On the electric ship, everyone stared at Vir, who had once again appeared out of nowhere.
At this point, they were used to it.
Only Bonney rushed over in a hurry.
Vir brushed her off with a few casual words and went to his cabin to rest.
This trip had really worn him out.
Physical fatigue could be recovered thanks to sit-ups, but mental exhaustion? No way.
And that last Lightning Slash… it had practically drained him completely.
He was seriously fed up.
“Where’s my dad?”
“On the ship.”
“Which ship?”
“The ship on the sea!”
“…”
Seeing how utterly drained Vir looked, Bonney decided not to bother him further.
She’d have to wait until he recovered before asking again.
If she pissed him off, he really would beat her up.
Mentally exhausted, Vir lay on the bed and quickly fell asleep.
If no one woke him, he’d probably sleep the entire day.
…
…
Meanwhile, on the other side, after delivering Kuma to his destination, Kizaru immediately rushed back to Marineford.
He still had to report back to HQ.
After all, three Celestial Dragons had died.
That wasn’t something that could be easily swept under the rug.
His absence would be unacceptable.
At that moment in Marineford—
In the conference room.
Everyone sat up straight, faces grim.
No one spoke. No one moved.
Not even anyone smoking.
The air was suffocatingly heavy.
Even Garp was sitting properly for once, though his expression still showed he didn’t care much.
At the head of the table sat Sengoku, his face as dark as a burnt pot.
The only ones absent were the two Admirals, who hadn’t returned yet.
But today was different from the usual!
Today, there were also two special guests.
Which was why everyone had been here early, waiting for Akainu and Kizaru to return.
“When are those two useless Admirals of yours coming back?! We’ve been waiting forever! Can’t you make them hurry up?!”
One of the guests, a man with a bubble helmet on his head, shouted impatiently.
Sengoku forced a polite smile. “They’ll be here any minute—two more minutes at most. They’ll definitely give you a satisfactory explanation!”
“The one who took action will be handed over to you for punishment.”
That shut the guy up for now.
Beside him sat another figure who somewhat resembled a wild boar—with a W-shaped mustache that looked like tusks.
Indeed, this was one of the Five Elders: Saint Topman Warcury, Warrior God of Justice.
His shiny bald head gleamed under the light.
Leaning on a cane, his expression was sour.
“Sengoku, it better be like that. Otherwise, we’ll have no choice but to question the Marines’ competence!”
Hearing that, Sengoku reassured him quickly. “Don’t worry. With two Admirals dispatched, there’s no way those reckless brats could’ve gotten away.”
Just then—
*Creak*
The door to the meeting room opened.
Kizaru and Akainu walked in side by side.
Seeing them, Sengoku visibly relaxed.
Finally, they were back.
If they’d delayed any longer, he might’ve been nagged to death by these two old farts.
But when he noticed the tear in Kizaru’s uniform across his chest—and the visible wound on Akainu’s head—an ominous feeling immediately flooded his heart.
If it were just Akainu injured, Sengoku wouldn’t have batted an eye.
But now, even Kizaru was hurt?!
Just how intense was that battle?
Sure, it wasn’t life-threatening, but even light injuries on Kizaru were already a big deal!
What the hell happened out there?
Did they run into a Yonko crew?!
Sengoku didn’t think that was possible, but still—it shocked him.
Then again, after thinking it through, he calmed down.
Kizaru went all out. If that’s the case, nothing should’ve gone wrong.
But others in the room were just as stunned at the sight of Kizaru’s condition.
Garp looked absolutely dumbfounded.
Even Aokiji’s eyes widened slightly.
Sending the two of them together was already massive overkill.
And Kizaru still came back injured?
Kizaru hadn’t been hurt in years.
And looking at the two unfamiliar figures in front of him, Kizaru’s expression soured.
Damn it, losing the fight was already bad enough.
But of all times, it had to be right when the higher-ups were doing inspections.
This is a disaster.
Sengoku was still sitting there looking smug, thinking the situation was under control. But when he found out they hadn’t captured anyone…
Ugh.
This was going to be a mess.
—–
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