The Hunter becomes the Hunted

Marine Headquarters,

At the round table, Sengoku, Tsuru, Garp, Gion, and several other Marine officers sat comfortably in their seats as they enjoyed their meat and wine. Sengoku and Garp were untroubled, enjoying their retirement life.

"How's the retirement life, Garp-san? You seem to be happy!" Gion inquired.

"Bwahaha...I like this leisurely life of teaching the young brats. Sengoku, it seems I finally found peace, what about you?" Garp grinned as he showed off to his good friend Sengoku.

As for Sengoku, he didn't bother responding to Garp's jest as he simply enjoyed his herbal tea.

"You two fools, there's no such thing as peace in these treacherous seas. No matter what you do or where you hide, trouble has a way of finding you." Tsuru snorted sternly.

"Don't be like that Tsuru-chan, you have to learn to enjoy your life. Why don't you spend some time with your granddaughter?" Garp persuaded in a soft tone.

At that moment, Aokiji and Kizaru entered the room, their presence attracted everyone's attention and everyone was surprised by the sight of bandages and plasters adorning the Admirals.

"Kuzan-brat, What happened to you two?" Garp asked casually munching a donut. Not just him, everyone was curious why Aokiji and Kizaru were in such a state.

"When you're clashing with Yonko, a few scratches and bruises are to be expected, I suppose," Kuzan remarked nonchalantly.

"Entangling Kaido is no easy feet!" Kizaru sighed.

"Why were you two fighting Kaido? What exactly happened?" Sengoku inquired, his brow furrowing in puzzlement.

"Arara... So Blaize didn't tell you guys anything?" Kuzan chuckled softly before recounting their operation of taking down Big Mom.

"What? Blaize single-handedly took down the entire Big Mom Pirates, and Big Mom's whereabouts are unknown?" Sengoku exclaimed loudly in a disbelieving manner, startling his pet goat.

He continued with a reproach, "What is he thinking, doing something so reckless?"

They knew Blaize was overwhelmingly powerful but directly confronting and eradicating an entire Yonko Pirate crew seemed nothing short of madness to them.

"Hahaha... I must say, I admire that brat's bold way of doing things, unlike certain someone who likes to plan everything. But, he's indeed the right person to succeed you, Sengoku.

It seems like the coming days won't be so boring." Garp crackled, excited by Blazie's actions.

"Garp, don't take everything so lightly," Sengoku warned in a serious tone. "Do you know what kind of impact it would have on the world?"

"Whatever happens it has nothing to do with us, Sengoku. We are nothing but two retired guys enjoying our life." Garp grinned carefreely.

"You're right!" Sengoku returned to his relaxed demeanor, and began to feed his goat.

"Is Big Mom alive or dead?" Tsuru inquired.

"Alive," Kuzan confirmed. "At the last moment, she managed to escape into the Mirror World. Blaize didn't bother to go after her and let Admiral Fujitora handle the things!"

"Given Blaize's character, it's entirely possible he grew bored of their fight and allowed Big Mom to slip away," Gion mused aloud.

"It's possible," Everyone agreed.

--

The next day, the news of Big Mom's defeat spread like wildfire across the New World and Grand Line, sending shockwaves throughout the pirate world. The defeat of such a formidable figure struck fear into the hearts of even the most fearsome pirates.

"Big Mom Pirates were destroyed, and Big Mom's status is unknown?" Hearing the news, many were in disbelief but after countless confirmations, they found it was true:

Yonko Big Mom, had been defeated! And, the culprit is the Marines!

"The Marines are scary! But why the sudden move?" The Underworld people who had dealings with Big Mom didn't expect the Marines would take such a drastic step.

It was a silent and deadly one, where they succeeded in dethroning the Yonko.

"After that man became Fleet Admiral, the world seems to be in constant change,"

After reading the news of Big Mom's defeat, aspiring pirates across the seas realized that the waters had become even more unpredictable.

With a formidable figure like Blaize sitting in the Fleet Admiral position, some pirates even dropped the idea of venturing into the Grand Line.

--

Room of Authority, Mary Geoise,

Saint Jaygarcia Saturn put down the Den Den Mushi and looked at the fellow Elder planets before speaking slowly. 

"It's true. Big Mom is defeated whether she's alive is unknown. Kaido who came to her rescue was stopped by Kuzan and Borsalino."

"Damn..." Saint Nusjuro hit the samurai sword on the floor. "He disregards our authority without a care while he's becoming incredibly difficult to deal with!"

"Indeed," Saint Topman agreed, his voice tinged with unease. "Blaize's reckless actions have thrown the balance of power into disarray. We must do something as soon as possible..."

"But what can we do?" Saint Mars questioned. "Just as we were considering aligning with Big Mom and Kaido, he obliterated the Big Mom Pirates and indirectly warned Kaido!"

The other Elders exchanged glances, acknowledging the gravity of the situation.

"In addition to the troubles posed by Blaize, the Revolutionary army has recently become active and disrupted many of our operations across various regions," Suddenly, Saint Ju Peter chuckled before continuing,

"It feels as though we're trapped in a whirlpool"

"And at the heart of it all, it's Blaize. This sensation... it's all too familiar."

"Yes. Usually, it's us who hunt the beings who pose a threat to us. But now, it appears we've become the hunted." Saint Mars nodded.

Being alive for so many years and faced countless storms, how can't they understand what's happening? They played right into Blaize's game from the very beginning.

"It's time we should make our move. We can't afford any further delay," Saint Jaygarcia Saturn stated in a resolute tone. "Call the God's Knights and CP-0!"

"Both God's Knights and CP-0 set out last night after finding the movements of the Revolutionary army," A world Government soldier came in and reported.

"Why aren't we notified?" Saint Saturn asked.

"This– Saint Garling didn't say anything —" Hearing this, the Five Elders had a bad premonition.