a matter of time before the papers get a hold of this. Judge had many contacts in North Blue. They will inquire into his absence and when the news breaks out, the North Blue will erupt into chaos and become a hotbed for piracy."
"I understand. I'll transfer ships and crew from other Marine bases to reinforce North Blue."
"And this…Law," Saturn mused. "According to the reports you sent… there was not one, but two Conqueror's Haki blasts during the battle. One was within Germa itself, either from Law, the Black Beast, the Three Eye Tribe mutant, or the wolf Zoan." He narrowed his eyes. "Either Law has somehow developed Conqueror's Haki and never used it before, or his two associates have the Power of the King."
"He will be given the appropriate raise in Bounty." Sengoku narrowed his eyes as he felt his stomach sink little by little. "Law won't make it to the Grand Line."
"This is another stain on the Marines, Sengoku." Saturn glared. "And not long after the embarrassment in Doyle. The kingdoms will want to know why John Giant attacked Germa. Let it be known that John and Judge were preparing to carry out a training exercise, and the Hearts destroyed both." He scowled, and clenched his fist.
Sengoku gritted his teeth behind his lips. He understood the reasoning. Better to let the kingdoms fear the Heart Pirates than admit that a Marine Vice Admiral had gone rogue and attacked a member kingdom; and that not one man or woman in his fleet had raised a voice against it.
Still…
"John is a good Marine," he said. "The Germa 66 were on a rampage according to many reports, and Judge was ignoring his calls. He must have had a reason to launch such an attack."
"Going back to the Germa," Vegapunk cut in. "I notice the Marines… found the princes."
Sengoku's eyes returned to the photographs. It did not take him long to find the three Vinsmoke brothers, handcuffed to makeshift cots and hooked up to improvised IVs.
Vinsmoke Ichiji, half his face bandaged, arm in a splint and cast, and his right shoulder ravaged. Unconscious.
Vinsmoke Niji, arms and legs in splints and casts. Unconscious.
And Vinsmoke Yonji, with no forearms, barely conscious, eyes staring upward in what could only have been blind, unreasoning terror.
"Yes. The only one still conscious is Vinsmoke Yonji, though that's pushing the definition. The report says he's in a state of hysteria; crying out for his mother. Otherwise he's completely unresponsive."
"Saint Saturn," Vegapunk spoke up. "I request custody of those three. They would be…interesting to examine."
Sengoku glared at the snail with the lolling tongue. Of course they would be, to him. 'Tyrant' Kuma was one thing, but three princes of royal blood?
The bearded snail gave a half-hearted chuckle, and the ghost of a smirk.
"Hmm, seems your time working on the Buccaneer has finally hardened your heart. Be proud Vegapunk, you're acting like a true scientist now." Saturn looked back to Sengoku. "I'll allow it. Do as you wish with Judge's brats."
"As you wish…" Vegapunk replied, eyes narrowing for just a moment as he looked back to Sengoku. "I fear for the other kingdoms though. With those losses, many bases will be left undermanned; and the local pirates were already stirred up by the Germa rampage."
He was right. Countless low-grade pirates had been forced from their hunting grounds; crowding into the territory of other pirates. Some had kept on running, trying for the Grand Line. Others had attacked anything in reach, even other pirates, just to get food. Worse still, some of them had teamed up; and were attacking targets they would otherwise have avoided. When they found out that both Germa and the Heavensward fleet were gone…
"We will reinforce the bases immediately," he assured. "We will take ships and Marines from the other Blues, and deploy our remaining reserves. I cannot take any from the Grand Line bases."
"Pay particular attention to Heavensward," ordered Saturn, eyes narrowed. "Pirates must not soil the Holy Land with their footsteps."
"I will send Tsuru to take command. She and her unit will watch over Heavensward in John's absence."
Saturn gave the barest of nods.
"Very well, but find a replacement commander in the meantime," he said. "John may be useful, if only to recruit giants, but this blunder cannot be ignored. If he survives his injuries, demote him to Rear Admiral and post him somewhere else. And he will stay at that rank for a time."
"The other Vice Admirals in the Giant Squad will take offense," Sengoku warned. "They admire him. And we just finished renovating Heavensward to accommodate him."
"And I don't care," retorted Saturn. "John should be thanking any God he believes in that this error doesn't cost him his head. Get it done, Fleet Admiral."
Sengoku inhaled through his nose. "Yes Lord Saint."
"How long until we have a detailed report of these events?" Saturn inquired.
"Many weeks at minimum. We will need a comprehensive deep dive, including interviews, audits, and surveillance from Marine Base commanders across the North." And just after all that time auditing many Marine bases already after the Doyle Incident. So many complaints. So many Marines court martialed. The rot had gone deep.
Good riddance to bad trash to Baker at least. He started this entire mess, and now he's a bullet riddled corpse at the bottom of the sea outside Marineford.
He was going to be buried in paperwork when they lower his coffin at this rate.
Sengoku looked up as Secretary Carmena came in with a much-needed cup of coffee. He took the coffee, acknowledged her with a quick nod, and sipped it. So much for sleep tonight.
"Hmm. Curious." Vegapunk mused aloud. "September 19th, the Germa Kingdom begins to sortie out from Kaisafjord and destroy pirate crews or reported hideouts. September 21st…the warship Seahorse launches a raid on the Heart Pirates hideout on Swallow Island, and suffers a defeat at Law's hands. It says here there were two monsters with him…one of which matches the description of the Black Beast as the survivors call it."
Sengoku looked down at his file. How had Vegapunk read it that fast? He would need multiple people to cover so many reports in so little time.
