The plan to conquer Wano Country had just taken shape in his mind, and Tatsuki hadn't even had time to pour himself a celebratory drink yet.
The den den mushi on his desk began to clamor at an inopportune moment.
Purururu... Purururu...
Kacha!
Tatsuki was just about to enjoy a rare moment of peace. His good mood disturbed, he frowned and picked up the receiver with extreme impatience.
"Hello, if you've got something to say, say it fast."
There was a second of silence on the other end, followed immediately by Kong's roar, which erupted like a volcano and nearly shattered the den den mushi on the spot.
"Tatsuki!!!"
"You brat, life in the G-5 Branch is pretty comfortable, isn't it?! Huh?! Right now, the whole world is in a mess because of that bastard Roger, and you, an Admiral, still have the heart to sleep in the base?!"
In the week since Roger's death, more than half of Kong's hair had turned white from worry.
The four seas were in revolt, the Grand Line routes were congested, and the New World was a chaotic dance of demons. The reports requesting reinforcements from various Marine branches were piled higher than he was.
And yet, as one of the Marines' highest combat powers, the person who should most be out there keeping order, Tatsuki, was actually hiding in G-5 without making a sound.
"Fleet Admiral, what you're saying isn't right."
Tatsuki propped his legs up on the desk, shifting into a more comfortable position, his tone filled with the grievance of being misunderstood.
"I'm training troops. A few days ago, didn't I specially recruit a very promising, hot-headed swordsman from Loguetown? Right now, I'm having Sakazuki, Borsalino and Kuzan give him an intensive education of love."
"Sharpening the axe doesn't delay the woodcutting, this is all to cultivate future pillars of the Marines. Do you think it's easy for me?"
"Stop giving me that useless crap!" Kong wasn't buying it at all, he was currently fuming.
"Take your G-5 Branch and immediately head to the New World to wipe out those remnants of Roger's crew who are taking advantage of the chaos! Show them the prestige of the Marines!"
"Catching a few small fry who are just following the wind, what kind of achievement is that?" Tatsuki calmly flicked his cigarette ash, his tone shifting and becoming deep.
"Fleet Admiral, calm down first. We Marines can't just focus on the small troubles in front of us, we need to have a big-picture view. If we're going to pull a nail, we have to pull the deepest, hardest one."
Kong paused on the other end, his breathing becoming heavier. "Who are you referring to?"
Tatsuki slowly exhaled a ring of smoke, his voice kept extremely low. "Kozuki Oden."
The air on the other side of the den den mushi suddenly went silent.
"The man who followed Roger to the final island, Laugh Tale, and is the only person in the world today who can read all the poneglyphs."
"According to my top-secret intelligence lines, he has returned to his hometown. Right now, he is in Wano Country."
"Hiss—"
The sound of a sharp intake of breath was clearly transmitted from the receiver.
Kong knew very well the weight of that name.
As long as Kozuki Oden lived for one day, the hundred-year void of history that the World Government worked so hard to conceal faced a huge risk of being made public. This was a major concern for the Gorosei.
"The location has been confirmed?!" Kong's voice changed pitch. "I will immediately mobilize a fleet and blockade Wano Country!"
"Absolutely not!"
Tatsuki's tone sank as he decisively interrupted him, his volume suddenly rising, filled with the urgency of "worrying for the nation."
"Fleet Admiral, please consider carefully! Wano Country has been isolated for hundreds of years and is not a member of the World Government! If we send warships across the border with great fanfare, that would be blatant aggression!"
"Not only would it be unjustified, but it would also trigger uncontrollable diplomatic storms! Once those wavering neutral countries are provoked, the World Government's credibility will vanish instantly!"
Tatsuki paused, giving Kong enough time to digest and think.
Then, he stood up from his chair and said into the den den mushi, his tone filled with a spirit of fearless sacrifice, "So, Fleet Admiral, to avoid these unnecessary troubles, I have a bold proposal."
"I, Tatsuki, in my personal name, will secretly infiltrate Wano Country and arrest Kozuki Oden."
"This journey is dangerous, and I will bear all consequences alone."
