PIRATES: I WORK IN NAVY FROM NINE TO FIVE

The vast Marine Headquarters fell into a deathly silence.

It felt as though every heart had been clenched by an invisible hand.

All eyes were fixed on Sengoku—yet even he seemed uncertain now, his confidence wavering.

At that moment, the tightly shut doors creaked open.

"Heh... What's wrong? Looks like your Marine Headquarters has hit a bit of a wall."

A figure stepped through the doorway.

Dressed in a white robe and wearing a mask, the man strode confidently into the war room.

Every Marine officer present felt their hearts jolt.

Under the immense pressure of preparing for war with two Emperors simultaneously, the Navy had already been pushed to its limit.

While they had sent repeated pleas to the World Government for reinforcements, the responses had been disappointing—lukewarm at best.

Had the World Government truly supported them, Sengoku wouldn't now be burning himself out over every tactical decision.

Sengoku's expression darkened.

"Mahā... What are you doing here?I doubt it's good news."

At those words, the tension in the room tightened like a drawn bowstring.

Only two or three days remained until the battle at Marineford.

The pressure of fighting two Emperors simultaneously was no longer just a challenge—it was bordering on the impossible.

Any crack in their defenses, and Marineford could fall.

If there was any leverage left within the World Government, now was the time to use it.

Mahā chuckled dryly and withdrew a scroll from his robe.

"Come now, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, don't say it like that.If outsiders heard you, they'd think the World Government was abandoning its Marines."

"Here—this is a tactical plan and support proposal from the Five Elders.Have a look."

"Tactical support…?" Sengoku narrowed his eyes, clearly caught off guard.

He had, in fact, been probing the Five Elders for weeks now. He had even personally gone to Marineford multiple times to seek help from Commander-in-Chief Kong, the supreme military authority over land, sea, and air.

If Kong—the former Fleet Admiral—were willing to lend his support, Sengoku believed the Marines might not only survive the battle, but actually win against one of the Emperors.

Unfortunately, the answer had always been the same:

A hard refusal from the Five Elders.

Their reasoning?

To avoid giving the Revolutionary Army any opening to assassinate the Celestial Dragons in Marineford.

That argument, unsurprisingly, was backed by the World Nobles and their allies.

Sengoku's appeal for reinforcements had died in committee. Even Kong had confessed he could not overturn the Elders' will.

Now, suddenly, this CP0 agent Mahā had appeared with a scroll from those same Five Elders?

A sense of unease immediately took root in Sengoku's heart.

But when he unfurled the scroll, his expression darkened instantly.

Garp and the others noticed his change in demeanor and leaned in to read it.

Their faces paled in unison.

"Split the battle into two fronts...Divide the pressure of facing two Emperors...Are the Five Elders out of their minds?!"

"Just fighting one of them is enough to force the entire Navy into full alert...Splitting our forces means we're practically asking to be crushed!"

Sengoku slammed the scroll down, fury flashing in his eyes.

The other admirals and vice admirals wore looks of shock and disbelief.

They had amassed 100,000 elite troops, along with the top brass of the Marines, just to deal with Whitebeard—the strongest man in the world.

Now, if the forces were split into two battlefields...

Who would face the other Emperor—Kaido of the Beasts?

No—

That second battlefield wouldn't even be a battle.

It would be a slaughter.

Suddenly, all eyes turned to Mahā.

There was a desperate urgency in their gaze.

They needed answers.

They needed a miracle.

But Mahā just chuckled.

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, you're overreacting."

"The Five Elders are simply making sure you don't fail so badly that the entire Marineforce becomes a laughingstock."

"If we split the battlefield, we can draw Whitebeard and Kaido to separate fronts.

That prevents them from combining their forces."

"Once combat begins, the priority will be to quickly defeat one side.

Then, the victorious troops can reinforce the other front."

"With both forces reunited, we might even catch the other Emperor off guard—

and annihilate them."

His calm tone, tinged with amusement, echoed through the silent hall.

But to the Marine officers...

It sounded like a death sentence.

Crack!

Sengoku's teacup shattered in his clenched hand.

As the Navy's famed strategist, he had naturally simulated this scenario before.

He had run the numbers.

He had war-gamed it repeatedly.

And every simulation ended in disaster.

He glared at Mahā.

"Easy for you to say.

If we split our forces, where is this second battlefield?

And how long will it take to win against Whitebeard?"

"You're hiding behind closed doors, giving no reinforcements—

And now you want me to divide our strength and face both Emperors?"

"Then go back and ask the Five Elders—Who exactly are they volunteering to die?!"

"If the World Government has no intention of getting their hands dirty—

Then they don't get to play commander either!"

The room shook with Sengoku's roar.

No one had expected him to strip the facade away so openly.

But his words rang true.

The execution site for Ace had already been designated: Marineford.

That meant the full might of Whitebeard's crew would be coming here.

The top generals—the Admirals, the Fleet Admiral—would all be needed at Marineford.

Which meant...

Who would face Kaido?

Who would hold the line against the other Emperor?

Even if the second battlefield's only job was to stall, that meant someone had to face Kaido and survive until reinforcements could arrive.

Could anyone guarantee that?

That second battlefield wasn't just dangerous.

It was a death trap.

Many Marines had prepared themselves for sacrifice...

But not for a suicidal farce.

Rather than be picked off one by one in separate battles...

Most of the officers had the same thought:

"We'd rather fight together on one front,

And die with honor."

The tension in the room surged to its peak.

Everyone stared at Mahā—

Hoping—desperately—that he had more than just bad news.