In the central plaza of the Kingdom of Ruse, the corpse of King Steve Gall still hung high above the square, bound with ropes and displayed for all to see.
Yet at this moment, the plaza was packed with people.
And not a single one of them was looking at the corpse.
Instead, every pair of eyes was fixed on the giant screen temporarily erected in the square.
Shock and disbelief were written across every face.
Because the screen was broadcasting live footage from the harbor.
From the moment the Marine fleet appeared… to the instant of its complete annihilation—every detail had been shown clearly.
For a moment, the entire plaza fell into absolute silence.
The only sound was the rapid breathing of the crowd.
Then, the silence exploded into chaos.
"This can't be real! The Marines actually lost?!"
"It's over… completely over! If even the Marines lost, who can save the Kingdom of Ruse now?!"
"One man… he wiped out the entire Marine force by himself! That's insane!"
"What kind of person is the King of Zephir?! How can he summon monsters like that?!"
The residents screamed in disbelief.
If the destruction of the Marine fleet shocked them—
Then the methods and power Arthur displayed filled them with something even deeper:
Fear.
And awe.
He could summon gigantic beasts immune to gunfire and capable of tearing warships apart.
He could casually wave his hand and kill a Marine colonel-level officer instantly.
Everything about him defied their understanding.
The anger they once felt toward the invasion of Zephir Kingdom had completely vanished.
All that remained was fear.
In sharp contrast to the terrified residents—
The Zephir Kingdom soldiers stationed around the plaza were staring at the screen with blazing eyes.
Their faces were filled with reverence.
Previously, Arthur had been a mysterious king in their hearts—someone capable of cultivating the terrifying Ninja Assassination Tactical Unit.
But now?
In their eyes—
He had become something close to a god.
The Marines.
For generations, that name represented a force far beyond the reach of Zephir Kingdom.
A power that could easily destroy them.
And yet—
Their king had single-handedly annihilated an entire Marine force.
At that moment, the soldiers' loyalty toward Arthur transformed into almost blind worship and absolute trust.
They believed wholeheartedly in what Arthur once said—
That Zephir Kingdom would become the strongest nation in the world.
And that day…
Was not far away.
Meanwhile, hidden among the crowd were intelligence agents from various factions.
After their initial shock, they quickly snapped back to their senses.
One after another, they pulled out Den Den Mushi and urgently transmitted the shocking news.
Like wildfire, the information spread across the entire West Blue.
For the first time—
The name Zephir Arthur entered the sight of every major power and elite figure in the sea.
A man who could summon terrifying beasts immune to gunfire.
A man capable of effortlessly killing Marine officers with mysterious powers.
Naturally, speculation erupted everywhere.
What kind of Devil Fruit had Arthur eaten?
Yes—Devil Fruit.
In the eyes of the world, Arthur was undoubtedly a Devil Fruit user.
After all, abilities this strange could only be explained by Devil Fruits.
But after the shock faded—
Every faction quickly focused on something far more serious.
The Zephir Kingdom, which was not affiliated with the World Government, had invaded and conquered the Kingdom of Ruse, a World Government member state.
And even wiped out the Marine forces sent to reinforce it.
So now the question was—
How would the Marines respond?
"Buru Buru Buru… Buru Buru Buru…"
At Marine Headquarters, Marineford, inside the intelligence processing center, the urgent ringing of a Den Den Mushi shattered the calm.
Nearby intelligence officers who had been chatting froze.
One of them quickly rushed forward and picked up the receiver.
"Hello! This is Marine Hea—"
Before he could finish speaking, an anxious voice erupted from the other side.
"This is Creda, base commander of Marine West Blue Branch 143! Marine serial number **! I have extremely critical intelligence that must be reported to the Fleet Admiral immediately!"
As Creda's urgent voice continued through the Den Den Mushi—
The atmosphere inside the intelligence center turned deadly serious.
After hanging up, the officer spun around and shouted to his colleagues:
"Immediately! Report this to the Fleet Admiral right now!"
Moments later—
A piercing alarm siren shattered the long-standing calm of Marine Headquarters.
The sound rang across the entire base like thunder.
Every Marine officer of Vice Admiral rank instantly looked up.
All work stopped.
Their eyes turned toward the headquarters building.
That alarm meant only one thing.
Emergency meeting.
After a brief moment of shock, the Marine high command moved quickly, heading toward headquarters.
Nearly an hour later.
Inside the spacious Marine conference hall, the top leadership had assembled.
They sat on both sides of the chamber.
On the left side, fifteen famous Vice Admirals were present—except for the Giant Vice Admirals who were absent for special reasons.
On the right side sat the elite core of the Marines:
The great strategist Tsuru,
The legendary hero Monkey D. Garp,
And the three Admiral candidates with Logia Devil Fruits—
Sakazuki,
Borsalino,
and Kuzan.
(Note: This timeline takes place ten years earlier, before the three Admirals officially took their positions.)
Heavy footsteps echoed through the hall.
Everyone turned their heads.
The current Fleet Admiral Kong strode into the room with a solemn expression.
Behind him followed an aide carrying documents—
And the Marine's one and only Admiral,
The "Buddha" Sengoku.
Under everyone's gaze, Kong walked straight to the head seat and sat down.
The aide stood beside him.
Sengoku took the first seat on the right.
Kong looked around the room and spoke in a deep voice:
"The meeting… begins now."
The atmosphere instantly grew heavy.
But the seriousness lasted only a moment—
Before a sudden burst of laughter broke the tension.
"Hahaha! Come on, Kong! Just tell us what happened!"
"Why make it sound so serious every time? Isn't that exhausting?"
Garp laughed loudly without the slightest restraint.
Everyone in the room twitched at the corners of their mouths and looked at him with helpless expressions.
◇ I'll be dropping one bonus chapters for every 10 reviews. comment
◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 100 Power Stones.
To Read Advance Chapters, Head over to my Patreon
patreon.com/AnimeVerseTL