Punk Hazard is located in the gateway sea of New World, very close to the Red Line, and Punk Borsalino is an extremely fast Glint-Glint.
So when the Holy Knights and the CP Agency were about to depart for the Marines Division 2 on Mary Geoise, Borsalino arrived right after.
As for Sakazuki, Sakazuki's stationed at the Marines's headquarters and doesn't need to run around aimlessly.
As the fleet in Mary Geoise began its operation, Sakazuki also arrived at the top floor of the Fortress of Justice in the Marines.
This is where the General's office is located.
Without even knocking, Sakazuki stepped out of the elevator and saw that the door to the Sengoku Warlord's office was open.
At this moment, the great general of the Sengoku was holding a cup of tea, standing by the window, looking at the scenery outside.
For some reason, Sakazuki suddenly felt that the handsome man's back view looked slightly desolate at this moment.
Even though the door wasn't closed, Sakazuki stopped in front of it and gently knocked twice.
Without even looking up, Sengoku no Sakazuki seemed to recognize him, took a sip of his tea, and said, "Come in, Sakazuki."
Sakazuki didn't linger. He stepped into the office and closed the door behind him.
Sengoku continued to gaze at the scenery outside the window, neither looking up nor speaking.
Sakazuki remained silent for a moment upon seeing this, then walked to the window and stood side by side with Sengoku Daisaku, watching the scene outside the Fortress of Justice together.
The Marines headquarters continued to operate as usual, with warships coming and going, and Marines bustling about in the square. The sun was shining brightly, and the weather was perfect.
"Commander, Saint Saturn, along with the Holy Knights and some members of the CP Agency, are heading to our Marines headquarters. You..." Sakazuki suddenly said after looking at the scenery outside the window for a while.
Sengoku showed no surprise at these events, his expression remaining calm, a faint smile playing on his lips as he said, "So it's finally coming after all?"
"Why, why did you do this? Why... why go to such lengths to let Ortolan go? All these years, without your secret support, he alone could not have accomplished this, much less kept it a secret from the World Government for so long... Why? Why, as the Admiral of the Marines, would you allow the Marines to fall into this predicament?" Sakazuki questioned, his tone tinged with resentment and indignation.
As Marine Admiral, if Sakazuki wanted to investigate, there was almost nothing in the Marines that could be kept from him. Even if there were, there would definitely be some suspicious traces left behind.
After returning from the great battle with Whitebeard in the New World, Sakazuki investigated Ortolan's affairs in great depth. In the end, he was almost certain that Sengoku, the Admiral of the Marines, was in cahoots with Ortolan!
"Sakazuki ..." Sengoku listened to Sakazuki's indignant and resentful tone, but did not show any displeasure. On the contrary, he still had that gentle and calm smile on his face and said, "What is it that we, the Marines, must uphold our beliefs?"
"Justice," Sakazuki replied without hesitation.
"What is justice?" Sengoku nodded, as if acknowledging Sakazuki's answer, but then asked another question.
"To eliminate 'evil' is justice!" Sakazuki said matter-of-factly.
"So, do you think our Marines is currently on the path of justice?" Sengoku asked again.
"Of course, when we, the Marines, eliminate pirates, we are eliminating the existence of 'evil,' and thus we are on the path of justice." Sakazuki nodded.
"So, only pirates are 'evil'?" Sengoku asked, looking at Sakazuki.
This question silenced Sakazuki's previously assertive attitude.
"Are you trying to tell me about the dark side of the World Government?" Sakazuki's tone turned cold, then continued, "As Marine Admiral, I naturally know a lot. You don't need to think I'm completely unaware of the dark side of Mary Geoise. In fact, our Marines has been involved in quite a few of these incidents... but..."
Sengoku looked at Sakazuki: "But what?"
Sakazuki opened his mouth, but was momentarily speechless. Sengoku, however, spoke in a deep voice, "However, the World Government is not without its merits. As long as we, the Marines, work twice as hard, first pacify the four seas and eliminate external threats such as pirates, and then find a way to strengthen our internal forces and clean up those parasites, one day we will be able to uphold justice... is that right?"
