With Orion casual remark "The roles of offense and defense will be reversed" the highly anticipated live broadcast came to an end.
Those who heard Orion words through the live broadcast or rebroadcast—whether they were members of the Revolutionary Army, major forces in the Grand Line, or those in the Holy Land Chamber of Power and the Flower Room—were all left scratching their heads.
The reason was simple.
Although the Age of Piracy had intensified and the number of pirates had increased, the Marines had always been the aggressors. Whenever pirates were spotted by the Marines, they would immediately give chase.
Most pirates dared not confront the Marines head-on, especially in the first half of the Grand Line, known as Paradise. Almost all pirates' first reaction upon seeing the Marines was not to engage in battle but to flee as far as possible.
This meant that the Marines were the ones on the offensive. Yet Orion spoke of reversing the roles of offense and defense.
Did this mean the Marines would now take a defensive stance, guarding their various branches and headquarters while allowing the pirates of the Grand Line to rampage unchecked?
...
Holy Land, Chamber of Power.
After the live broadcast ended, the Five Elders seated in the hall exchanged puzzled glances. The Warrior God of Finance, Nusjuro who held a katana, was the first to voice his confusion.
"What exactly did Orion mean by his final statement?"
The Justice God, Topman, pondered for a moment before waving his hand dismissively.
"Although I don't fully understand, it's certainly not what we think. Rather than speculating in confusion here, it's better to wait and see what he plans to do next. In any case, since Im-sama has chosen to let things unfold naturally, we should avoid interfering unless absolutely necessary. Provoking Orion anger is one thing, but if we upset Im-sama, you all know the consequences!"
After a brief pause, Topman suddenly shifted the topic, turning his head to look at the Agriculture God, Shepherd Ju Peter and the Environment God, Marcus Mars, with a hint of resignation.
"You two should prepare yourselves. Sengoku and Zephyr have already arrived at the Holy Land."
Hearing this, though there was a trace of reluctance in their eyes, the Agriculture God and the Environment God acted decisively, rising to their feet and leaving without hesitation.
After watching the two exit the Chamber of Power, Topman quickly turned his gaze back to their now-empty seats and muttered to himself.
"Former subordinates, now standing on equal footing with us. Nusjuro, Saturn, have you two figured out how to interact with them?"
....
Meanwhile.
At the World Government Headquarters, in the office of the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.
Kong, who had just finished watching the live broadcast alongside Sengoku, Zephyr, Garp, and Tsuru, let out a long sigh.
He then turned his attention to Sengoku and Zephyr, hesitating for a moment before reminding them.
"You two Elders, it's time to head to the Chamber of Power."
"No rush, no rush~"
Sengoku, who was holding a box of senbei in his arms, waved his hand dismissively.
"We're Elders now, what's the hurry? Let Topman and the others wait! Back when I was Fleet Admiral, they always made me wait whenever I wanted to meet them. Now that I'm on equal footing with them, it's their turn to experience the taste of waiting."
"Speaking of which—"
At this point, Sengoku tossed a piece of senbei into his mouth and turned to Zephyr with a grin.
"I owe my current glory at this age to you, Zephyr, for taking in such an outstanding student! With a student like that, what more could a teacher ask for? Haha..."
Although Zephyr didn't respond to Sengoku teasing, the expression on his face betrayed his inner thoughts.
Indeed, not just Sengoku, but he too had benefited from Orion rise. Of course, whether he became an Elder or not wasn't the main point.
What mattered was that he hadn't expected Orion, upon taking office, to resolve his long-standing grievance—not only capturing the pirates who had attacked the training ship but also publicly executing them.
Having fulfilled this wish, he had originally planned to continue serving as an instructor at Marine Headquarters, helping Orion cultivate more outstanding naval officers.
However, Orion had instead pushed him into the position of an Elder. He understood the intention behind Orion move. For the sake of his most accomplished student, how could he falter at this critical moment?
He had to stand as a banner for Orion in the Holy Land, preparing for greater plans.
"Hey, hey, don't ignore me!"
Seeing Sengoku smug expression, Garp who was sitting nearby with bandages still wrapped around his body, suddenly spoke up in frustration.
"Zephyr only taught Orion for a short time during the Elite training camp. After he left, I took care of him quite a bit. If you think about it, I'm practically his half-teacher. So, it should be Zephyr and I taking turns as Elders. How did Sengoku end up getting the advantage?"
Sengoku retorted sharply.
"Garp, if we're going to compare like that, both you and Zephyr should be ranked behind Tsuru! Right, Tsuru?"
As he spoke, Sengoku immediately turned his head to look at Vice Admiral Tsuru, who was sitting quietly beside Kong.
"Others might not know, but Garp, Zephyr, and I are well aware that you've been treating him like a grandson-in-law all these years."
"Right, right, I almost forgot about that!"
Garp chimed in, snatching a senbei from Sengoku arms as he curiously asked.
"Where's Kujaku? Still with the Swords? She can return to headquarters now. After all, the rumors about her and Orion have been circulating for years. Even though they're just rumors, we can always turn them into reality, right? Bwahahaha!"
"You two old rascals!"
Tsuru glared at them and scolded irritably. "Don't bring up things that are better left unsaid."
"That's enough—"
Kong, seated at the desk of the Fleet Admiral, looked at Tsuru, then at Sengoku and Garp, before finally fixing his gaze on Zephyr. With a serious expression, he said.
"So, one person rises to power, and everyone else gets to bask in the glory, huh? I'm the outsider now, am I?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the office fell silent and all four of them immediately turned their attention to Kong.
"Pfft, haha! Someone jealous!"
After a brief silence, Sengoku couldn't hold back and burst into laughter, grabbing the box of senbei as he shouted at Zephyr. "What are you waiting for, Zephyr? Quick, let's get out of here!"
As Zephyr and Sengoku left, the office fell silent once again.
Garp glanced at Kong, then at Tsuru and spoke with a grave expression.
"According to the intelligence I've gathered, Hanafuda has deep ties with Kaido. After publicly executing Whitebeard Jr, Orion beheaded him in front of the entire world, which is bound to spark a new war!"
"From what I can tell, Orion isn't just trying to establish his image as a ruthless fleet admiral through this broadcast. He's aiming to completely shatter the existing balance!"
Kong nodded in agreement. "His final words about the shift between offense and defense weren't directed at the pirate forces in the first half of the Grand Line, but at the Four Emperors of the New World!"
"Over the years, the Whitebeard Pirates have been expanding their territory, even incorporating the Ryugu Kingdom into their domain. Kaido, though he's been entrenched in Wano Country, has had a significant influence on many surrounding nations through his Beast Pirates. Charlotte Linlin Big Mom Pirates have expanded outward from Whole Cake Island, establishing dozens of islands and forming a kingdom! Even the Red-Haired Pirates, who recently became one of the Four Emperors, quickly secured their territory after arriving in the New World!"
"In contrast, the Marines, due to the continuous growth of the Four Emperors, have almost no control in the New World. Only the G-1 is still holding on."
Surprised that Kong also understood the implications of Orion final words, Tsuru stood up and said to Garp.
"Garp, don't think about retiring just yet. Orion will definitely need us old-timers in the coming days. Knowing him, he won't stay stationed at headquarters like Sengoku did. If he leads the fleet out to sea, headquarters can't afford to lose us!"
"Let's go, follow me back to headquarters."
Hearing this, Garp eyes widened.
"I just got here!"
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