Discussions at Headquarters! The Three Top Fighting Strengths

Sengoku was quite familiar with Kaido.

After all, Kaido was a member of the old Rocks Pirates. Although Kaido was not particularly prominent within the Rocks Pirates back then, after the crew was crushed at the Battle of God Valley at God Valley, all of its members became extremely famous pirates across the ocean.

Among them, the four fellows Whitebeard Newgate, Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, and Shiki were the most famous.

Now, Shiki had been thrown into Impel Down, and the remaining three showed faint tendencies to dominate the second half of the Grand Line.

The Marines' strength was far too weak in controlling the second half of the Grand Line, and Marine bases were scarce there.

If Moria could deal a blow to Kaido, even if he suffered defeat, he was still worth an invitation.

"Fleet Admiral?"

Seeing that Sengoku remained silent, the person on the other end of the Transponder Snail asked hesitantly.

"Send men to investigate Wano Country, focusing on Gecko Moria. I want to know the outcome of this battle."

"Understood!"

"Wait, keep it like before. Try your best not to conflict with Kaido; just send men to investigate in secret."

Sengoku said in a deep voice.

"Got it, Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"

With that, the eyes of the Transponder Snail in Sengoku's hand closed once again.

Sengoku did not put down the Transponder Snail in his hand, instead directly calling Vice Admiral Tsuru.

"Tsuru!"

"Is this about Gecko Moria entering Wano Country?"

Before Sengoku could even bring up the matter, Tsuru spoke up on the other end.

Sengoku was momentarily stunned.

"I'll come over and talk in a moment!"

The Transponder Snail was hung up. Sengoku cast a somewhat puzzled glance at the snail, his gaze filled with hesitation.

Before long, Vice Admiral Tsuru arrived at the fleet admiral's office.

"I received the news from the World Government side."

Before Sengoku could speak, Vice Admiral Tsuru took the initiative to explain.

"The World Government has taken a liking to Moria, feeling that he could become a candidate for the Shichibukai, so they have been keeping an eye on his whereabouts. This time, as Moria headed toward Wano Country, the World Government suspected he might clash with Kaido."

Vice Admiral Tsuru said as she sat down, then cast a questioning look.

"That fellow Garp isn't around?"

"He went out."

Hearing this, Sengoku paused and spoke reflexively.

Hearing this, Tsuru frowned. Ever since Roger was executed, Garp had been acting somewhat strange, especially after learning that the World Government suspected Roger left behind an heir and launched a massive search; that made Garp even stranger.

"Let's not talk about that fellow Garp!"

What Tsuru could think of, Sengoku naturally could too.

Yet both of them wisely refrained from delving deeply into the matter.

"I contacted you indeed because of Gecko Moria. You should know quite a bit about Moria's news over the past year, so what do you think?"

Sengoku steered the topic back.

"Gecko Moria cannot win. There should still be a considerable gap between him and Kaido."

Hearing this, Tsuru frowned and pondered for a moment.

"Although there has been plenty of news about Gecko Moria in the Grand Line this year, and he has won multiple battles against other pirate crews, that fellow Kaido is no pushover."

As she spoke, Tsuru looked up at Sengoku.

"If this fellow can escape this battle unscathed, I think selecting him as one of the Shichibukai would be acceptable."

"You mean?"

Hearing this, Sengoku looked somewhat puzzled.

"Right now in the second half of the Grand Line, Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin, and Kaido each hold their own territory. It won't be easy for others to try and intervene. If Moria is defeated, he will likely withdraw from the second half of the Grand Line.

Isn't the purpose of choosing Shichibukai to have them guard the Grand Line and deter the pirates of the New World?"

At Tsuru's words, Sengoku nodded slightly.

"That is indeed true."

"However, it's still a bit too early to talk about this now."

Tsuru shook her head slightly. "After all, the result hasn't come out yet, and no one knows whether Moria can leave Wano Country alive."

As for Moria winning, neither Sengoku nor Tsuru had ever entertained such a thought.

"I've already sent men to Wano Country to investigate the situation of this major battle. It's a pity that Wano Country is too deeply secluded; managing to station troops there on the sly is impossible."

Sengoku sighed.

"It was never possible to begin with. Our control over the second half is currently too weak, not to mention that Wano Country is self-isolated and outsiders can hardly interfere. Stationing troops there might trigger a major conflict with Wano Country."

Tsuru shook her head.

"Forget it, this matter requires waiting for the results. By the way, do you have any other candidates for the Shichibukai?"

"Others? Not for the moment, though there are indeed quite a few youngsters who have made a big name for themselves lately."

Hearing this, Vice Admiral Tsuru recalled some intelligence before speaking.

"Take Doflamingo for example."

As soon as Vice Admiral Tsuru said this, Sengoku's expression turned somewhat peculiar.

"I pursued that brat before, but he got away."

Vice Admiral Tsuru said with a faint smile.

"That fellow's identity..."

Sengoku shook his head slightly, his expression rather strange.

A Celestial Dragon who gave up his Celestial Dragon status.

"There's no need to worry too much about it for now, since this plan won't be completed in a moment anyway. The World Government doesn't seem to be in too much of a rush either, so the Marines can just wait and see how things develop."

Wait and see?

Hearing Tsuru's words, Sengoku fell into deep thought.

"I understand your meaning!" Seeing Sengoku's expression, Tsuru sighed. "But pirates are pirates. Although some pirates act with a semblance of rules, it ultimately doesn't matter much. Still, if you want to pick someone yourself, I can keep an eye out for you."

"Then I thank you in advance."

Hearing this, a smile appeared on Sengoku's face.

Even though everyone who went out to sea was a pirate, pirates still had their own individual styles of conduct.

Since the Shichibukai Plan could not be stopped, they would simply select certain individuals to become Shichibukai themselves.

Yet Sengoku also knew that the World Government would not easily let go of control, so the candidates required careful consideration.

Ever since becoming fleet admiral, Sengoku finally realized just how troublesome it was.

The level of difficulty and headache had multiplied manifold compared to when he was an admiral.

He needed people to share the workload.

It was a pity that fellow Garp refused to be promoted to admiral.

"There is one more matter."

Tsuru looked at Sengoku and spoke once more.

"Regarding the three Marine admirals, none of their current achievements are quite enough for promotion to admiral. With plenty of pirates currently breaking into the New World, my suggestion is that the Marines should mobilize more often."

"Mm, I've considered this as well. Having the three of them stationed idly is indeed somewhat wasteful."

With the three Marine vice admirals possessing Logia Devil Fruit abilities currently stationed in defense, it was indeed somewhat wasteful.

Moreover, the three admirals and the strongest fighting strengths were also meant to deter the ever-growing number of pirates.

Propaganda work still needed to be handled properly.

"I'll make arrangements afterward. Also, as for Garp, please keep an eye on him and don't let him stir up trouble."

Sengoku said.

Hearing this, Tsuru nodded and stood up, directly leaving the office.

As for Sengoku, he once again focused his attention on the massive pile of documents before him. On this day, Sengoku's pet goat Sean ate to the point of being stuffed, and its somewhat aged body could no longer handle digesting this many documents.

Wano Country.

The Marines who received orders approached Wano Country in a small boat, preparing to investigate the situation of the battle.