One Piece: Marine Luffy, Garp regrets it

As for Smoothie's own thoughts regarding this arrangement, despite her status as one of the four Sweet Commanders and among the highest-ranking officers under Big Mom, her opinion was never solicited. Neither Kaido, King, nor Big Mom herself considered her feelings on the matter. She was simply another piece being moved across the board in this high-stakes game between Emperors.

King had his own private thoughts about the situation. "You think you can force my hand?" he mused darkly behind his mask. "Then I'll ensure you don't have an easy time either."

He had deliberately made the engagement arrangements directly with Big Mom, completely bypassing Smoothie herself—a minor rebellion against being used as a political pawn. If he couldn't escape this fate, he would at least assert what little control he could over the process.

To outside observers, the two pirate organizations appeared to be uniting harmoniously, with their respective top executives joining in marriage to cement their alliance. News outlets across the world speculated about the "golden boy and jade girl" combination, wondering how this union between the taciturn Lunarian and the formidable Sweet Commander would change the power dynamics of the New World.

However, before the public discourse could evolve beyond superficial gossip, the actions of the two Emperor crews completely disrupted the relatively stable situation in the New World. The pieces were moving into position for what promised to be a cataclysmic confrontation.

"Moshi moshi~ This is Kizaru speaking~"

Somewhere on the seas between Punk Hazard and Dressrosa, Admiral Borsalino, better known by his epithet "Kizaru," was patrolling the waters aboard his personal Marine battleship. Unlike many of his colleagues who remained perpetually vigilant, Kizaru had no responsibility to guard Dr. Vegapunk since his 'resignation' and was conducting routine surveillance with his customary lack of urgency.

The Admiral lounged lazily in his chair, feet propped on his desk as he carefully trimmed his fingernails with a small pair of clippers. His movements were languid, almost exaggeratedly casual, as he picked up the receiver of the Den Den Mushi and placed it carelessly on the desk beside him.

From his posture to his tone of voice, everything about Kizaru exuded an indolent disregard for protocol that would have infuriated many of his more disciplined colleagues.

In stark contrast to Kizaru's relaxed demeanor, the man on the other end of the transponder snail communicated with decisive urgency.

"Borsalino," the gravelly voice commanded, "prepare yourself immediately. The Beast Pirates and Big Mom Pirates have mobilized their forces. Rendezvous with Akainu at the designated coordinates—we will intercept and neutralize them together."

Kizaru's perpetual expression of mild surprise shifted to exaggerated disbelief. He paused his nail-trimming activity and stared at the Den Den Mushi as if it had suddenly started speaking in tongues.

"I must say, Fleet Admiral," he drawled, "this joke is in rather poor taste."

He slouched further in his chair, amusement tinging his voice. "Those two are among the most dangerous monsters on the seas. How do you propose Me and Sakazuki confront them successfully?"

Kizaru made a dismissive gesture with his hand, momentarily forgetting that Sengoku couldn't see him. "My suggestion is that we coordinate with multiple Marine branches. Join forces with Vice Admiral Gion, Vice Admiral Luffy, and other high-ranking officers from neighboring bases."

His voice turned slightly more serious, though still maintaining its characteristic drawl. "That approach might give us a marginally improved chance of victory, wouldn't you agree?"

There was sound logic in Kizaru's assessment. Even as Admirals—the Marine's ultimate fighting force—engaging two Emperors simultaneously in direct combat would be extraordinarily dangerous. Given that three formidable allied forces were stationed at the G-66 branch nearby, it seemed unnecessarily reckless to confront two of the Four Emperors on the open sea without additional support.

After listening to Kizaru's suggestion, Sengoku fell silent for several moments. The Yellow Monkey initially assumed this meant the Fleet Admiral was reconsidering the strategy and would likely agree to a more conservative approach.

Instead, Sengoku's voice came back over the Den Den Mushi, lower and more intense than before.

"No. We cannot allow the battlefield to be set at Onigashima or Wano Country," he stated with absolute finality. "The G-66 branch has 10,000 new recruits still in training, plus the strategic seastone factory under its jurisdiction. If we permit the enemy to reach those locations, we will suffer catastrophic losses."

His voice hardened further, the transponder snail's expression mirroring Sengoku face. "We must intercept and engage the enemy while they're still at sea, keeping them well away from our island facilities!"

After a brief pause, he added: "I've already notified Vice Admiral Gion and Vice Admiral Luffy. They concur with my assessment and are currently mobilizing their forces to provide support when needed."

The Den Den Mushi's eyes narrowed, perfectly capturing Sengoku thinking face. "Borsalino, this is not the time for your typical reluctance. We must capitalize on their decision to attack us preemptively—a circumstance where the World Government cannot interfere with our response. This is our opportunity to inflict devastating damage on both Emperor crews."

Sengoku voice dropped to an almost eager . "If fortune favors us, we might even annihilate them completely while they're exposed on the open sea!"

Listening Fleet Admiral zealous declaration, Kizaru's eyebrows furrowed into a "川" shape, his usual expression of mild concern.

"My, my, aren't we being to ambitious," he thought to himself while suppressing a sigh. "We're talking about two of the Four Emperors with a combined force of 60,000 to 70,000 pirates under their command. If we genuinely intend to capture them all in one operation, we'll need more than just the resources of a few nearby branches."

Despite his internal complaints, Kizaru recognized that Sengoku had already set the plans in motion. As Fleet Admiral, His word was essentially law within the Marines. What point was there in further argument? He would simply follow orders as required.

"But," Kizaru mused with a hint of his usual languid amusement, "since Sakazuki himself will be taking the lead in this engagement, perhaps I can get away with exerting minimal effort as usual."

Just as Sengoku had indicated, the G-66 branch under Vice Admiral Luffy's command had already begun mobilization. Setting aside the 10,000 new recruits who hadn't completed their training, Luffy personally selected 1,500 of his most experienced veterans from the original garrison of 3,000 soldiers.

These elite troops were preparing to embark immediately aboard the Stormbreaker, ready to provide critical support on the battlefield.

Simultaneously, Luffy participated in the video conference initiated by Fleet Admiral through a network of connected Den Den Mushi. The gathering represented an unprecedented assembly of Marine leadership from across the New World.

In addition to Luffy himself, the conference included Admiral Akainu, Admiral Kizaru, his grandfather—Hero of the Marines Vice Admiral Monkey D. Garp, who commanded the G-2 branch. Also present were Vice Admiral Momonga, commander of the G-1 branch; Vice Admiral Strawberry, Vice Admiral Dalmatian, commander of the G-14 branch; and several other high-ranking officers.

The meeting was chaired by Fleet Admiral Sengoku. The assembled personnel discussed with military precision their rendezvous points, the distribution and formation of their warships, and various tactical considerations for the coming battle.

All participants projected an air of readiness for the imminent confrontation with the combined forces of Kaido and Big Mom. Unlike previous skirmishes with Emperor crews, this situation demanded an all-out response from the Marines.

The suddenness of the impending conflict—apparently initiated by Kaido and Big Mom without provocation—had created an unusual political circumstance. For once, the World Government had issued no orders for the Marines to exercise restraint in their response.

While the Five Elders typically preferred to maintain a delicate balance of power in the world, they recognized that they couldn't reasonably restrain the Marines in this instance. If the Marine suffered humiliation at the hands of two Emperors without mounting a significant counteroffensive, it would severely undermine the credibility of both the Marines and the World Government they represented.

Therefore, the Five Elders had opted for deliberate non-interference, allowing Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and the other senior officers to respond as they deemed appropriate. For once, the Marines would be unleashed to exercise their full military might against the Emperor crews without political constraints.