Those words struck heavily against everyone's hearts.
The ward fell into a dead silence.
No matter their relationship with Garp—
Witnessing the decline of a veteran like this was deeply unsettling.
After speaking, Garp seemed to have exhausted all his strength.
He slowly closed his eyes and said nothing more.
Sengoku, Tsuru, and the others left the room with heavy hearts.
Out in the corridor, Sengoku rubbed his throbbing temples, having made up his mind.
Then he suddenly remembered something and turned to Kizaru.
"By the way, Borsalino—the batch of 'Seraphim' on Moden Island… were they destroyed by Leno as well?"
Kizaru thought for a moment and shook his head.
"We didn't see those Seraphim when we arrived."
"Maybe… they were destroyed by Leno afterward?"
Aside from destruction—
He couldn't think of any other possibility.
After all, Leno didn't seem like someone interested in battle weapons.
But just as he finished speaking—
Slap! Instant contradiction.
A commotion erupted in the distance.
Shouts of Marine soldiers—cries—bodies hitting the ground!
Immediately after—
Under the astonished gazes of Sengoku, Akainu, Kizaru, Tsuru, and Sentomaru—
Several tall figures appeared.
With black wings on their backs, silver-white hair—
Expressionless—
They broke through the guards and walked straight toward them.
Sengoku recognized them at a glance.
Weren't these the cutting-edge weapons developed by Vegapunk—
The Seraphim?!
Seeing them seemingly intact, he felt slightly relieved.
He spoke:
"You're alright? What happened on Moden Island—"
Faced with the Fleet Admiral's question—
The Seraphim didn't even blink.
Instead, they all turned in unison—
Toward Sentomaru.
In their authority hierarchy—
Leno held the highest command.
Followed by the Five Elders, Vegapunk—
And only then Sentomaru.
As for Sengoku?
He existed in their database—
But had no authority.
No authority—
No response.
Seeing the Seraphim completely ignore him and only acknowledge Sentomaru—
Sengoku's face darkened instantly, veins bulging at his temples.
Sentomaru wasn't stupid.
Feeling Sengoku's murderous gaze—
He quickly shouted at the Seraphim:
"Hey! You lot! This is Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
"You are to obey his orders as well! Understood?!"
With explicit authorization from Sentomaru—
The Seraphim finally responded.
Turning to Sengoku, they spoke in emotionless voices:
"Yes. Dr. Vegapunk activated us."
"Afterward, the base was invaded by 'Fallen One' Leno. We engaged in battle, but were defeated."
"In the end, only we escaped. S-Snake was captured by Leno."
"Leno!!!"
"Leno again!!!"
"That damn ghost that won't go away!!"
At the mere mention of his name—
Sengoku's fury reignited.
His fists clenched, wishing he could tear Leno apart right then and there!
"At least…" Sengoku forced himself to calm down internally.
"At least Kuzan's clone was completed long ago and has nearly recovered."
Otherwise—
If even Kuzan's recovery had been sabotaged by Leno—
The Marines' losses would have been catastrophic!
Speak of the devil—
A wave of chilling cold swept down the corridor.
Footsteps followed.
Everyone turned.
Kuzan had arrived.
Completely different from his usual lazy demeanor—
No eye mask, no indifference—
Now his gaze was colder.
His entire presence radiated an icy chill.
His expression was blank—
Like eternal frost.
There was even a faint trace of Akainu's "Absolute Justice" in him.
"Kuzan?" Sengoku looked at him, slightly surprised.
Kuzan stepped forward, giving a small nod.
Then went straight to the point.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the Big Mom Pirates have sent invitations to various forces in the New World—including us Marines—for a tea party."
He handed over an exquisitely crafted invitation.
"They invited the Marines too?"
Sengoku took it, frowning deeply.
"What is Charlotte Linlin planning this time?"
A headache was forming.
Leno hadn't been dealt with—
And now Big Mom was stirring trouble as well.
After a moment of thought—
Sengoku made his decision.
"Kuzan, since the invitation has arrived, you will represent the Marines and attend this tea party in Totto Land."
"Find out what Big Mom is planning. Focus on gathering intelligence—avoid conflict unless necessary."
"As for Leno…"
Sengoku's tone turned dark.
"We must locate him as soon as possible. According to Kizaru's report, Leno is even stronger now than he was at Amazon Lily."
"Either he was hiding his strength before—or he's grown at an absurd rate in a very short time."
"Either way—it's bad news for us."
Kuzan nodded expressionlessly.
"Understood. I'll attend the tea party—and keep an eye out for Leno."
Without another word—
He turned and left.
That very silence spoke volumes about his hatred for Leno.
After Kuzan departed—
Sengoku took a deep breath, suppressing his heavy thoughts.
He had more urgent matters to handle.
As Fleet Admiral—
He wasn't the true top authority.
There were still those above him.
Returning to his office—
He connected a secure Den Den Mushi to the Five Elders.
"Sengoku. Report," came a low voice.
Sengoku briefly summarized everything—
The fall of Moden Island, the loss of Garp's clone, the return of some Seraphim.
After a moment of silence—
The Five Elders erupted in fury.
"Useless! You couldn't even defend a secret base?!"
"Garp's clone was destroyed? What are the Marines even doing?!"
"Leno… this menace must be eliminated immediately!"
After the storm of reprimands—
They issued their orders.
"Immediately raise the bounties of Leno and his core crew members!"
"Let the world know the consequences of opposing the World Government!"
"And that woman with the Tremor-Tremor Fruit—Domino!"
"As well as the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock, who abandoned the Warlords and joined Leno!"
"All core members of Leno's crew—their bounties will be significantly increased!"
"Yes! I'll handle it immediately!" Sengoku responded.
Soon—
Under direct orders from the highest authority—
New bounty posters were distributed across the world.
At the top—
Was the flag of the Leno Pirates!
"Fallen One" Leno
Dead or Alive — 4,800,000,000 Berries
"Tremor Human" Domino
Dead or Alive — 1,660,000,000 Berries
"Pirate Empress" Boa Hancock
Dead or Alive — 1,590,000,000 Berries
"Devil Child" Nico Robin
Dead or Alive — 900,000,000 Berries
…
(All other crew members also received massive increases.)
Even Paddong had officially been recognized as a pet.
As these new bounty posters spread across the seas—
They caused a massive uproar!
"4.8 billion Berries?! That's a true Yonko-level bounty!"
"'Fallen One' Leno has officially become one of the Emperors of the Sea!"
"How long has it even been? His bounty skyrocketed again!"
"And his crew… they're all nearing a billion! They're monsters!"
"A new era… is really coming, isn't it?"
Yonko?
This was official recognition—from the Marines themselves!
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