Looking at the document placed before him, Sengoku hesitated, on the verge of speaking but ultimately choosing to compromise. He picked up the pen and quickly signed his name on the document.
Once Sengoku had signed, Hound, who had been standing nearby, immediately stepped forward, took the document, and handed it to the adjutant beside him, saying decisively.
"Send this document to all branches and fortresses immediately!"
"Yes, sir!" The adjutant didn't dare delay. He took the document with both hands and quickly ran out of the conference hall.
Hound didn't step back. Instead, he held a Den Den Mushi (broadcast snail) and stood in front of Sengoku, bowing slightly.
"Marshal Sengoku, you'll need to make a broadcast next, ordering all officers and soldiers who haven't given up resistance to gather at Marineford Square within ten minutes. Also, announce that Orion will temporarily assume the role of Marshal."
Hearing this, Sengoku no longer hesitated. He took the Den Den Mushi firmly. After a brief silence, Sengoku took a deep breath and began speaking in a calm, measured tone.
"This is Sengoku. All officers and soldiers who hear this broadcast, please cease fighting immediately, lay down your weapons, and proceed to Marineford Square. This farce must come to an end."
As Sengoku's voice echoed through the Den Den Mushi, loudspeakers placed throughout Marineford amplified his words, carrying them to every corner.
In the female officers' dormitory at Marineford, Lieutenant Hina and a group of female officers stood straight upon hearing Sengoku voice from the broadcast, all turning their gazes toward the headquarters building.
"Lieutenant Hina, it's Marshall Sengoku voice!"
"Great, the rebellion is over!"
"Did we win?"
Hearing the voices around her, Hina frowned slightly.
"Didn't you all understand Marshal Sengoku's words? He ordered us to stop fighting, lay down our weapons, and head to the square."
"What does that mean?" one of the female officers asked, blinking in confusion.
Hina didn't explain. Instead, she turned and walked out of the dormitory. By the time she stepped out of the dormitory building, over a hundred female officers had already gathered at the entrance, many of them heading in an orderly fashion toward Marineford Square.
Not just their dormitory, but the nearby male officers' dormitory also began to fill with a dense crowd of figures. In no time, the road leading to Marineford Square was packed with people. Some looked tense, while others chatted and laughed as if nothing had happened at Marineford.
Although people around her occasionally greeted her, Hina maintained an aloof expression, not even bothering to glance at them as she followed the crowd toward the square.
A few minutes later, Hina arrived at the entrance of the square with the large group. The square, capable of accommodating a hundred thousand people, was brightly lit. The noisy crowd instantly fell silent as they stepped into Marineford Square.
It wasn't because they were consciously obeying order, but because the square was surrounded by densely packed soldiers armed with guns. Almost every soldier had a red scarf tied around their shoulder, making them easily distinguishable from the soldiers entering the square.
"What…what's going on?" The female officer accompanying Hina, upon seeing the heavily armed soldiers surrounding the square and the presence of a rear admiral or vice admiral stationed at regular intervals, nervously hid behind Hina and stammered.
"Hina, did the rebels win? Wuwuwu, are they going to kill us?"
Before Hina could respond, Fleet Admiral Sengoku voice echoed through the broadcast once again.
"I apologize to everyone for what happened tonight!"
"From now on, Vice Admiral Orion will temporarily assume the authority of Fleet Admiral…"
As soon as these words were spoken, the previously silent square erupted into chaos.
Immediately after, the officers who had been trapped in the dormitory building and were the first to enter the square began to step forward, raising their voices in protest.
"Marshal Sengoku, how could you compromise with the rebels!"
"What qualifications does Orion have to replace you as the Marshal of Headquarters!"
"Marshal Sengoku must have been threatened by Orion!"
Seeing the sudden chaos in the crowd, the soldiers surrounding the square raised their guns. Shortly after, a Rear admiral led a hundred-man squad rushing into the square. The leading Rear admiral charged toward the chaotic crowd, shouting sternly.
"Quiet! Everyone, be quiet!"
"Traitors!"
"We will never agree to let Orion lead the Navy!"
Facing the approaching Rear admiral, another officer, also wearing a Rear admiral coat, raised his arm and shouted.
"Who will join me in storming the headquarters building!"
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
Before others could respond, a series of sharp gunshots rang out without warning. Immediately, clouds of blood mist erupted from the body of the Rear admiral who had just raised his arm in defiance.
