Near Alabasta.
A Marine warship drifted on the sea.
This warship had been cruising in this area for a long time.
It maintained a steady, constant speed, slowing down as much as possible to make its presence in the region as minimal as possible.
Even so, the Marine insignia fluttering aboard was impossible to ignore!
And stationed on this Marine warship was one of the Marine Headquarters' Vice Admirals, known as the "Marine Chief of Staff," Tsuru!
At this moment, Tsuru and her direct unit were on this warship.
Marine soldiers were busily preparing for battle, while Tsuru herself spread out a strategic map of Alabasta on the deck, then lowered her head in thought, her brow furrowed.
"Something's not right..."
Tsuru murmured, "It's not quite right. If this is the case, the situation might be rather bad..."
Her adjutant, seeing this, looked a bit puzzled. "Vice Admiral, why do you say that?"
It was a natural question to ask.
From an outsider's perspective, the Marines were in an absolutely advantageous position in this affair.
Based on the current conclusions, the Four Seas Alliance—or more precisely, that person, Ryan Rowan, the "Golden Dawn"—absolutely had the capability to contend with the Beasts Pirates.
And from the Marines' standpoint, they certainly wished for the Four Seas Alliance, which was on friendly terms with the Marines, to win.
Therefore, the Marines only needed to provide support to the Four Seas Alliance at the appropriate time to decide the outcome of this war that had erupted around the Four Seas Alliance!
Was this simple... to be simple?
Of course, it was simple.
Because the "Golden Dawn," Ryan Rowan, behind the Four Seas Alliance, had provided the most crucial prerequisite for resolving this issue—
Someone who could directly confront Kaido of the Beasts with their own considerable strength.
That person was Ryan Rowan himself!
Only with such an ability could one plan for subsequent actions; otherwise, it was all just talk!
The vast majority of the Marines present thought this way. They felt that the war between the Four Seas Alliance and the Beasts Pirates was not an insurmountable problem, but merely a bit tricky.
However, Vice Admiral Tsuru's expression seemed to dismiss this idea.
"It's not good..."
Tsuru's expression was a little grim, and she turned to ask her adjutant, "Have any orders come from Marine Headquarters?"
"Reporting, no! Everything is as usual!"
the adjutant replied.
Such an answer should have been cause for happiness, yet Tsuru's brow remained furrowed, as if she did not wish for it to be so.
"Vice Admiral, isn't this good?"
The adjutant, unable to contain her curiosity, asked, "The war between the Four Seas Alliance and the Beasts Pirates was never that complicated. If everything proceeds as we discussed, shouldn't that be good?"
The majority of Tsuru's direct subordinates were female Marines, and Tsuru herself was approachable, so these soldiers were happy to discuss matters with her.
Hearing this, Tsuru mused for a moment, then chuckled lightly, "Is that so? Is 'everything as usual' truly 'good'?"
"Huh?"
Upon hearing this, the Marines present were stunned.
Then, Tsuru's smile gradually turned into a wry one, and she sighed, full of helplessness, "If it were truly possible, I really wish the World Government would suddenly order us not to interfere in this matter."
"What?!"
Upon hearing this, the Marines present could no longer hold back and began to buzz with discussion.
"What does Vice Admiral mean by this?"
"She wishes for the World Government to intervene and stop our Marines' actions?!"
"Why would the World Government do that!"
"No, no, putting aside why the World Government would do such a thing, if the World Government really did that, what good would it do for us Marines?"
"..."
A cacophony of voices erupted on the deck.
Tsuru, however, did not show any annoyance. In fact, she rather enjoyed the scene.
This aged Vice Admiral had always liked to foster her subordinates' ability to think for themselves.
As a Marine soldier, simply obeying orders from superiors without question was far from enough.
That was merely "one" trait of an excellent soldier.
A truly excellent Marine soldier must have their own beliefs and must embody their own concept of "justice."
Otherwise, such a casual Marine soldier would not be able to go far on the path of being a Marine.
Figuring that enough time had passed, Tsuru gave a light cough.
"Cough, cough..."
Instantly, the discussion on the deck ceased.
The Marines understood that their discussion time was over and that Vice Admiral Tsuru was about to reveal the real answer.
"The crux of the matter is that the World Government 'dislikes' the Beasts Pirates, and it also 'dislikes' the Four Seas Alliance."
"..."
Hearing this, the Marines exchanged glances.
They still couldn't quite grasp the exact meaning of Grandmother Tsuru's words.
Tsuru explained slowly:
"Both parties involved in the conflict are, in essence, at odds with the World Government."
"However, to maintain balance and stability on this sea, the World Government has no choice but to allow the continued existence of both the Beasts Pirates and the Four Seas Alliance."
"This delicate balance was hard-earned, and the World Government will never allow anyone to easily shatter it!"
"—Not even the Marines."
Tsuru gazed at the map before her, her eyes narrowing.
"The World Government knows very well that both the Four Seas Alliance and the Beasts Pirates are bound to clash."
"Therefore, to maintain the stability of all factions on the sea, doing nothing and waiting for both the Four Seas Alliance and the Beasts Pirates to suffer mutual losses is actually the best option!"
"This is also why Sengoku was so eager to have us depart."
"If the World Government truly intended to play the role of a bystander profiting from the conflict, then they would absolutely not permit the Marines to intervene."
"Because doing so would upset the balance of this war and, consequently, affect the stability of the entire sea!"
Tsuru glanced at the silent Den Den Mushi.
"But it's impossible to hide the fact that a Marine warship has set sail from the World Government."
"So I judged that the World Government should have issued an order soon, prohibiting the Marines from interfering in the war between the Four Seas Alliance and the Beasts Pirates."
"However... up until now, the World Government's order has still not been issued."
Tsuru looked up, her deep gaze sweeping over them, "Do you know what this means?"
"..."
The Marine soldiers remained silent.
It wasn't that they couldn't answer, but rather that they didn't want to, or rather, "dared not" speak the chilling answer!
But Tsuru dared.
"Because the World Government has judged that in this war, besides the Beasts Pirates and the Four Seas Alliance, there will be one or even multiple other forces intervening!"
"—And the power of those forces is not inferior to that of the Marines!"
...
At the same time.
The main ship of the Big Mom Pirates—the Queen Mama Chanter—arrived near Fish-Man Village!