A Navy Fleet Admiral at His Wits' End

In the Fleet Admiral's office at Marine Headquarters, Sengoku hurriedly reviewed documents.

Vice Admiral Tsuru carried over a huge stack of materials concerning the Whitebeard Pirates and placed them on Sengoku's desk.

Seeing the towering pile of documents, Sengoku felt his head throb. He rubbed his temples and sighed.

"Once Ace's execution is successfully completed, I can retire with honor!" Sengoku said wearily.

"By the way, where's that guy Garp?" Sengoku asked in confusion.

Normally, Garp always lingered in his Fleet Admiral's office and refused to leave, yet there was no sign of him today.

Vice Admiral Tsuru frowned.

"That guy went to Impel Down to visit Ace!"

Sengoku sighed again, and the office fell silent.

Brring... Brring...

The Transponder Snail's ringing shattered the silence.

Busy preparing for the coming war, Sengoku saw that the call was from the Navy stationed at the Sabaody Archipelago and picked up the Transponder Snail.

"The Celestial Dragon incident has already been dealt with, right? Tell Akainu to hurry back to Marine Headquarters! There's still a lot to handle here!" Sengoku said hurriedly.

But an uneasy voice came from the other end of the call.

"R-report... Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"

"Admiral Sakazuki... he... he..." The Sabaody Archipelago rear admiral's lips trembled violently.

Sengoku vaguely sensed that something was wrong.

"Speak. Stop stammering and tell me, what happened to Sakazuki? Was he defeated?" Sengoku asked anxiously.

Vice Admiral Tsuru, Aokiji, and Kizaru all looked toward Sengoku. Sakazuki had been defeated? How could that be possible?

Could one of the Four Emperors have intervened in the Celestial Dragon incident at the Sabaody Archipelago?

The rear admiral steadied himself, swallowed hard, and gulped.

At last, he slowly spoke.

"It wasn't just a defeat."

"Sakazuki... Admiral Sakazuki... he was killed in action!"

"Not only Sakazuki, but Celestial Dragon Charlos Saint was also killed!"

"Marine Headquarters personnel are investigating now. The investigation report should be completed before long!"

Boom!

The two pieces of news were like bolts from the blue, exploding in Sengoku's mind!

A white glare flashed across Sengoku's glasses. Holding the Transponder Snail in his hand, he stood frozen in place for a long time without saying a word.

Aokiji, Kizaru, and Vice Admiral Tsuru looked at Fleet Admiral Sengoku with puzzled expressions.

What could have caused Sengoku, who possessed Conqueror's Haki and had always remained composed, to lose his composure like this?

"Fleet Admiral Sengoku? Fleet Admiral Sengoku, are you all right?" The Sabaody Archipelago rear admiral asked after hearing no response from the other end.

Veins bulged on Sengoku's forehead. He clenched his fists tightly, and his face grew even more troubled.

"Who? Who the hell was it?!" Sengoku had completely lost his composure as he nearly roared.

"R-report... Fleet Admiral Sengoku, it was Ye Yu, captain of the Whitebeard Pirates' Zero Division!" the Sabaody Archipelago rear admiral answered in terror.

Faced with the Navy's highest commander losing control, the rear admiral trembled in fear as well.

Upon hearing Ye Yu's name, Sengoku's expression turned grave. He hung up the call, clenched both fists, and smashed them viciously into his Fleet Admiral's desk.

Boom!

The Fleet Admiral's desk collapsed into a mess, wood chips and documents scattering all over the floor.

With a weary expression, Sengoku slowly spoke to the puzzled Vice Admiral Tsuru and the two admirals beside him.

"The Celestial Dragon incident was a failure! Akainu has been killed! One of the Celestial Dragons was killed as well!"

"That brat Ye Yu did it!" Fleet Admiral Sengoku said through gritted teeth.

The Fleet Admiral's office instantly fell silent.

Sengoku's words were like a depth charge, exploding completely within everyone's hearts.

Akainu Sakazuki had actually been finished off by Ye Yu, that young man who had only recently emerged? And... he had even killed a Celestial Dragon?

What a vicious pirate!

Vice Admiral Tsuru was utterly shocked.

That magma brat Sakazuki might have lacked manners, but his strength was formidable!

Kizaru and Aokiji also gaped, swallowing hard.

"With Sakazuki's strength, he was actually killed by Ye Yu?"

As admirals, they knew Sakazuki's strength well.

For them, defeating Sakazuki would have been difficult!

For all they knew, he might have been the strongest of the three admirals!

But... if even Sakazuki was no match for that brat Ye Yu, could the Whitebeard Pirates' Zero Division captain truly possess Emperor-level strength?

At that thought, everyone's expressions grew strange.

If that were true, then the world's strongest pirate crew, the Whitebeard Pirates, had two Emperor-level powerhouses holding the fort!

This... would be a brutal fight!

The Navy's chances of victory had dropped once again!

Naturally, they knew that the one suffering most right now was Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the supreme commander of this war!

Before the battle had even begun, one of their admirals had already been slain by the enemy...

And Akainu had been sent out by Fleet Admiral Sengoku himself... It would be difficult to explain this to the Five Elders!

Seeing Sengoku's expression, they all wanted to step forward and offer a few words of comfort, but they could not think of anything to say. The Whitebeard Pirates' Zero Division captain named Ye Yu was simply too powerful!

"You all leave first. I need some time alone."

Sengoku rubbed his temples, his face full of worry as he sighed.

Vice Admiral Tsuru patted Sengoku on the shoulder.

"Sengoku, no matter what, you have to take care of yourself."

"Because of the Ace incident, Garp has already been completely crushed. Sengoku, if you can't hold on too, then our Navy may truly be finished," Vice Admiral Tsuru said worriedly.

"Don't worry. I understand that much."

"I just need some time alone to think about how I'm going to report this to the Five Elders," Sengoku said helplessly.

Vice Admiral Tsuru, Admiral Aokiji, and Admiral Kizaru each gave Fleet Admiral Sengoku a sympathetic look before leaving with heavy steps.

After everyone left, Sengoku lowered his head, tightly clutching his hair as he sank into thought.

After a while, the investigation report concerning the Sabaody Archipelago was completed.

An intelligence officer arrived at the Fleet Admiral's office carrying the report.

"The analysis report on Ye Yu's abilities is complete!"

Seeing the intelligence officer arrive, Sengoku's headache worsened. He waved him off. "Don't report yet."

After saying that, Sengoku took a cup of water and gulped down two mouthfuls, calming himself before slowly speaking. "You may speak now. Just how did that guy Ye Yu take down Sakazuki?"

After the report was finished, Sengoku's expression became even stranger.

That bastard Ye Yu... actually possessed the ability to control magma as well?

Though it sounded utterly unbelievable...

The report from Marine Headquarters could not be wrong!

An enemy who was a powerful magma ability user was not good news for the Navy!

Moreover, no one knew why Ye Yu possessed Sakazuki's Devil Fruit ability.

For all they knew, Ye Yu might possess other Devil Fruit abilities as well!

"Understood. You may leave first. I'll report to the Five Elders immediately."

After the intelligence officer left, Sengoku slumped completely into his chair. This series of news had left him utterly exhausted in both body and mind!