One Piece: Burning the Sun God to Ash

Marineford, Marine Headquarters.

A warship sailed into the crescent-shaped harbor and maneuvered into position to dock.

Inside the port.

Rows upon rows of warships were moored—at a glance, there were at least thirty to forty of them.

As soon as the ship docked, a messenger stationed at the harbor came to notify Sakazuki to report to the conference room.

After ordering his subordinates to restock supplies, he made his way toward the tallest building in Headquarters.

Along the way, he greeted a few familiar officers and entered the conference room with them.

Although he wasn't particularly good at socializing,

That notebook Jorrison had given him back then had been extremely useful.

Sakazuki had begun to make a name for himself within the hawkish faction.

"Hey, Sakazuki! Over here, over here."

A man smoking a cigar waved to Sakazuki.

Vice Admiral Ward Morris.

The leader of the hawkish faction, currently competing with Zephyr for the last remaining Admiral position.

Right now, the Admirals of Marine Headquarters included Sengoku the Buddha—

An Admiral whose qualifications and strength were acknowledged by all, but who refused promotion: Garp.

One position remained vacant, and Zephyr and Morris were the two contenders for it.

But it was a tough battle.

Because beyond strength and experience, it also depended on comprehensive consideration from the higher-ups.

Leaving aside Fleet Admiral Kong, both Sengoku and Garp leaned toward Zephyr.

And then there was Tsuru, the leader of the female soldiers, who had close ties with all three.

The four of them were comrades-in-arms who had enlisted in the same year.

As for Morris's push for promotion, Tsuru neither opposed nor supported it.

And the Five Elders of the World Government? As long as someone was useful, they didn't care.

Aside from Fleet Admiral, Admiral-level appointments weren't that closely scrutinized.

After all, if a newly appointed Fleet Admiral couldn't manage his Admirals, then what was the point?

With knowledge of the storyline from his previous life,

Sakazuki knew Morris had no real shot. Still, his strength was undeniable—he was among the Navy's top tier.

Sakazuki greeted him as he approached:

"Vice Admiral Morris."

Morris waved Sakazuki over to sit beside him.

"Come, sit, sit."

Once seated, Sakazuki asked:

"Vice Admiral Morris, do you know the reason behind this sudden Headquarters summon?"

"Ah, it's those sea-scum again."

"Rocks has been massing troops, hasn't he? After several months, the pirates in the New World have gathered."

"A scout reported back—Rocks' Pirate Crew has moved out."

"Their destination is the West Blue—God Valley."

"God Valley? Isn't that the Celestial Dragons' palace?"

God Valley could still be found on nautical charts.

Sakazuki had seen it before—marked clearly as the Celestial Dragons' palace.

Morris took a drag from his cigar and exhaled:

"Yeah. Supposedly, there are five Celestial Dragons on the island now, along with countless slaves."

"Rocks has the power of the Float-Float Fruit. He's rushing at full speed toward the West Blue."

"The Five Elders sent an emergency communiqué, ordering immediate mobilization to protect the Celestial Dragons on God Valley."

Sakazuki frowned slightly.

Everyone knew the real intent was to kill the Celestial Dragons.

On the Sabaody Archipelago, you could kill a few just by lurking for a day.

Flying all the way back from the New World to the West Blue just to kill some Celestial Dragons? You'd have to be nuts.

Seeing Sakazuki's confusion, Morris lowered his voice and said:

"The emergency message continued: if necessary, initiate a Buster Call to destroy the Island of God."

Sakazuki's pupils contracted sharply.

Rocks was going all out to seize the island.

Even if the Celestial Dragons couldn't be protected, the place had to be destroyed.

Seeing Sakazuki stunned, Morris added:

"Don't worry. Sengoku, Garp, and the others have already set off for God Valley."

"We're gathering forces to prepare for the Buster Call and ready to provide support at any time."

As more and more personnel arrived and seats were filled,

Fleet Admiral Kong rushed in and issued the mission for this Buster Call, naming the commanding officers.

After finishing the arrangements, he hurriedly followed a mysterious figure in uniform and a mask out the door.

Then suddenly, both of them vanished from Sakazuki's Observation Haki range.

That... was it a Devil Fruit ability?

The depth of the World Government...

The pressure of the coming storm settled heavily over everyone present.

No one said a word. All forces began mobilizing at full speed and headed for the West Blue.

...

The New World. One floating ship after another sped rapidly toward the West Blue.

On the largest ship, a banquet was in full swing in the main hall.

At the head of the table sat a wild-haired man guzzling down alcohol—Rocks D. Xebec.

The long table was split into left and right sides, filled with some of the most infamous pirates alive.

"Golden Lion" Shiki.

"Whitebeard" Edward Newgate.

"BIG MOM" Charlotte Linlin.

"Silver Axe."

"Ochoku."

"Captain John"—all core officers of the Rocks Pirates, each with bounties in the hundreds of millions.

Setting down his large bowl, Rocks let out a maniacal laugh:

"As you all know—"

"God Valley is the palace of those pig-like nobles."

"And we have gathered the greatest power in the world."

"Let the slaughter begin."

"Drag those self-righteous nobles down from their divine pedestal."

"My friends, world domination starts now! Ahahahahaha!!!!"

Hearing Rocks' lunatic declaration, the pirates burst into loud laughter.

Drinking heavily, none of them cared to question his words—this wasn't the place to be cynical.

The world, huh? What I want most is still family... Whitebeard smiled and drank a bowl of wine as the thought crossed his mind.

The world... For Shiki, Charlotte Linlin, and the other pirates laughing boisterously, their eyes revealed uncertain emotions.

They all had the makings of kings.

How could they accept one king above them?

Besides, the power to conquer the world...

The banquet continued in an uproar of laughter and revelry...

...

On the Oro Jackson.

Not long ago, Roger had arrived at "Water 7."

Instead of continuing toward the legendary final island, he had ordered the crew to turn back—heading for the West Blue.

Night fell.

Roger walked out of the banquet hall and stood at the prow, letting the sea breeze brush past him, deep in thought.

"What are you thinking about?"

His first mate Rayleigh walked over, drinking from a bottle of wine as he joined Roger at the front of the ship.

Turning around, he leaned against the railing, placing the bottle on top of it as he asked Roger.

"Rayleigh, that thing..."

"Whether the Celestial Dragons get it or Rocks does—it won't be a good outcome."

"Should I... try to stop it?"

"So that's what's been troubling you. But you already know the answer, don't you?"

Rayleigh leaned against the railing and chuckled softly.

Roger's lips curved into a crescent-like smile.

"Yeah. I know the answer."

"Ahahahaha! Mo-Morra! More food! More food!!"

"Tonight we drink 'til we drop!!!"

"Hey, hey! That's my wine!"

Roger shouted with laughter, dragging Rayleigh back toward the banquet hall.

Rayleigh, suddenly pulled away, tried to reach back for the fine bottle he had barely sipped from.

"What a waste..."

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