A Critical Situation

Marine Headquarters.

Sengoku appeared in the conference room and sat at the head of the table. Besides him, there were Aokiji, Kizaru, Garp, Tsuru, and others.

"Let's discuss this directly."

Before Sengoku could greet everyone, he went straight to the point. "This situation is urgent. First, a Vice Admiral has been killed. Sakazuki has taken the lead in the initial reconnaissance and is stationed at the G2 branch base to direct the pursuit. Furthermore, the World Government is also working together with the newly established CP8 and CP9."

"The key to this matter is twofold. First, this is the second Vice Admiral killed by Baroque Works. Vice Admiral Crocodile, Moria, and Onigumo, two Vice Admiral and two Shichibukai have died at their hands. Second, the Giant Beast that killed Vice Admiral Garp was not seen by Ace or Heckle at all. During the battle, the Giant Beast was not afraid of Vice Admiral Garp's slashes, possessed the speed to charge instantly, and was incredibly strong. It killed Vice Admiral Garp in less than two minutes."

"This means that the Giant Beast has formidable defense and extremely high speed, and in terms of strength, it is definitely no less than Vice Admiral."

"Most importantly, of the four dead we just listed, besides Moria, Crocodile, Vice Admiral Onigumo, and Vice Admiral Garp all died at the hands of the Giant Beast. This is terrifying, which means that the Giant Beast ' status in Baroque Works is not necessarily that of mere tools to be used."

"In addition, in the Robin attack on Alabasta, it was still that behemoth that killed Brigadier General Madsen and Colonel T. Penn."

"Regardless of this Giant Beast's status, we must treat it as a powerful force on par with the Shichibukai, capable of carrying out orders."

"What's even more terrifying is that he can go into the sea, making him very difficult to track. In other words, if he wanted to attack, it would be difficult for any Vice Admiral to escape his killing."

"Including Ace and Baroque Works, we should consider them as the three Shichibukai."

"I don't want to be alarmist, but if our deductions are correct, we are facing enormous dangers that we must address as soon as possible."

"Sengoku period, said with a serious expression."

Upon hearing this, He asked, "So, what do you plan to do Sengoku?"

Sengoku replied, "First, we can assure you that Baroque Works is still in the first half of the Grand Line, at least Ace, the Giant Beast, and Heckle are still there. So we need to investigate related matters, such as Princess Vivi who ever joined Baroque Works."

Aokiji said, "Vice Admiral Momousagi took her as her apprentice. After the incident, she went to Alabasta to guard the place."

"Very well, then let Vice Admiral Momousagi investigate this matter."

Sengoku nodded and said, "Then let's focus on defense. Besides headquarters, there are three other branch Vice Admiral in the Paradise area: G4, G6, and G8. I request that everyone go to provide support as much as possible. Vice Admiral Momonga, go to G4 base. It's the branch closest to G2, and I'm worried it might be attacked."

"Good."

Lieutenant Vice Admiral Flying Momonga nodded and said, "I'll make sure he doesn't leave alive."

Sengoku looked into the distance again and said, "Vice Admiral Chaton, you and Vice Admiral Tsuru will go to G6 and G8 respectively, each of you leading a fleet."

"I'll go to G6."

Vice Admiral Chaton rubbed his hands together and said, "That place is relatively close to Alabasta, where Vice Admiral Momousagi is located."

"Leave it to me."

He nodded and agreed immediately.

Sengoku then said, "Sakazuki will be stationed at G2 and will be fully in charge of this search. Garp, Kizaru, and Aokiji, the three of you will stay at Marine Headquarters. Kizaru, you will be responsible for providing support at any time."

"Ready to provide support at any time?"

Kizaru nodded and said, "Hopefully this situation won't last too long."

Sengoku said, "In this way, we have already achieved the ultimate in defense."

Each branch has two Vice Admiral, one of whom is a veteran vice Vice Admiral. With the support of the fleet, Baroque Works would be completely annihilated if they were to fight against them.

G2 has Sakazuki, and the headquarters has Fleet Admiral and two Admiral, which is enough to handle most dangers.

Such a scale of preparation for dealing with Baroque Works would be an enormous undertaking.

Aokiji asked at the opportune moment, "Then how do we hunt them down? Especially that Giant Beast, it's in the sea, it'll be very difficult for us to catch it."

"We can't, but someone can."

Sengoku said, "Two Shichibukai have died. How can the others just sit idly by? Summon the Sun Pirates and have Jinbe lead them to search the seas. They can communicate with aquatic creatures and summon marine life. Jinbe is extremely powerful in the sea. With the Sun Pirates' help, even if that Giant Beast is hiding in the deep sea, we can still kill it."

"That's a good choice," Crane nodded.

Sengoku added, "But that's not enough. There's also Kuma, who will be going along. His abilities will allow him to provide timely support."

"Kuma? Did the World Government approve his attack?" Aokiji asked curiously.

Sengoku said, "Of course, Vegapunk has completed his modifications, and the World Government intends to have him appear before everyone. So the application has been approved."

Upon hearing this, Tsuru exclaimed, "This is a huge operation. It's been a long time since our navy has mobilized such a large force against a single power."

Sengoku continued, "We must do this. In the past, pirates would not actively hunt down the Marines. But this time we lost two Vice Admiral and two Shichibukai, which not only slapped the face of our Marines, but also completely destroyed the face of the World Government. So we must capture them to make an example of them."

Garp squinted and said, "They went too far."

Sengoku continued, "This time, we have two objectives in this battle. One is to kill that Giant Beast as soon as possible to prevent it from entering the sea, otherwise we will be tied up with a large number of troops. But as for Ace, the reason I have mobilized such a large force is to capture him alive."

Garp raised an eyebrow and asked, "You're here to capture him alive?"

Sengoku said, "That's right, Ace is still useful. If we can capture him, we can even turn this loss into a gain. Garp, do you have any objections?"

Upon hearing this, Garp sighed and said, "No."

"Meeting adjourned."

Sengoku stood up and left the meeting room.

Sabaody Archipelago.

"They've arrived. A secret order has been sent from over there. We should rendezvous."

Alken stood at the bow of the ship, put away the Den Den Mushi, and looked at Mr. Christmas.

"Then let's set off."

Mr. Christmas took out the Vivre Card and guided the way. The others on the ship controlled the film-covered vessel to slowly leave the harbor and sail towards the distant sea.

The ship wasn't particularly large; at only forty meters long, it seemed rather small and delicate for a vessel heading to the New World.

However, during its stay in the Sabaody Archipelago, many bounty hunters and pirates returned empty-handed.

The ship sailed for a distance before slowly coming to a stop, remaining motionless on the water.

Glug glug.

Before long, a yellow submarine appeared on the water. The hatch opened, and figures left the submarine and came onto the deck.

"Where's the president?" Mr. Christmas asked curiously.

"It's down there." Ace pointed down, where a huge black shadow was faintly visible beneath the surface of the sea.

Let's go.

"Let's head to Fish-Man Island first," Heckle said.