Grand Line, Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
The sky above Marineford was bright and clear today. The Marine flag, symbolizing peace and justice, fluttered gently in the breeze. Seagulls occasionally crossed overhead, adding to the calm, peaceful atmosphere.
But Sengoku, who was currently reviewing documents in the Fleet Admiral's office, felt anything but calm.
He stared at the stack of files on his desk.
They were all related to Kairos D. Vale.
CP0 had delivered them that morning, and they contained a detailed record of Kairos' recent movements.
Sengoku was currently struggling with one question.
Who should he send after him?
After all, Kairos had caused a major incident at the recruit training camp this time. Marine dignity had been damaged.
"Hahaha! Sengoku, you still haven't decided?"
Garp sat lazily on the sofa with one leg crossed over the other, casually pouring freshly opened senbei into his mouth.
Beside him sat a tall, thin elderly woman. Though aged, she still carried an air of wisdom and competence.
It was Vice Admiral Tsuru, known throughout the Marines as a brilliant strategist.
Tsuru had only returned to Marine Headquarters yesterday after completing a mission to capture a pirate with a bounty of three hundred million Berries.
Sengoku glanced at Garp and rubbed his aching temples, not bothering to answer.
The three Admirals were all currently occupied with their own missions and could not be spared to deal with Kairos.
As for the others, those capable enough already had important assignments.
The remaining candidates were not enough.
Just as Sengoku was growing increasingly troubled, the Den Den Mushi on his desk rang.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, please allow me to carry out the mission to capture Kairos."
A low voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
"You left Impel Down?"
Sengoku frowned slightly.
"Magellan is there. Nothing will happen. I know Kairos has exceptional swordsmanship. As a swordsman, I must fight him. Please do not refuse me, Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
"I understand… Then I'll leave it to you."
Sengoku remained silent for a moment. A thoughtful light flashed in his eyes before he finally nodded.
After hanging up, Sengoku's expression eased slightly, as if a long-standing problem had finally found a solution.
Garp stopped pouring senbei into his mouth and gave Sengoku a questioning look.
Tsuru looked over as well.
"Shiryu volunteered to capture Kairos," Sengoku said, pushing up his glasses as he answered his two old friends.
"Him?"
Garp raised a brow.
Shiryu of the Rain, Head Jailer of Impel Down.
Impel Down was known as an iron fortress precisely because it had two trump cards: Shiryu and Magellan.
Shiryu's strength was undoubtedly formidable.
The only problem was his personality.
Garp's thoughts stirred slightly.
"Shiryu alone probably won't be enough to deal with Kairos," Tsuru said calmly.
She crossed her arms, and the two bracelets on her right wrist gently clinked together.
Before Sengoku or Garp could respond, Tsuru continued.
"There is another powerful figure near Kairos' current location."
"Who?"
Sengoku's eyes sharpened.
"Bartholomew Kuma."
Tsuru calmly spoke the name.
"Tyrant" Kuma.
A powerful man who had only recently become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
Meanwhile—
Kairos and Perona had begun drifting across the sea together.
"Perona, I'm going to teach you something."
Kairos sat at the bow of the boat and spoke seriously to Perona, who was sitting at the stern.
"What is it?"
Perona straightened her back, looking exactly like a student listening carefully in class.
"You can want cute things," Kairos said patiently, "but you must obtain them properly."
During this period, Kairos had been teaching Perona basic principles of life.
This could barely be considered the first step of his little girl development plan.
"Kairos-nii, what does 'obtain them properly' mean?"
Perona tilted her head and blinked, looking very adorable.
"That means…"
Kairos fell silent for three seconds before saying with a serious face,
"Convincing people through virtue."
"Oh. Then what does convincing people through virtue mean?"
"It means beating them hard…"
Kairos paused.
"No. It means reasoning with them."
The two of them went back and forth as the little boat drifted gently across the sea.
Besides daily ideological and moral lessons, Kairos also taught Perona combat.
This included developing her Hollow-Hollow Fruit.
Kairos had seen its uses in the anime, so giving her a general direction was not difficult.
However, he kept reminding Perona not to rely too heavily on her Devil Fruit.
Her own strength also needed training.
Kairos did not force her to practice swordsmanship with him. She could choose whatever she liked.
Time passed little by little.
Today's moral lesson finally ended.
Kairos had just been about to stand and stretch when he suddenly saw an island ahead.
"It's a country's harbor!"
Perona jumped up and down excitedly.
At the same time—
the country Kairos saw was a Western-style nation.
Tall, flat-roofed buildings stood everywhere along the streets. The walls were white, the tiles yellow, and the people were dressed lightly.
On both sides of the stone-paved road, trees lined the streets and vendors shouted energetically. People bustled back and forth.
Among the busy crowd, two figures walked slowly.
Their distance from one another was neither close nor far, giving them an elusive feeling.
On the left was a woman wearing a red top hat with a long tail hanging from the back. She had short purple hair, sunglasses, a red sleeveless top, a tie around her neck, and leather gloves. With no inner shirt beneath the vest, she carried a wild, mature charm.
On the right was a woman with brown hair and bronze skin. Her left arm was mechanical, she wore goggles on her head, and she had on a dark green shirt.
These two were Belo Betty, commander of the Revolutionary Army's Eastern Army, and Ahiru, her deputy commander.
"What exactly is going on with Kuma? Why would he join the Seven Warlords?"
Belo Betty lowered her voice, irritation flickering in her tone.
"Commander, I think Kuma must have his reasons," Ahiru said quietly, her brows furrowed in thought.
"What reason?"
"I don't know."
Ahiru shook her head.
It was only her instinct.
"Fine. I'll ask Kuma myself this time and find out what exactly he's thinking."
Betty was decisive, and her eyes quickly turned firm.
Suddenly—
"Hm?"
Confusion flashed across Betty's face.
She heard a commotion up ahead.
Listening carefully, she caught the shouting.
"Someone is robbing pirates!"
The cry came from not far away.
"What?!"
The crowd around Betty instantly stirred. Passersby ran toward the noise, eager to watch the excitement.
Pirates being robbed?
What kind of joke was that?
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