31. Garp Is Out
"What's up, Sengoku?" Garp asked casually while munching on senbei and sipping tea. When he glanced up, he noticed his old buddy Sengoku looking gloomy and serious.
Garp had been getting ready for a showdown with the Whitebeard Pirates in the coming days, given the recent developments.
Sengoku had been occupied with something for the past couple of days, and now his face looked even worse as if he was expecting a call from Whitebeard at any moment.
"There's trouble brewing over at Sabaody," Sengoku said with a troubled expression. "Just got a call from Sentomaru, but the connection was abruptly cut off."
"But wasn't Borsalino sent there?" Garp inquired, a bit puzzled.
"Seems like whatever's happening there is beyond what Kizaru and Sentomaru can handle alone. They've requested backup from headquarters," Sengoku replied in a hushed tone.
Normally, Sentomaru wouldn't reach out to him directly using that secret communication method unless the situation was dire.
"Maybe Borsalino got lost again? He tends to wander off," Garp chuckled.
"Garp," Sengoku shot him a stern look, the seriousness of the situation sinking in.
Moreover, if it were a minor issue, Sentomaru wouldn't have contacted them through such secretive means.
"What happened? Even Borsalino couldn't handle it?" Sengoku's expression turned gravely serious.
Under normal circumstances, they wouldn't be this tense. But now, any misstep from the Marines could be disastrous.
They were about to face the strongest man in the world, a legendary figure from ancient times.
With this in mind, Sengoku quickly called the intelligence department of Naval Headquarters, urging them to contact Sabaody directly for updates.
"Get me an immediate update on Admiral Borsalino's status," Sengoku ordered firmly.
Unfortunately, the defenders at Sabaody were largely unaware of Kizaru's situation. Everyone hadn't taken this recent incident at Sabaody seriously.
When the Admiral was dispatched, there was minimal resistance. Initially, the defensive force at Sabaody was weak, preparing for the upcoming war. Kizaru had arrived alone, without any Marine soldiers accompanying him. Headquarters had only connected him with Sentomaru.
Meanwhile, other Marine soldiers had fanned out across the edges of Sabaody Island, capturing fleeing pirates.
Due to various circumstances, communication between Kizaru and the Marine soldiers broke down.
The only Marine present on the battlefield was Sentomaru. However, he was preoccupied with his own battle against Rayleigh, while X Drake and Zoro were engaged in combat as well. This made it impossible for anyone to relay information.
Before arriving, no one could have anticipated that Sabaody Archipelago would host two formidable forces duking it out.
With Kizaru under Rayleigh's watchful eye, the Marines found themselves stretched thin. Even the pacifistas, once highly regarded, proved ineffective against the Straw Hat trio.
"Should I head over there, Sengoku?" Garp offered, rising from his seat with a laugh.
Sengoku glanced at Garp but remained silent. He wasn't keen on letting Garp join the fray just yet.
The situation on Sabaody was still unclear. With an Admiral out of contact, adding another potential wildcard like Garp could spell disaster for the Marines.
However, Sengoku still had faith in Kizaru's abilities. At most, he might be temporarily incapacitated. There was no need to rush into a decision before receiving updates from Sabaody's defenders.
Moreover, dealing with Garp meant dealing with his past actions, including his leniency towards Luffy and his history of letting criminals off the hook.
At the Sabaody Archipelago, a powerful shockwave swept through the area.
Dozens of Marine soldiers collapsed instantly, their eyes rolling back as they hit the ground.
"We've failed again," a Marine Rear Admiral grimaced as he surveyed the fallen soldiers before him.
Headquarters had urged them to gather information swiftly. However, the Admiral was at a loss regarding who they were up against, and a large portion of the area had become off-limits.
Suddenly, the overwhelming presence of Conqueror's Haki descended like a tidal wave.
The company hadn't even caught sight of the two opposing forces yet. They had only advanced to a certain point when they were completely overwhelmed.
Even at the Rear Admiral level, it was a struggle to maintain composure.
Sabaody had previously been under the supervision of a Vice Admiral, but they had been redeployed as the war approached, leaving the current embarrassing situation.
With no formidable defenders among the locals, they couldn't even approach the battlefield.
"We need to report the information we've gathered to headquarters immediately and request reinforcements," the Marine Rear Admiral declared decisively.
"Inform headquarters that there's a Grandmaster Conqueror's Haki user battling Admiral Kizaru. We need support right away."
"Yes, sir," the soldier holding the communication device swiftly relayed the message to headquarters, who then forwarded it to the Marshal's office.
"A Grandmaster Conqueror's Haki user?"
Upon receiving the information, Sengoku let out a sigh of relief, though he couldn't shake off a sense of puzzlement.
The relief stemmed from the fact that after the capture of Fire Fist Ace, the Whitebeard Pirates had vanished from Marine surveillance. Sengoku had feared that the Sabaody incident might have been a ploy orchestrated by the Whitebeard Pirates to lure them into a trap. If the Whitebeard Pirates were to quietly reappear at Sabaody, using Celestial Dragons as bait, they could potentially take down an Admiral. This dreadful possibility had only crossed Sengoku's mind after the call from Sentomaru's phone bug.
However, it seemed that wasn't the case after all. Whitebeard's distinct fighting style would have left Sabaody in a much different state if he had intervened.
"But who could possibly fight Kizaru, wielding Grandmaster Conqueror's Haki?" Sengoku pondered aloud.
"As expected of that man, huh?" Garp mused beside him. "There have been rumours that he lived in seclusion on Sabaody before. Seems like they weren't just rumours."
"You mean him?" Sengoku remembered.
"Who else but him?" Garp replied with a nostalgic glint in his eyes. He tossed a senbei into his mouth, chewing thoughtfully. "That man they call Drak King."
With a final gulp of senbei, Garp rose to his feet.
"Stop Kizaru. He's determined this time. Let me handle it, Sengoku," Garp said with a smile. "Time to catch up with old friends."
"Good luck, Garp," Sengoku said, realizing there was nothing more to add.
However, Garp had already slammed the door of the marshal's office shut, much like he did when he heard the news about Luffy back then.
"This guy," Sengoku muttered, feeling a headache coming on.
Despite his frustration, Sengoku still arranged for a warship for Garp. Given the circumstances, it might be for the best to let Garp go.
However, Sengoku couldn't predict what kind of impact Dark King Rayleigh's involvement would have on Kizaru and the tense situation at hand.
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