A Navy Fleet Admiral at His Wits' End

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

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

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

"Once Ace's execution is carried out smoothly, I can retire with honor!" Sengoku said wearily.

"Right, where is that guy Garp?" Sengoku asked doubtfully.

Usually, Garp always lingered in the 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.

Brrr... Brrr...

The Transponder Snail's ringing broke the silence.

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

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

However, an uneasy voice came from the other end of the call.

"Rep... 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. Don't stammer. Tell me, what happened to Sakazuki? Was he defeated?" Sengoku asked uneasily.

Nearby, 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 his emotions and swallowed hard. Gulp!

At last, he slowly spoke.

"It wasn't just a defeat."

"Sakazuki... Admiral Sakazuki... he died in battle!"

"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 exploded in Sengoku's heart like bolts from the blue!

White light flashed across Sengoku's glasses. Holding the Transponder Snail in his hand, he froze in place and remained speechless for a long time.

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

What could have caused Sengoku, who possessed Conqueror's Haki and had always been so composed, to lose control like this?

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

Veins bulged on Sengoku's forehead. He clenched his fists tightly, and his expression darkened with worry.

"Who? Who was it?!" Sengoku had completely lost his composure, practically roaring.

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

Facing the loss of composure of the Navy's highest commander, the rear admiral was trembling with 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 down onto his Fleet Admiral's desk.

Crash!

The Fleet Admiral's desk collapsed into a mess, splinters and documents scattering across 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 has ended in failure! Akainu has died in battle! One Celestial Dragon has also been killed!"

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

The entire Fleet Admiral's office instantly fell silent.

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

Akainu Sakazuki had actually been finished off by Ye Yu, a 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 opened their mouths wide, swallowing nervously.

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

As admirals, they knew Sakazuki's strength well.

For them, defeating Sakazuki would be difficult!

He might even have been the strongest among the three admirals!

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

Thinking of this, everyone's expressions turned strange.

If that was truly the case, then the world's strongest Whitebeard Pirates had two Emperor-level powerhouses holding the fort!

This... would be a brutal fight!

The Navy's chances of victory had fallen yet again!

Naturally, they knew that the one suffering the most at this moment was Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the commander-in-chief of this war!

Before the battle had even begun, one of his own admirals had been killed by the enemy...

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

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

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

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

Vice Admiral Tsuru patted Sengoku on the shoulder.

"Sengoku, no matter what, take care of yourself."

"Because of the Ace incident, Garp has already become completely despondent. 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 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, gripped his hair tightly with both hands, and sank into thought.

After a while, the investigation report on 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 ready!"

Seeing the intelligence officer arrive only made Sengoku's headache worse. He waved a hand at him. "Don't report yet."

After saying that, Sengoku took out a cup of water and gulped down two mouthfuls, calming himself. Then he slowly said, "You may speak now. Exactly 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?

Although it sounded utterly unbelievable...

The report from Marine Headquarters could not be wrong!

The enemy was a powerful magma ability user. That 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!

"I understand. You may leave for now. I will report this to the Five Elders immediately."

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