Glancing at Borsalino who was slumped against the desk, Hound immediately took a step back, saluted him, and then turned decisively to issue an order.
"Two of you stay with Admiral Borsalino. If the coup fails, you know what to do!"
"LOYALTY!" The two soldiers who remained raised their hands in unison, their expressions fervent.
After watching Hound leave the office, the two soldiers immediately turned their attention to Borsalino, raising their guns to their own heads.
Seeing this, a flicker of surprise crossed Borsalino eyes. When he heard Hound say.
"If the coup fails, you know what to do" he had assumed the two soldiers would choose to go down fighting, taking him with them. But from their reaction, it was clear that wasn't the case.
"What are you—" Borsalino blinked, somewhat puzzled.
"Planning to commit suicide if the Coup fails?"
"Yes!" One of the soldiers lifted his head, his expression resolute.
"From the moment we chose to follow Vice Admiral Orion, we were prepared to die for him! If the Coup fails, we will not live in shame!"
Borsalino shook his head. "What has Orion done for you to inspire such fanatical loyalty?"
Hearing this, the other soldier stepped forward.
"Admiral Borsalino, I was once under your command. Two years ago, I followed your battleship to the New World to fight pirates! But I'm sure you don't remember me, or perhaps you never even knew I was there, as I was just a Warrant Officer at the time."
"However, Vice Admiral Orion not only knew my name but also saved me from despair when I was at my lowest!"
"Oh?" Borsalino looked up at the soldier, trying to recall any memory of him, but ultimately gave up. There was no trace of this soldier in his memory.
After a brief silence, he took a deep breath and, relying on his immense strength, managed to stand despite the effects of the Seastone handcuffs. He walked over to the office chair and sat down, saying calmly.
"Tell me, how did Orion save you from despair?"
The soldier stepped forward, his expression serious.
"I was born in the South Blue. Before joining the Navy, I was a soldier in the royal army of a country there. In that country, the greatest honor for a soldier was to protect the king in times of danger."
"But what would a soldier think if the king were injured while trying to save them?"
At this point, the soldier emotions suddenly became intense, his gaze burning as he stared at Borsalino.
"Two years ago, I followed your warship to the New World to eradicate pirates, alongside Lord Orion warship! The battle was brutal. We charged onto the pirate ship under heavy cannon fire and engaged in close combat with the pirates. I watched as my comrades fell one after another, either collapsing or being thrown into the sea by those damned pirates. To avenge my fallen brothers, I recklessly charged at the enemy captain."
"But I was too weak."
"The enemy didn't even acknowledge my presence. A single shockwave sent me flying into the sea."
"It was at that moment that you intervened. You used your Devil Fruit powers to defeat the pirate captain, and the pirate ship, unable to withstand the destruction of your abilities, disintegrated and sank into the sea."
"I was floating on the surface, helplessly watching the wreckage of the pirate ship fall toward me. I don't blame you, because death is always a part of war. As a soldier of justice in the Marine, I was always prepared to sacrifice my life for the cause."
"But just as I gave up and prepared to embrace death, Lord Orion warship approached. As the wreckage was about to crush me, they rescued me onto their ship, and Lord Orion personally tended to my wounds."
"From that moment on, justice no longer existed in my heart—only Lord Orion!"
"Wherever Lord Orion goes to capture pirates, I will follow without hesitation. If Lord Orion were to stand against the world, I would pledge my loyalty and life to him."
...
Inside the Headquarters Prison.
The piercing alarm continued to blare incessantly, accompanied by the constant sound of gunfire. Sakazuki expression turned exceptionally grim, his gaze fixed intently on Orion.
Even without looking, he knew that the navy soldiers and officers who had gathered in the square earlier were now taking swift and decisive measures to gain control of the headquarters.
"Orion, must you escalate things to this extent?" After a brief silence, Sakazuki slowly stood up and spoke in a deep voice.
"It's not too late to stop now. Otherwise, I'll have no choice but to eliminate you! Once you're gone, this rebellion will end!"
As soon as Sakazuki finished speaking, the Den Den Mushi in the arms of the commodore standing beside Orion suddenly rang.
"Buru Buru~" The familiar sound of the Den Den Mushi was particularly jarring in the prison. The commodore didn't dare delay and immediately answered.
"Go ahead!"
"This is Vice Admiral Hound!" The voice of Vice Admiral Hound came through the Den Den Mushi, sounding somewhat excited. "Please inform Lord Orion immediately—Admiral Borsalino has been subdued!"
HUH?
Hearing the news from the Den Den Mushi, Sakazuki looked up in shock, his eyes filled with disbelief.
In the entire Marine headquarters, Borsalino was his closest friend bar none. Because of this, no one understood Borsalino strength better than he did.
It was no exaggeration to say that unless both Sengoku and Garp sided with Orion, Borsalino alone could have put an end to this rebellion.
Yet, the message from the Den Den Mushi was that Borsalino had been subdued!!!
After a moment of stunned silence, Sakazuki sighed inwardly.
He couldn't believe that Borsalino had been subdued. The only explanation was that Borsalino, who adhered to the principle of ambiguous justice, had chosen to stand aside—his only brother had decided not to intervene.
At that moment, the Den Den Mushi that had just ended its call rang again. Before the commodore beside Orion could speak, the Den Den Mushis of the other officers present also began to ring one after another.
"Report, the armory has been secured!"
"Report, the seventh dormitory building has been secured!"
"Report, the science division has been secured!"
"Report, Vice Admiral Tokikake has been stopped by Vice Admiral Gion!"
"Report: All external Den Den Mushi communications are being monitored."
"Report: …"
One report after another caused Sakazuki expression to grow increasingly grim. He had never imagined that the rebellion would escalate so quickly. He was even more surprised that Gion, a candidate for admiral, had chosen to side with Orion and had even acted to stop Tokikake, another candidate for admiral.
Although there was no report yet about Fleet Admiral Sengoku, he knew deep down that if this rebellion wasn't stopped in time, an unprecedented bloodbath would ensue at the headquarters.
Not everyone in the headquarters was loyal to Orion.
At least half of the officers and soldiers would eventually step forward to prevent the rebellion from spreading further. By then, the stability of the navy headquarters would be completely shattered.
No matter who emerged victorious, the navy would suffer an unprecedented blow, potentially leading to its downfall and disrupting the balance and order of the entire world.
Most importantly, officers from many branch bases across the Grand Line and the Four Seas might be racing toward headquarters at full speed.
If these branch warships involved in the rebellion arrive and coordinate with the Rebelious soldiers at headquarters, even if Orion fails to secure the position of Fleet Admiral, he could still deal a devastating blow, reducing the Marine headquarters to a hollow shell.