Petrov and the others stared at the empty stretch of sea. It took them more than ten seconds to recover.
"What a terrifying ability. He transported us to another stretch of sea in an instant."
"No wonder Fleet Admiral Sengoku was against encircling the Blond Hair Pirates. There's simply no way to catch them."
"R-Rear Admiral, where should we go next..."
The subordinate beside him swallowed as well. He did not want to go back and face that Her Kazi again, either.
However, Petrov was the highest-ranking officer aboard this warship. He could only pray that Petrov would give a sensible order.
"Return to headquarters. Our mission is complete. He refused the invitation to join the Shichibukai. That's beyond our control."
"All we need to do is report the truth."
"Yes, sir!"
The soldiers all breathed a sigh of relief. They hurriedly turned the ship around and headed toward Marine Headquarters at full speed.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku was not particularly surprised that Kazu had refused the invitation to join the Shichibukai.
He was powerful and possessed such an absurd Devil Fruit ability. He would not fear being encircled by the Marines at all.
A position among the Shichibukai naturally held little appeal for him. Instead, it would make him liable to be called a Marine lapdog and a traitor by his fellow pirates. It was not worth it.
Had the World Government not taken an interest in Kazu and insisted on issuing this order, Sengoku would never have entertained such a fanciful idea himself.
Meanwhile, in Pangaea Castle in Mary Geoise, angry rebukes rang out one after another.
"This is the latest information CP0 obtained. You've all read it, haven't you?"
"This ignorant pirate rejected the opportunity we gave him."
The Warrior God of Science and Defense, Jaygarcia Saint Saturn, sat in the middle of the sofa with his cane planted in his hand, a look of muted anger in his eyes.
"This Her Kazi showed us no consideration whatsoever. His arrogance truly knows no bounds."
The Warrior God of Justice, Topman Saint Warcury, was so angry that his bullhorn-like mustache curled even farther upward. His eyes widened as he angrily denounced Kazu's arrogance.
"We, the World Government, personally invited him to become one of the Shichibukai. Not only did he refuse, he even threatened us in return. It has been a long time since anything like this happened."
The Warrior God of Finance, Ethanbaron V. Saint Nusjuro, sat at the edge of the sofa, cradling his Shodai Kitetsu.
Although he did not launch into a tirade, his expression was dark and his tone hostile.
"Indeed. We thought his Devil Fruit ability was fairly good and wanted to give him a chance to serve us. Who would have thought this Her Kazi would be so unappreciative?"
Standing by the window with a glass of top-quality red wine in his hand, the Warrior God of Agriculture, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, also narrowed his eyes slightly. His every word carried a lofty sense of superiority.
"Still, whatever else we may say, the Space-Space Fruit's ability really is troublesome. Catching this slippery fellow won't be easy."
The Warrior God of Environment, Marcus Saint Mars, held the intelligence report, still seriously considering how to deal with this arrogant rookie pirate.
The others fell silent at Saint Mars's words. Their World Government had stood over the seas for eight hundred years, and they could be said to have seen all manner of god-tier fruits.
Yet they had never even heard of this Space-Space Fruit that had suddenly appeared.
He was merely a rookie pirate, yet he could fight Marine Admiral Aokiji to a standstill.
Although the intelligence indicated that he also possessed the Three Types of Haki, he could not use Conqueror's Haki coating. In the end, he was still an ant unworthy of consideration.
Most importantly, this Her Kazi was only eighteen. If he already possessed such strength at this young age, he would probably become another monster difficult to deal with in another decade or so.
Why did they not send the Celestial Dragons' elite forces to attack the likes of Whitebeard and Kaido?
It was because those men had mastered Conqueror's Haki coating. The supposedly immortal Celestial Dragons really could die against them.
As for the trash who could not use Conqueror's Haki coating, they did not warrant their attention.
That was why the World Government had deliberately left a place with unstable weather like the New World to these pirates, letting them kill one another over territory and wealth, thereby maintaining a balance.
The weather across the Four Seas was stable, making them suitable for human habitation and development. They also contained the greatest number of World Government Member States and were the main regions under Marine jurisdiction.
"At present, we don't have any particularly good way to capture Her Kazi."
"Let's do what we always do and send him off to the New World. Let those great pirates worry about him. Whether that Kazu dies there or eliminates some other pirates and makes a name for himself, we stand to gain without losing anything."
Saint Saturn was the one most eager to capture Kazu. He was obsessed with experiments and wanted even more to study the Space-Space Fruit's ability.
"I second that!"
"I second that!"
"I second that!"
"I second that!"
Seeing that even Saint Saturn had said this, the other Five Elders all nodded in agreement with his proposal.
After all, Saint Saturn was the Warrior God of Science and Defense. Matters like this fell within his authority.
Besides, they truly had no better alternatives. They would not have to bear responsibility themselves, so they might as well leave it to Saint Saturn.
The Five Elders personally issued an order, directing the Marines to step up their efforts to maintain stability across the Four Seas. They were to leave Kazu alone and simply let him enter the New World.
Upon receiving the order, Fleet Admiral Sengoku immediately called a meeting of the senior officers.
For once, all Three Admirals were at headquarters. Only officers ranked Vice Admiral or above were eligible to attend the meeting.
Aokiji showed little reaction after hearing the latest directive. As long as they did not make him catch that sneaky bastard, that was fine. He really could not catch up with him. He had experienced the Space-Space Fruit's ability firsthand, and just thinking about it now gave him a headache.
Kizaru also wore an expression that said it had nothing to do with him. He muttered, "How scary." To think the World Government had actually ordered them not to pursue him. That showed just how powerful his ability was.
He believed in slacking off. Because he was fast, being assigned as the Admiral who put out fires was exhausting enough. Surely it was understandable that he liked to slack off a little in his daily work.
If he did not get enough rest normally, how would he have the energy to rush to the Celestial Dragons' aid at critical moments? He was thinking of his work, too.
As he thought about it, Kizaru could not help nodding. He felt that everything he did was for the bigger picture and that he deserved his Marine Admiral's salary.
"Hmph. Cowardice."
Only Akainu nearly bit through the cigar in his mouth. He was deeply dissatisfied with the World Government's decision to compromise with pirates.
Pirates should, of course, be killed or captured by the Marines. In Akainu's eyes, using one enemy to deal with another like this was a sign of weakness.
Sengoku took in everyone's expressions, then sighed as well.
Being Fleet Admiral isn't easy. Sakazuki is driven, but he's too impulsive and a little too unscrupulous in how he handles things.
Kuzan is far too laid-back. He used to be such a passionate, enthusiastic young man. How did he end up like this?
It seems the Ohara incident in the West Blue had too great an impact on Kuzan. Although even I, the Fleet Admiral, couldn't stand that order from the World Government, duty bound me. For the sake of the bigger picture, there was nothing I could do.
The Marines are still at someone else's mercy. Without funding from the World Government, the Marines would crumble from within.
No matter how much justice we have, we still need money. Otherwise, it's all empty talk.
Hopefully, Kuzan can emerge from that shadow someday.
As for Borsalino...
Sengoku glanced at Borsalino, who was leisurely drinking tea, shook his head, and looked away.