One year later, on the deck of the Six Paths Reincarnation,
Senga, wearing black sunglasses, lay on a bench basking in the sun. Ever since he got his own warship, Senga had grown to love this way of relaxing. No wonder Aokiji always liked to lie like this; it was indeed comfortable.
Wearing a small-sized Justice Coat, a dark blue short-sleeved shirt, denim shorts, black stockings, and black high heels, Ain stood solemnly beside Senga, looking every bit the dutiful little guard.
Her current situation with Senga is somewhat similar to that of Smoker and Tashigi in the anime, but Ain doesn't have Tashigi's airheadedness; Ain's personality is more capable and efficient.
Senga opened her eyes and glanced at Ain beside her. Seeing Ai Yin's serious expression, she couldn't help but smile slightly, then patted the empty seat next to her.
"You've worked hard, you should take a rest too."
Ain shook her head. It wasn't that she didn't want to, but there were still many soldiers on guard duty on the deck, and she would definitely feel embarrassed to do so.
Senga didn't force herself, and closed her eyes to continue enjoying the sun.
Suddenly, the sound of high heels clicking could be heard, Kalifa appeared beside Senga with a Den Den Mushi in her hand.
Kalifa glanced at Ain beside Senga, her expression unchanged, but she leaned down and whispered to Senga,
"Boss, Fleet Admiral Sengoku is looking for you."
"Um?"
Senga an eyebrow. Since he got his own warship, he had been going out to sea to carry out missions frequently. Usually, these were missions issued by headquarters, such as patrolling or eliminating pirate crews. This was the first time that Sengoku had come to him directly.
"Looks like something big has happened," Senga nodded, taking the Den Den Mushi from Kalifa. As soon as the call connected, Sengoku's urgent voice rang out.
"Is that Senga? Hurry back to headquarters, a major incident has occurred that requires your attention!"
"I am Senga Fleet Admiral Sengoku. What is it?"
"The Op-Op Fruit has appeared. This fruit is extremely important. We'll discuss the rest when you return!"
"Yes, I understand."
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Senga stood up, and Kalifa immediately took Senga's Justice Coat hanging nearby and put it on him. Ain couldn't help but pout when she saw this.
Senga smiled at Kalifa, then his expression turned serious. With a wave of his hand, he ordered the warship to return to port immediately.
Marine Headquarters, High-Level Conference Room
None of the Three Admirals were present at today's meeting; all three had some matters to attend to at headquarters. However, in Senga's opinion, Akainu was alright, Aokiji was probably out scaring little girls again, and Kizaru was likely slacking off.
Gion didn't come either. Tsuru handed the warship over to her and asked her to lead a group of female marines out to sea for training. Gion's wish to go to Senga's ship had to be put on hold for the time being, and Senga had to coax her for a while about it.
Sengoku sat at the very head of the conference table, his expression serious. Seeing that almost all the other generals had arrived, he began to speak.
"I think you all already know why I called you here today. The Op-Op Fruit is very special. The World Government has issued a special order that the Navy must obtain this fruit. It is currently with the Barrels Pirates."
The crane nodded to the side and asked a question.
"So what are you planning to do? Send troops directly to wipe out this pirate crew? I think that's too risky. Perhaps we can take a more gentle approach." M.
Sengoku agreed with Tsuru's suggestion; in fact, it could be said that he thought the same way.
"Yes, the captain of this pirate crew, Barrels, was also a former Marine. He has contacted this place through underground intermediaries and wants to sell this Devil Fruit."
"Yes, this is the safest way. How much are you prepared to offer?"
"Five billion Beli"
"What!?"
Upon hearing the number uttered by Sengoku, the assembled generals couldn't contain their excitement. That was five billion Beli! None of them could possibly accumulate that much even by retirement.
If Kizaru were here, he'd probably jump for joy! With this Devil Fruit, why would he even bother going to work? He could just retire, open a kindergarten, and dance ppap with the kids, wouldn't that be better?! Okay, wrong story.
Even Garp, who hadn't been paying much attention, widened his eyes in disbelief. "What?! Five billion Beli?! That's enough to buy so many bags of senbei!?"
The only ones who seem relatively calm on the field right now are Tsuru and Senga.
Senga knew the value of this fruit. Not to mention that a doctor could instantly become a world-class doctor after eating it, the abilities of the Op-Op Fruit would make it an extremely powerful fruit in combat.
Moreover, there's the rumored "Immortality Surgery," so 5 billion Beli is still too little in Senga's opinion. In other words, the value of this fruit is definitely not something that can be measured in money.
"The World Government is still stingy," Senga, shaking her head slightly as she sat in her chair.
The crane pondered for a moment before speaking.
"This price is within my expectations; I think it's acceptable."
Garp turned his head and stared at Tsuru in disbelief. His mind was now completely occupied with how many senbei could be bought with 5 billion Beli. To him, Tsuru's words were like giving away 5 billion Berries of Beli as if they were cabbages.
Since He Du had said so, Sengoku was certain of his thoughts and immediately finalized the plan. The next step was to send people to ensure the safe conduct of the transaction.
When asked about the personnel for this mission, Sengoku's gaze swept across the room before finally settling on Senga.
In Sengoku's opinion, among everyone present, only Senga could simultaneously meet the two conditions of being both powerful and reliable. Don't underestimate these two conditions; very few people can satisfy both at the same time.
Just as being handsome and rich rarely coexist in the same person, in reality, only most readers of a certain "Qi" brand and one author whose pen name starts with "Bei" can achieve this. (Please don't hit me!)
Senga noticed Sengoku's gaze and stood up, raising an arm to indicate that he accepted the task.
Seeing how easy Senga was to manage, Sengoku couldn't help but smile like a proud father. "Look at him, this is the person I have the highest hopes for. And what kind of creature is this idiot (Garp) next to me?"
Senga sat back down and began to ponder the details of the incident. He had originally planned to participate in this incident because he wanted to save Corazon, obtain the Op-Op Fruit, and ultimately take the blame.