Chapter 24 - We're All Here For Justice!

Marine Headquarters, Marineford – Fleet Admiral's Office

Fleet Admiral Sengoku stood with both hands pressed on his desk, his gaze steady as he looked at the three men before him.

On the sofa, Garp sat munching noisily on senbei, unfazed by the tense atmosphere. Next to him sat Bartholomew Kuma, one of the Seven Warlords, quiet as always. Leaning lazily beside Kuma, Admiral Kizaru had his legs crossed, wearing his usual nonchalant expression.

With a slight smirk, Kizaru spoke in a slow, lazy tone.

"So, that's the gist of it, Sengoku-san.

Kuma and I did meet the central figure of the Mary Geoise incident. Hmm~~, a very handsome young man, that one. He's a Celestial Dragon named Gawain."

"Indeed," Kuma confirmed Kizaru's words but didn't say more.

Garp swallowed his senbei and suddenly burst into booming laughter.

"Ahahahaha! A Celestial Dragon this impressive? What a surprise!

That kid unleashed such a powerful Conqueror's Haki that it could shatter the skies! That's a shock, even for me.

When we were young, we never encountered such overwhelming Conqueror's Haki!"

"Enough, Garp. I don't need you to emphasize that."

Sengoku scowled, gently tapping the desk to maintain some sense of order.

"I understand the situation. The conflict between Gawain and other Celestial Dragons triggered his awakening of Conqueror's Haki.

The intensity of his Haki shattered every structure in its range, rendering almost everyone at Mary Geoise unconscious, and even dispersed large swaths of clouds!

Even Red-Haired Shanks can only affect reality with his Haki to a limited extent—maybe cracking wood or stone. But Gawain… everything around him disintegrated.

This level of Conqueror's Haki can only be described as the world's strongest!

Garp, what do you think?"

"What do I think? Haha, I think nothing! I don't care about Celestial Dragons.

Sengoku, I finished all your senbei. Go get more!"

"Garp!!!"

Bang!

Sengoku slammed his palm on the desk in frustration, but it was too late—the sound of Garp crunching senbei resumed unabated. Sengoku rubbed his jaw wearily.

"Borsalino!" Sengoku called out to Kizaru.

"You only treated him, correct? You didn't interact with Gawain while he was awake?"

Kizaru raised an eyebrow and replied lazily.

"That's right, Sengoku-san. We didn't see him conscious. But to awaken such terrifying Haki… I wonder what kind of ambition this young man harbors in his heart?"

Sengoku exhaled deeply. "I'll make time to visit Mary Geoise myself. I must meet this fearsome Gawain in person. As for you two—"

Just as Sengoku was about to issue further orders, the Den Den Mushi on his desk began to ring. He paused for a moment, then picked it up.

"Moshi moshi~?"

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, this is Vice Admiral Doberman, stationed at Sabaody. I have an urgent situation to report!"

"Oh?" Sengoku's brow furrowed slightly. "Doberman, has something unusual happened at Sabaody? Do you need an admiral to assist? Explain clearly!"

The crunching sound of Garp's senbei came to an abrupt halt as he focused on the call. After all, Sabaody was one of the favorite spots for Celestial Dragons, second only to Mary Geoise.

Despite Garp's disdain for Celestial Dragons, he didn't want another God Valley Incident to unfold, endangering innocent lives.

Kizaru, however, maintained his indifferent demeanor, still wearing a sly smile as if the matter didn't concern him.

On the other end of the line, Doberman instinctively shook his head.

"No, Fleet Admiral, nothing dangerous has happened. In fact, things are quieter than usual since Red-Haired Shanks became the Fourth Emperor. There's no threat at Sabaody.

But… something strange did happen. A Celestial Dragon boarded my warship, requesting passage to Marineford."

Sengoku's expression grew more serious.

Doberman continued, "This Celestial Dragon… he gives off a terrifying presence, not in an evil way, but... there's an overwhelming pressure about him. Strangely, beneath that pressure, he seems... kind?

