"Rear Admiral Zoka, I just received your message, what's the situation now? Where are you? What happened to Syrons?"
Upon recognizing Zoka's voice, Fleet Admiral Sengoku's expression immediately shifted. He leaned forward, urgently questioning.
"Zoka!" said Vice Admiral Tsuru, standing abruptly and waving to the young officer. "Go get Vice Admiral Momonga and Vice Admiral Vargos. Tell them we have an emergency meeting!"
"Yes, ma'am!"
Snapping a crisp salute, the officer turned on his heel and rushed out. He understood the gravity of the situation—a Vice Admiral being injured was no small matter, especially one of the veterans who had served alongside Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Hero Garp, former Admiral Zephyr, and Vice Admiral Tsuru herself. This would send shockwaves through the Navy.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku," came Zoka's voice through the Den Den Mushi, heavy with fatigue, "we've just escaped pursuit by the Chris Pirates. We seized a pirate ship along the coastline and have already set out to sea."
"As for Vice Admiral Syrons... he's gravely injured, near death. The medics who accompanied us have no solution; they're only able to barely stabilize him for now. But if we don't reach a nearby branch or fortress in time for surgery, then… even the best doctors might not be able to save him."
"Damn it."
Boom!
Sengoku's fist came down like thunder, shattering the massive desk into pieces. Papers and teacups flew everywhere.
"How could this happen? With Syrons' strength, how could this be?!" Veins popped on his forehead as he growled in a dangerously low voice. "Did Crocodile step in as well?!"
His suspicion wasn't unfounded, Golden Ring Aeridar and 'Desert King' Crocodile together might be enough to defeat a Marine Vice Admiral of Syrons' caliber.
Zoka, hearing the restrained fury in the Fleet Admiral's voice, dared not withhold a single detail.
"Yesterday, at around eleven in the morning, we were en route to Rainbase when Crocodile's men delivered a challenge from Aeridar, demanding a one-on-one duel at three in the afternoon. In order to minimize troop casualties, Vice Admiral Syrons accepted the challenge."
"At 15:00 hours sharp, Syrons and Golden Ring Aeridar clashed in the sandstone basin, one kilometer outside Rainbase. The battle raged for hours. In the end… they both suffered critical injuries. When we arrived, the officers of the Chris Pirates had just gotten there as well. Seeing Syrons unconscious and critically wounded, we chose not to press the fight and withdrew. But then, at around 1 AM last night…"
He paused.
"They launched a surprise attack on us in the desert, with cannons. We lost over two hundred men before we could shake them off and escape."
"Wait, you're saying… Syrons and Golden Ring Aeridar fought one-on-one for hours, and both were taken down? Crocodile didn't intervene at all? It was only Aeridar?"
Sengoku's voice cracked with disbelief. His face betrayed nothing short of shock.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral. That guy, he may be a newcomer, but he's a monster. We severely underestimated his strength. Without Syrons, even the entire First Assault Fleet might not have been enough to bring him down alone."
There was a beat of silence before Zoka's voice returned, tinged with residual fear.
"And it wasn't just him. The Chris Pirates had four officers join the assault. Each one powerful. In particular, the Slayer with a 60 million bounty, Oliver, and the Blue-Haired Gilbert Arlan, who's at 50 million. During the ambush, Commodore Cray and I were overwhelmed. We barely survived, and only because they were low on manpower. If they had more forces, we wouldn't have made it out."
"…Get to the nearest Marine branch immediately. Do whatever it takes to save Syrons."
Sengoku's voice steadied, the sharp edges dulled by inevitability. However shaken or furious he might be, the reality had already been set in motion. And blaming the field officers wouldn't change a thing, it had been a massive intelligence failure on their end.
"Understood, Fleet Admiral."
Click.
The Den Den Mushi call ended.
Sengoku stepped over the broken remains of his desk and slumped onto the couch, silent. The atmosphere in the office was thick with tension.
Thud thud thud… thud thud thud thud…
A rush of hurried footsteps echoed down the corridor.
Knock knock knock—
"Come in," Tsuru called without looking.
Creak—
The door opened. Two officers clad in Justice cloaks stepped inside.
The first wore a light purple pinstriped suit over a dark blue shirt, tie fastened tight, with spiked punk-styled purple hair and matching beard. A katana hung at his waist—this was Vice Admiral Momonga.
The second had a rough, square-jawed face framed by a thick beard. He wore a buzz cut and a gray suit with a black tie, Vice Admiral Vargos.
Their eyes immediately fell upon the shattered desk, scattered papers, and the thunderous expression on Sengoku's face. Tsuru remained expressionless.
"…You're here. Sit down," she said coolly.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku! Vice Admiral Tsuru!"
The two officers gave sharp salutes before sitting on the long leather sofa.
With the room now occupied by the Navy's top-ranking field officers, Tsuru got right to the point.
"Rear Admiral Zoka just reported in from Alabasta. The mission to suppress the Chris Pirates has failed. Over half the task force was lost. Vice Admiral Syrons is critically injured and unconscious."
"What?! That's impossible!"
"There must be some mistake, unless Crocodile betrayed us?"
Shock overtook both of them. Even for hardened veterans, the news was almost too much to believe.
Ghost Hammer Syrons wasn't just any Vice Admiral, he was one of the old guard, powerful enough to challenge pirates of the New World. Among all Vice Admirals, few could match his sheer might. And yet, he'd fallen, nearly killed, while attempting to suppress a mere rookie pirate crew?
Tsuru shook her head gravely.
"Crocodile didn't participate. But he's made some kind of deal with Golden Ring Aeridar, the Chris Pirates' captain. Likely an alliance."
"That's insane! Crocodile's not the type to ally with nobodies!" Vargos exclaimed.
"No… it means we've gravely underestimated the Chris Pirates," Momonga said grimly. He swallowed hard. "Severely."
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