[RLOP] Chapter : 20 - Marineford's Plans

Seven Days Later

Grand Line — Marineford

An island fortress built around a crescent-shaped bay, its harbor lined with warships standing at the ready like steel guardians. Beyond the docks stretched a vast plaza capable of holding hundreds of thousands, and towering over it all was the Marines’ proud headquarters.

The massive building loomed high above, its main entrance crowned with bold characters spelling “Marine” gleaming brilliantly beneath the midday sun.

Even the lowly janitors sweeping its steps had begun to notice the change: new faces appeared every day. Not rookies, but Branch Commanders—seasoned officers, summoned from across the seas.

It was the kind of buildup that felt less like routine and more like the tense stillness before a storm.

Conference Room

A long, rectangular table filled the chamber. At its head sat the Fleet Admiral himself—Sengoku the Buddha, the famed tactician of the Marines.

“Take a look at the latest intelligence from the New World,” he ordered, voice heavy.

At his gesture, a stack of reports was handed down the line, distributed in strict order of rank.

First, the three Admirals:

Kizaru, “Borsalino”

Akainu, “Sakazuki”

Aokiji, “Kuzan”

Then the veterans:

Vice Admiral Garp the Hero

Vice Admiral Tsuru the Great Staff Officer

And even Zephyr, the former Admiral turned Chief Instructor.

The room carried the weight of history—giants of the Marines gathered in one place.

“Oh my, oh my… how terrifying~” Kizaru muttered in his drawling tone, barely skimming a few pages before leaning back lazily.

Normally, Sengoku, Sakazuki, or Zephyr would have snapped at him. None of them had patience for Borsalino’s attitude. But this time, no one bothered.

Their eyes were locked on the reports, brows furrowing deeper with every line. Page after page darkened their expressions. The mood in the room grew heavy, suffocating.

The few ordinary soldiers stationed along the walls to take notes were already trembling under the pressure.

And yet—there was one exception.

Crunch. Crunch.

The sound of steady chewing echoed through the silence.

“DAMN IT, Garp!” Sengoku finally exploded, slamming his palm against the table. “Why are you eating senbei in the middle of a strategy meeting?!”

“What’s the problem?” Garp replied casually, munching away. “Yelling won’t make me share.”

“You scoundrel!” Veins popped on Sengoku’s forehead. In a burst of irritation, he reached across and snatched the bag of crackers from Garp’s hand.

“Hey! That’s mine, give it back—”

“Yakamashi!!”

Before Garp could finish, Sengoku tilted his head back and upended the bag into his own mouth. Crunch crunch crunch!

He chewed loudly and furiously, then tossed the empty bag back across the table.

“Here. I’m done. You can have it back.”

The soldiers watching tried—and failed—to stifle their nervous gulps of laughter. The senior officers only sighed and looked away.

They were long accustomed to this ridiculous routine.

After a long silence.

It was Vice Admiral Tsuru, the “Great Staff Officer,” who finally spoke. Her calm, analytical tone cut through the heavy atmosphere.

“If it’s Kaido, then yes—this sort of reckless move fits his personality perfectly.”

She paused, eyes narrowing before she added, “But this isn’t a simple brawl. If his Three Disasters and the entire crew are mobilized, then we’re no longer talking about a fight… but a war.”

“Exactly.” Sengoku pressed his fingers against his temples, his voice tight with irritation. “But what I cannot understand is why Kaido would even choose to wage war against Whitebeard in the first place.”

He leaned back, frustration flashing across his face. “And even more baffling… why Whitebeard would actually accept.”

Whitebeard’s devotion to his crew was legendary—almost fatherly. If the two pirate crews clashed, Kaido might not care how many of his own were sacrificed… but Whitebeard most certainly would.

And the timing couldn’t be worse.

The seas were already precariously balanced. The remnants of Rocks’ era were reaching their twilight, and the Marine still hadn’t tracked down many of Roger’s former crew.

If Whitebeard and Kaido clashed, the New World would be set ablaze. Pirates, monsters, and every ambitious warlord would rise from the shadows, and innocent civilians would be the ones to suffer.

So what should the Marines do? Intervene? Or stand by and watch?

The vice admirals sitting at the back silently speculated as they glanced at Sengoku’s furrowed brow. In truth, they already knew the answer. The sea was too vast, their resources too stretched thin. Even maintaining order in the first half of the Grand Line drained them to exhaustion.

And in the New World… the banner of justice carried far less weight than the flag of a great pirate.

“This is an opportunity.”

Sakazuki finally broke the silence, his voice cold and decisive. “We should amass our forces in secret. Then, once their battle escalates, strike swiftly—kill both Whitebeard and Kaido in one blow!”

“!”

His words shocked the room into silence.

Though the title of “Four Emperors” had yet to be coined, the names resounded across the seas like thunder:

Edward Newgate—Whitebeard.
Kaido of the Hundred Beasts.
Charlotte Linlin—Big Mom.

Three titans who stood at the very peak of piracy.

Their might rivaled, if not surpassed, even the Marine Admirals. And now Sakazuki spoke of erasing two of them at once?

It was madness. Pure wishful thinking.

And even if they somehow succeeded, the New World was far from empty. Shiki, John, Wang Zhi, Silver Axe… ancient monsters, yes—but far from corpses. They would never sit idly by while the Marines made such a bold incursion.

If anything, they might even strike Marineford itself while its defenses were weakened. Pirates were unpredictable… and history had already given examples of their audacity.

“Sakazuki!” Zephyr’s booming voice cut through the chamber like a whip. His fist clenched, fury flashing in his eyes. “Have you forgotten everything I drilled into you!? Do you care nothing for the lives of Marine soldiers!?”

He slammed his palm against the table. “Do you understand how many would die in a war of this scale!?”

Almost every officer present—aside from Sengoku, Tsuru, and Garp—was once Zephyr’s student. His lectures carried weight, and their silent nods said it all: Zephyr-sensei is right.

But Sakazuki’s face remained hard, unflinching. His belief in “absolute justice” burned with fanaticism.

“This is a necessary sacrifice,” he said coldly. “As long as Whitebeard and Kaido are eliminated, it will be worth it. Justice cannot waver. Soldiers dying in the line of duty is the price of peace.”

He glared at Zephyr. “There is no war without casualties, Sensei. I think your years away from the battlefield have softened you.”

“You—!”

Kuzan, who had been dozing beneath his sleep mask, quietly tugged it lower and decided it was best to stay “asleep.”

The vice admirals quickly lowered their heads, pretending to study the documents in front of them.

Let them argue, they sighed inwardly. By the time they’re done, the war might already be over.

Just then, a soldier placed a new intelligence report onto the table.

【Confidential Report: The Beasts Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates are now clashing near the Edd War sea area!】

The Edd War?

A legendary battleground… about to erupt once more.