One Piece: A Warlord's Path

Chapter 827: The Admiral Dispatched – Strike at the Golden Ring!

New World — Marine Headquarters (Formerly G-1 Base).

Click.

Inside his office, Sakazuki hung up the Den Den Mushi with a grim expression. He had just received a call from Vice Admiral Smoker of G-5, and the news was nothing short of shocking.

Punk Hazard, the very island where he and Kuzan had their decisive duel, actually housed a secret research facility backed by "Golden Ring" Aeridar and Donquixote Doflamingo.

The lead scientist of this facility was none other than Caesar Clown, a former member of the Marine Science Unit. Caesar had been expelled and branded with a 300-million-Berry bounty after his inhumane experiments came to light.

With the backing of Aeridar and Doflamingo, Caesar had been producing SAD, the essential raw material for Artificial Zoan Devil Fruits known as SMILEs. Worse yet, he had been kidnapping children for giantification experiments.

Furthermore, the newly appointed Warlord, Trafalgar Law, was also present at this base.

Most critically, these operations didn’t just involve Aeridar and Doflamingo; they touched upon two of the Yonko — Kaido of the Beasts and "Big Mom" Charlotte Linlin.

But what truly left Sakazuki incensed was the revelation regarding Vice Admiral Vergo, the G-5 Base Commander. Vergo was actually an officer of the Donquixote Family, a direct subordinate of Doflamingo.

This meant that "Demon Bamboo" Vergo, a man who had spent over fifteen years climbing the Marine ranks to become a Vice Admiral and base commander, was a deep-cover traitor. The children reported missing in "shipwrecks" had actually been abducted by him and delivered to Caesar as lab rats.

According to Smoker’s report, a massive battle had erupted on Punk Hazard. Following an intervention by Kuzan, the island was ultimately destroyed by "Thunder God" Enel, bringing the conflict to a violent end.

Sizzle—

A wisp of white smoke rose from the desk, followed by a thick cloud of black soot. Sakazuki’s arm had instinctively turned to magma, nearly incinerating his workstation. He quickly regained his composure, reverting his limb and dousing the smoldering wood.

"Vergo... what a disgrace. The Marines have completely lost face!" Sakazuki muttered, his face cold as stone. "Aeridar, Doflamingo, Caesar Clown, Artificial Devil Fruits, giantification..."

Tap. Tap. Tap. Tap.

"Dispatching an Admiral to keep a close watch on Aeridar and Doflamingo..." Sakazuki mused, his finger rhythmically tapping the desk.

Knock! Knock! Knock!

Suddenly, the office door was struck.

"Enter!" Sakazuki barked, his brow furrowed.

The door creaked open, and a green-haired Marine Lieutenant Commander wearing dark glasses stepped inside.

"Brannew, what is it?" Sakazuki asked in a low, gravelly voice.

"Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, a message just arrived from the World Government’s Cipher Pol branch," Brannew reported gravely. "They claim that while executing a high-priority mission, they were intercepted and decimated by subordinates led by ’Black Arm’ Zephyr. Only one CP0 agent survived with critical injuries."

"What?!"

Sakazuki stood up abruptly, his eyes narrowing sharply at Brannew. "Didn’t Intelligence report that Zephyr was still in Clifford?"

Gulp. Brannew swallowed hard as a suffocating pressure washed over him. He replied cautiously, "The Chris Investigation Bureau is highly capable. It’s possible they successfully fed our intelligence departments false information."

"Hmph. Dereliction of duty is dereliction of duty; I don’t care for excuses!" Sakazuki snorted coldly. "What are their intentions?"

"The Cipher Pol agency states that this was a task personally mandated by the Celestial Dragons. They are requesting Marine support to intercept Zephyr and assist in their operation," Brannew explained quickly.

"The Celestial Dragons..." Upon hearing they were behind the order, Sakazuki let out a sharp, displeased huff. "The Marines are not their lapdogs!"

Despite his words, Sakazuki fully intended to cooperate. This was a golden opportunity. If he could kill Zephyr, he could finally wipe away that particular stain on the Marines’ honor.

"Dispatch Fujitora’s fleet. Coordinate with Cipher Pol for intelligence!" Sakazuki commanded harshly. "Zephyr must be eliminated. Erase this shame from our history!"

...

In a certain stretch of the New World, a warship with a black wolf figurehead cut through the waves. At the top of the mainmast flew a flag featuring a skull over crossed blades with two golden rings.

"Captain, I didn’t expect you to come personally!" Jason stood on the deck, watching as Aeridar slowly descended from the sky.

"With a group of wounded men and an asset as important as Nico Robin, I didn’t want any accidents on the return trip," Aeridar replied, smiling as he noted Jason’s arm in a sling.

Nearby, Otto hung his head in dejection. "Captain, I’m sorry. I failed."

Aeridar raised a hand to pat Otto’s shoulder in comfort, but realizing the man’s three-meter height made it awkward, he settled for a reassuring pat on the arm. "It’s fine. This wasn’t a failure, at worst, it was a draw."

Aeridar then turned to inspect Enel. The lightning man’s chest was wrapped in white bandages, and a hint of fresh blood was seeping through.

Aeridar frowned in confusion. "What happened to you? And where is Cavendish?"

"I was caught off guard and taken by Roronoa Zoro’s blade," Enel explained in a low, slightly embarrassed tone. "But I gave him a taste of my lightning in return!"

After unleashing the Raigo that leveled Punk Hazard, Enel had felt a twinge of regret and hurried to find Jason and the others. During his search, he spotted a massive chunk of ice floating on the sea. Zoro, having narrowly escaped being swept into the depths, was lying there. Assuming the swordsman was spent, Enel approached to finish him off.

He hadn’t expected that once he stepped within five paces, a lethal flash of steel would erupt. The strike opened a gash across his chest; had he not instinctively recoiled, he likely would have been disemboweled.

Having failed to kill Enel in one strike, Zoro left himself open. Enel immediately retaliated with several lightning bolts, shattering the ice floe and sending Zoro into the sea. However, because Punk Hazard had just been destroyed, the magnetic fields were haywire and the seas were raging. Before Enel could land a finishing blow, a massive wave forced him to retreat.

"Punk Hazard’s destruction was too sudden. Cavendish was caught in the aftershock and was severely injured. If Otto hadn’t woken up in time to fish him out, he’d probably be at the bottom of the ocean by now!" Jason glared at Enel, his tone annoyed. "Even Monet of the Donquixote Family would have drowned if we hadn’t found her in time."

Enel looked slightly sheepish but offered no retort.

"Well, as long as everyone is alive," Aeridar laughed, choosing not to scold Enel.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!

Suddenly, the thunderous roar of cannons echoed from the distance.

From the crow’s nest atop the mainmast, the lookout’s voice rang out:

"Captain! Three ships spotted engaged in combat ahead! One of our merchant vessels is under attack by a pirate ship! The enemy is the Kid Pirates!!"