Sengoku's Shock

Babus gave Sengoku a detailed account of everything that had happened during this trip to the Kingdom of Sorbet. After listening, Sengoku pinched his chin and pondered for a moment before saying,

"A tiny kingdom like Sorbet drew that much attention? I've heard of Spandine. His status within the World Government isn't low, but he's not exactly likable."

Babus nodded in agreement. On the way to the Kingdom of Sorbet, he had lost count of how many times he had wanted to kick Spandine into the sea.

Sengoku picked up the document on the table for one last look, then tossed it to the white lamb beside him. The lamb chewed away noisily, practically a living paper shredder.

After the lamb gulped down the paper in its mouth, Sengoku patted its head and said,

"Forget it. Since the World Government has already made its decision, the rest is no longer the Navy's concern. Babus, is there anything else?"

Babus hurriedly nodded and excitedly pulled three résumés from his chest, arranging them neatly on Sengoku's desk.

Leaning back in his chair, Sengoku glanced at the résumés and asked in confusion,

"Résumés? Isn't recruitment Zephyr's responsibility? Why bring these to me?"

"Admiral Sengoku, two of them are Devil Fruit Ability Users, and one of them is even a Logia—the Dark-Dark Fruit!"

"What!? A Logia!?"

Sengoku abruptly straightened up and leaned forward, glaring at the three résumés on the desk. At last, his gaze settled on Gigue's as he muttered,

"The Dark-Dark Fruit? The dark element opposite to Borsalino's Glint-Glint Fruit? Babus, you've really brought me back a surprise!"

It should be mentioned here that in the information Ginny had spread at God Valley, only the Paw-Paw Fruit and Azure Dragon Fruit had been explicitly identified. The other Fruits had not been mentioned.

The World Government had never intended to let the Navy get involved in God Valley, and news of the Devil Fruits had remained under lockdown.

Thus, aside from the Buddha-Buddha Fruit he had learned of from Garp, as well as the publicly revealed Azure Dragon Fruit and Paw-Paw Fruit, Sengoku had no idea what the remaining Fruits were.

Especially the Dark-Dark Fruit. It was a treasure the World Government had stolen from Rocks's lair, the most precious and powerful Devil Fruit among those they had prepared. Its secrecy measures had also been the strictest.

Moreover, Gigue had not displayed much of the Dark-Dark Fruit's power at God Valley, so Sengoku had not given it much thought.

All he could think now was: The Navy is truly going to prosper this time!

With Gigue included, the Navy had obtained three Logia Devil Fruits in one go—light, darkness, and magma. Anyone with even a little common sense knew those three elements could not possibly be weak!

Once those three grew up, just how powerful would the Navy become?

Before becoming Fleet Admiral, Sengoku had still been full of passion. He did not need to devote too much energy to dealing with the World Government; that was something the current Fleet Admiral Kong had to worry about.

What occupied his thoughts most was how to strengthen the Navy and eradicate pirates.

As he stared at Gigue's photo on the résumé, Sengoku's gaze grew increasingly fervent.

Babus had been watching Sengoku's expression all along. Seeing the Admiral Sengoku he considered most composed display such a loss of control, Babus could not help feeling smug. Yet he deliberately put on a troubled expression and said,

"Admiral Sengoku, there was no need to report something like recruiting newcomers to you, but Gigue is only fifteen years old. That doesn't meet the recruitment requirements. I'm afraid Admiral Zephyr won't be pleased when he sees it."

"Requirements? What requirements? Can't you see that Gigue is already one meter ninety tall? He's that tall, so why care about his age? Besides, this is the Dark-Dark Fruit! Zephyr isn't that rigid. He understands what this Fruit means to the Navy!"

"With those words from Admiral Sengoku, I can rest easy. But there is one more matter. Gigue's background is anything but simple. You didn't see how humble that arrogant Spandine was in front of him."

"That isn't a big deal either. Since Gigue has the resolve to join the Navy, it proves he's a hot-blooded youth who yearns for justice. Besides, how deep could his background possibly be? Don't tell me he's a Celestial Dragon?"

Sengoku laughed at his own words. A Celestial Dragon applying to join the Navy? That would be the joke of the century!

He shook his head slightly, dismissing the absurd thought from his mind, then looked once more at Kuma's résumé.

Hmm? A Paramecia Paw-Paw Fruit?

Sengoku froze for a moment before finally recalling what had happened at God Valley.

He remembered that Charlotte Linlin had been blocked by Saint Garling. In the end, the Fruit had been eaten by a tall child, who had then vanished with three other children.

Sengoku frowned slightly as he began calculating in his mind.

Could this Kuma be that child from back then? That height makes it highly likely... He used to be a Celestial Dragon's slave? This is a little troublesome!

He did not suspect that Gigue had been one of them. In his view, Gigue was someone with a World Government background. How could he possibly have been thrown into God Valley as prey?

Sengoku pointed at Kuma's photo and asked,

"What is Kuma's relationship with Gigue?"

"The three of them are friends. From what I've observed, they're very close. Kuma and Ginny call Gigue Brother."

Sengoku could not help thinking of Tsuru, Garp, and himself back then. A nostalgic expression appeared on his face as he nodded and said,

"I see... It's nothing. Take them to the residential area and find them somewhere to stay for now. In a couple of days, bring them to Zephyr to report in."

"Yes!"

"Oh, right. You've worked hard this time, and you even brought back such a talent. I'll report your contribution to Fleet Admiral Kong."

"Thank you, Admiral Sengoku!"

Babus excitedly gave a military salute, picked up Gigue and the others' résumés, then turned and left with delight.

After he left, Sengoku rose from his chair and paced back and forth through the office with his hands behind his back.

Once anything involved Celestial Dragons, it became exceedingly troublesome. If not for Gigue, after learning Kuma's identity, Sengoku would not have sent Kuma to Mary Geoise, but he certainly would not have agreed to let Kuma join the Navy.

There was no helping it. The temptation of the Dark-Dark Fruit was simply too great for the Navy. That was no exaggeration whatsoever.

In Blue Star terms, a powerful Logia Devil Fruit was no different from a nuclear weapon!

Sengoku did not want an incident like this to make Gigue, the future humanoid nuclear weapon, develop any resentment toward the Navy.

He comforted himself inwardly,

"There are already enough Celestial Dragon slaves anyway, and so many years have passed. If we hide things a little more carefully, they probably won't notice..."