This Guy Was Surprisingly Polite

Marineford, Marine Headquarters.

At the meeting hosted by Meeting King Brannew.

The naval high command had been meeting when Fleet Admiral Sengoku received a call. His fingers clenched around the Den Den Mushi, his face turning deathly pale as cold sweat poured from his forehead.

"Understood. I'll take care of it."

After hanging up, Sengoku swallowed.

"Borsalino."

"Go to Sabaody Island No. 1 at once. Find Barzeb Seven and calm him down. Whatever happens, make sure Saint Elaine... stays alive."

Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Navy's chief of staff, picked up where he left off.

"Sengoku, give us the details."

Sengoku drew a deep breath, steadying himself.

"Barzeb Seven, a former member of the Roger Pirates, is on Sabaody Island No. 1. He's kidnapped Saint Elaine, a Celestial Dragon, and demanded a ransom from the World Government."

The moment he finished speaking, the assembled naval officers wore all sorts of expressions. How could anyone be so gutsy?

Kidnapping a Celestial Dragon?

Even if he managed to extort the World Government, he'd need to survive long enough to spend the ransom. Were all the Crew of Pirate King Roger such reckless fools?

"Bwahahahaha!"

Garp laughed until tears streamed from his eyes. "I knew it! That kid's definitely still alive. Kidnapping a Celestial Dragon and extorting the World Government—bwahahahaha!"

Since Celestial Dragons were involved, Garp couldn't be bothered to take action.

If the mission had been anything else, he'd have volunteered to arrest Barzeb and lock him up in Impel Down. That was one of the goals Garp had set for himself in his remaining years.

"Damn you, Garp!" Sengoku slammed the table.

Vice Admiral Tsuru cut in before the two could continue. "Borsalino, go calm Barzeb down first. Then coordinate with the World Government and follow up."

The Navy wouldn't be paying the ransom for a kidnapped Celestial Dragon. At most, they'd provide support and rescue the hostage.

Kizaru slowly rose to his feet. "Sengoku, all I have to do is calm the kidnapper down, right?"

Just thinking about Seven's outrageous Conqueror's Haki Infusion gave Kizaru a headache. And to make matters worse, the two of them had a shady deal between them.

Sengoku nodded. "If necessary, assist the World Government in arresting Barzeb."

Kidnapping a Celestial Dragon had to be stamped out completely. Otherwise, pirates across the seas would start doing the same, and the Navy would have nothing left to do.

They might as well all be assigned to guard Celestial Dragons.

With a whoosh, Kizaru turned into light and sped off toward the Sabaody Archipelago.

Arrest him? As if.

Two years ago, there had been no way to arrest him.

Two years later, it would probably be even less possible.

The fact that Barzeb had only demanded a ransom and hadn't killed the Celestial Dragon showed that he wasn't yet ready to openly break with the World Government.

So, how should Kizaru hold back?

Ever since learning the truth about the Void Century two years ago, Kizaru had secretly verified part of it. The results had been exactly as he'd expected.

That had made the justice he clung to even more uncertain. It still involved preserving the stability of the existing order, but every so often, the terrifying thought of overthrowing the World Government and rebuilding the world anew crept into his mind.

That was why Kizaru hadn't dared go to Skypiea in the past two years. He was afraid Barzeb would manipulate him again.

"Brother, you've really put me in a difficult spot."

The Den Den Mushi vibrating in his pocket pulled Kizaru's wandering thoughts back to reality.

"Moshi moshi."

"Brother, I only want the ransom."

"Good." Kizaru finally breathed easy.

This mission was bound to go well. Surely the World Government wouldn't block the promotion and transfer it had denied him two years ago—not again?

Sabaody Island No. 1.

On the street in front of the Slave Auction House, Seven had cleared out the merchants and ordinary people, leaving only the unconscious Marines and CP agents sprawled on the ground.

He'd chopped the two Celestial Dragon guards into several pieces as easily as slicing vegetables.

The fat pig Elaine had already passed out. Seven had propped him beneath his backside as a cushion. He'd only decided on kidnapping the pig of a Celestial Dragon on a whim.

The guy had been born into such a noble family, after all.

