One Piece: Marine Luffy, Garp regrets it

Though the three senior officers—Sengoku, Tsuru, and Zephyr—shared in the collective joy that filled the conference room, they maintained their composure as befitted their rank. The celebration couldn't overshadow their responsibility to assess the full situation.

Vice Admiral Tsuru was the first to focus on practical matters, her voice cutting through the cheers.

"What about casualties? What losses have we sustained?"

Akainu, recognizing her voice through the Den Den Mushi, responded with appropriate gravity:

"Initially, our forces suffered significant damage because we engaged before all personnel had arrived at their positions. However, we received timely support from Admiral Borsalino and then several branch commanders."

He paused briefly before continuing.

"Overall, casualties remained within anticipated parameters. The most serious injury was sustained by Admiral Borsalino toward the end of the conflict. The full casualty report is still being compiled."

"Borsalino is injured?" Sengoku immediately leaned forward, his momentary jubilation replaced by concern. "Is his life in danger?"

Fortunately, Akainu had better news on that front. Kizaru had sustained a deep cut across his chest, but the wound had already been treated by the fleet's medical staff. Though serious, it wasn't life-threatening.

What surprised everyone at headquarters, however, was Akainu's subsequent praise for his fellow Admiral.

"Borsalino performed admirably during the battle," he reported, an unusual note of respect in his typically harsh voice. "His engagement with Big Mom was critical to our success."

"Are we talking about the same Kizaru?" Sengoku couldn't hide his astonishment. "The man actually put forth genuine effort for once? The sun truly is rising from the west."

Because the praise came from Akainu—famously stringent in his assessments—no one questioned its validity.

Only Zephyr muttered something under his breath, his expression suggesting deep skepticism. Everyone knew the friction that existed between him and Kizaru over their wildly different approaches to duty.

After reporting the general situation, Akainu raised the question that had been puzzling him since witnessing Big Mom's Vivre Card burn away.

"Fleet Admiral, did you dispatch Admiral Kuzan to help Vice Admiral Luffy without informing us? Or perhaps Vice Admiral Garp decided to change course and help his grandson? Advance notice would have allowed us to coordinate our efforts more effectively."

"What?" Sengoku's confusion was evident even through the Den Den Mushi.

He turned to look at the front row of the conference room, where Admiral Aokiji sat with his sleep mask pushed up onto his forehead, looking equally bewildered.

"Aokiji, did you receive any special orders regarding Wano?"

Kuzan, who had been peacefully napping until the commotion began, shook his head slowly.

"Arara~ I've been right here at headquarters," he drawled, stretching his long limbs. "No special missions for me."

He glanced at Sengoku with raised eyebrows, clearly hoping for an explanation himself.

But Sengoku was just as perplexed. He hadn't issued any special directives concerning Wano beyond the containment operation assigned to Akainu and Kizaru.

"Sakazuki, explain precisely what you're referring to," Sengoku demanded.

Akainu frowned at the other end of the connection. If this wasn't arranged by Fleet Admiral Sengoku, what exactly was happening?

Without holding anything back, he described how Big Mom had revealed Kaido's burning Vivre Card—and how that card had completely disintegrated, indicating the Emperor's death.

"WHAT?! KAIDO IS DEAD?!"

Sengoku could no longer maintain his composure. He shot to his feet, his glasses nearly falling from his face in shock.

Beside him, both Tsuru and Zephyr widened their eyes in disbelief. Even the perpetually calm Tsuru couldn't conceal her astonishment.

Aokiji's jaw dropped open, any trace of sleepiness vanishing instantly.

The reaction spread like wildfire through the assembly of senior officers. The conference room erupted into chaos, voices rising in a cacophony of shock, disbelief, and excited speculation.

Some officers whispered to each other in hushed, incredulous tones. Others loudly proclaimed this as the Marine's greatest victory in decades. A few even exchanged suspicious glances, convinced there must be some mistake.

Sengoku, still gripping the Den Den Mushi receiver, struggled to process this information.

What in the world is happening? he thought frantically. How could Kaido suddenly be dead?

The operation he had authorized was purely defensive—meant only to prevent the Emperor Alliance from interfering with Wano Country's internal affairs. At no point had he anticipated, much less ordered, a direct confrontation that could lead to an Emperor's death.

Something had gone terribly wrong—or perhaps terribly right, depending on one's perspective.

As the conference room buzzed with speculation, another Den Den Mushi began ringing. Vice Admiral Tsuru frowned as she reached into her pocket and withdrew a small personal transponder snail.

Given the timing, this could only be an urgent matter. Without hesitation, she answered the call.

The moment the connection established, a familiar voice came through—sounding distinctly annoyed.

"Hey, Granny Tsuru! Where is everyone? I've been trying the office line forever, and everyone's personal snails are busy. How am I supposed to report in when nobody answers?"

"Luffy!" Sengoku practically lunged across the table, snatching the Den Den Mushi from Tsuru's hand before she could even respond. "This is Sengoku. Cut the nonsense and report immediately! What happened with Kaido? Why did his Vivre Card burn completely?"

There was a brief pause on the other end, followed by the sound of confused head-scratching.

"Huh? You guys already know about that?" Luffy sounded genuinely surprised. "Wow, you Marines really do have good intelligence. I was hoping to surprise you."

He continued casually, as if discussing something as mundane as the weather:

"Well, it happened like this—I confronted him on Onigashima, we had a major battle, and he was no match for my powers. So I killed him with my own hands. I had Viola record the whole thing with a Visual Den Den Mushi. We're preparing to send the footage to headquarters now."

As Luffy's matter-of-fact description came through the transponder snail, a profound silence descended upon the conference room. Every Marine officer froze in place, eyes wide with disbelief.

Akainu, listening through his own Den Den Mushi connection, was equally stunned.

It was as if someone had pressed a universal pause button on the entire gathering. For several long seconds, no one moved or spoke. The only sound was the faint static from the Den Den Mushi connection.

In that moment, every person present shared a single incredulous thought: "YOU killed Kaido? You've got to be kidding us!"

The silence stretched uncomfortably long until Luffy's puzzled voice broke through again:

"Hello? Why isn't anyone saying anything? Did the connection drop?"

Still, no one could find words to respond.

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