"Eh, eh, eh..."
No one expected Elio to just toss aside his weapon and walk away. Caught off guard, Garp hastily shouted, "Don't go, Elio! Just now, I didn't dodge in time. Come on, let's keep going. I'm still ready to fight!"
Elio acted as though he didn't hear a thing. He quickened his pace toward the cafeteria. Along the way, every officer and soldier he passed stood at attention, and cries of "Loyalty!" echoed all the way to the main dining hall.
Just as Elio stepped off the square, Zephyr and Sengoku arrived in a rush.
When they saw the ghastly wound across Garp's chest, Sengoku hurried over to support him while Zephyr shouted behind him, "Quick! Go call the medics!"
"No need, no need~"
Garp promptly waved it off. "Just a flesh wound, no need to make a fuss... Ow! Sengoku, why'd you touch the wound?! That hurts like hell!"
"So it hurts, huh?" Sengoku gave him a sharp glare. "Then why'd you charge in like that? The situation at Marine Headquarters is already settled. Even if you defeated Elio, what would that accomplish? Don't forget, the three Admirals have already made their choice. They won't let you run wild!"
"Hand me some senbei~"
Garp pointed to his own pocket, grimacing. "That brat hits pretty damn hard."
Sengoku didn't respond. He pulled the senbei box from Garp's bag and tossed him a few pieces. On the way, he helped himself to two and popped them into his mouth.
Seeing that, Garp ignored his wound and yelled, flustered, "That's my senbei!"
Sengoku didn't answer. He just chewed contentedly.
Just then, two nurses from the medical team ran over.
Their eyes widened at the sight of Garp's wound. Zephyr narrowed his eyes slightly and lifted his gaze to the rooftop of headquarters.
Although Borsalino and Kuzan, who had been spectating from above, had vanished at some point, Zephyr didn't lower his head.
Earlier, when he and Sengoku sensed the clash of Conqueror's Haki, they hadn't given it much thought. All they wanted was to stop Garp and Elio from further fighting. But now that things had calmed down, Zephyr was beginning to understand why Elio had chosen to clash with Garp instead of intercepting Kuzan when he returned after the mutiny.
The reason was simple: although Elio now controlled all of Marine Headquarters, some officers and soldiers—especially the three Admirals—still harbored doubts about his true strength.
After all, despite his meteoric rise in recent years, Elio was still officially a Vice Admiral.
In such circumstances, if he wanted to secure complete control, he had to crush all resistance with overwhelming force.
Kuzan might've been a worthy whetstone, being one of the strongest Marines. But he wasn't the ideal choice.
Garp, on the other hand, was perfect. A legendary Vice Admiral and a hero revered by countless Marines for cornering the Pirate King Roger multiple times, Garp was the symbol of Marine might.
Defeating Garp would send a shockwave through every officer and soldier who hadn't joined the mutiny. They would be too intimidated to resist. More importantly, the three Admirals, acknowledged as the strongest in headquarters, would be forced to reevaluate Elio, perhaps even recognizing him as their new Fleet Admiral.
...
"Lord Elio!"
In the Marine cafeteria, two officers who were just about to leave were stunned by Elio's sudden appearance. A moment ago, they had been chatting casually, but now they immediately straightened up and saluted.
With their shout, the entire dining hall fell silent. Every officer and soldier present stared at Elio with blazing eyes.
Though the cafeteria was far from Marineford's main plaza, the battle had been visible. When they saw Elio strike down the legendary Garp with a single blow, the entire place had erupted like a volcano.
While a few among them had pledged loyalty out of necessity after the mutiny, seeing Elio display such terrifying strength had utterly erased their doubts. They now followed him with unshakable conviction.
Elio scanned the hall, showing not even the slightest hint of fatigue from the earlier clash with Garp. With a warm smile, he said, "It's mealtime. No need to be so tense."
"Loyalty!"
Everyone in the hall saluted in unison.
"Right~"
Elio suddenly remembered something and raised his hand to quiet the room. Calmly, he said, "We've still got tough battles ahead of us. But I won't let my brothers go into them hungry! Gion, go to finance later and raise the pay for all officers and soldiers. Distribute the entire next year's salary in advance!"
Before Gion could respond, the entire hall exploded with cheers again.
"Lord Elio forever!"
"Haha! Awesome! I get another year's salary!"
"Waaah, long live Lord Elio! With this money, I don't have to worry about my brother's wedding anymore! Lord Elio, you've got to attend it!"
Amid the chaos, some soldiers who hadn't joined the mutiny were just as thrilled. But some still couldn't believe this was real. After all, if they hadn't been trapped in their dorms that night, they might've fought against Elio's forces on their superior's orders.
One such man, a young brigadier general in uniform, looked around hesitantly before mustering the courage to break through the crowd and approach Elio.
"Fleet Admiral, last night... those of us who didn't participate... can we still get the year's salary?"
"Of course!"
Elio nodded with a gentle smile. "The situation at headquarters is settled. Whether you joined the action or not, everyone gets their pay!"
"That's wonderful~" The young officer's eyes turned red. He choked up. "Thank you, Fleet Admiral... This money means so much to me... I... I... I..."
At a loss for words, he stammered thrice. Then he suddenly stood straight, raised his hand in salute, and shouted from the heart, "Loyalty!"
He had once served under Vice Admiral Onigumo. His little sister had been bedridden with a long illness, requiring exorbitant monthly medical bills to stay alive. At first, he had managed to hold on, borrowing from every contact he had. Eventually, even his closest friends avoided him.
With nowhere else to turn, he had begged Onigumo for help, only to be harshly rejected without sympathy.
But fate turned around. Elio, now the new Fleet Admiral, was giving out an entire year's pay to every officer and soldier.
At that moment, he finally understood why so many had chosen to follow Elio. It wasn't just that he had the strength to defeat Garp, it was that he cared for his subordinates, and showed it in ways no one could deny.
With the announcement, the atmosphere in the cafeteria became even more festive.
Still, no one dared disturb Elio.
Once Gion brought his food, Elio sat by the window and started wolfing it down.
It wasn't that he didn't care about appearances, he hadn't had a proper meal in ages due to being detained and interrogated. Now, with his physical stats boosted to the max by the system, his stomach had been staging a revolution. His appetite skyrocketed with it.
Gion didn't touch her food. She rested her chin on one hand, watching the youngest man in Marine history to not only become Fleet Admiral, but to do so through a mutiny. Her mind drifted back to the day Elio had entered the officer training camp.
Back then, he had just turned eighteen. Naïve and curious about everything.
Even then, she'd known he would one day amaze the world. But she never imagined it would happen like this.
"Right~"
Suddenly, Elio looked up from his meal. "Is there still enough money left in headquarters to issue salaries?"
Gion nodded. "There should be. But if we break away from the World Government, we might not be able to issue salaries next year."
"No worries." Elio relaxed upon hearing that a year's salary could still be paid. "The Celestials may not retaliate in fury. To them, it doesn't matter who the Fleet Admiral is, as long as the Marines remain under the World Government. They may compromise. When that time comes, we'll secure the best terms possible."
Gion, however, didn't seem reassured. Instead, her face darkened with concern. "Headquarters is under control, so I'm not worried about that. What I am worried about are the bases in the Four Seas and Grand Line. Not a single one has responded yet."