Marineford Port.
"Bwahahaha, what a long vacation that was!" A hearty laugh echoed from the deck of a battleship. Following the laughter, an eccentric old man wearing a dog-shaped mask and draped in a Vice Admiral coat leaped down from the deck.
Monkey D. Garp, the legendary Vice Admiral of the Marine Headquarters, who had cornered the Pirate King Roger multiple times and became a hero in the eyes of countless Marines for his role in defeating the Rocks Pirates during the God Valley Incident that shocked the World Government.
As soon as he landed, Garp removed the dog-shaped mask from his head and casually pulled out a box of senbei from his bag, munching on it with relish.
"Vice Admiral Garp, you're finally back!" A Marine soldier waiting at the port quickly ran over, excitedly saying.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku knew you were returning today and specifically sent me here to wait for you."
"Huh?" Garp blinked, confused "How did Sengoku know I was coming back today? That's impossible! I cut my vacation short to return early. There's no way he could have known! Wait, who are you? Where are my soldiers?"
"Vice Admiral Garp..." the soldier blinked, looking hurt. "I am one of your subordinates!"
"Really?" Garp laughed awkwardly.
"Guess I'm getting old. I can't even remember you youngsters anymore. Go on with your duties. I'll find Sengoku myself!"
With that, Garp tossed the dog-shaped mask to the soldier and strode confidently toward the headquarters building.
The soldier who watched Garp walk toward the headquarters didn't leave immediately. Instead, after Garp had gone a distance, he quickly picked up a Den Den Mushi, his smile vanishing as he spoke with utmost seriousness.
"Vice Admiral Garp is about to enter the headquarters building!"
"Received!"
In the lobby of the headquarters building, a Marine soldier who received the Den Den Mushi message immediately picked up another Den Den Mushi. Before the soldier could relay the message, the elevator doors across from him suddenly opened.
Out stepped Orion and Gion, one after the other.
Seeing this, all the soldiers in the lobby stood up and saluted in unison.
"Loyalty."
Without stopping, Orion quickly walked out the door.
As soon as they stepped out of the gate, Garp figure immediately caught the eyes of both him and Gion.
"Bwahahaha, Orion, you little brat, I'm back~" Seeing Orion walk out of the gate from a distance, Garp quickly quickened his pace, his face filled with excitement as he said.
"Surprised? Didn't expect this, did you?"
Gion was the first to speak as Garp approached, politely greeting.
"Mr. Garp."
"Gion, what's been going on with you these past two years?" Garp looked at Gion, acting inappropriately for his age.
"You've already got that crazy suitor, Tokikake. Leave some opportunities for the young female officers at headquarters, like little Hina… Speaking of which, where is Hina? I tried contacting her with the Den Den Mushi, but couldn't get through!"
Gion shook her head with a wry smile, somewhat helplessly saying.
"Mr. Garp, haven't you noticed anything different about the headquarters since before your vacation?"
"Nothing different." Garp blinked, then quickly glanced around, as if suddenly remembering something, and nodded repeatedly.
"Oh, when I passed by the square earlier, there was a new human-shaped crater there!"
Hearing this, Gion secretly sighed, subtly turning her head to look at Orion.
Orion, not in the mood to beat around the bush with Garp, straightforwardly said.
"I thought you'd be back a few days later, but you've returned early this time? Since that's the case, there's no need for me to hide it anymore. I'm now in charge of the Marine Headquarters. To put it simply, I've staged a coup and taken the position of Fleet Admiral. All officers at headquarters, including the three Admirals, have made the wise choice by siding with me."
"??????????"
Garp, munching on a rice cracker, was filled with question marks, staring straight at Orion for a moment before bursting into laughter.
"Staged a coup? Pfft Bwahahaha, kid, you're getting more and more humorous! But you can't just joke around like that, you know. If someone hears you, be careful of those like Onigumo who've had issues with you over the years reporting you!"
Orion didn't laugh while also dropping a bombshell.
"Onigumo is dead, along with Doberman, Maynard, and others. They were obstacles in my path to becoming Fleet Admiral, and they all had to die."
As Orion words fell, dozens of officers suddenly rushed out from the headquarters building, quickly surrounding Garp under his incredulous gaze.
