Strawberry drew in a deep breath before forcing himself to continue.
"The envoy from the God's Knights made their orders very clear."
His voice trembled slightly, though he did his best to keep it steady.
"Seven days from now, at noon, there will be a public execution in Marineford's central plaza."
He paused.
"The prisoners to be executed are Revolutionary Army Chief of Staff Sabo and the captured Army Commanders."
The words alone were enough to make several officers' expressions change.
Yet Strawberry was not finished.
He could still hear that cold, emotionless voice in his memory, delivering the command as though it were some final judgment handed down from above.
"They said…"
Strawberry's jaw tightened.
"'Let the entire sea witness what happens to those who oppose the World Government and defy the God's Knights.'"
His voice lowered.
"'Make an example of them… and let every would-be rebel understand the consequences.'"
Every word left a bitter taste in his mouth.
"Public execution…"
Sengoku repeated the phrase in a low, hoarse voice.
His imposing frame swayed almost imperceptibly.
For a moment, the exhaustion etched across his face seemed to deepen, making him look several years older.
Because Sengoku understood exactly what those four words meant.
This was not merely the execution of a handful of prisoners.
It was the same pattern that had once created the Summit War.
A public execution of someone important enough to draw powerful allies.
A spectacle broadcast to the entire world.
A deliberate provocation meant to demonstrate the World Government's authority.
And once that stage was prepared, Marineford itself would inevitably become the center of another enormous conflict.
Only this time, the Marines were in a far worse position than before.
They had just suffered a catastrophic defeat.
Their top-level fighting strength had been gutted.
Their fleet was shattered.
Morale was at rock bottom.
Marine Headquarters was like a once-mighty warship that had taken countless holes below the waterline and was barely remaining afloat.
And now the God's Knights intended to place it directly in the path of another storm.
The Marines would be responsible for carrying out the execution.
They would have to secure Marineford.
They would have to defend the prisoners.
And if anyone came to rescue Sabo and the others, it would be the Marines standing between them and the execution platform.
That meant the remnants of the Revolutionary Army.
And perhaps far worse—
the Eternal Divine Kingdom.
The same power that had just defeated the Marine main force with overwhelming strength.
Sengoku felt a chill run up his spine.
What kind of honor was this supposed to be?
It was a burning hot piece of iron being forced into their hands.
A trap that could easily drag whatever remained of the Marines into an even deeper abyss.
And for the first time, Sengoku felt with painful clarity the cold gaze of the World Government and the God's Knights above them.
Perhaps the Marines' present condition did not matter to them at all.
Perhaps Marine casualties were nothing more than numbers.
Perhaps the organization that had bled across the seas for generations was, in their eyes, merely a tool for maintaining order and displaying authority.
A chess piece.
And if necessary—
an expendable one.
"They're…"
A hot-tempered Vice Admiral could no longer contain himself.
His voice came out as a furious growl.
"They're planning to use the Marines as a sacrifice?!"
His face had gone red with rage.
The veins at his temples stood out as he glared ahead, as though he could somehow pierce through the distance and confront the people responsible for the order himself.
The brief excitement that had spread through Marineford after seeing Sabo and the others brought back vanished completely.
The harbor fell quiet again.
Only now, the silence was even heavier.
At first, the Marines had believed the arrival of the prisoners represented a rare victory—something that might restore a little dignity after their devastating defeat.
Instead, the truth had revealed something far colder.
This was not a triumph given to them.
It was a burden placed upon them.
A carefully calculated political spectacle whose consequences they would be expected to endure.
Sengoku stood motionless.
His fists gradually clenched again until his knuckles turned white.
His gaze dropped toward the harbor below.
Sabo and the others were already being escorted away under heavy guard, bound for eventual confinement in Impel Down.
Their figures looked small beneath the massive structures of Marineford.
Then Sengoku looked toward his own men.
Exhausted Marines filled the harbor.
Wounded.
Demoralized.
Uncertain.
Men who had once carried themselves with fearless confidence now stared toward the ground with anxiety written across their faces.
Sengoku's heart sank.
He knew exactly what this meant.
The sudden intervention of the God's Knights had already made an unstable situation even more dangerous.
And now the order for a public execution had become another chain around Marine Headquarters' neck.
Seven days from now, the Marines would have to face another battle whose scale and outcome no one could predict.
Until then, they would spend every moment under the cold scrutiny of the World Government.
Watched.
Commanded.
Expected to obey.
The feeling was suffocating.
For an organization that had always claimed to uphold justice across the seas, Marine Headquarters suddenly seemed trapped inside a cage of its own.
And with every passing moment, that cage only seemed to tighten.
...
Beneath the surface of the seemingly calm sea, powerful currents were already beginning to shift.
