"Bounty, 3,578,000,000 Berries!"
What Sengoku held in his hand was Jotaro's newest bounty poster.
This figure was already extremely close to the level of the Four Emperors.
Previously, many pirates had doubted Jotaro's bounty, believing his reputation was just empty fame.
But with the release of this latest bounty, no one on this sea would ever question his strength again.
Since it was confirmed that Jotaro had nothing to do with the dragon, the World Government naturally wouldn't block information about him, and instead treated him as a pirate.
This move was also to pave the way for a possible future recruitment.
The performance of the Seven Warlords of the Sea in this operation was extraordinarily disgraceful.
Seven were dispatched, most did nothing, and two were lost.
As their superiors, the Five Elders felt utterly disgusted, as though they had swallowed flies.
If this incident were to spread, they would definitely lose all face.
Crocodile and Doflamingo, who were both defeated by Jotaro and had lost their value, were already under Navy control. Soon, they would be escorted by a large force to Impel Down.
With two sudden vacancies among the Seven Warlords of the Sea, the Five Elders needed replacements.
The first candidate had already been decided, Blackbeard, who had recently captured Ace alive.
Blackbeard and Ace had clashed on a small island, engaging in a fierce battle, which finally ended with Ace's defeat.
Coveting the seat of Warlord, Blackbeard offered Ace to the World Government as the condition.
Ace, bearing the bloodline of the Pirate King Roger, had been under Whitebeard's protection, and the government had no chance to move against him before.
Thus, both sides struck a deal instantly.
Now Ace was imprisoned in Impel Down, and before long, the Navy would execute him in front of the whole world.
As for the second candidate, the Five Elders had temporarily set their sights on Jotaro.
They were brimming with confidence, believing that Jotaro would never refuse the olive branch they extended.
The only problem now was to seize the time to track Jotaro's whereabouts and negotiate with him.
To be one of the Seven Warlords, one had to possess notable influence, otherwise how could they command respect, how could they intimidate other pirates?
So, after a round of discussion, the Five Elders began selectively releasing information about Jotaro, shaping him into this new rising supernova.
"The World Government's attitude toward Jotaro seems to have undergone some subtle changes."
Sengoku crumpled the bounty poster into a ball, his tone full of resentment and displeasure.
This was the bad part of being the government's dog, when there was credit, the higher-ups took it, when there was blame, the Navy bore it.
The government had no faults in the Alabasta incident, yet all responsibility was dumped on the Navy.
Deploying such a large force had not only failed to achieve anything, but also cost them an Admiral and an Admiral candidate.
The Navy's prestige, in the eyes of pirates, was plummeting at a terrifying speed.
One could imagine just how furious Sengoku was inside.
"Put Jotaro's matter aside for now!"
Even though he had suffered such a huge loss at Jotaro's hands, Sengoku could do nothing about it now.
Ace was captured, and Whitebeard would never sit idly by.
With Whitebeard's overwhelming might, their conflict could escalate to the level of all-out war at any moment.
This was no small matter, and Sengoku couldn't afford to be careless.
The Navy was already stretched thin dealing with Whitebeard, how could they possibly spare the strength to handle Jotaro?
"How's Akainu's condition?" Sengoku contacted the medical department with a Den Den Mushi.
Ace had only just been transferred to Impel Down, and the execution date was not yet set.
But as Whitebeard's old rival, Sengoku knew deeply the terrifying strength of that man.
No matter what, on the day of the execution, the Navy had to deploy three Admirals to be safe.
He wasn't sure whether Akainu could recover in time.
"Reporting to Fleet Admiral, Admiral Akainu's situation is not optimistic. All the meridians in his body have been damaged, and with the current level of medical technology, it's completely impossible for him to recover."
"Even if he does recover, his future strength will be greatly reduced."
When Jotaro attacked Akainu, he had channeled large amounts of Conqueror's Haki into his body through Ripple, wreaking havoc and causing most of his cells to necrotize.
A large area of Akainu's body had lost sensation.
He couldn't even perform the simple act of raising his arm.
Even if he managed to heal, his strength would drop drastically, at most only reaching the level of a captain, not even close to a field-grade officer.
"Also… he…"
The voice on the other side of the Den Den Mushi trembled slightly. As the medic reported, Akainu suddenly woke up.
His dark, sinister gaze made the medical staff shiver.
"Ahhh!"
The medic let out a cry of agony.
"What happened?" Sengoku quickly asked.
"So it's you, Sengoku." Akainu's cold voice came through the Den Den Mushi. "I heard the government captured the Pirate King's son. Heh. On the day of his execution, I will definitely be there."
With that, Akainu cut off the connection.
The medic's arm was left with only half, the other half limp on the ground.
As the man howled in pain on the floor, Akainu's lips curled into a cruel smile.
In his battle with Jotaro, his dignity had been utterly crushed, he had been ruthlessly humiliated, and now, realizing that he was a cripple, Akainu's mind had gradually twisted.
His actions had already begun to stray further and further from the "justice" in his heart.
But for someone like him, even if only a single muscle in his body could move, ordinary people could never be his match.
The medic was directly crippled by him.
The commotion inside finally drew in other medical staff from outside.
When the door opened, the bloody scene before their eyes made the rushing nurses scream out loud.
Akainu calmly said, "He was a pirate spy planted in Marineford. I've already executed him."
He ignored the trembling nurses, his tone leaving no room for doubt.
"Also, help me contact Vegapunk. I have matters to discuss with him."
———
Staring at the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku shook his head helplessly.
"Akainu must be deeply shaken. I hope he can overcome it."
When Akainu was sent back to Marineford, Sengoku had gone to see him personally.
At that time, he was still unconscious.
Sengoku knew his injuries well.
He would surely be useless in the future.
"Looks like I must hurry to confirm new Admiral candidates."
Sengoku wore an exhausted expression. This was not going to be an easy matter.
Admiral candidates Gion and Tokikake had both been severely injured by Jotaro, and could be directly removed from consideration.
"We must use other methods to elect a new Admiral!"
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