And Seven was dead broke.

As for the star-crossed couple Tesoro and Stella, Seven had put them up in the hotel next door. He'd take them away once the ransom arrived.

He didn't have to wait long.

As the dazzling light slowly gathered into Kizaru, Seven immediately held his sword to Elaine's neck.

"Don't move, Borsalino."

Just like the justice Kizaru upheld, the man himself was hard to pin down. Seven wasn't about to trust their so-called partnership.

Kizaru quickly raised both hands.

"Sora wa Inai."

The man had changed so much that Kizaru had almost failed to recognize him. "Barzeb, why would a man like you insist on making an enemy of the World Government?"

The two had reached a private agreement, but in public, the Navy and pirates were still enemies. They still had to keep up appearances.

Seven shrugged. "I'm broke!"

"I don't get a steady paycheck every month like you Marines. Poor people like us have to fend for ourselves just to scrape by."

Kizaru kept a straight face, but inwardly he grumbled: There's enough gold in Skypiea to go around, and you're still claiming to be broke? Did you blow through all the gold you promised me?

Looks like I'll have to sneak off to Skypiea when I get the chance.

As the two chatted, some reporters who'd heard the news had already started taking pictures on the sly. Seven subtly turned to the reporters and showed them his profile and jawline.

As the saying went—

A side profile made you a version's true god.

Hide your jawline, and you were a version's nobody.

As a pirate, even the way you looked on your wanted poster could earn you points!

The World Economic News Company's president, Morgans, would never pass up such explosive news, especially when the person at its center was Barzeb, the one Morgans had his eye on.

Meanwhile, Kizaru reported the situation to Fleet Admiral Sengoku from time to time.

As soon as Kizaru hung up the Den Den Mushi, Seven grabbed the pig Elaine. "Come on. We'll wait aboard the ship."

Seven didn't have a ship, but the Celestial Dragon did.

On a luxury liner in the Sabaody Archipelago's port, Seven casually pulled out a chain and artistically bound Elaine's fat body.

"Borsalino, hurry the World Government along. You have half an hour. If you're late, I'll have no choice but to send him on his way."

Kizaru cooperatively contacted the Gorosei.

After hearing the kidnapper's demand, the Gorosei fell silent for a few seconds. "Borsalino, you'll have to make two trips."

Kizaru's face fell. "Fine."

Being fast wasn't always a good thing.

Especially for a shirker like Kizaru, whenever the World Government or the Navy ran into an emergency, he was the one who had to suffer.

Seven's ransom demand was outrageous: five Devil Fruits and five weapons no worse than Good Fast Swords.

With the World Government's wealth, built up over more than eight hundred years of ruling the seas, gathering the ransom would be a piece of cake.

The only problem was getting it delivered on time.

"Give me the Gorosei's contact information."

After securing the Gorosei's agreement, Kizaru left his contact details and once again turned into light, heading for Mary Geoise.

Seven dialed the Den Den Mushi. "Moshi moshi."

"Barzeb." The Den Den Mushi mimicked the speaker's tone. "What exactly are you after?"

"Don't rush me. I'll talk it through with you."

Seven planted a foot on Elaine's back. "First of all, I'd like to offer my sincere apologies for kidnapping Saint Elaine."

At Pangaea Castle in Mary Geoise.

In a spacious, brightly lit room, the Gorosei looked at one another. This guy was surprisingly polite.

"You know I'm pretty broke. This ransom is just hush money. As for what I'm asking you to keep quiet about, I'm sure you already know."

"Once I get the ransom, this ends here. Otherwise, I don't mind waiting outside Mary Geoise and hunting Celestial Dragons again."

"You know I can do it."

With the speed of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, the only way the World Government could stop him was to have Kizaru guard him every second of the day.

Otherwise, any Celestial Dragon who dared leave the Holy Land of Mary Geoise would be kidnapped and ransomed by Seven.

The two guards beside Saint Elaine had the strength of Marine Headquarters Vice Admirals, yet Seven had still chopped them into several pieces.

"No problem," the mustached Gorosei said.

Seven was willing to quit while he was ahead and had no intention of haggling with the Gorosei any further. "Thanks. That's all."