Anyway, he introduced himself as Gawain. He's accompanied by Saint Donquixote Mjosgard, and I..."

"Wait!" Sengoku interrupted, his eyes narrowing sharply. "What did you say his name was?"

"Gawain, sir."

"Gawain!" Sengoku repeated the name gravely, his expression darkening as he barked his next command.

"Doberman, listen carefully!..."

...

"Understood. Just proceed with your normal route. We'll make the necessary preparations here at Headquarters.

So, it's Gawain, huh? How interesting."

"Oh?"

Hearing the playful tone over the Den Den Mushi, Doberman asked in confusion, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, is there anything special about this Saint Gawain? Do I need to make any special preparations?"

"No need," Sengoku replied with a chuckle."There's no need to worry. The pressure you felt from him is probably because this Celestial Dragon might possess the world's strongest Conqueror's Haki.

If his Haki is the real deal, he won't give you any trouble. Just bring him here safely—I've been meaning to meet him. See you soon!"

Sengoku ended the call and looked up to see Garp's unusually serious expression. Garp slowly set down his senbei, stood up, and dusted off his coat with a grave demeanor.

"Sengoku, I just remembered—I haven't eaten dinner yet! The food at that seaside restaurant near my hometown is simply too good to miss.

I have to hurry back and fill my belly! You guys chat among yourselves. Don't worry, I'll take care of any pirates I meet along the way! Ahahaha!"

Garp laughed heartily and began walking toward the door. A vein bulged on Sengoku's forehead.

BANG!

Sengoku slammed the desk hard and roared, "GARP! If you don't want to meet with the Celestial Dragon, at least come up with a better excuse! Dinner? Seriously?!"

"What, should I say it's breakfast? I'm off!"

With that, Garp shouted one last time, slammed the office door open, and disappeared without a trace.

After Garp's figure vanished, Sengoku sighed and gave Kizaru a resigned look.

"Since Garp ran off, you'll have to stay, Borsalino.

After all, the Celestial Dragon is a World Noble. Even though they rarely visit the Headquarters, protocol requires the Fleet Admiral, stationed Admirals, and all Vice Admirals present to be there to greet them.

Normally, Sakazuki would handle this since he's stationed here, but he left yesterday to patrol Impel Down. So you'll have to fill in for him."

"Well~~, no problem, Sengoku-san," Kizaru replied with an even more roguish grin. "But at least let Kuma return to Vegapunk's lab."

"That's fine," Sengoku agreed, waving dismissively. Kuma silently stood up and left the room.

After Kuma departed, Sengoku let out a tired sigh.

"Ah, now I still have to inform all the Vice Admirals. Borsalino, help me notify them. I need to head to the docks.

We can't greet the Celestial Dragon with just the two of us, can we?"

"Of course. Even without a bonus, I'll notify them for you, heh-heh~~." Kizaru's smile carried his usual cryptic amusement.

Ten Minutes Later

"Ah, if it isn't Vice Admiral Onigumo. What are you up to?"

"Haha, Vice Admiral Doberman! I just got intel—pirates are causing trouble in Water 7! Outrageous!"

"I've got a report too, but mine's from Alabasta!"

"Alabasta? Isn't that a bit far?"

"Hey, it's all part of the job. Move it, move it! Garp already left ahead of us!"

"What's that in front? Onigumo, Doberman, get your ships out of the way!"

"Oh, Vice Admiral Yamakaji, you're heading out too?"

"Enough chit-chat! No time to waste! Don't tell me you actually want to see those people's ugly faces!"

"Haha, that's too much, Yamakaji. We're not avoiding anyone—we're all just doing our duty for justice!"

"Yeah, same here—everything I do is for justice!"

And so, in the next few minutes, over a dozen Vice Admirals hurriedly prepared to set sail, each "fulfilling their duty" with righteous zeal.

However, now they all stood dejectedly behind Sengoku and Kizaru at the docks, helplessly watching Doberman's ship draw closer.