"Hound, you are far too reckless!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's voice was sharp as he glanced down at Bas, who lay motionless on the ground.
Ignoring the dozens of gun barrels aimed at him, he strode quickly to Hound's side and gritted his teeth, "You have killed the Chief Judge of Enies Lobby. This rebellion of yours is at a point of no return. However, I can assure you, if you stop now, I will personally negotiate with the Holy Land to resolve this matter…"
Before Sengoku could finish, Hound interrupted loudly, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, this is war, not a drill. Elio said it himself: only failure is rebellion!
We have not failed; in fact, we basically control the situation. With minimal sacrifice, we have gained this control.
And also, Admiral Borsalino is already under our control.
If you were hoping to stall until the other three Admirals act, you might be disappointed!"
"What did you say?"
Hearing that Admiral Borsalino was under control, Sengoku's pupils contracted slightly.
He had indeed been trying to buy time for the Headquarters Admirals and other officers and soldiers, not yet in cahoots with Elio, to turn the tide.
In his eyes, the reason this rebellion proceeded so smoothly was because the officers and soldiers loyal to Elio acted swiftly and ruthlessly, catching many off guard by launching the rebellion in the early morning hours.
Once the Headquarters Admirals or others reacted, this rebellion would quickly be suppressed.
After a brief silence, Sengoku sighed silently and then turned to look at Marineford Square, where the alarm bells tolled ceaselessly in the night. His expression grew solemn. "Borsalino, at this hour, you still insist on your ambiguous justice?"
As Fleet Admiral, he naturally refused to believe that Hound and a few hundred Marines could control Borsalino alone. Borsalino was a Logia-type user; if he took it seriously, a single glance could drop Hound or the hundreds of rebels inside Headquarters.
For Borsalino to choose to be controlled clearly meant he was watching from the sidelines or waiting for this rebellion's outcome.
Because this conflict was not a battle between justice and evil, but a power shuffle at Marine Headquarters.
"What about Sakazuki?"
Suddenly, Sengoku looked back at Hound with unwillingness in his voice, "Has he also chosen silence?"
The Hound shook his head, "I am only responsible for controlling Admiral Borsalino and waiting here for you, Fleet Admiral. But judging by the current situation, Admiral Sakazuki should be subdued as well by now."
"All right, enough!" Sengoku waved his hand in exasperation, "You really think you can control two Admirals at once? That childish talk is enough!"
Hound smiled faintly and did not respond.
No doubt, if both Admirals acted together, this rebellion would have been crushed instantly. No matter if it was him or other Admirals combined, they were no match for the two.
However, things were never as simple as they seemed. If power alone could decide everything, Sengoku wouldn't be called a strategist, and the world wouldn't need conspiracies and plots, brute strength would suffice.
He paused slightly, then said solemnly, "Elio wouldn't want me, an old Fleet Admiral, standing here waiting for him, would he?"
Hound turned to the side and bluntly said, "Fleet Admiral, you should return to your office."
"Hmph."
Sengoku snorted coldly, flicked his sleeve, and strode past Hound.
Hound did not dare delay and followed quickly into the elevator.
As the two entered the elevator, soldiers guarding the first-floor hall rushed forward, dragging away Bas's corpse. Then the cleanup crew skillfully wiped away the bloodstains and swiftly laid down a red carpet.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, sir!"
At that moment, an officer dashed into the hall and shouted toward Sengoku, who was already inside the elevator, "Something's wrong!"
Surprisingly, the rebel soldiers did not stop him but let him reach the elevator door.
Sengoku glanced at the officer and smiled bitterly, "Can it get any worse than this?"
The officer looked at Hound and, his voice trembling, and said, "All transponder snail communications have been cut off. Marineford has completely lost contact with the outside world!"
Sengoku was not surprised. He said calmly, "It seems Elio has been planning this for many years. Even if there had been no trial, he would have launched this rebellion at the right moment."
At the same time,
Marine Headquarters, female officers' dormitory.
The entire building was surrounded tightly by Marines. Leading the 'rebels' was Vice Admiral Gion.
Tall and imposing, Gion stood at the front. Her cloak fluttered in the wind as she watched the dormitory's gate with a complicated expression.
Though involved in the rebellion, she did not want excessive bloodshed, especially here, she hoped no female officers would cross that door.
"Gion, what is going on?"
A voice filled with despair sounded.
Looking toward the voice, a middle-aged man in a Vice Admiral's uniform, handcuffed and pushed by two soldiers, was brought before her.
This man was Tokikake, a Vice Admiral candidate like Gion.
Tokikake's prominence at Headquarters rivaled Elio's because nearly everyone knew he liked Gion. Though she had rejected him dozens of times, he never gave up and always found new ways to confess, often arriving with flowers.
Tonight was his ninetieth failed confession.
Unexpectedly, this time, he not only failed but also ran into Gion, who was part of the rebellion.
To stop her from making a mistake, he intervened.
But against Gion and her officers, no matter how strong he was, he was quickly subdued and handcuffed by Gion herself.
Pushed forward, Tokikake looked defeated, his eyes vacant as he stared at Gion, as if the most important thing in his life had been taken away.
On the third floor, room 201 of the dormitory:
A female Rear Admiral stood by the window, a cigarette between her fingers. Her eyes did not blink as she stared at Gion leading hundreds of soldiers to take control of the dormitory.
Behind her, seven or eight female officers looked frightened, clearly shocked by the sudden events.
"Tina, what… what's going on?"
A female Lieutenant in a bathrobe approached the Rear Admiral, voice trembling, "Why is Vice Admiral Gion surrounding the dormitory? Could she…"
Before the Lieutenant could finish, Hina took a drag from her cigarette, shook her head, and said, "I don't understand either. But with the alarm ringing throughout Headquarters, something serious must be happening."
Pausing, Hina turned to her with a serious expression. "Have you contacted Mr. Garp yet?"