Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In the Fleet Admiral's Office, Sengoku looked at the intelligence sent by Sabaody, his forehead veins throbbing.
Sabaody Archipelago.
It's the Sabaody Archipelago again.
Years ago, Roy caused a huge disturbance in Sabaody, and a tsunami nearly capsized the entire island.
Now he's back again.
Moreover, this time, he brought along a group of equally lawless crew members.
What's worse— Red-Haired Shanks is there too, along with several other notorious pirates with bounties over 100 million, all crammed onto that island.
"Damn it..."
Sengoku rubbed his temples, feeling his migraine about to flare up again.
He picked up the Den Den Mushi and dialed the conference room intercom.
"All Admiral, assemble immediately in the conference room. Emergency meeting."
In the conference room, the navy's top combat personnel arrived one after another.
Akainu was the first to enter, his face as gloomy as ever, radiating an aura that kept strangers at bay.
Aokiji followed behind, hands in his pockets, yawning lazily.
Kizaru.
Oh, Kizaru is still slacking off in the North Blue.
Garp also came—he was specially summoned by Sengoku.
This old guy was on vacation when Sengoku called him back from the East Blue, and he looked incredibly grumpy.
" Sengoku!"
"I'm eating rice crackers right now!"
Do you know how hard it is to buy senbei (rice crackers) at that store?!
"Shut up," Sengoku said coldly. "Sit down."
Garp pursed his lips, plopped down in a chair, pulled out a senbei from his pocket, and started crunching on it.
Sengoku took a deep breath and projected the information about Sabaody onto the wall.
"The number of pirates in the Sabaody Archipelago has now exceeded the warning line."
"There are at least six or seven notorious pirates with bounties exceeding 100 million."
"Among them, two are the most troublesome--"
He pointed to two names on the intelligence report.
" Red-Haired Shanks, Heavenly Dao Emperor Roy."
There was a moment of silence in the conference room.
Akainu's eyes narrowed, and magma began to surge beneath his skin.
Aokiji stopped yawning, his eyes sharpening as the tragic scene at Sabaody years ago remained vivid in his mind.
Garp slowed down his chewing of the rice cracker.
" Shanks is alright."
The Sengoku continued...
"Although he declined the invitation from the Shichibukai, his style of action is not aggressive, and he will not provoke trouble for the time being."
"But Roy-- "
His voice trailed off.
"That kid just robbed a whole ship of Heavenly Tribute a few days ago."
Zephyr personally led the escort team, but he ended up emptying the ship's hold all by himself.
"Now he's back in Sabaody, and nobody knows what he's up to."
The Sengoku period took a look around.
"So, the reason I called you here is to send someone to Sabaody to oversee things."
"We don't need to launch any offensives; we just need to keep a close eye on those pirates and make sure they don't cause any major trouble."
"Especially Roy —you absolutely mustn't provoke him."
As soon as he finished speaking, the atmosphere in the conference room subtly changed.
Akainu suddenly stood up, knocking over the chair in the process.
" Fleet Admiral! What do you mean by that?!"
What do you mean by 'don't provoke him'?!
" Roy is a pirate! We're the Marines!"
"He's currently in Sabaody with only about a dozen young crew members; the main force is all on Hachinosu!"
"This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! The entire navy is mobilized; capture him immediately!"
Sengoku looked at him coldly. "Take him down? How? Can you beat him?"
Akainu was momentarily speechless, but quickly roared again, "No matter how strong he is, he's only one person! The Three Admirals of the Navy combined, plus Vice Admiral Garp, plus Chief Instructor Zephyr— "
"Enough!"
Sengoku slammed his hand on the table, making the teacups jump.
" Akainu!"
"You think Roy is just an ordinary pirate?"
"You think Hachinosu is just an ordinary faction?"
"Have you forgotten the Pure Gold incident? Nine members of the Holy Knights ganged up on him, and what was the result? Six died, and three were seriously injured!"
"You want the entire navy to be mobilized to encircle and annihilate him?"
"Okay, even if you manage to win him over—then what?"
Sengoku stared at Akainu and said, word by word, "What are your plans to do with those 20,000 genetically modified soldiers on Hachinosu?"
" Bullet, Hawk Eyes, Red Count, Crocodile —how do you plan to deal with those monsters?"
"That madman Kaido is an ally of Roy. Could he take this opportunity to launch a surprise attack on Marine Headquarters?"
" Whitebeard, Golden Lion, and Big Mom—will they take advantage of the situation?"
Akainu's expression grew increasingly grim.
He wanted to refute, but every question from the Sengoku was like a nail driven into his mind.
So, you mean--
Akainu gritted his teeth,
"Our navy is going to bow down to a pirate?"
"It's not about bowing your head."
The Sengoku said coldly,
"We should wait for the right opportunity. Taking action now would be too costly; the navy cannot afford it."
Akainu clenched his fists, and lava dripped from between his fingers, burning charred holes in the floor.
Before he could say anything more, Aokiji spoke up.
" Sakazuki, the Fleet Admiral is right."
Aokiji's voice was still languid, but his tone had become much more serious.
"Taking action now would be counterproductive."
"Once Roy returns to the New World, once the conflict between Hachinosu and the Four Emperors intensifies, and once they turn on each other—that will be the time for the Navy to intervene."
Akainu stared at them, his eyes blazing with fury.
"You..."
That's enough.
A voice rang out from the corner.
Garp.
The old man put down the senbei he was holding, stood up, and walked over to Akainu.
Those usually cynical eyes were unusually serious at this moment.
" Sakazuki, execute the command."
Akainu stared at Garp, his lips moved, but he ultimately said nothing.
He can argue with Sengoku, he can quarrel with Aokiji, and he can ignore Kizaru.
But Garp--
This naval hero, the man who once cornered Roger—
"Snort."
Akainu snorted coldly, turned around and sat back in his chair, saying nothing more.
Sengoku breathed a sigh of relief, looked at Garp, and a hint of gratitude flashed in his eyes.
" Garp, you're going this time too."
Garp raised an eyebrow. "This old man?"
"Right."
"You lead the team, Akainu and Aokiji, all of them. Add Zephyr, who's already in Sabaody— "
He paused,
"Four Admiral- level combatants are stationed in Sabaody."
No matter what those pirates want to do, they can't cause any trouble.
Garp was silent for a few seconds, then nodded. "Alright. It's been a long time since I've seen that kid Roy."
Sengoku's lips twitched—he sent Garp to oversee things, not to reminisce.
But he didn't say anything.
Garp may be unreliable, but he's never ambiguous when it comes to important matters.
"It's settled then."
The Sengoku period looked around.
"Everyone, depart immediately. Destination— Sabaody Archipelago."
"Remember, your mission is to keep a close watch on the pirates and ensure stability, not to launch any attacks."
"Especially you, Akainu —you are not to lay a hand on me without my orders."
Akainu didn't speak, he just gave a cold "humph".
The meeting ended, and everyone left one after another.
Sengoku stood by the window, gazing at the distant sea, his brow furrowed.
Roy...
What exactly is that kid up to?
Sabaody Archipelago, please don't cause any more trouble.