Sengoku was fairly familiar with Kaido.
After all, Kaido had once been a member of the Rocks Pirates.
Although Kaido had not stood out much within the Rocks Pirates back then, after the Rocks Pirates were crushed in the Battle of God Valley, their crew members all became immensely famous pirates across the seas.
Among them, Whitebeard Newgate, Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, and Shiki the Golden Lion were the most renowned.
Now, Shiki had been thrown into Impel Down, while the remaining three showed faint signs of dominating the Second Half of the Grand Line.
The Navy's control over the Second Half of the Grand Line was far too weak, and it had few bases there.
If Moria could deal a blow to Kaido, then even if he was defeated, he would still be worth inviting.
"Fleet Admiral?"
When Sengoku remained silent, the person on the other end of the Transponder Snail hesitantly spoke up.
"Send someone to investigate Wano Country. Keep a close eye on Gecko Moria. I want to know the outcome of this battle."
"Understood!"
"Wait. Do it as before. Avoid clashing with Kaido if possible. Just send someone to investigate in secret."
Sengoku spoke in a deep voice.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
With that, the eyes of the Transponder Snail in Sengoku's hand closed once more.
Yet Sengoku did not put down the Transponder Snail. Instead, he directly called Vice Admiral Tsuru.
"Little Tsuru!"
"Is this about Gecko Moria entering Wano Country?"
Before Sengoku could even explain, Tsuru spoke first.
Sengoku froze.
"Wait until I get there."
The Transponder Snail hung up. Sengoku looked at it in confusion, uncertainty flickering in his eyes.
Before long, Vice Admiral Tsuru arrived at the Fleet Admiral's office.
"I received word from the World Government."
Before Sengoku could speak, Vice Admiral Tsuru took the initiative to explain.
"The World Government has its eye on Moria. They believe he could be a candidate for the Shichibukai, so they have been keeping tabs on his whereabouts."
"This time, Moria headed toward Wano Country, and the World Government guessed that he might clash with Kaido."
After sitting down, Vice Admiral Tsuru spoke, then looked at him questioningly.
"Is Garp not here?"
"He went out."
Sengoku was startled by the question and answered instinctively.
Tsuru frowned. Ever since Roger had been executed, Garp had been acting strangely. Especially after learning that the World Government suspected Roger had left behind a child and was searching everywhere, Garp had become even stranger.
"Let's not talk about Garp!"
Tsuru could think of it, and naturally Sengoku could as well.
But the two of them wisely chose not to delve deeper into the matter.
"I contacted you because of Gecko Moria. You should know quite a bit about him over the past year, so what do you think?"
Sengoku brought the subject back around.
"Gecko Moria cannot defeat him. There is still quite a gap between him and Kaido."
Tsuru frowned and thought for a moment.
"Although Gecko Moria has made quite a name for himself in the Grand Line this past year and has won many battles against other pirate crews, Kaido is no weakling."
As she spoke, Tsuru looked up at Sengoku.
"If he can make it out of this battle unscathed, I think he could be selected as one of the Shichibukai."
"What do you mean?"
Sengoku looked somewhat puzzled.
"Right now, Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin, and Kaido each occupy one side of the Second Half of the Grand Line. It will not be easy for anyone else to get involved. If Moria is defeated, he will likely withdraw from the Second Half of the Grand Line."
"Isn't the purpose of selecting the Shichibukai to have them guard the Grand Line and deter the pirates of the New World?"
At Tsuru's words, Sengoku nodded lightly.
"That is indeed the case."
"But it is still too early to talk about that."
Tsuru shook her head slightly. "After all, the outcome has yet to be decided. No one knows whether Moria can even leave Wano Country alive."
As for Moria winning, neither Sengoku nor Tsuru had ever considered that possibility.
"I have already sent people to Wano Country to investigate this battle. Unfortunately, Wano Country lies too deep within, so taking the opportunity to station troops there is impossible."
Sengoku sighed.
"It was impossible from the start. Our control over the latter half is too weak, and Wano Country has isolated itself. Outsiders can barely intervene. Stationing troops there could lead to a major conflict with Wano Country."
Tsuru shook her head.
"Forget it. We will have to wait for the outcome. Also, do you have any other candidates for the Shichibukai?"
"Others? Not for now. But quite a few young people have become very famous recently."
After recalling the intelligence reports, Vice Admiral Tsuru spoke.
"For example, Doflamingo."
At Vice Admiral Tsuru's words, Sengoku's expression turned strange.
"I pursued that brat before, but he got away."
Vice Admiral Tsuru said with a smiling expression.
"That fellow's identity..."
Sengoku shook his head slightly, his expression odd.
A Celestial Dragon who had given up his own status as a Celestial Dragon.
"There is no need to worry about so much right now. After all, this plan cannot be completed overnight. The World Government does not seem to be in much of a hurry either. The Navy only needs to watch and wait."
Watch and wait?
Hearing Tsuru's words, Sengoku fell into thought.
"I understand what you mean!" Seeing Sengoku's expression, Tsuru sighed. "But pirates are pirates. Some pirates may act with a bit of restraint, but that does not really matter. If you want to choose the candidates yourself, though, I can keep an eye out for you."
"Then thank you."
A smile appeared on Sengoku's face.
Although everyone who went to sea was a pirate, different pirates had different ways of doing things.
Since the Seven Warlords Plan could not be stopped, he might as well choose some people himself to become Shichibukai.
But Sengoku also knew that the World Government would not easily let go, so the candidates needed careful consideration.
After becoming Fleet Admiral, Sengoku finally understood just how troublesome it was.
It was many times more difficult than when he had been an Admiral.
He needed someone to share the workload.
Unfortunately, Garp had no desire to be promoted to Admiral.
"There is one more thing."
Tsuru looked at Sengoku and spoke again.
"Regarding the Navy's three Admirals, none of the three currently have enough accomplishments to be promoted to Admiral. There happen to be many pirates entering the New World now, so my suggestion is that the Navy should deploy more often."
"Yes, I have considered that as well. It is indeed a waste to have all three of them stationed on guard duty."
The Navy's three Vice Admirals with Logia Devil Fruit abilities were all stationed on guard duty right now, which was indeed wasteful.
The Three Admirals and the title of strongest fighting force were also meant to deter the ever-increasing number of pirates.
The publicity work still had to be done properly.
"I will make arrangements afterward. And please keep an eye on Garp. Do not let him cause any trouble."
Sengoku said.
Tsuru nodded, rose to her feet, and left the office.
Sengoku turned his attention back to the huge pile of documents before him. That day, Sengoku's pet lamb, Sean, ate until it was stuffed. Its aging body could no longer handle digesting so many documents.
Wano Country.
Having received their orders, the Navy approached Wano Country in a small boat, preparing to investigate the battle.