After casting one final glance at Borsalino, who sat slumped against the desk, Dalmatian stepped back and rendered a precise salute before turning decisively to issue his orders: "Two men will remain with Admiral Borsalino. Should our endeavor fail... you know what must be done."
"Loyalty!"
The two designated soldiers raised their fists in perfect unison, their expressions radiating fervent dedication.
As Vice Admiral Dalmatian exited the office, the soldiers immediately turned to face Borsalino, each raising a pistol—not toward the Admiral, but to their own temples.
Witnessing this unexpected gesture, a flicker of genuine surprise crossed Borsalino's typically languid features.
When he had heard Dalmatian's ominous instruction about failure, he had naturally assumed these men would attempt to eliminate him alongside themselves. Yet their actions clearly indicated something entirely different.
"Are you—" Borsalino blinked slowly, genuine puzzlement evident in his voice. "Planning to take your own lives should the coup fail?"
"Yes!"
One soldier lifted his chin, his gaze unwavering. "From the moment we pledged ourselves to Vice Admiral Xayuki, we accepted death as a possible consequence. Should our cause falter, we will not dishonor him by surviving in disgrace!"
Borsalino shook his head, a mixture of curiosity and bewilderment crossing his features. "What exactly has Xayuki done to inspire such... fanatical devotion?"
At this question, the second soldier stepped forward. "Admiral Borsalino, I once served under your command. Two years ago, I sailed with your warship into the New World to engage pirate forces. You wouldn't remember me—I was merely a junior petty officer then, one face among hundreds."
"But Vice Admiral Xayuki? He knew my name. He remembered my face. And when I faced my darkest hour, he personally pulled me from the abyss."
"Oh?" Borsalino studied the soldier's face intently, attempting to extract any fragment of recognition from his memories, but ultimately abandoned the effort. The man was indeed a complete stranger to him.
After a moment of contemplative silence, Borsalino drew a deep breath. Despite the debilitating effects of the Seastone handcuffs, he managed through sheer willpower to rise and settle himself into his office chair.
"Enlighten me," he said with unexpected sincerity. "How exactly did Xayuki rescue you from this... abyss?"
The soldier stepped forward, his posture straightening with pride. "I hail from South Blue. Before joining the Marines, I served in the royal guard of my homeland. In that kingdom, a soldier's highest honor was to shield the monarch with his own body in moments of peril."
"But consider this, Admiral: what happens to a soldier's loyalty when his king risks injury to save him instead?"
As he continued, the soldier's voice grew increasingly impassioned, his eyes locked on Borsalino. "During that campaign two years ago, I served aboard your flagship while Vice Admiral Xayuki's vessel provided support. The battle was savage beyond description. We charged through devastating cannon fire to board the pirate vessels. I watched helplessly as my comrades fell in waves—cut down by blades or cast into the merciless sea."
"Consumed by vengeance, I abandoned all caution and charged directly at the enemy captain."
"But I was... insignificant. Too weak."
"The pirate captain didn't even acknowledge me as a threat. A casual shockwave from his weapon sent me hurtling into the churning waters below."
"It was then that you intervened, Admiral. Your light powers obliterated the enemy captain and, in the process, shattered the pirate vessel itself. I don't fault you for this—I understood the collateral damage of combat. As Marines sworn to justice, we accept that sacrifice is sometimes necessary."
"But as I drifted helplessly, watching massive fragments of the destroyed ship plummeting toward me, I had made peace with death."
"Then, in that final moment, Vice Admiral Xayuki's ship appeared. His men pulled me from the water mere seconds before I would have been crushed. And Xayuki himself—not a medic, not a subordinate—personally dressed my wounds."
The soldier's voice dropped to a reverent whisper: "From that moment forward, my heart recognized no abstract concept of justice. My loyalty belongs solely to Vice Admiral Xayuki!"
"Whether he hunts pirates or challenges the world itself, I will follow him unflinchingly. My loyalty and my life are his to command."
Marine Headquarters Prison.
The relentless wail of alarms continued unabated throughout the complex, punctuated by sporadic bursts of gunfire from every direction.
Sakazuki's expression had darkened to a dangerous degree, his volcanic gaze fixed unwaveringly on Xayuki. He didn't need visual confirmation to know that the Marines and officers who had assembled in the plaza were now systematically seizing control of Headquarters with ruthless efficiency.
"Xayuki," he finally spoke, his voice like grinding stone, "must you escalate this situation beyond all reason?"
After a moment of tense silence, Sakazuki rose slowly to his full, imposing height. "You can still halt this madness. Otherwise, I will have no choice but to eliminate you personally. Your death would instantly extinguish this rebellion."
The instant Sakazuki finished speaking, the Den Den Mushi carried by the Rear Admiral standing at Xayuki's side suddenly activated.
"Bruru Bruru~"
The distinctive ring echoed jarringly through the prison chamber. The Rear Admiral answered immediately: "Report!"
"This is Vice Admiral Dalmatian!"
The voice that emerged from the Den Den Mushi carried unmistakable excitement. "Inform Vice Admiral Xayuki immediately—Admiral Borsalino has been neutralized!"
Sakazuki's expression transformed instantly into one of absolute shock, his eyes widening with disbelief.
Throughout Marine Headquarters, Borsalino was his closest confidant, his brother in all but blood. No one understood the true extent of Borsalino's capabilities better than Sakazuki himself.
It was no exaggeration to state that unless both Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Vice Admiral Garp had aligned themselves with Xayuki's cause, Borsalino alone possessed sufficient power to crush this insurrection single-handedly.
Yet now, the report claimed that Borsalino had been neutralized—an outcome that defied all logical possibility.
After the initial shock subsided, Sakazuki exhaled imperceptibly.
He knew Borsalino could not have been defeated by force. There was only one explanation: his brother, the advocate of "Ambiguous Justice," had chosen deliberate non-intervention.
Before he could process this revelation fully, the Den Den Mushi that had just completed its report activated again.
Almost simultaneously, the communication devices carried by every officer in the chamber began signaling in rapid succession.
"Report: Armory secured!"
"Report: Dormitory Complex Seven under our control!"
"Report: Science Division has been secured!"
"Report: Vice Admiral Gion has intercepted Vice Admiral Momousagi!"
"Report: Rear Admiral Hina has been detained!"
"Report: All external communications are now monitored and controlled."
"Report: ..."
Each successive update caused Sakazuki's expression to darken further, his jaw clenching with barely contained fury.
He had never anticipated that the coup would progress with such devastating efficiency. More shocking still was the revelation that even Gion, a candidate for Admiral promotion, had aligned herself with Xayuki's faction, actively neutralizing fellow Admiral candidate Momousagi.
Though no report had yet arrived regarding Fleet Admiral Sengoku's status, Sakazuki understood with crystal clarity that if this rebellion wasn't immediately contained, Marine Headquarters would witness an unprecedented bloodbath.
Not everyone at Headquarters shared loyalty to Xayuki—at least half of all officers and enlisted personnel would inevitably rise to oppose the spreading insurrection. When that happened, the stability of Marine Headquarters would fracture beyond repair. Regardless of which faction ultimately prevailed, the Marine organization would suffer catastrophic damage, potentially crippling its effectiveness for generations and destabilizing the delicate global balance of power.
Most critically, branch commanders from across the Grand Line and the Four Blues were likely already mobilizing their forces toward Headquarters. If these rebellious warships arrived to coordinate with Xayuki's forces already inside the complex, even if Xayuki failed to secure the position of Fleet Admiral, he could effectively hollow out the command structure of Marine Headquarters, reducing the World Government's primary military force to an empty shell of its former power.
~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~
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