"You're asking for it!"
Two soldiers following the Rear admiral, after emptying their magazines, rushed to the fallen Rear admiral and decisively raised their rifle butts, smashing them heavily against his forehead.
The sudden turn of events plunged the chaotic square into deathly silence. A Rear admiral of the headquarters had just been killed by two soldiers? Everyone stared wide-eyed in disbelief at the Rear admiral who had been struck down by the rifle butts.
At the same time, in the conference hall on the top floor of the headquarters building, Sengoku stood up immediately upon hearing the gunshots from the square and rushed to the window.
Though the distance was considerable and the square was packed with people, making it impossible to see clearly what had happened, he could tell that everyone had suddenly fallen silent, as if in the calm before a volcanic eruption, with an invisible but thick tension hanging in the air.
Orion showed no reaction, instead watching Sengoku with interest. The current situation was largely under his control, so he wasn't worried about any unexpected developments. However, getting all the soldiers and officers of the headquarters to lay down their arms would be difficult to achieve with just a word from Sengoku.
Feeling the overwhelming tension emanating from the square, Sengoku didn't hesitate and immediately raised his voice, shouting.
"Do you want Marineford to be bathed in blood? If you wish to see that, then fight to your heart content! I'm sure the lawless pirates out at sea would be more than happy to see you weaken each other through infighting!"
"If you want this farce to end, then obey orders."
"I hereby declare that Orion will temporarily assume the authority of Fleet Admiral."
"From this moment on, anyone who resists will be treated as… a traitor."
After uttering the word "traitor," Sengoku seemed to have all his energy drained from him, his legs nearly giving out as he almost collapsed to the floor.
Though the true traitors were on Orion side, to prevent further escalation and more bloodshed he had no choice but to say this.
As for where the Marine would go from here, he could only place his hopes on the World Goverment and Orion final decision.
Just as Sengoku announced Orion temporary assumption of the Fleet Admiral authority, a sudden voice rang out in Orion's mind.
"Ding dong—"
"Congratulations, Host, on successfully carrying out a coup and becoming the Fleet Admiral of Marine Headquarters!"
"Note: Rewards are being sent."
"Notification: Detecting the abilities currently mastered by the host!"
"Notification: The abilities detected as mastered by the host include: Armament Haki, Observation Haki, Conqueror's Haki, Swordsmanship, and the Six Powers of the Navy."
"Notification: Proceeding to enhance the abilities currently mastered by the host!"
"Notification: Swordsmanship has been successfully elevated to the highest level!"
"Notification: The Six Powers of the Navy have been successfully elevated to the highest level!"
"Notification: Armament Haki has been successfully elevated to the highest level!"
"Notification: Observation Haki has been successfully elevated to the highest level!"
"Notification: Conqueror's Haki has been successfully elevated to the highest level!"
As the system notifications continued to sound in his mind, Orion, completely unprepared, felt his vision blur.
In the next second, he found himself in an entirely unfamiliar space, with information related to the enhanced abilities flooding in from all directions like a tidal wave.
In an instant, the knowledge, techniques, and combat applications of the three types of Haki, Swordsmanship, and the Six Powers of the Marine's were all fully integrated and mastered, as if they were second nature to him.
In just a single breath, Orion felt as though he had lived through an entire year.
Feeling the surging energy within his body and the immense confidence brought by the abilities being elevated to their highest levels, Orion gradually narrowed his eyes.
Although he didnt expect to receive a reward for temporarily assuming the role of Fleet Admiral, receiving it early was certainly a good thing, especially since the feeling of enhanced strength was absolutely exhilarating.
After savoring the thrill of instantly elevating his abilities to their peak, Orion calmly stood up and said in a composed tone.
"Everyone, the situation is largely settled. Gather all units and head to Marinefor Plaza. I have something to say."
At this, Orion immediately turned his gaze toward Yamakaji and Stainless, among others.
As if knowing what Orion was thinking, Stainless and the others, realizing the tide had turned, no longer remained silent.
They immediately stood up, straightened their backs, and saluted, echoing the earlier shouts of the crowd in unison.
"LOYALTY!"
Orion nodded slightly.
"This will be the wisest decision of your lives."
With that, Orion wasted no more time and decisively turned to leave.