Hearing Sengoku's words, Sakazuki, though not entirely convinced, nodded after a brief moment of thought, "That's right..."
"Commander Steel Bone once thought this way, and he chose to follow that path. In the end, he failed. The Marines remained the same Marines. As for me, in the few years after I became Admiral, I thought maybe Brother Steel Bone wasn't capable enough. If it were me, I could definitely succeed, I could definitely change something. So I also chose that path... It's a vicious cycle. Sakazuki, Mary Geoise, and those people have, in the past few weeks, amassed too many reins that can be tied around the neck of our Marines. What they need is not a righteous Marines, but an obedient Marines. I only understood this after suffering many losses..." Sengoku murmured softly.
After a slight pause, Sengoku smiled again and said, "Of course, Ortolan told me that if no changes are made, then just looking at me, looking at Commander-in-Chief Steel Bone, is like seeing the end of the Marines's future. So, he insisted on being the one to make changes. How old is he? Ten? Or eleven? Such a kid, saying that just looking at me means he sees the end of the Marines's future, do you know how I felt at that time?"
Sakazuki seemed somewhat moved at this moment, his lips moved stiffly, and he asked softly, "How does it feel?"
"My feeling at the time... was that I couldn't refute him, because... he was right." Sengoku sighed with emotion, "Using these internal political struggles, no matter what I did, how obedient I was, or how I arranged things, in the end, I couldn't resist the absolute control from Mary Geoise. That is, military spending, food, weapons and ammunition, warships, and everything else. Our Marines had absolutely no autonomy; it was a claw gripping our throats... I once thought that if I compromised a little more, if I were a little more obedient, perhaps they would trust us more and give us more leeway... However, every time I compromised, every time I made concessions, what I got in return was further suppression..."
Sakazuki remained silent, and Sengoku didn't dwell on the topic either, continuing, "But even so, I still didn't place any hopes on Ortolan. How should I put it? Back then, he was too young. He might have been very talented, but he gave off an unreliable vibe. But now, looking back, I'm so glad, so glad that I still chose to make that attempt... I sent him to G-5 as base commander. I told him I wouldn't give him a single penny of Belly. If he wanted something, he could get it himself. In exchange, I wouldn't interfere with his affairs at headquarters. As long as he didn't go too far and cause a huge uproar, I was willing to help cover things up for him..."
"I'm using him as a test..." Sengoku chuckled self-deprecatingly. "Isn't it a bit despicable? I want to see just how far he can go. Even if we're defeated in the future, our Marines won't suffer too many losses; the only casualties will be his personal losses. At the same time, I can learn some lessons from him and wait for a more suitable opportunity in the future..."
Sakazuki listened to Sengoku's self-analysis in silence, remaining silent.
Sengoku continued talking to himself, his eyes growing brighter. "But that brat really surprised me. What he did was beyond my imagination. He's more radical, more reckless, more... unconventional than I anticipated. Yet, despite his radicalism and madness, he seems divinely inspired, as if the sea is watching over him. He's never made a single major mistake, never committed an irreparable error. Every one of his risky ventures has ultimately succeeded. It's as if he can always see the future and then follow that path to plan and act. It amazes me, and because of this, I see true hope in him. And because of this, I've invested more and more in him, to the point that now..."
"So much so that you're willing to sacrifice yourself for him now?" Sakazuki finally chimed in.
"No, it's no longer just for him, Sakazuki ..." Sengoku took a sip of tea, a generous and composed smile on his face, "It's for the rebirth of the Marines ... Now, without destruction, there can be no construction. This is the closest our Marines has come to success, to truly upholding justice, in over eight weeks. For this, I will spare no effort..."
Looking at the silent, even somewhat godlike Sakazuki, Sengoku smiled again, "Actually, a couple of days ago, I was a little worried, wondering... what choice you, Sakazuki, would make? What about Borsalino? And what about that Aramaki? Would he bring any negative consequences?"
After a slight pause, Sengoku smiled and said, "But when I woke up this morning, all these worries disappeared. I suddenly realized that Ortolan must have thought of the same things I was thinking about... So, I just need to do what I should do, and leave the rest of these worries to this corner of the sea that seems to be blessed by the ocean."