"Garp!"
"Shut your mouth!"
"Eat your senbei!"
Garp curled his lip and muttered as he continued stuffing senbei into his mouth.
Sengoku turned back to Lorne, his expression becoming deadly serious.
"Lorne, you need to understand that the balance in the New World is extremely fragile."
"The Four Emperors keep each other in check, which allows our navy to maintain order in the first half and the Four Blues."
"By capturing Perospero alive this time, you've dealt Charlotte Linlin a vicious slap in the face."
"If that madwoman goes berserk, the situation in the New World will spiral out of control in an instant."
Lorne gave a cold laugh.
"Out of control?"
"Then we fight."
"The navy has a hundred thousand elite troops, along with the Three Admirals and you, our Fleet Admiral. Are we supposed to be afraid of a single pirate crew?"
Sengoku sighed and leaned back in his chair.
"It's not as simple as you think."
"If we go to all-out war with Totto Land, Kaido of the Beasts certainly won't sit on the sidelines."
"When that happens, war will engulf the entire Grand Line, and countless innocent civilians will be displaced."
"So, for now, avoiding major clashes with the Four Emperors is Headquarters' basic strategy."
Lorne shrugged without arguing, but anyone could see the dismissiveness on his face.
Sengoku tapped the desk and continued.
"There's also something more important."
"In three weeks, the Reverie will be held in the Holy Land, Mary Geoise."
"It's a grand event held once every five years, bringing together the kings of fifty affiliated nations."
Lorne frowned.
"What does that have to do with me?"
"I'm just a rear admiral. Am I supposed to pour tea for those kings?"
Sengoku looked at him solemnly.
"Not just you. Every officer ranked rear