"In case... I mean in case my identity is exposed and I am unfortunately besieged and killed by the samurai of Wano, Fleet Admiral, you must immediately notify the world and expel me from the military. Declare that this was a personal act of mine driven by greed, with absolutely no connection to Marineford or the World Government."
The den den mushi's eyes welled up with large tears, clearly moved to a mess by Tatsuki's 'loyalty'.
On the other end, Kong's voice was hoarse, carrying unmistakable emotion. "Tatsuki... you... you..."
He stuttered for a long time before choking out a sentence. "I... I misjudged you just now. You're the backbone who truly carries justice on his shoulders."
"What expulsion from the military? That's nonsense. You come back to me in one piece. Be careful with everything, Marineford will always be your strongest support."
"For Justice!"
Tatsuki snapped to attention and gave a standard military salute to the empty office.
Kacha.
Communication cut.
The moment he hung up the receiver, the expression of righteous self-sacrifice on Tatsuki's face receded like a tide, replaced by a cold smirk of a successful conspiracy.
A moral exemplar? The backbone of the Marines?
No, just an ambitious man who wanted to monopolize the ancient weapons and the wealth of an entire country.
He pressed the internal line and spoke concisely, "Sakazuki, Kuzan, Borsalino, come to my office."
Soon, three figures appeared in the office.
"I have a top-secret mission and will be leaving for a while, the return date is uncertain."
Tatsuki glanced at the three. "During this time, the daily operations of G-5 are in your hands. Remember, in our territory, not even a fly can be let in. If anyone dares to come and act wild, scatter their ashes directly."
Tatsuki's gaze fell on the corner. "Also, keep a close eye on Mihawk. He is the key to an important plan of mine. If he dares to run, break his legs first, then catch him and bring him back to continue training."
The three had different expressions, but they all nodded in unison.
—
In the skies of Punk Hazard, thunderclouds cleared the way for him.
Tatsuki pushed the powers of the Storm-Storm Fruit to their limit.
Buzz—
The air beneath his feet rotated at high speed, forming an invisible lift vortex that steadily bore his body aloft.
In the next second, he transformed into a gust of wind that tore through the atmosphere, skimming the sea surface as he sped toward the designated coordinates.
Godspeed: Flowing Light!
This was the ultimate speed granted to him by the Storm-Storm Fruit.
The Sea Kings along the way didn't even have time to sense his presence, they only felt a gust of wild wind pass by before the sea surface returned to its calm state.
Two days later.
An isolated island surrounded by towering waterfalls appeared at the end of the horizon.
Wano Country.
The giant waterfall falling from the sky was the country's strongest natural barrier. The rapid currents were enough to smash any ship attempting to climb it to pieces. But this natural hazard was nothing more than a slightly damp escalator for Tatsuki.
He completely elementalized his body, merging into the monsoon a thousand meters high. Silently, he penetrated the layer of haze that shrouded Wano Country all year round.
Beneath his feet was no longer the boundless blue, but a land of peculiar terrain and ancient appearance.
Tatsuki deactivated his elementalization and landed lightly on the top of a giant pine tree.
He changed out of his conspicuous Admiral uniform. Now he wore a deep purple ronin haori, with a disguised Tensa Zangetsu at his waist and two scruffy little mustaches stuck to his face.
If one ignored his eyes, which still glinted with calculation and shrewdness, he looked exactly like a destitute samurai who couldn't make it on the sea and had drifted back home.
"Ho, so this is Wano Country."
Standing on high ground, Tatsuki's gaze didn't linger on any scenery, it was fixed firmly on a dusty construction site in the distance.
That was Udon.
This wasn't yet the weapon capital filled with factories and chimneys spewing toxic gas from his memories.
At this moment, everything had only just broken ground.
Countless prisoners in rags were moving stones in the mud like worker ants.
Huge foundation pits had just been dug, and crisscrossing scaffolding stood lonely on the wasteland.
There was no piercing sound of blacksmithing, only the dull thuds of pile-driving and the shouts of overseers, carried intermittently by the wind.
There was no sulfurous smell of industrial exhaust in the air, only the fishy scent of freshly turned soil and the bitterness of wild grass.
But to Tatsuki's nose, this smell was more fragrant than any perfume in the world.