Marine Headquarters, Marineford, the Fleet Admiral's Office.
Sengoku sat behind his spacious desk, a mountain of documents awaiting his review piled in front of him.
But his mind was elsewhere. His fingers tapped unconsciously against the desktop, and his brows were tightly furrowed. Clearly, some difficult problem was weighing heavily on him.
Some time had passed since the incident in the Holy Land that had shaken the world, and the initial excitement and sheer satisfaction had gradually settled.
When he recalled joining forces with Gern and watching the Five Elders' faces darken like the bottoms of pots as they were forced to compromise,
Sengoku still felt a secret thrill of satisfaction. It really had been an incredible rush.
Yet once that rush faded, practical problems came one after another.
To appease him-or rather, to keep Gern in check-the World Government had indeed handed Marine Headquarters a considerable amount of power and resources it had previously held in a death grip.
This was something Sengoku had always dreamed of. It meant greater autonomy and room for growth for the Navy.
But now that it was time to decide exactly how to distribute and use these new "spoils," Sengoku found himself with a terrible headache.
He could clearly foresee that, once the senior leadership meeting at headquarters concluded in two months, the G-10 branch under Gern's command,
with its formidable strength, independent geographical position, and Gern's own prestige as a "Navy Legend," would undoubtedly become the Navy's true center in the New World.
A "Marineford of the New World" in every sense.
The Navy's strategic priorities would inevitably become clear: [Marineford headquarters would maintain stability in the first half of the Grand Line, Paradise, and the Four Blues,
while the burden of campaigning against the terrifying great pirates and "Emperors" of the