As Tsugikuni Yoriichi and Sengoku's conversation carried across the deck, the other Marines aboard Battleship No. 0 finally realized what was happening.
To prevent unrest within the Marines and suppress this matter as much as possible, Sengoku had not revealed the purpose of the operation to the lower-ranking soldiers when the Marines at headquarters had set out.
The only people who knew the details were him, his two old comrades, and the two Admirals accompanying them.
Only now did the Marines on the deck of Battleship No. 0 learn that their purpose here was not to launch a surprise attack on some powerful pirate.
Their target was Tsugikuni Yoriichi, a Marine Admiral!
The young Marines who understood the mission looked at one another, sneaking glances at Sengoku's furious face. For a moment, their hearts wavered.
Sengoku had served in the Marines for many years. Rising from an ordinary soldier to Fleet Admiral, his prestige and authority within the Marines were beyond question.
But Tsugikuni Yoriichi was no less impressive. Since joining the Marines, countless great pirates had fallen beneath his feet: the legendary pirate Golden Lion, Pirate King Roger, the "Descendant of the Devil" Bullet, and Beasts Kaido, who ruled over the New World.
Beyond them, the pirates Yoriichi had killed—those with bounties of hundreds of millions or even over a billion—were simply too numerous to count.
In the eyes of the younger generation of Marines, Tsugikuni Yoriichi, the youngest Admiral in Marine history, who had risen at astonishing speed and amassed brilliant achievements, enjoyed no less support than Sengoku.
Faced with a choice between Sengoku and Tsugikuni Yoriichi, they truly found it difficult to take a side. The wisest course was to quietly stay out of it and watch how things unfolded.
Hearing Yoriichi's intentions, Sengoku's heart trembled. Though