Then again, it is Vegapunk.
"September 23rd, John Giant's fleet is destroyed at Kaisafjord along with the Germa Kingdom in their battle against the Heart Pirates…." Vegapunk's eyes widened. "Sengoku, Swallow Island and Kaisafjord are at opposite ends of the North Blue. There's no way a ship could have gotten there in two days. Unless…"
"They have possession of a ship faster than Red Hair's Red Force," Sengoku spoke, the man leaning forward to cup his chin as his mind raced. "The wind could have been with them. Or… One of their demons was capable of tugging their ship, at high speeds too no less." Only a Giant could muster such strength and endurance to do such a feat. And the report from the Seahorse described no such being.
"The winds couldn't have been that strong to carry a ship over that much sea. Too many islands; too many currents." Vegapunk surmised. "A Giant or a powerful Fishman could have done so but there's no report of that anywhere. But the other possibility… However improbable…"
And Sengoku felt his stomach sink.
"Is that one of Law's demons can somehow make the ship faster, be it pulling, or some other method..." Saturn coldly said, his voice tight with urgency as he finished the thought.
The headache was beginning to grow inside of the Buddha's skull. How? How did Law get from Swallow to Kaisafjord so fast?!
"Change of plans." Saturn growled. "Send multiple Vice Admirals to the North Blue. Have them be ready to call in Kizaru at a moment's notice. I will send Geurnica of CP-0 to coordinate. The Heart Pirates must be stopped, at any cost. And those monsters will be taken alive. We must contain the Mythical Zoan, exterminate the Three-Eye Tribe mutant, and capture this… 'Black Beast'. Understand?"
"Understood." A member of Cipher Pol Aegis Zero? That was enough to frighten anyone.
"And whatever the number for Law's bounty you had in your head just now? Add a hundred million to it."
That would be higher than nearly all of the Warlords.
"Right."
"Get to it, all of you. For the sake of a unified and orderly world." The snail clicked, and its face returned to normal.
"I'll be getting my teams ready. Fleet Admiral. Good night," added Vegapunk, and his snail did likewise.
Sengoku sat there, breathing through his nose. He looked at the photos again; Law, the black beast, the three-eyed fiend, and the demon at the center of the storm.
Such terrible power at Law's command.
But…how? It still didn't make sense. How the hell did a million-Berry anklebiter like Law get creatures like that to do his bidding? Was he more powerful than anyone knew? Or had he joined them?
No matter. Law was their only lead, and these things had to be stopped; no matter what.
"I'm gonna need a drink," he muttered, then downed his coffee and stood up; grabbing his flask. So long as the press heard the right story, they could keep this contained; and get ahead of any leakers.
All this, because of a good man died. Sengoku closed his eyes as he sipped.
Good men could never prosper in this world. It's not about who's right.
The only ones who can, are those who are left.
"I'm sorry, Rosinante..."
(X)
"What's the meaning of this!" bellowed Rear Admiral Yarisugu. "You're taking most of my unit!"
"We're only taking a few," replied the snail with Commodore Brannew's face. He sounded tired. "You'll be in command of G-5 in the meantime. Is that sufficient, Vice Amidral Virgo?"
Virgo collected the printouts from the snail-fax, and looked them over. Nearby, his secretaries were filing the printouts that had arrived already.
"So…you want me to hunt down this pirate who destroyed Germa?"
The tall, black-haired man adjusted his sunglasses, a Doylish buttered muffin stuck to his cheek, as he looked back at the snail.
"Yes. He should still be in the North Blue. Take your ships and hunt down Trafalgar Law. When you find them, be sure to call for backup. Admiral Kizaru will be on hand." Brannew yawned. "God, it's too late for this."
Virgo looked back at the photo. That little punk was alive after all. Credit's due for his persistence.
"Of course. I will do so with honor." Virgo smiled. "You'll do fine Yarisugi."
"Tch, you can handle those peasants better than I," grumbled the shorter man. "Despondent and pathetic, the lot of them. Children lost at sea, pah! Probably whacked them once too often and they ran away."
"It's only for a while." Virgo kept smiling. "The men are on best behavior. And show a little pity for the civilians in Roswell. They care for their children. We must be vigilant if someone or something is taking them."
"You better! It's looking bad on my record! Too bad I say!" the Rear Admiral huffed. "I'd better go tell the men."
Virgo nodded, and held up the snail speaker as Yarisugu left the office.
"I'll sort it out tonight," he went on. "If all goes well I'll reach North Blue in two days. This Law won't be getting far."
"Of course. We'll send over whatever information we have as it comes in."
Virgo's eyes turned to the fax; which was still printed. He went through the photos, pausing as he spotted the black monster with the tentacles, and that white wolf creature.
Intriguing. It seemed the little punk was taking after his old boss well, gathering a loyal and strong following.
But these were monsters. Not a true Family.
Doffy would want to hear of this. The true story, and not the falsified one Sengoku would feed to the papers.
Virgo smiled.
He hopes he can meet Law again.
This time, instead of pummeling him to a pulp, he'll break the punk's neck.
Big thanks to Juubi-K , IKnowNothing and WildJoker000 as always.
So yeah, the Marines and WG React. With all major players relevant for our story getting the facts. Next time, the papers go to print and the world REACTS. There was about 1k more, but it was deleted for bloat.
Now I have to prepare for an audit at my work, so it'll take time on Juubi's end. I'll be working on other projects on the side too.
Also the OP Elbaf arc has started. Loki looks AMAZING btw. So hyped for him. And MHA Movie 4 was a whole case of turbo mid.
Hope you all enjoy this short chapter. See ya next time.