"Karp!" Sengoku shot him a sharp glare.
Fleet Admiral Kong also looked rather helpless as he glanced at the carefree Marine hero. Then his expression hardened as he spoke in a serious tone.
"Just moments ago, the intelligence department delivered urgent news. Nearly half of the Marines from West Blue Branch 143 have been completely wiped out. Among the dead… is the vice base commander."
"What?!"
The entire room stiffened instantly.
Every Marine officer present grew serious.
Even Garp, who usually laughed everything off, couldn't help but frown slightly.
"Branch 143 in the West Blue isn't weak. Who could've done something like this?" someone asked.
"The strongest pirate crew in the West Blue right now is the Twin Dragons Pirates. Could it be them?" another officer speculated.
"But that doesn't sound right… Even if the Twin Dragons Pirates are powerful, they shouldn't have the strength to wipe out an entire Marine force."
"Could it have been those mafia families?" another suggested.
"Impossible. The heads of those mafia families are too shrewd. They wouldn't dare provoke the Marines directly," someone immediately refuted.
The senior officers continued discussing the matter, exchanging guesses.
All of them found the news hard to believe.
After all, given the Marines' current dominance across the seas, it had been a long time since an entire Marine force had been wiped out.
And there was a fundamental difference between defeating a Marine unit and annihilating one.
If a force was merely defeated, it only meant the enemy was somewhat stronger.
But if a force was completely wiped out…
It meant the enemy's strength had overwhelmingly crushed them.
Perhaps such things occasionally happened in the Grand Line or the New World.
But in the West Blue?
That was enough to shock even the Marine high command.
"To wipe out an entire Marine force… how frightening."
Borsalino spoke lazily, wearing his usual slightly vulgar grin.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, could you tell us exactly which faction in the West Blue is responsible for this?"
Hearing that, everyone turned their attention toward Kong.
But instead of answering directly, Kong gestured toward his aide.
"Distribute the intelligence report."
"Yes, sir!"
The aide nodded and quickly handed out the stack of documents he had been holding to everyone present.
Each officer accepted the report with puzzled expressions.
Then they opened it and began reading.
Moments later—
The entire conference room erupted in shock.
Every Marine officer widened their eyes in disbelief.
"This… this can't be real!"
"Zephir Kingdom? The small country that rejected the World Government's invitation to join over a decade ago?"
"They wiped out the Gambino Family, one of the three great mafia families of the West Blue, overnight?!"
"And after that they immediately conquered the neighboring Kingdom of Ruse?"
"And what's this… a mysterious army supposedly composed entirely of Devil Fruit users?!"
"Their king—Zephir Arthur—can summon giant monsters immune to artillery fire and even kill Marine officers effortlessly?!"
"There's even a report claiming he single-handedly annihilated the entire Branch 143 Marine force?!"
Voices filled the meeting room.
The documents in their hands detailed every drastic change in Zephir Kingdom—from its founding until the recent upheaval sweeping the West Blue.
Every line was shocking.
A kingdom that had once stood on the brink of collapse had suddenly transformed and carried out a series of unbelievable feats.
Even the ever-calm Chief Staff Officer Tsuru, known for her composure, frowned slightly as she read.
After a moment, she finally spoke.
"The key figure behind Zephir Kingdom's transformation… is most likely this man—Zephir Arthur."
The room fell silent.
Everyone turned to look at her.
Tsuru calmly continued flipping through the report while explaining.
"Whether it was the destruction of the Gambino Family or the fall of the Kingdom of Ruse, Zephir Kingdom's sudden rise began when this man, Zephir Arthur, publicly appeared."
"According to the reports, both of those victories were largely due to that mysterious army."
"However…"
She paused slightly.
"I remain skeptical about the claim that the entire force consists of Devil Fruit users."
"Devil Fruits are rare even in the Grand Line and the New World, let alone the distant West Blue. Most people there have never even heard of them."
"Yet the soldiers in this army reportedly display abilities comparable to Logia Devil Fruits—fire, lightning, wind…"
"Are we to believe they are all Logia users?"
"I think it's more likely that this is a unique form of power."
She closed the report and slowly raised her head.
"This king, Zephir Arthur, appears to possess numerous unbelievable abilities."
"And this mysterious army…"
"Was secretly cultivated by him."
"If that's the case…"
"I have a bold hypothesis."
Even Fleet Admiral Kong focused on her words.
Tsuru continued calmly, though there was a trace of amazement in her eyes.
"Zephir Arthur may not be a Devil Fruit user at all."
"He might simply be someone who mastered a special power or technique long ago."
"At that time his abilities were still immature, so he hid his strength, remained unnoticed, and secretly accumulated power."
"He recruited people in secret and trained an elite force of his own."
"Only recently—when Zephir Kingdom faced destruction under the pressure of the Gambino Family—did he finally reveal his true strength."
"And with it… his ambition."
At that point Tsuru's expression turned grave.
"People like this are the most terrifying."
"They possess power, intelligence, and ambition."
"If given enough time…"
"This Zephir Arthur will become a truly frightening figure."
Her analysis made the atmosphere in the room suddenly heavy.
Many officers couldn't help but inhale sharply.
If Tsuru's reasoning was correct—
Then this man was extremely dangerous.
"As expected of the Marines' chief strategist."
Kong finally spoke again.
His expression was just as serious.
"Tsuru's analysis aligns closely with the intelligence department's conclusions."
"This Zephir Arthur is no ordinary individual."
"Whether in terms of strength or ambition—if we allow him to grow unchecked, he will eventually become a serious threat to the Marines and the World Government."
He scanned the room.
"Now then."
"If anyone has suggestions regarding the matter of Zephir Kingdom, speak freely."
With that—
A heated discussion erupted across the Marine conference room.
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