Sengoku curled his lip and scoffed. "Who would miss that old fool? He's already so old, yet he's still completely unreliable."
Zephyr shrugged. "You shouldn't be talking about him right now. Just look at the way you're dressed, I can barely stand to look at you. You were a Fleet Admiral. Even after retirement, you should pay attention to your image."
"Keeping up appearances is exhausting, alright?" Sengoku grumbled. "We're already old men, yet we still had to dye our hair darker than youngsters and wear suits every day. I got tired of that a long time ago. Besides, I was only a temporary Fleet Admiral back then, so watch your mouth."
Zephyr glanced at Sengoku, removed his glasses, tossed them aside, and crossed his arms.
"What? Still hung up on that?"
Sengoku let out a sigh and waved dismissively.
"I was stubborn about it back then, but there's nothing left to dwell on now. Lloyd really was the most suitable person to become Fleet Admiral. Even Tsuru said so."
A trace of helplessness appeared on his face.
"Besides, I've realized I couldn't control those brats even if I wanted to, especially Borsalino."
At the mention of Kizaru, Zephyr couldn't help laughing as memories of his years as an instructor resurfaced.
Sengoku sighed again.
"Zephyr, I've always envied you. You taught so many outstanding students. You can truly say you've lived a life without regrets."
Zephyr burst into hearty laughter, making no attempt to be modest.
"That's right! The sense of accomplishment from raising great students is far better than being Fleet Admiral."
"Hey! Do you realize how irritating you sound right now?"
The two elderly men bickered in the office like stubborn children long past their youth.
Then a loud rumble echoed from Sengoku's stomach.
His old face reddened immediately.
Rubbing his stomach awkwardly, he said, "Those rice crackers aren't filling at all. Are you done with your work? If you are, let's go get something to eat."
Zephyr was beginning to feel hungry as well.
"There's not much left to do. Let's go to the mess hall... Actually, forget that. Come to my place. We can have a drink too."
Sengoku blinked.
"...You can cook?"
"Of course I can. I've been living alone for years. How could I not know how to cook? Don't tell me you can't."
"Uh... I can!" Sengoku replied immediately. "Who are you looking down on? How hard can cooking be?"
Zephyr looked at him suspiciously.
Meanwhile, Sengoku turned his head away guiltily.
In his mind, he wondered:
"Boiling noodles counts as cooking, doesn't it?"
Afraid Zephyr would continue questioning him, Sengoku quickly stood up and declared shamelessly,
"Fine then. Since you can cook, we'll go to your place. Naturally, you're treating me."
Zephyr nodded.
That was exactly what he had planned.
The two men walked out of the office together.
However, the moment they stepped outside, a piercing emergency alarm suddenly echoed throughout Marine Headquarters.
Both Zephyr and Sengoku froze.
Their expressions immediately became serious as they turned toward the Headquarters Building.
Before they could determine what had happened, a Rear Admiral rushed over.
After saluting the two veterans, he spoke urgently.
"Former Fleet Admirals, Fleet Admiral Lloyd requests your immediate presence at the Headquarters Building for an emergency meeting."
Zephyr and Sengoku exchanged glances.
The seriousness in each other's eyes was unmistakable.
The two of them had already stepped away from the center of Marine authority and rarely attended high-level meetings anymore.
Yet this time, Lloyd had personally ordered someone to summon them.
That could only mean one thing.
Something major had happened.
But with the current state of the seas, what could possibly warrant such urgency from Lloyd?
Could it be preparations to eliminate the Red Hair Pirates?
That didn't seem likely.
Without wasting another second, the two hurried toward the Headquarters Building.
Along the way, they met Tsuru.
After exchanging a few brief words, the three of them entered the conference room together.
The moment Zephyr stepped inside, his gaze landed on Lloyd.
Lloyd sat at the head of the long conference table with his arms crossed.
His expression was unusually dark.
Akainu, Kizaru, and the other senior officers had already arrived.
When they saw Zephyr, Sengoku, and Tsuru enter, they immediately stood and greeted them.
Lloyd simply nodded.
After the three veterans took their seats, everyone was finally present.
Yet Lloyd remained silent.
The atmosphere grew heavier with every passing second.
Finally, Zephyr could not endure it any longer.
"Lloyd, what happened?"
Every eye in the room turned toward him.
Under everyone's gaze, Lloyd slowly raised his head.
His voice was low and heavy.
"Vice Admiral Garp... has fallen in battle."
The room instantly descended into complete silence.
No one moved.
No one spoke.
Even breathing seemed to stop.
After what felt like an eternity, Sengoku finally spoke.
His voice trembled uncontrollably.
"Lloyd... what did you just say? Garp... what happened to Garp?"
Lloyd closed his eyes briefly and repeated the news.
The moment Sengoku heard it again, his mind exploded into chaos.
Everything before his eyes went dark.
His body swayed violently, and he nearly fell from his chair.
Beside him, even Tsuru, famous throughout the Marines for her composure, stared in disbelief.
Her eyes widened.
Her entire body trembled.
For a moment, she did not even notice Sengoku's condition.
Zephyr shot to his feet.
His eyes became bloodshot.
His mouth opened as if to roar.
Yet no sound came out.
The veins along his neck bulged as he struggled to accept the reality before him.
Akainu and the others finally recovered from their shock.
Every face in the room was filled with disbelief.
Sengoku slammed both hands against the table and forced himself upright.
"How could Garp..."
"Pfft!"
Before he could finish speaking, Sengoku suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.
Bright red blood splashed across the white Marine coat draped over his shoulders.
In a flash of light, Kizaru appeared beside him and quickly caught him before he collapsed.
Tsuru suppressed the overwhelming grief threatening to consume her.
With great effort, she turned toward Lloyd.
Deep within her heart remained the faintest trace of hope.
Her voice trembled.
"When did this happen? Is the information confirmed? Why didn't we receive any reports?"
Lloyd let out a heavy sigh.
From his pocket, he withdrew a report along with several photographs and placed them in the center of the table.
"It happened suddenly. I only received the report moments ago. Vice Admiral Garp's body is already being transported back to Headquarters. I've also ordered a complete information lockdown."
After that, Tsuru could no longer hear anything.
Her eyes were fixed on the photographs lying on the table.
In every image, Garp was covered in blood.
Yet even in death, he maintained a punching stance.
It was obvious.
The Hero of the Marines had fought until his very last breath.
"Garp!!!"
A heart-wrenching cry echoed through the conference room.
Tsuru, who had not shed tears in countless years, finally broke down.
Tears streamed freely down her face.
Sengoku wept.
Zephyr wept.
The conference room was filled with grief as the reality of Garp's death settled over everyone present.