The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

This "independence," this subtly separated stance, is like a silent declaration, clearly revealing everything.

Shiki the Golden Lion, a legend from an old era, lives on the land of G-10.

Ultimately, he was just an "outsider," a "collaborator."

It could even be a "potential problem".

He did not belong to this close-knit and powerful group; his position was ambiguous; and his ambition never died.

Gern's calm gaze swept across the entire arena, finally settling on the Golden Lion, a subtle, enigmatic smile playing on his lips.

"Come down, Shiki."

“I specifically called them back. From now on, we’re all family. We know each other well.”

Gern's friendly invitation, however, was nothing short of a death warrant to the Golden Lion!

His gaze first swept quickly across the faces below.

'Devil' Douglas Barrett, 'Hawkeye' Mihawk, 'God' Enel

'Tyrant' Bartholomew Kuma, 'White Rabbit' Ribo, 'Snake Princess' Toritoma, and 'Golden' Tesoro...

Holy crap, with this lineup, if they all attack together, I'm doomed!

The Golden Lion's heart pounded with tension, and cold sweat almost soaked his back.

This scene was clearly very ordinary, but he wasn't sure, he wasn't sure what it was...

[A family? Getting to know each other better?] Or [A trap! A trial!]

Of course, if he has a clear conscience and if he genuinely wants to join Gern's ranks...

So at this moment, he should have landed without hesitation and faced everything calmly.

But... he hesitated!

His momentary hesitation, stemming from his personality, made him, subconsciously, the most obvious informant.

This exposes the ambition and scheming that he had hidden deep inside and that had never truly died out!

He feared that Guern had already seen through his disguise and that this so-called "familiarity" was a carefully planned ambush!

He feared that if he fell, he would not be welcomed, but rather suppressed and killed!

"You little brat from the navy, are you trying to... kill me?!"

A fierce wind howled through the air, whipping the golden lion's mane.

Below, all the members of the "Catastrophe" group had their eyes on him, and the silent pressure almost crushed him from the air.

He was suspended there, caught in a dilemma.

Landing might be a dead end.

Refusing to lower the price is tantamount to tearing off the mask of civility, and the consequences are equally unpredictable.

However, Gern maintained his waving gesture, his smile unwavering.

"General Gern, the Golden Lion has..." Tesoro came to Gern's side, lowered his head, and lowered his voice.

But he was interrupted calmly by Guern as soon as he began to speak.

"I know."

Gern's voice wasn't loud, but it silenced Tesoro instantly.

"General Gern?" Tesoro was somewhat taken aback.

Gern still wore that gentle smile, his gaze fixed on the hesitant golden lion in the sky, as if admiring an interesting exhibit.

“Heh.” Gern chuckled. “A simple test… and you found out, Golden Lion.”

He didn't move his gaze and continued speaking in a voice only the two of them could hear.

"The struggle for the position of admiral within the navy is already brewing, with Sakazuki and Kuzan... each of them has their own backers and driving forces behind them."

The World Government is happy to see them fight amongst themselves, weakening each other, because only when one side suffers a loss can their intervention provide crucial support and help them regain the power that the Navy had taken back.

"Therefore, I need the Golden Lion... I need his uncontrollable power, enough to shake up the whole situation."

"But we also need a... 'opportunity'."

Gern's gaze remained fixed on the golden lion, but a sudden glint of murderous intent flashed in his eyes.

“Tesoro, the World Government won’t let me sit in that position… So tell me, what if…” Gern’s voice lowered even further.

"I personally 'ended' a 'legend,' bringing the era of Roger, Whitebeard, and Shiki, the 'legendary trio,' to a complete and clean end."

Using the hegemon of the old era as a sacrifice to usher in the new era... Is this 'merit' and 'deterrence' enough?

Or, if Marineford is gone, do they still have a choice?

Facing favorable timing, location, and popular support, and with my reputation at its peak...

Will they... still give him the position of marshal?

The power to appoint marshals should never have been in their hands in the first place!

“General Gern, you…” Tesoro gasped, his heart pounding.

He dared not guess any further, for he knew all too well that the man before him would never do anything without certainty.

Behind every seemingly crazy idea of ​​his lies a well-thought-out plan.

After a brief moment of shock, Tesoro chuckled softly and bowed slightly.

"So...in the future, only one of G-10 and Marineford can exist..."

“Gern… Marshal.”

"There's no way around it, time won't stop, and the 'opportunity' should have come by now!"

...........

August, 1520 (Sea Calendar), First half of the Grand Line, Banaro Island

Betrayal and pursuit came to an end here.

Former Whitebeard Pirates member, 'Blackbeard' Marshall D. Teach, has officially defeated 'Fire Fist' Portgas D. Ace, the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, who came to arrest him!

That same month, Blackbeard Teach bypassed the Navy's channels and contacted World Government agents directly, reaching a secret deal.

He offered the World Government a secret about Ace's true identity, which he had overheard during his time with the Whitebeard Pirates.

