One Piece: Rising to Fleet Admiral Through a Coup

"Stand down! Everyone, stand down immediately!"

As tension gripped the plaza, the crowd on the right suddenly parted like a sea. Through this opening strode an elderly man with commanding presence—clad in a flowing cape, sporting a distinctive crescent-shaped hairstyle, and carrying a Western-style sword at his hip. He moved with purposeful authority toward one of the impact craters.

"Greetings, Lord Garling!"

The moment the elderly man reached the crater, Gunshi, who had just struggled to her feet, hastily dropped to one knee in deference, not even bothering to readjust the bandages that had come loose from her face.

At Gunshi's formal address, the surrounding crowd erupted into excited whispers.

"Lord Garling?! Is he... is he truly the leader of the Holy Knights? My god, I've been stationed in the Holy Land for years and this is my first glimpse of him!"

"The Holy Knights have been mobilized? What catastrophe could have prompted this?"

"Why did that woman in underwear fall from the sky?"

"Lord Garling himself has appeared... could the Holy Land be under attack?"

The elderly man was indeed Figarland Garling, Commander of the Holy Knights and a legendary warrior who once reigned supreme during the God Valley conflict.

"How pathetic you look, Gunshi."

Looking down at the kneeling knight with thinly veiled contempt, Garling then turned his piercing gaze toward the crowd encircling the plaza. His voice carried undeniable authority as he commanded: "Everyone, return to your posts immediately. This area is now under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Holy Knights. No one is to approach without my explicit permission."

The moment his words fell, the previously chaotic crowd fell silent. Without hesitation, they began retreating in disciplined formation.

"Lord Garling! I possess critical intelligence!"

As the crowd dispersed, Spandam, who had rushed over from the World Government Headquarters, pushed against the flow of people and sprinted toward Garling with desperate urgency.

"Halt!"

Before Spandam could close the distance, a Holy Knight standing behind Garling unsheathed his sword in a fluid motion, its gleaming point aimed directly at Spandam's throat.

Faced with this sudden threat, Spandam's courage evaporated instantly. His legs buckled beneath him, and he collapsed to his knees with an undignified thud, his voice quavering as he pleaded: "L-Lord Garling, I have vital information..."

Garling didn't even deign to glance at the prostrate figure. With a dismissive wave of his hand, he ordered: "Remove this nuisance."

At that precise moment, Spandine arrived, hurriedly pursuing his impulsive son.

Before the Holy Knight could act on Garling's command, Spandine rushed forward, bowing deeply as he intervened: "Please forgive this intrusion, Lord Garling! I shall remove him immediately!"

Without waiting for acknowledgment, Spandine seized his foolish son by the arm and dragged him away with undisguised urgency.

Though Spandine held the prestigious title of CP9 Chief Director, before Garling—Commander of the Holy Knights—he was less significant than an insect. Garling's authority extended beyond merely protecting the Celestial Dragons and maintaining their dominion; he also wielded the extraordinary power to judge and execute Celestial Dragons themselves if circumstances warranted.

Confronted by such overwhelming authority, even someone as ambitious as Spandine could only adopt the most subservient posture.

Once the father and son had retreated from the plaza, Garling wasted no time addressing the matter at hand: "Explain yourself. How did you—"

Before completing his question, Garling suddenly lifted his gaze skyward, his eyes narrowing with suspicion.

Still kneeling, Gunshi dared not withhold anything. Maintaining her deferential posture, she reported: "Lord Garling, we... we were blasted back here by Conqueror's Haki."

"What?" Garling's pupils contracted sharply as he glanced at the five other Holy Knights still struggling to emerge from their craters. "Are you claiming this was the work of that coup leader, Xayuki? Am I to understand that six Holy Knights working in concert couldn't even stand against him?"

Gunshi lowered her head in profound shame. "We weren't even granted the opportunity to engage him in combat."

As these words left her lips, Gunshi suddenly recalled something critical. She looked up at Garling with urgency, her voice dropping to a hushed whisper: "Lord Garling, Xayuki... he knows of Lord Imu's existence!"

This unexpected revelation struck Garling like a physical blow. His eyes widened in genuine shock as he demanded: "What did you just say?!"

Meanwhile, at Marineford, atop the Marine Headquarters building...

Standing with hands clasped behind his back, Xayuki gazed out at the horizon where several warships bearing the flag of "Justice" were slowly disappearing beneath the waves. His eyes narrowed thoughtfully as he observed their demise.

Though these vessels flew the banner of the Judiciary, Xayuki knew their true nature—most of the personnel aboard weren't from Enies Lobby at all, but rather members of CP9.

From the moment these ships had set course for Marineford, Xayuki had tracked them using Observation Haki, even penetrating deep enough to perceive the thoughts of certain crew members. Through this, he had learned that these ships had been dispatched directly by Spandine, the Chief Director of CP9.

