The ruined Gates of Justice came into view—scarred and devastated.
Everyone aboard the warship felt their pupils contract sharply, their faces filling with disbelief.
This… was the entrance to the Gates of Justice atop the Red Line!
As a vital hub linking the first half of the Grand Line to the New World, this place was arguably the most heavily guarded and symbolically important stronghold under the World Government's control.
Not one of them had ever imagined that such a site could one day be reduced to this state.
A moment ago, they had all taken Chaton's grumblings as nothing more than petty dissatisfaction toward the newly appointed admiral.
In their eyes, even if a Celestial Dragon had been beaten—it was no big deal.
But none of them could have guessed that the scene of the incident would be this utterly ravaged.
Not even grinding a Celestial Dragon's face into the ground would cause such widespread destruction.
If not for the newspaper detailing yesterday's events, they would've genuinely suspected that the place had been attacked by a Yonko.
An oppressive silence blanketed the vast warship.
Everyone exchanged looks of disbelief.
Chaton's expression, which had just moments ago been flush with bluster, now turned an ugly shade of red and green—saying the harshest words, and getting slapped with the harshest truth… the irony was brutal.
"Gion-senpai, it's been a while! Why are you back at the Red Line all of a sudden? Don't tell me you're here to pick a fight with Admiral Luoyu? Tina would be very concerned!"
"Tina?" Gion turned her gaze toward the dock upon hearing the familiar voice, her expression softening into a smile.
"Tina… I heard you and Smoker teamed up to defeat one of the Seven Warlords—Crocodile. Looks like you've finally awakened your Haki."
"With that, at the very least, you should be promoted two ranks."
As an admiral candidate, Gion had a good understanding of the power of the Warlords.
Against a Logia Devil Fruit user, lacking Haki made battle practically impossible.
Tina's smile froze instantly, and Smoker—clutching his trademark cigar—was no better.
Everyone knew the saying: You don't punch a smiling face.
But having her cover story exposed so bluntly—whether intentional or not—left Tina and Smoker deeply embarrassed.
"Tina? What's wrong? Did I say something out of line?" Gion's expression faltered slightly as she leapt gracefully down onto the pier.
Chaton followed quickly behind, giving a dry laugh as he said, "Smoker! Long time no see. I still remember overseeing your recruit training. Seeing how far you've come… I'm honestly proud."
"I understand how you feel. You've worked so hard, defeated a Warlord, only to have your spotlight stolen by some fresh-faced rookie."
"That kind of frustration—I get it."
"But real gold withstands the fire. You two have already proven yourselves. It's only a matter of time before your brilliance shines across the seas."
Smoker and Tina's faces darkened even more.
Under normal circumstances, such praise from an admiral candidate would've been a source of pride.
But now, each mention of Crocodile felt like a dagger stabbing their hearts.
Especially with Chaton looking so sincerely supportive… they didn't even know how to explain themselves anymore.
"Heh… the Marine Headquarters really is a joke," a mocking voice suddenly rang out.
"You're all parroting glory you didn't earn, and yet still have the audacity to run your mouths like that. If it were up to me—I'd rather hand over that 'honor' to the kid."
"That kid… is terrifying," Crocodile sneered from the corner where he sat, guarded by Ain and the others.
Chaton snapped his head in the direction of the voice. The moment he saw the seated Warlord, his expression darkened.
"So the defeated dog hasn't been sent to Impel Down yet to suffer like the criminal he is. No wonder you're still barking so loudly."
"You, of all people, should want to believe that rookie was a fraud. That way, your loss wouldn't seem so humiliating."
"Humiliating?" Crocodile sneered. "You clearly have no idea how deep that new admiral's waters run."
"If I had to choose—I'd fight ten of you before I'd take on him again. That kid is unnaturally dangerous."
Ten of him doesn't compare to one rookie?
Chaton's expression went cold, just as he opened his mouth to respond—but Gion reached out, stopping him.
"Chaton, don't forget our actual mission. There's no need to argue with a pirate. It'd be laughable if word got out."
"Tina, it's been a year. You seemed like you had something to say earlier. Is there something bothering you?"
Tina forced a bitter smile. "Gion-senpai, to be honest… Crocodile wasn't wrong. He was defeated by the Straw Hat Pirates. The World Government just didn't want to admit it, so they had us take the credit."
"Compared to Admiral Luoyu… we are the real frauds."
"If I could, I'd give that honor back without a second thought."
"I did awaken my Armament Haki recently, yes—but it's all thanks to Admiral Luoyu. He helped me awaken it in just a few minutes. I never thought such a thing was possible."
"And he's nothing like the rumors say. He's incredibly strong. Neither I nor Smoker has ever even seen him go all-out. If I may… I sincerely hope you think carefully before considering any action against him."
"You… didn't defeat Crocodile?" Chaton stiffened. So all that praise I just gave them… completely off target?
He glanced at Smoker, who remained silent, chewing his cigar—his expression clearly confirming everything Tina had said.
Chaton immediately tried to salvage it, "Tina, maybe we shouldn't talk too much about who defeated who…"
"But as someone with deep experience in Haki—heck, even Zephyr-sensei never claimed you could awaken it in just minutes. And now you're saying that guy helped you awaken it in mere minutes?"
"You'll have to forgive me—but I find that hard to believe."
Gion said nothing—but her eyes were serious.
As someone who had walked that path herself, she knew how excruciatingly difficult Haki awakening could be.
Tina had once been her subordinate, but had chosen to leave after years of failing to awaken Haki—and struggling to handle increasingly dangerous missions.
Now she was saying something she'd failed at for years had been resolved in a matter of minutes?
Even for Gion, that was a lot to swallow.
"Gion-senpai… I understand how hard this is to believe," Tina said, forcing a tight smile. "But if one person isn't enough to convince you… how about five?"
"Besides me, Smoker and the others also awakened Haki—at the same time I did."
Tina stepped forward, her tone resolute.
Behind her, Smoker, Ain, and the rest followed suit.
As the faint layer of Armament Haki wrapped around their arms—
Gion and Chaton felt their hearts seize up.
Their expressions twisted with disbelief—as if they'd seen a ghost.