At the same time.
World Government Headquarters, Office of the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government.
An old man sat upright at his desk. His hair was styled in a mountain-like shape, and he wore a sleeveless black shirt with dark green armbands. His expression was grave as he reviewed the mountain of documents piled in front of him.
Kong, codenamed "The Steel Bone," was the former Fleet Admiral of the Marine Headquarters, now the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government.
He oversees all departments under the World Government, including the Marines, CP1 to CP8, the Marine Science Unit, and the Marine Special Secret Unit.
The document Kong was currently reviewing was the investigative report submitted by the Marine Internal Investigation Unit regarding Vice Admiral Orion.
Although the report was over a thousand pages long, most of it was trivial. The most serious charges were embezzlement, cultivating personal assassins within the Marine Headquarters, and forming factions.
As the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government, he didn't handle every matter personally. Even if Orion was a Vice Admiral, he wouldn't inquire too much, at most glancing at the relevant materials after an officer's promotion.
Thus, he didn't have much of an impression of Vice Admiral Orion, only vaguely remembering that Garp and Sengoku had mentioned him when they visited the Mari Geoise Headquarters.
After finishing the document, Kong rubbed his temples.
From the investigative report, he discovered that this Vice Admiral Orion, though young, had an astonishing growth rate.
In just six years, he had risen from a rookie to a powerhouse who had mastered Armament Haki, Observation Haki, and the Marine Six Styles. His swordsmanship even surpassed that of the Admiral candidate, Tokikake.
If it weren't for the staggering amount of money involved in Orion case and the fact that he had done something the World Government least wanted to see—forming factions—Kong would have undoubtedly protected and nurtured him.
He was well aware that the Marine Headquarters was currently facing a generational gap, with only a handful of young talents capable of taking on significant responsibilities. Once Sengoku, Garp, and the three Admirals stepped down, the Marine Headquarters would face a leadership crisis.
The investigative report also showed that Orion not only had an astonishing growth rate but also possessed exceptional leadership skills.
Given a little more time, he could be groomed as the successor to the current three Admirals, and even guided and nurtured towards becoming the Fleet Admiral of the Marine Headquarters.
"What a pity. Such a talented individual, how did he end up on this path?" After tossing the investigative report on Orion aside, Kong sighed deeply, then turned his head towards the door and called out in a deep voice.
"Someone, come in!"
"Commander Kong!" A messenger quickly entered the office and stood opposite Kong.
Kong got straight to the point. "Have you still not been able to contact the Marine Headquarters?!"
"Purupuru…"
Before the messenger could respond, the Den Den Mushi in front of Kong suddenly rang. Seeing this, Kong quickly signaled the messenger to remain silent, then took the Den Den Mushi and spoke in a deep voice.
"This is Kong."
"Commander Kong, this is Vice Admiral Gion from Marine Headquarters!" came a gentle voice from the Den Den Mushi.
"I apologize, but the communication system at Marine Headquarters malfunctioned last night and was only restored just now. Fleet Admiral Sengoku instructed me to contact you immediately to prevent any concern on your part."
Kong was momentarily stunned and asked in surprise.
"A communication malfunction? How is that possible? Never mind, as long as it's restored now. Where is Sengoku? Why didn't he contact me personally?"
Gion's voice remained as gentle as ever. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku is unwell and resting at home. Do you have any instructions, Commander Kong? I can relay them for you."
Hearing this, Kong didn't waste any more time and said firmly.
"I want to know the progress of Vice Admiral Orion trial. It's already noon, and there's still no news. Have Judge Basskervile report to me immediately!"
"Understood, I'll go see Chief Judge Basskervile right away!"
As Gion voice faded, the Den Den Mushi fell silent.
Kong didn't look away, his gaze fixed on the now silent Den Den Mushi, feeling that something was off.
Under normal circumstances, even if Sengoku were unwell, he wouldn't have Vice Admiral Gion report on his behalf. However, since a Marine Vice Admiral had made a mistake, Sengoku, as the Fleet Admiral, bore some responsibility.
It was likely that Sengoku was feigning illness to avoid the situation.
Just as Kong was imagining Sengoku pretending to be sick at home, the recently silent Den Den Mushi rang again. Before Kong could react, the voice of Saint Saturn, the Warrior God of Science and Defense, came through.
"Kong, why hasn't anyone been answering Sengoku Den Den Mushi? Calls to the Fleet Admiral office are being redirected to Vice Admiral Gion. I want to know what's going on. Also, Basskervile Den Den Mushi isn't being answered either!"
"Huh?"
Kong pupils contracted slightly, and an inexplicable sense of unease rose in his heart.
Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters, in the Fleet Admiral Office.
Orion, who had been busy reorganizing the Marines, let out a long sigh of relief and leaned back in his chair, exhausted.
Although Marine Headquarters was now fully under his control, he was well aware that the World Goverment would soon notice the anomaly and through continuous communication, eventually uncover everything that had happened at Headquarters.
Once that moment arrived, it would mark the official beginning of the confrontation between the Marines and the World Government.
However, he wasn't in a hurry. Now that he commanded the World Government most formidable war machine, even if the World Goverment discovered that he had staged a coup to seize the position of Fleet Admiral, they wouldn't dare to openly confront him.
Therefore, his next step was to reassign personnel across the Four Seas and the major bases of the Grand Line, promoting all trustworthy individuals to the highest positions in their respective branch bases.
"Fleet Admiral!" Gion pushed open the door and said urgently.
"Commander Kong and Saint Saturn of the Five Elders just called. Although I managed to deflect their inquiries, it's clear from their reactions that they've already grown suspicious."
Orion nodded and asked. "Have Strawberry and Bastille arrived at Sabaody Archipelago?"
"Yes, Strawberry and Bastille have taken control of the Marine base at Sabaody Archipelago and secured the entrance to the Holy Land. If anyone descends from the Holy Land via the elevator, they'll be apprehended immediately!"
Orion stood up from his desk and said.
"Now we just wait for news from the Four Seas and the major branch bases on the Grand Line! I've been busy all night and I'm a bit hungry. Come with me to the cafeteria."
"Lord Orion, aren't you going home?" Gion blinked and cautiously reminded him.
"If you don't go back soon, the old woman will come looking for me and Ain again!"
Orion shook his head and smiled.
"Sakazuki is probably at my house right now. I don't want to disturb their mother-son reunion. Let's go to the cafeteria."
"Alright."
Gion smiled softly and followed Orion out of the office.
"Lord Orion!"
As soon as they stepped out of the office, a soldier ran up to them in a hurry/
"Vice Admiral Garp... he's back!"