With this "pledge of allegiance" and the strength he demonstrated in defeating Ace, Teach successfully bypassed the Navy.

He was directly awarded the title of "Shichibukai" by the World Government!

Meanwhile, Ace, who had been captured, was not imprisoned in a naval prison, but was escorted by agents directly under the World Government.

They were secretly sent to the lowest level of Impel Down, the world's largest prison, a place with impenetrable walls.

(Incidentally, Impel Down, the underwater prison, is an independent entity from the Navy.)

Along with the "Naval Headquarters" and "Enies Lobby," it is one of the three major directly subordinate agencies of the World Government, possessing an independent management and operational system.

Chapter 443 The Angry Warring States Period

Naval Headquarters, Marineford, Admiral's Office.

Sengoku sat behind a large desk, clutching a encrypted document he had just received from the World Government.

His face was gloomy, and his chest rose and fell slightly, as if he was trying his best to suppress his anger.

The contents of the document chilled him to the bone.

Portgas D. Ace has been imprisoned in Impel Down for a full week!

The World Government only notified him now, and not in a consultative manner, but rather in an almost command-like manner.

[Ace will be publicly executed, and the executioner must be a Marine!]

In particular, the reasons given above were written in a grand and dignified manner, making it difficult for the Warring States period to find a strong counter-argument.

Because on the document, the section for Ace's identity no longer listed him as the adopted grandson of the naval hero Garp, but instead glaringly stated...

"Gol D. Ace, the only bloodline of Gol D. Roger, the Pirate King."

Executing the bloodline of the Pirate King, carried out by the Navy in front of the whole world, certainly sounds "legitimate" and is enough to intimidate the seas.

but......

What this meant was clear to everyone in the Warring States period!

Ace was the second division commander of Whitebeard's army. As Roger's son, he had explosive talent and possessed all three types of Haki.

Marco, the current captain of the First Division, is not suitable to be the leader of the Whitebeard Pirates.

Therefore, it is obvious that Whitebeard has realized that he is getting old.

Therefore, there was a deliberate intention to groom Ace to take over the Whitebeard Pirates, with Marco, as the regent and elder statesman, to help with the transition period.

(This is just the author's own imagination during the Warring States period, and it's certainly possible.)

But now, the World Government is putting the Navy in a very difficult position!

The goal is to make the Navy directly face the wrath of "the world's strongest man," Whitebeard Edward Newgate!

That's how it is.

The CP0 agent standing in front of the table, responsible for passing documents, was wearing a white mask.

Although his expression was obscured, his tone carried the arrogance characteristic of an agency directly under the World Government.

"Therefore, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the World Government hopes that the Navy will complete the setup of the execution grounds and troop deployment as soon as possible to ensure..."

"I'll protect your mother's head!!!"

Before the agent could finish speaking, Sengoku suddenly stood up, grabbed the heavy jade paperweight used to suppress documents from the desk, and slammed it hard at the CP0 agent!

A muffled thud!

The agent seemed not to have expected the Warring States to make a sudden move, or perhaps he dared not dodge, or perhaps he could not dodge, so he took the blow with his forehead!

The edge of the mask shattered instantly, and blood immediately gushed from his forehead, staining the white mask fragments red.

"What a blatant act of acting first and reporting later!!!" Sengoku's chest heaved violently as he pointed at the agent's nose and cursed.

"They arrested him and detained him for a week before telling me!"

Sending the Navy to face Whitebeard now?! That's one of the Four Emperors! The entire Whitebeard Pirates!

Is the execution taking place publicly in Marineford? This is total war!

Do you idiots in the World Government think this is child's play?!

At this point, Zhan Guo seemed to realize something, and suddenly slammed his hand on the table, causing the solid wood desk to...

"No! Tell me! Is it because I, the marshal, am not agreeing today?"

"Your world government is planning to just leak this information to that troublemaker Morgans?!"

"Huh?! Is that right! Answer me!"

Clutching his bleeding forehead, the CP0 agent's body trembled slightly and his teeth were clenched through his shattered mask.

"In short, that's how it is."

He looked up, meeting Zhan Guo's gaze. He swallowed hard, his saliva tasting of rust, and forced himself to maintain a semblance of dignity, speaking in a dry voice.

"My orders have been delivered."

"Get out." Sengoku didn't say another word, only uttering a cold command through gritted teeth.

The next second, a concentrated, almost tangible Conqueror's Haki pressed down precisely and fiercely on the CP0 agent!

"Ugh..." The agent groaned, feeling as if a mountain was pressing down on his soul, making it difficult to breathe and his legs went weak.

So he dared not linger any longer, and, enduring the humiliation and dizziness, staggered and almost crawled away from the marshal's office.

The door was slammed shut.

Only Zhan Guo remained in the office. He slowly sat back down in his chair, staring at the document that would determine the fate of countless people. He didn't know how much time had passed.

The silence was broken when the office door was gently pushed open once more.