The intervention of the God's Knights had thrown the situation into even greater uncertainty. It was as though another enormous stone had been hurled into waters that were already on the verge of erupting, sending waves of suspicion and unease rippling through every faction watching from afar.
The fog surrounding the future was only growing thicker.
Danger lurked everywhere.
And Marine Headquarters, already battered nearly to the point of collapse, had now been pushed directly into the center of the coming storm.
There was nowhere left for them to retreat.
...
Inside the Fleet Admiral's office, the atmosphere remained suffocatingly heavy.
Sunlight streamed through the windows, but it did nothing to dispel the gloom hanging over the room.
Sengoku dismissed the remaining aides and officers until only one person remained with him.
Vice Admiral Tsuru.
He walked slowly toward the enormous window overlooking Marineford's harbor.
Below, Sabo and the captured Revolutionary Army officers were being escorted away under heavy guard in preparation for transfer to Impel Down.
Around them, Marines carried out their orders with disciplined efficiency, but their faces revealed far more complicated emotions.
Determination to complete their duty.
Unease over what was coming.
And fear of an uncertain future.
Sengoku stood there in silence for a long time.
Finally, he spoke.
"Tsuru."
His voice was slightly hoarse.
He turned toward the elderly strategist, and for once, a trace of exhaustion showed clearly in his eyes.
"What do you make of all this?"
Tsuru stood with her hands calmly folded before her.
Her gaze remained as sharp as ever.
She had already gone over everything in her mind again and again, breaking the situation down from every possible angle.
At Sengoku's question, she gave a slight nod.
Then her expression grew solemn.
"The God's Knights…"
She paused.
"Their intervention this time is not nearly as simple as it appears."
Tsuru walked over to stand beside Sengoku.
Together, they looked out across the vast sea beyond Marineford, though Tsuru's thoughts seemed to stretch far beyond the horizon—
all the way to the shadows hidden deep within Mary Geoise.
"First," she said calmly, "the timing is far too convenient."
Sengoku's eyes narrowed slightly.
"Our main force had just suffered a catastrophic defeat at the hands of the Eternal Divine Kingdom."
"Our fleet was devastated."
"Our elite forces were nearly wiped out."
"Morale has collapsed, and the reputation the Marines spent generations building has suffered a tremendous blow."
Tsuru's tone remained even, but every word carried weight.
"And precisely at that moment, the God's Knights suddenly made their move."
"They struck with overwhelming force, shattered the Revolutionary Army's remaining evacuation forces, and captured several of its most important leaders."
"On the surface, it looks as though they stepped in to help restore some of the dignity we lost."
She glanced toward Sengoku.
"But that isn't the real message."
Her eyes hardened.
"They are demonstrating, openly and deliberately, that their strength stands above ours."
"They want the world to understand that even if the Marines suffer defeat…"
"even if Marine Headquarters is weakened…"
"the foundation of the World Government remains untouched."
"Because the God's Knights are still there."
"And as long as they remain, the World Government can claim that its true power has never been shaken."
Sengoku's expression grew heavier.
He slowly nodded.
He had already considered the same possibility.
Hearing Tsuru put it into words only made the humiliation sharper.
This so-called assistance had never been intended as kindness.
It felt more like a slap across the Marines' face.
A reminder that, however powerful the Marines believed themselves to be, there was another force above them that the World Government considered more important.
Tsuru continued.
"Second, their target was extremely specific, and their methods were ruthless."
Her brows furrowed.
"For years, the Revolutionary Army has been one of the World Government's most persistent threats."
"They have spread their influence across countless kingdoms, supporting uprisings and undermining the Government's authority from within."
"They were never an enemy that could simply be eliminated through ordinary Marine operations."
"But this time, the God's Knights were clearly prepared."
"They did not waste their strength attacking insignificant branches or scattered revolutionary cells."
"They went directly after Dragon and the Revolutionary Army's core leadership."
Tsuru's gaze darkened.
"That tells us exactly what their objective was."
"They intended to cripple the Revolutionary Army at its foundation."
"Dragon managed to escape the encirclement, but Sabo, Karasu, Morley, and several other senior officers were captured."
"That alone is a devastating loss."
"These people are not merely powerful fighters."
"They are pillars holding the organization together."
"They command troops."
"They maintain networks."
"They inspire loyalty."
"They embody the Revolutionary Army's cause in the eyes of its members."
Tsuru slowly folded her arms.
"Remove enough of those pillars at once, and the entire structure begins to collapse."
Her voice became colder.
"So regardless of how we feel about the God's Knights, one thing is undeniable."
"Their determination to eliminate threats is absolute."
"And when they choose to act…"
"They are frighteningly efficient."
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