"Fleet Admiral Sengoku?"
Cobra hesitated, but in the end he could only nod in agreement.
Few Pirates who had made a name for themselves on the Grand Line were fools. The small fry weren't worth mentioning, but the ones who had done well for themselves were all frighteningly shrewd.
If Loa simply took the Poneglyph away and shipped it to Marine Headquarters, they probably wouldn't believe it was real.
That would be far too blatant. Even if the Marines were the strongest force on the seas, how was that any different from asking to be killed?
They would be certain the real Poneglyph was still hidden in Alabasta and that the one shipped out was merely a decoy. The World Government would then arrange to move the real one in secret.
It was a battle of wits.
And there was a good chance events would play out exactly that way.
If Loa's only goal had been to bring the Poneglyph back, he might have gone with that plan. But the real reason they had spread news of the Poneglyph across the seas was to draw in those pirate crews that kept growing stronger.
If you don't come after it, all my work will have been for nothing.
The Poneglyph could not be lost, but neither could they pass up such a perfect chance to strike at the Pirates.
After careful consideration, Fleet Admiral Sengoku ordered Loa to run two operations at once. He would leave the real Poneglyph in Alubarna under heavy guard, creating the impression that he had not taken it away. At the same time, he would take a forged Poneglyph out of Alubarna and order his subordinates to smuggle it out to sea.
Any Pirates who caught wind of this would surely think the one the Marines