"So not only were three-quarters of the Beli destroyed, but some of it was stolen too. And worst of all, the Thunder Swordsman is still alive."
Akainu sat on his sofa, his face dark.
His home was nowhere near as luxurious as the Fleet Admiral's residence. It was plain and simple, but clean as a barracks.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki. Although Mr. Sengoku, Mr. Garp, and Admiral Fujitora surrounded the Thunder Swordsman, they failed to kill him."
A Marine Admiral and the Inspector General joining forces against a Shichibukai made little sense to begin with.
It might have been possible with a useless Shichibukai like Moria.
But Werther was a formidable fighter with considerable influence in the New World, which made it even harder to explain.
With a secret order from Fleet Admiral Akainu, however, it all made sense.
Before Fujitora and Sengoku set out on this mission, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki had given them instructions.
If they got the chance, they were to eliminate the Thunder Swordsman. He would take responsibility.
His goal was to abolish the Shichibukai. To a member of the Hawk Faction like Akainu, making pirates legitimate was intolerable.
The other Shichibukai would be easy enough to handle. But stripping Werther of his title unilaterally could have consequences too dire to imagine.
Whether for personal reasons or to gain better control of the seas, abolishing the Shichibukai could not wait.
During the war against Whitebeard, the Marines had learned just how unreliable the Shichibukai were. Some did the bare minimum (Yasha), while others occasionally switched sides (the Pirate Empress).
Werther was the greatest obstacle to abolishing the Shichibukai.
There was another important matter: Werther had killed Marine Admiral Kizaru not long ago. The Marines naturally wanted revenge.
As Akainu spoke with the Messenger, the paper door beside