Chapter 277: Sengoku Arrives at G-5!
In the New World, towering waves crashed relentlessly against the steel hull of a massive Marine battleship.
Deep within the ship's interior—
Fleet Admiral Sengoku slowly lowered the Den Den Mushi receiver, which still retained a trace of warmth. Leaning back heavily into his broad leather chair, he closed his eyes for a moment.
At that moment, the office door quietly opened.
Vice Admiral Tsuru stepped in, carrying a stack of files so thick it was almost alarming.
Her face remained as calm as ever, though a faint trace of gravity lingered beneath her usual composure.
She gently placed the files onto Sengoku's desk.
"These are all the records we could retrieve on Vergo since the day he joined the Marines."
Her voice was steady and precise.
"Every mission report and annotation copy. Every financial transaction and supply requisition. Encrypted and non-encrypted communication logs. Even records from unofficial social gatherings... everything we could possibly gather is here."
She raised her eyes toward Sengoku, her gaze carrying both understanding and faint reproach.
"Using top-level authority to bypass standard oversight procedures and access the complete core files of an active G-5 Base Commander and Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral..."
"You know exactly what that means, Sengoku."
Sengoku lifted his head and removed his trademark round glasses, rubbing his brow forcefully.
The face that normally radiated unwavering authority now showed rare exhaustion—and deep guilt.
"I know... It was irrational. It even violated protocol."
His voice had turned hoarse.
"But when that brat Trafalgar Law mentioned both 'Doflamingo' and a 'Marine spy' in the same breath... when the clues started pointing toward Vergo..."
Beneath the desk, his fist tightened silently until his knuckles turned white.
"My emotions... were already out of control."
Tsuru watched him quietly for several seconds before letting out a soft sigh and waving her hand dismissively.
She understood.
Because of that name—
Rosinante.
Former Marine Headquarters Lieutenant Commander, serial number 01746.
To Sengoku, that name and number were far more than a fallen subordinate.
Rosinante was the child he had personally brought home from the streets, raised with his own hands, and treated like a son.
He was the softest—and most painful—scar in Sengoku's long life of bloodshed and warfare.
The future upon which he had placed countless hopes and affection.
"There's still some time before we arrive at G-5."
Tsuru lowered her gaze toward the mountain of documents again, her tone returning to its usual professional calm.
"Let's investigate properly."
Her voice was light, but carried unquestionable authority.
"We cannot—and will not—convict a decorated Vice Admiral with real authority based solely on the words of a pirate. That would be trampling on the Marines' credibility and system."
"But... if he truly did it—if he wore Justice on his back while committing betrayal in secret—"
"Then no matter how careful Vergo has been, no matter how perfectly he hid himself, once the full machinery of the Marines begins targeting him specifically... he will leave traces behind."
Silence fell across the office.
Only the rustling of documents and the low rumble of the warship cutting through the sea remained.
Time slowly passed.
Tsuru read at astonishing speed, her eyes scanning lines of text, strings of numbers, and endless reports with machine-like precision.
Suddenly—
Her fingers stopped turning the pages.
Her pupils contracted slightly as her gaze froze on a particular record.
"Found it."
"The period when Lieutenant Commander Rosinante was confirmed dead on Minion Island... Vergo's service record shows he was assigned to a 'regional patrol and security operation' in nearby waters."
"But according to cross-referenced support records from others in the same fleet..."
"The ship under Vergo's command temporarily deviated from the fleet's designated route under the pretense of 'pursuing a suspicious target.'"
"The timing... perfectly overlaps with the interval between Rosinante's final distress signal and his confirmed death."
"And afterward, the deviation was casually written off in the official report as a 'routine tactical maneuver.' No one investigated it further at the time—"
BOOM—!!!!
Before Tsuru could finish speaking, an overwhelming burst of black-and-red Conqueror's Haki exploded violently from Sengoku's body without warning!
His eyes had already turned bloodshot.
In his mind, a young blond figure appeared vividly—
Rosinante.
The clumsy young man who always nervously came to confirm mission details before carrying out undercover assignments, only to somehow trip over flat deck flooring by himself.
The awkward kid who tried to smoke like an adult but nearly set his blond hair on fire multiple times.
The child whose eyes always carried hope and trust, no matter how dire the situation became.
So that was it...
SO THAT WAS IT!!!
A storm of rage, grief, and murderous intent surged into Sengoku's eyes.
The man who killed Rosinante...
Had been wearing a Marine uniform all along.
Wearing the coat of Justice.
Standing right beneath his nose while enjoying the Marines' resources, authority, and glory—
Even climbing all the way to the rank of Vice Admiral.
