In Sengoku's home, the blaring of sudden alarms echoed across the compound. The three Marine Headquarters veterans, who had only just sat down, leapt up before even sipping their tea and rushed into the courtyard.
"That is..."
Garp looked up to the roof of the Marine Headquarters building. When he spotted several oddly dressed figures onit, his pupils involuntarily contracted.
"The God's Knights!"
Sengoku's face was filled with confusion, and he cursed in frustration, "Why is the teleportation array of the God's Knights appearing on the rooftop of our headquarters? Was it summoned by an undercover agent, or had they marked the building long ago, after its construction?"
Zephyr remained relatively calm. He silently stared at the figures on the rooftop.
"Garp, do you recognize them?"
"They are part of the God's Knights who took part in the God Valley Incident more than thirty years ago."
Garp nodded and added, "To be precise, except for that young woman among them, all the others were there."
…
On the rooftop of Marine Headquarters.
The first to step out from the teleportation array was a strikingly young woman with dual-colored eyes and long legs.
She wore a newsboy cap with goggles on it, a cape over her shoulders, and a double-breasted jacket with sleeves unusually long. But below, she had on nothing but bikini-like ultra-short shorts, completely revealing her long legs, which were accentuated by knee-high cylindrical boots. Her look was both gallant and disturbingly provocative.
Her name was Gunko.
A member of the God's Knights and user of the Arrow-Arrow Fruit.
As Gunko stepped out of the teleportation array, her mouth still wrapped in bandages, the flames within the portal surged again. Invisible pressure rippled outward, distorting even the air itself, creating a ghostly and uncanny atmosphere.
Immediately after, several more figures emerged from the array.
The next was a masked man bearing the number 46 on his mask, holding a rapier. His face was completely hidden, making it impossible to discern his identity.
Following him were a sultry long-haired woman in a navel-baring outfit and a calm-faced girl with short hair.
Once those three exited, the teleportation array cloaked in fire and clouds vanished without a trace, leaving behind two men with eccentric appearances. They stood alert, scanning their surroundings.
One of them carried a long-handled scythe on his shoulder and wore a skull mask. Though he hadn't moved an inch, a suffocating aura of death radiated from him, similar to the arrival of a Grim Reaper.
Beside him stood a hooded man, carrying a long spear on his back.
As Gunko led the six of them onto the rooftop, Marine soldiers quickly surrounded the building, drawn in by the blaring alarms.
Then, in a flash of light, someone appeared infront of them. It was none other than Borsalino.
Before the six Knights could even react, Sakazuki and Kuzan stepped out, side by side from the rooftop entrance.
"The three Admirals of Marine Headquarters!"
Seeing the trio arrive one after another, Gunko didn't hesitate for even a moment. She was the first to speak.
"It seems none of you were affected by the mutiny. In that case, may I assume that all three of you participated in last night's unprecedented coup within Marine history?"
Upon hearing this, Borsalino glanced lazily around at the uninvited guests, then said slowly, "The God's Knights, huh? That's terrifying... you actually used a teleportation array to barge straight into Marine Headquarters."
"Borsalino, don't misunderstand~"
Before Gunko could respond, the long-haired woman beside her stepped forward.
"We are not here to hold anyone accountable. We've come on behalf of the Holy Land... to negotiate with Vice Admiral Elio."
At her words, Borsalino and Sakazuki exchanged a knowing glance.
Though they had anticipated this outcome, they hadn't expected the ones sent for negotiations to be members of the God's Knights.
As Marine Admirals, they were well aware not only of the God's Knights but also of their role to protect the Celestial Dragons residing in the Holy Land and to maintain their order.
The God's Knights rarely left the Holy Land unless the matter directly concerned the Celestial Dragons. A mutiny at Marine Headquarters, serious as it was, shouldn't have warranted their appearance unless the Five Elders felt deeply threatened.
Yet here they were, six of them, arriving unannounced via teleportation without any official stance from the Five Elders. It was hard to gauge what exactly was going on in the Holy Land, or what stance they truly intended to take.
"Bring Elio to us!"
At that moment, Gunko stepped forward to stand beside the long-haired woman, her expression cold.
"If he wants to firmly claim the seat of Fleet Admiral, then he'd best not keep us waiting."
"What an arrogant tone."
Just as she finished speaking, a cold voice suddenly rang out.
Two figures appeared at the rooftop exit. It was Elio and Gion.
Elio walked out with unwavering steps, heading straight for the three Admirals. Then, he raised his head to meet Gunko's eyes and said in a deep voice,
"Miss Gunko, you have no right to negotiate with me. Because what I want... is beyond anything you can offer."
"You... you know me?"
Gunko's pupils contracted sharply, staring at Elio without blinking.
The public rarely saw the God's Knights. Even within the Holy Land, few knew how many members there were. Many among them were either Celestial Dragons or powerful figures recruited from across the sea, who, after joining, typically abandoned their past identities.
Gunko had only recently joined the God's Knights. Aside from a handful of members, even the Five Elders were unaware of her current affiliation.
And yet, Elio, who had seized control of the Marines in a swift coup, had only joined the Marines six years ago and looked even younger than her. Under such circumstances, it should've been impossible for him to know her name.
Elio didn't answer her question. His sharp gaze swept across the other God's Knights present, and his voice turned calm and cold.
"If I'm not mistaken, the rest of you were all part of the God Valley Incident thirty years ago."
"It seems things haven't gone well for you since. To think that veterans of the God's Knights are now following a mere girl... how pathetic."
"You've lingered in the God's Knights for decades without rising in prominence. Why not abandon that sinking ship and pledge your loyalty to me? I can offer you a far brighter future."