Red Line Continent, Holy Land Mary Geoise,
"Alright, we understand. You may leave."
"Yes!"
The bald Gorosei with a birthmark on his forehead hung up the Den Den Mushi, then turned to the other four Gorosei and said,
"You all heard that, right? It seems our previous assessment of Uchiha Senga was somewhat too low?"
The only Gorosei not wearing a suit, with a samurai sword tucked under his arm, nodded and slowly said,
"Yes. We all know Silvers Rayleigh's strength. The fact that Uchiha Senga could wound him and retreat unscathed is enough to show that his strength cannot be underestimated."
The Gorosei in a dark red suit with blond hair crossed his arms and lowered his head as he said,
"I heard that this Uchiha Senga's style leans heavily toward the hawkish faction within the Marines?"
The Gorosei with long, straight white hair lightly tapped the armrest of his chair with his fingers and said,
"Yes. So far, none of the pirate crews he has wiped out have been left alive. The pirates cannot even leave behind intact corpses."
The last Gorosei, wearing a flat cap and bearing a scar on the left side of his face, pondered briefly before summing things up,
"The Marines are currently dominated by the dovish faction led by Sengoku. To be honest, their attitude toward pirates, and even toward the World Government, does not align with our wishes. If another influential Marine like Akainu were to emerge, that should be good news for us."
"Indeed. I suggest we emphasize his battle with Silvers Rayleigh this time and build up his reputation."
"Mm. According to Stussy, this Uchiha Senga seems to enjoy collecting Devil Fruits? What is his purpose?"
"That does not matter. We can offer him a decent Fruit as a reward this time. Besides, isn't this Uchiha Senga also very interested in that rookie agent named Kalifa?"
"That Kalifa was practically an open surveillance operative. I imagine Uchiha Senga noticed from the beginning, yet he never said anything and allowed Kalifa to remain by his side until now. That shows he is someone who knows his place."
"Then let's do this. Kalifa is no longer useful. Have Stussy tell him that from now on, Kalifa's fate will be in his hands."
"That is a very worthwhile deal. I agree."
"Agreed."
With that, the Gorosei's discussion came to an end. Kalifa's fate had been casually decided as though she were merchandise. Meanwhile, under the Gorosei's instruction, news of Senga's battle with Rayleigh spread across the seas.
Once the news got out, the entire sea erupted.
Aboard the Moby Dick,
"Pops! Silvers Rayleigh has appeared again, and he fought a rookie Marine!"
A man with a pineapple-shaped head, who looked like nothing more than a small-time lackey, ran excitedly up to Whitebeard with a newspaper in hand.
Whitebeard, who had been guzzling wine, raised an eyebrow. He took the newspaper from the pineapple-headed man and gave it a quick glance. The headline read,
"Shocking! Rising Marine star Uchiha Senga battles Silvers Rayleigh—the result: Rayleigh is injured and flees in defeat!?" Beside it was a photograph of Senga.
After reading it, he crumpled the newspaper into a ball and burst into laughter.
"Gurarararara! So Rayleigh is still alive. That's not bad. As for Rayleigh fleeing in defeat? That is just the Marines bragging. He is only a brat!"
The pineapple-headed man looked worried as he said,
"But even if the Marines exaggerated the truth, this rookie Marine called Uchiha Senga cannot be underestimated. At the very least, it is a fact that he survived!"
Whitebeard took another huge gulp of wine, wiped his mouth, and said boldly,
"So what? He is only a Marine brat. I am Whitebeard!!"
The other three Four Emperors held roughly the same view as Whitebeard.
Big Mom: "Mamamama, boring. Bring me cake!"
Kaido: "Rayleigh? Just an old man. As for that Marine brat, if I run into him, I will show him the terror of these seas!"
Red-Haired: "Vice Captain Rayleigh, it has been a long time. I really want to see you and tell you that I found a new hope in the East Blue!"
Somewhere in the underworld,
Newspaper King Doflamingo held a newspaper with both hands, staring at Senga's picture while strange laughter continuously escaped his lips.
"Fufufufufu! The Marines really love glorifying themselves. Still, this Uchiha Senga will need to be watched closely from now on. Don't you think, Corazon?"
Doflamingo turned to look at Corazon, who was draped in a black feathered coat. Corazon kept his head lowered, a cigarette hanging from his mouth. He did not answer and merely remained silent.
Of course, Corazon was far from calm inside. At that moment, he thought,
When did the Marines get such a rookie? I need to find an opportunity to contact Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
Marine Headquarters,
Fleet Admiral's Office,
Sengoku stared at the document in his hand in disbelief, checking it over and over to make sure his eyes were not playing tricks on him.
Bang! The office door was violently kicked open. Garp burst in with a newspaper in hand, loudly making a fuss, with Tsuru and Aokiji following behind him.
Garp rushed to Sengoku's desk, slammed the newspaper onto it, and shouted at Sengoku with spit flying everywhere,
"Look at this! That kid Senga ran into Silvers Rayleigh and even wounded him? Who the hell wrote this? What nonsense!"
Sengoku ignored him and simply handed the document in his hand to Garp.
Garp snatched the document and quickly scanned it. The same expression Sengoku had worn earlier appeared on his face as he muttered,
"It is actually true? He really wounded that Rayleigh?"
Tsuru stood behind him with her arms crossed. Seeing that Garp had quieted down, she said to Sengoku,
"Sengoku, Senga's strength has reached such a level. What do you think about this?"
Aokiji, standing beside her, also looked toward Sengoku. To be honest, this matter had shocked him greatly as well.
After pondering for a while, Sengoku voiced his opinion.
"This news was deliberately released by the Gorosei, and they made it clear that they want us Marines to heavily publicize it. They seem to think highly of Senga."
Tsuru nodded and said,
"Senga has wiped out pirate crews twice, and his methods could be called somewhat cruel. That should suit their tastes. Moreover, Senga is modest and understands etiquette. His conduct is very different from that of most officers."
As she said this, Tsuru glanced at Garp and Aokiji beside him.
Garp paid no attention whatsoever to Tsuru's look. As his former follower, Aokiji naturally followed his example and ignored it as well.
Garp slammed his massive fists together in front of his chest and said excitedly,
"Good kid! I knew there was something special about him. Next time we meet, I need to properly test his strength!"
Sengoku ignored the suddenly excited Garp and said to Tsuru,
"Hand this matter over to the publicity department. Have them focus on promoting it within the Marines. This is also the World Government's intention."
Tsuru nodded, then dragged Garp and Aokiji away.
After Garp and the others left, Sengoku fell silent again, lowering his head to look at the photograph of Senga printed in the newspaper Garp had left behind.
Senga wore a smile in the picture, his Rinnegan especially striking. He had one palm facing the camera, and a black vortex had appeared in his palm. No one knew how the photograph had been taken.
Sengoku spoke softly to Senga's photograph,
"Having you exposed to the world so quickly... will it be good or bad for you, Senga?"
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