"Ver... go..."
————————
New World — G-5 Marine Base.
This fortress, standing amidst the violent seas of the New World, was infamous throughout the Marines for its terrible discipline and brutal fighting style.
One of the Marines' few strongholds in the New World—
And also one of its most notorious.
Inside the Base Commander's office, the air smelled of cigar smoke mixed with salty sea wind.
Tap. Tap. Tap.
Vice Admiral Vergo sat behind his massive desk, lightly tapping the polished mahogany surface with his finger.
A ridiculous piece of hamburger steak still clung to his cheek.
Yet behind his ever-present sunglasses hid a chilling gloom.
Spread out across the desk was a confidential report bearing the highest-level Marine Headquarters seal.
Its contents detailed the recent movements of the Straw Hat Pirates and major incidents occurring throughout the New World.
A few days ago, that long-silent secret communication line had suddenly become active again.
The "Heavenly Yaksha" of Dressrosa—
His true master, Donquixote Doflamingo—
Had issued orders once more after years of silence.
The reason was simple... and deeply unsettling.
In the latest bounty updates, Doflamingo had seen a name that nearly caused him to crush his wineglass in rage—
Trafalgar Law.
The "Surgeon of Death" who had once belonged to the Donquixote Family, been discarded without mercy... yet somehow survived and risen all the way to the level of an Emperor of the Sea.
That cold young face had become a psychological scar Doflamingo could never erase.
Faced with Admirals—or even the Fleet Admiral—Doflamingo could still maneuver using his position as a former Warlord of the Sea.
But an Emperor of the Sea...
Those were monsters standing at the very top of the world's food chain.
True rulers of life and death.
The source of his deepest fear.
So, clinging to one last shred of hope, Doflamingo wanted Vergo—his deeply embedded spy within Marine Headquarters—to determine whether there remained even the slightest possibility of reconciliation with the Straw Hat Pirates.
But Vergo had already gone through every scrap of information regarding the Straw Hat crew until the files were nearly worn apart.
Their behavior patterns.
Combat history.
The personalities and bonds of every core member.
Especially Monkey D. Luffy's completely irrational way of thinking.
In the end, Vergo reached a conclusion so cold that even his eyes behind the sunglasses froze.
There was no room whatsoever.
Not even the slightest bit.
Those people operated according to a completely different set of rules from the rest of the world.
Compromise?
Negotiation?
Such concepts probably didn't even exist in their vocabulary.
Especially when it came to the distinction between "friends" and "enemies."
Their line was absolute—to the point of obsession.
A cold bead of sweat slowly slid down Vergo's forehead.
The Straw Hat Pirates...
They were utterly unpredictable, uncontrollable lunatics with terrifying destructive power.
"I have to inform Doffy immediately!"
Alarm bells rang wildly in Vergo's mind.
Without hesitation, he yanked open a hidden drawer beneath his desk and pulled out a specially modified Den Den Mushi.
A top-secret line connected directly to the deepest chambers of Dressrosa's royal palace.
His fingers rapidly dialed the number.
Just as the special Den Den Mushi let out its first rasping—
"Buru—"
BOOM—!!!!!!!!
An earth-shattering explosion erupted from the office entrance without warning.
CRASH!
The heavy office doors twisted violently, tore free from their hinges, and blasted into the room before embedding themselves deep into the far wall behind Vergo.
Dust and debris filled the office like a dense fog.
"Who—?!"
Vergo abruptly raised his head.
Behind his sunglasses, his pupils shrank sharply as he stared toward the smoke-filled entrance.
Within the haze, two towering figures slowly emerged.
Their footsteps were unhurried, yet every step landed with mountain-like pressure and suffocating killing intent.
The man in front wore a seagull cap, his braided beard meticulously groomed, round glasses resting upon his face.
But the eyes behind those lenses no longer held their usual warmth or fiery anger.
Only terrifying calm remained.
Former Fleet Admiral—
"Sengoku the Buddha."
Half a step behind him stood an elderly woman with neatly combed silver hair and a solemn expression.
Her eyes were calm as deep water, yet seemed capable of reflecting the filth hidden within a person's soul.
Marine Headquarters Chief Staff Officer—
Vice Admiral Tsuru.
Their sudden arrival came without announcement.
Without escorts.
Without warning.
The shattered doorway alone declared that they had not come for anything ordinary.
The office air froze solid in an instant.
Sengoku's terrifyingly calm gaze slowly swept toward the special Den Den Mushi in Vergo's hand.
Then settled upon Vergo's stunned face.
"Vergo..."
"That call you're making..."
"Who exactly were you planning to contact?"