Immediately after, more Marine soldiers armed with guns surged forward, encircling Garp in layers.
The sudden turn of events gradually stiffened the smile on Garp face.
Feeling the oppressive atmosphere in the air, Garp finally believed everything Orion had said.
After a brief silence, he placed the box of rice crackers he was holding into his bag, then looked up intently at Orion, his voice deep.
"Orion, what is the meaning of this? Are you planning to take me out too? If that's the case, these people alone won't be enough to handle me!"
Orion waved his hand, signaling the surrounding officers and soldiers to retreat.
With just a gesture from Orion, the suddenly appearing officers and soldiers immediately retreated the way they came.
Witnessing this, Garp expression changed slightly. It was noteworthy that Orion didn't issue a command, a mere gesture was enough for the soldiers and officers to act with such discipline. Such strict military discipline among headquarters officers and soldiers was something he didn't see in many years.
But of course, that wasn't the important part.
What mattered was that Orion wasn't joking with him—the headquarters had indeed been completely taken over by Orion.
However, deep down, he was still filled with countless doubts.
Although he had always held high hopes for Orion, ever since Orion entered the Elite training camp, he had placed great expectations on him. Orion had not disappointed him, nor Sengoku and Zephyr, rising from a rookie to a capable Vice Admiral in just six years.
But what he never expected was that this young Vice Admiral, whom they had placed such high hopes on, not only launched a coup during his vacation but also successfully took control of the Marine Headquarters.
This was hard for him to comprehend.
While it was undeniable that Orion possessed terrifying talent far beyond his peers, it was absolutely impossible for him to defeat the three Admirals.
Even though he knew Orion had been gathering support from many officers and soldiers over the years, it was still impossible for such a coup to succeed in controlling the headquarters.
Yet, the reality was that Orion had not only done it but also made the three Admirals make a wise choice by siding with him?
Suppressing his doubts, Garp asked the question that concerned him the most at the moment.
"What about Sengoku? Is he still alive?"
Orion nodded.
"The old man is probably having afternoon tea with Teacher Zephyr right now."
Hearing this, Garp eyes widened in shock.
"At a time like this, he still has the mood to drink tea?" Realizing he had lost his composure, Garp quickly coughed twice and put on a serious expression.
"So, how do you plan to deal with me? Lock me up? Strip me of my rank? Or throw me over to join Sengoku and Zephyr for tea?"
Orion nodded again.
"Garp-san, the Navy Headquarters no longer has a place for you. You're all old now. It's time to retire."
"Letting me leave just like that won't do, brat!" Garp took a step forward, his iron fist clenched tightly, and said in a deep voice.
"This massive war machine of the Marine isn't something just anyone can control. Let me see if you're truly capable of bearing this responsibility!"
Feeling the sudden surge of overwhelming fighting spirit from Garp, Gion, who was standing nearby, quickly stepped forward and urgently said.
"Mr. Garp, calm down! The reason Orion came to see you alone is because he doesn't want to be your enemy! The situation is already settled. Fighting now would be meaningless!"
"GION, STEP BACK!" Garp rolled up his sleeves and said irritably.
"It's one thing for Orion to mess around, but I never expected someone as steady as you to follow suit. Don't you know how much Sengoku, Zephyr, and I have placed our hopes on him? As long as we step down, even if he isn't the Fleet Admiral, he would at least be one of the Admirals! But he actually launched a coup. Don't tell me the situation is settled. As long as I'm alive, I won't let him continue this nonsense!"
Before his words even finished, Garp suddenly took a step forward, and a terrifying shockwave of energy instantly spread from under his feet.
In the next second, a red and black Conqueror's Haki erupted and intertwined around him, causing the void to emit low-frequency vibrations.
An invisible, overwhelming pressure surged out like a raging tide, instantly enveloping Orion.
However—
Just as the invisible pressure was about to engulf Orion, an even more immense pressure suddenly burst forth, colliding head-on with the surging Conqueror's Haki.
BOOM
In the moment of their collision, a deafening explosion echoed across the sky, followed by a devastating shockwave that radiated outward from Orion and Garp, sweeping across the land like a hurricane.
Wherever it passed, the ground cracked, and buildings trembled, painting a scene as if the apocalypse had arrived.