The Marines' Apprehension, A New Bounty!

Marine Headquarters,

Fleet Admiral's Office.

Sengoku hung up the call, his expression grim.

He wasn't particularly worried about Garp and Akainu.

As long as Sanders and Whitebeard didn't join forces, the two could retreat safely.

Moreover, if his judgment was correct, Whitebeard likely had no intention of engaging the Marines in an all-out battle.

What truly concerned him was the "gift" Sanders had mentioned.

Sengoku didn't believe for a second that it was anything beneficial to the Marines or the World Government.

After pondering for a while, he still couldn't figure out what Sanders was planning.

For now, he decided to set it aside and focus on the rapidly changing tides of the seas.

Sanders' reappearance was bound to stir up a storm, something evident from his immediate challenge to Whitebeard.

As he mulled over this, Sengoku suddenly realized he still didn't know the outcome of the battle between Sanders and Whitebeard.

He was about to pick up the Den Den Mushi to inquire but paused.

That side was still entangled with Whitebeard.

It was better to wait until things settled down.

Several hours later, news finally arrived from Garp: the battle with the Whitebeard Pirates had ended. Both sides had pursued and retreated, ultimately disengaging and going their separate ways.

Soon after, Garp and Akainu returned to Marine Headquarters in a hurry to attend a meeting.

All the top brass of the Marines gathered, even Aokiji, who had been wandering outside, made his way back.

"Everyone has likely heard about the events in the New World by now, haven't you?"

Sengoku sat at the head of the table, scanning the crowd. Seeing that most had arrived, he began to speak.

"How terrifying. That guy Sanders actually went to challenge Whitebeard!"

Kizaru, wearing his signature sunglasses, leaned back lazily in his chair and drawled.

He then turned to look at Garp and Akainu, asking,

"So, who won?"

Garp and Akainu had just returned to Headquarters and hadn't even reported before being pulled into the meeting.

Both bore minor injuries, their bodies wrapped in bandages.

Hearing Kizaru's question, all eyes, including Sengoku's, turned to Garp and Akainu.

They knew Whitebeard had clashed with Sanders but hadn't yet learned the outcome.

"Sanders won."

Garp picked his nose nonchalantly, as if the matter didn't concern him.

Akainu, with a cigar in his mouth, sat silently in his chair, saying nothing.

"Sanders won?"

"That's impossible! We're talking about Whitebeard here!"

Vice Admiral Momonga couldn't help but exclaim.

In the eyes of Marine high command, Edward Newgate—Whitebeard—had always been synonymous with invincibility.

He was the insurmountable peak among the strongest on the seas.

For such a great pirate to be defeated by Sanders?

Even though they were aware of Sanders' top-tier strength, hearing this outcome still felt unbelievable.

"Whitebeard himself admitted it. Do you think that old man would lie?"

Garp glanced at everyone and spoke again.

Hearing that it was Whitebeard's own admission, the doubt in the room dissipated instantly.

Someone like Whitebeard wouldn't lie about such a thing, especially when it was something that tarnished his own reputation.

"How terrifying. To think Sanders actually defeated Whitebeard. The title of 'World's Strongest' has a new owner now,"

Kizaru straightened in his seat, his expression turning serious.

He hadn't forgotten his past altercation with Sanders. Knowing Sanders' vengeful nature, it was only a matter of time before Sanders came looking for payback.

Sengoku removed his glasses, rubbed his temples, and sighed tiredly.

The events of the past few days had been overwhelming.

Even someone of his capability found it difficult to keep up.

After putting his glasses back on, Sengoku turned to Akainu, who had been silent until now:

"Why did you engage the Whitebeard Pirates?"

Just mentioning this made Sengoku's anger flare.

It was a strict directive from both Marine Headquarters and the World Government to avoid recklessly engaging the Four Emperors.

Yet Akainu had launched an offensive against the Whitebeard Pirates without the Headquarters' approval.

He had even lost an entire fleet in the process!

Sengoku felt a deep pang of regret.

Those were elite forces capable of chasing pirates across the New World, now all lost at sea. How could he not feel heartbroken?

"I was pursuing Sanders!" Akainu replied curtly.

Akainu lifted his head and spoke in a low tone.

His original intent was to capture Sanders; the confrontation with the Whitebeard Pirates was purely accidental.

Sanders was not one of the Emperors of the Sea.

As a Marine Admiral, Akainu didn't require Headquarters' approval to pursue him.

Sengoku was momentarily at a loss for words.

"Perhaps he didn't expect Whitebeard to retain so much strength after his fight with Sanders?"

Garp chimed in at the right moment.

In truth, even Garp was initially surprised by this outcome.

For Sanders to challenge Whitebeard and defeat him, one would expect Whitebeard to at least lose consciousness.

With Whitebeard's personality, even if he were gravely injured, as long as he was conscious, he would rather fight to the death than admit defeat.

Yet, contrary to expectations, Whitebeard was not only in good shape but also seemed to have retained much of his strength.

He directly unleashed his full power on Akainu, giving him a sound beating.

Garp added, "Sanders orchestrated this. He told Smoker himself, and I doubt he was lying. That guy just wanted to see Whitebeard clash with the Marines."

After retreating, Smoker reported the intelligence he had gathered to Garp and Akainu.

"It's likely some sort of healing-related Devil Fruit ability,"

Vice Admiral Tsuru speculated.

The Marine high command was well aware of Sanders' possession of multiple Devil Fruit powers.

"Whitebeard had just been defeated and was desperate for an opportunity to reassert his dominance. The Marines were the perfect target,"

Tsuru's sharp eyes gleamed with insight.

Akainu remained silent, his expression dark.

On the way back, he had already reviewed the events of the battle, understanding Whitebeard's intention to use him as an example.

The thought ignited a murderous gleam in Akainu's eyes.

He was furious, his mind simmering with a desire to crush Whitebeard's skull.

"That guy even used Kaido's Mythical Zoan Fruit abilities this time,"

Garp remarked.

"It seems Sanders has grown even stronger. We cannot take him lightly,"

Tsuru nodded in agreement.

A look of unease flickered in Sengoku's eyes.

A world's strongest fighter in his early twenties—there was no telling what kind of storm such a person would bring to the seas. The world was spiraling into chaos.

Through Garp and Akainu's brief exchange, the Marine high command roughly pieced together what had transpired.

The meeting ended quickly.

Sengoku returned to his office and picked up the Den Den Mushi to report the matter to the Five Elders.

After a discussion between the Fleet Admiral and the Five Elders, Sanders' new bounty was finalized.

News of Sanders' victory over Whitebeard spread like wildfire across the seas, along with his updated bounty.

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T/N:

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