"Sengoku, are you mocking the Five Elders for being shortsighted?"
The Elder wearing glasses, dressed in a kimono with a katana resting in his arms, spoke with a frosty expression.
"Don’t forget that your Marine Headquarters is merely the World Government’s public military force."
"So what if another Dragon appears?"
"Do you really think a mere brat can shake a behemoth that has ruled the seas for over eight hundred years?"
"You’re underestimating the true power that stands behind the World Government."
"Sengoku..."
"I’m beginning to wonder whether you’re still qualified to remain Fleet Admiral."
The vast audience chamber instantly grew even more oppressive.
Facing the Elder’s relentless pressure, Sengoku’s expression also turned cold.
He snorted.
"Then why don’t you become Fleet Admiral?"
"I’m done here."
With that, Sengoku turned around and strode toward the exit.
As the Marines’ famed strategist, Sengoku was the only Fleet Admiral in history renowned for both exceptional wisdom and overwhelming combat ability.
He had mastered all three forms of Haki.
He had also survived the darkest era of piracy.
If Sengoku were to resign today...
The entire world would be shaken.
Finding someone capable of replacing him wasn’t something even the current three Admirals could easily accomplish.
"Sengoku!"
"You’ve gone too far!"
The Elder roared furiously.
Before he could continue, Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro raised a hand to stop him.
"Enough."
"I thought all these years as Fleet Admiral had worn away your edge."
"It seems..."
"We underestimated you."
"What that young man has done is indeed unprecedented."
"But you’ve underestimated the weight carried by the title of Fleet Admiral."
"If you’re determined to protect him..."
"Then we’ll let this matter end here."
"But..."
"Only this once."
Sengoku, who had already taken several steps away, quietly relaxed.
It seemed Garp’s shameless approach occasionally had its merits.
More importantly...
His position as Fleet Admiral still carried enough influence.
Suppressing the thoughts in his mind, Sengoku prepared to leave once again.
At that moment...
Zephyr, who had been waiting outside, suddenly entered.
"Sengoku."
"Tsuru asked me to deliver this."
"There was no way to contact you by Den Den Mushi here."
"If that’s all, I’m leaving."
Watching Zephyr hurry away as though fleeing the scene, Sengoku suddenly felt a bad premonition.
He immediately opened the report.
The moment he saw its contents...
His pupils contracted violently.
His eyes nearly bulged out of their sockets.
Just moments earlier...
He had been thinking that his position as Fleet Admiral was enough to protect Lucas.
Now...
Looking at the report in his hands...
Even Sengoku felt that the Fleet Admiral’s authority might not be enough anymore.
"Sengoku."
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro spoke again.
"You have no objections now, do you?"
"This is already the greatest concession we’re willing to make."
Sengoku finally snapped out of his daze.
He folded the report, forcing an unnatural smile onto his face.
"Saint Ethanbaron..."
"What was the sentence you just said?"
"The last sentence?"
Nusjuro looked puzzled.
"’Only this once?’"
"No."
"The sentence before that."
Sengoku repeated patiently.
Nusjuro frowned, unable to understand where Sengoku was going with this.
Even so, he answered,
"You underestimated the importance of the Fleet Admiral."
"If you insist on protecting him..."
"Then we’ll let this matter end here."
"Exactly!"
Sengoku burst into laughter.
He immediately tossed the report toward the Five Elders.
"About half a day ago..."
"Justice Plaza was destroyed too."
"So let’s let that matter end here as well."
"On behalf of that brat, I’d like to thank all five of you for your generosity."
"If there’s nothing else..."
"I’ll be taking my leave."
"Whitebeard and Red-Haired Shanks could meet at any moment."
"I need to return and keep an eye on them."
With those words...
Sengoku immediately slipped away before anyone could stop him.
Watching him flee...
Then looking down at the report scattered across the floor...
Nusjuro instantly realized he had been tricked.
The muscles in his face twitched several times before he erupted in fury.
"Sengoku!"
"You bastard!"
"Get back here!"
"I’ll drag you off that Fleet Admiral’s seat myself!"
His furious roar echoed throughout the chamber long after Sengoku had disappeared.
Only after Sengoku was completely gone did Nusjuro’s anger quickly fade.
His expression returned to normal.
Glancing once more at the report on the floor, he calmly said,
"Very well."
"Sengoku has been dealt with."
"As for that young man..."
"Shall we proceed according to our original plan?"
Silence briefly filled the room.
Then another of the Five Elders—a tall old man with a long white beard—spoke first.
"Perhaps Sengoku exaggerated when he compared him to Dragon."
"But..."
"This is no time to allow another unstable factor to continue growing."
"Send Red-Haired Shanks a message."
"He has benefited enough from us."
"And he successfully became one of the Four Emperors."
"It’s time for him to pay something back."
"Otherwise..."
"The Five Elders have remained inactive for so long..."
"People may begin to think we’ve grown old."
"Any objections?"
As soon as he finished speaking, Nusjuro and the Elder in the kimono immediately nodded.
The remaining two Elders silently agreed as well.
The decision passed unanimously.
Two Days Later — The New World
A Marine warship cut swiftly through the waves.
Sea Kings disturbed by its passage rose from beneath the sea, opening their enormous jaws.
Before they could attack—
A flying slash flashed across the ocean.
The Sea Kings were cleanly split in two.
Blood sprayed across the sea, staining the water crimson.
As the massive corpses crashed into the ocean...
Gion landed lightly back on the deck and sheathed her sword, Konpira.
Turning toward the tightly closed cabin door behind her, she let out a helpless smile.
"Chaton..."
"I think we overestimated our new Admiral’s work ethic."
"I thought Vice Admiral Tsuru’s promised performance bonus would motivate him to take this mission seriously."
"But who would’ve thought..."
"He really came out here to enjoy a vacation."
"We’ve already lost sight of the Red Hair Pirates’ ship."
"We only know the general area they’re headed toward."
"Trying to find them in the middle of the ocean now..."
"Is like searching for a needle in the sea."
"If this keeps up..."
"Not only will we fail our surveillance mission..."
"We may not even learn whether Whitebeard and Red-Haired Shanks have already met."
"If Marine Headquarters loses the initiative in gathering intelligence..."
"We’ll be at a serious disadvantage."
None of them dared hope they could actually discover what Whitebeard and Shanks intended to discuss.
At the very least...
They needed to know whether the meeting ended peacefully...
Or erupted into battle.
Only then could Marine Headquarters judge the likelihood of an alliance between the Four Emperors.
One Emperor alone already forced Marine Headquarters to remain on constant alert.
If two Emperors truly joined forces...
The seas might return to the terrifying age of the past.
At that moment—
The cabin door slowly opened.
A lazy voice drifted out.
"Mm..."
"Good morning."
"What a beautiful day."
"Looks like it’s the perfect weather for going to work."
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