"Spandine..."

A cold smile played across Xayuki's lips as his eyes narrowed dangerously.

For Spandine to coordinate his forces to arrive simultaneously with the Holy Knights, he must have had advance knowledge of their movements. This could only mean that Spandine's intelligence network extended far beyond Marine Headquarters, infiltrating numerous departments within the Holy Land itself.

Setting aside questions of character, Xayuki had to acknowledge Spandine's accomplishment—for a man with negligible combat ability to establish such an extensive web of influence was genuinely impressive.

Of course, admiration was one thing; consequences were another. By daring to target Xayuki personally, conspiring with Enies Lobby and high-ranking figures in the Holy Land to eliminate him, Spandine had effectively signed his own death warrant.

"Xayuki-sama, what should we do about this teleportation array?"

Standing silently at his side, Vice Admiral Gion finally spoke. Her gaze remained fixed on the spot where the Holy Knights had materialized. Her expression was grave as she continued: "Leaving such a direct access point to Marine Headquarters poses an unacceptable security risk. Is there any way to neutralize it?"

Before Xayuki could respond, Admiral Borsalino stepped forward. "I can remain here and guard it~"

"That won't be necessary."

Xayuki dismissed the offer with a casual wave. "I'll handle this myself."

With that, he walked deliberately to the spot where the Holy Knights had appeared. After briefly surveying the area, an unexpected solution crystallized in his mind. "Gion, bring me two sealing talismans."

"Huh?" Gion's eyes widened in disbelief, momentarily stunned by the request. "Are you serious, Fleet Admiral? This is a teleportation array created by the Holy Knights!"

The three Admirals standing nearby were equally taken aback, all turning to regard Xayuki with varying degrees of skepticism.

Sakazuki's facial muscles twitched visibly. While he didn't understand the principles behind the teleportation array, he felt certain that simple paper talismans couldn't possibly neutralize such advanced technology.

Borsalino opened his mouth as if to comment but ultimately remained silent, his expression unreadable behind his tinted glasses.

Kuzan, characteristically more reserved, merely furrowed his brow slightly, though his doubt was equally evident.

The sudden tension in the air made Xayuki wonder if he had been unclear. "Is there a problem? Do I need to repeat myself?"

"N-No, sir!"

Snapping out of her momentary confusion, Gion forced an awkward smile before quickly departing to fulfill the request.

Moments later, she returned with two ordinary-looking paper talismans, which she handed to Xayuki with a mixture of curiosity and doubt.

Taking the talismans, Xayuki pressed them against his palm and began channeling Conqueror's Haki into them with focused intent.

As a subtle, low-frequency vibration permeated the air around them, something extraordinary occurred—rather than exploding outward as it had when he confronted the Holy Knights, the Haki was somehow being absorbed into the talismans themselves.

"!!!!"

This sight left the three Admirals and Gion utterly dumbfounded.

Borsalino's typically impassive face transformed into a mask of astonishment—jaw slack, eyes widened to their limits behind his glasses. He looked as though he were witnessing the impossible made manifest.

Even Sakazuki and Kuzan, though more controlled in their reactions, couldn't conceal their shock. A single thought resonated in their minds: Conqueror's Haki can be manipulated like this?!

Noticing their stunned expressions, Xayuki felt a flicker of amusement. However, he maintained his composure, reminding himself that as Fleet Admiral, he needed to project appropriate gravitas.

Under their watchful eyes, Xayuki continued channeling Haki into the talismans while murmuring an incantation under his breath.

As his chanting accelerated, the intensity of the Haki infusion increased dramatically. The air around them began to vibrate more noticeably, producing an audible humming that seemed to resonate with the very fabric of reality.

The Admirals and Gion exchanged bewildered glances, their minds racing with questions they dared not voice aloud: What manner of Conqueror's Haki is this?

Though confused, none dared interrupt the process or introduce any distraction. Instead, they instinctively stepped back as the pressure of Xayuki's Haki continued to build.

Finally, Xayuki raised his voice to a commanding pitch, pronouncing with crystal clarity:

"Great Heavenly Dragon, Prajna Buddha, Venerable Ksitigarbha, Prajna BAMIHONG!"

At the final syllable, Xayuki slammed the Haki-infused talismans onto the ground with decisive force.

BOOM!

A visible shockwave rippled outward from the point of impact, and to everyone's astonishment, the talismans seemed to meld with the rooftop itself, becoming one with the structure as if they had always been part of it.

"Done!"

Satisfied with his handiwork, Xayuki nodded approvingly. "With these talismans in place, should they attempt to use this teleportation point again, they'll find themselves instantly returned to their point of origin."

~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~

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