The moment Fleet Admiral Sengoku announced his decision, not a single Rear Admiral, Vice Admiral, or even Admiral spoke up to object.
They were all members of the Marines and understood what the Seven Warlords meant to the organization.
Ever since Gol D. Roger's last words before his death ushered in the Great Pirate Era, pirates had proliferated, and powerful individuals emerged endlessly.
Left with no choice, the Marines had to cooperate with some powerful and renowned great pirates, granting them the title of "Seven Warlords of the Sea" and bestowing upon them a "Letter of Marque."
Their sole purpose was simply to deal with these ridiculously powerful pirates.
Such as the Four Emperors.
The might of the Four Emperors had completely exceeded the Marines' expectations.
The seas of the New World had essentially become the territory of the Four Emperors, divided among them… Dealing with any one of them was an incredibly troublesome and thorny matter.
Not to mention distant events, Ace's recent capture and imprisonment had led to a discreetly issued judgment, and his execution was to be officially announced on a chosen date.
At that time, they would have to face one of the Four Emperors, Whitebeard, renowned as "The World's Strongest Man"!
At this critical juncture, two of the Seven Warlords had died… This meant they had suddenly lost two major aids against Whitebeard. If the Marines were to deploy forces to pursue Ye Jia, the wanted Grim Reaper Pirates, it would immediately force Ye Jia into Whitebeard's camp!
The pressure they would have to face would only increase further.
Therefore, everyone was perfectly clear that this powerful asset, Ye Jia, must be brought over to the Marine side!
Ye Jia was incredibly important!
His strength alone was worth an army of thousands!
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, I have no objection to trying to get him to join the Seven Warlords, but he may not necessarily listen to our advice... If he refuses to join, things could get a bit tricky."
Akainu spoke in a deep voice.
Upon hearing this, the assembled officers nodded in agreement.
Such a powerful force might not agree to join the Seven Warlords and be subject to Marine jurisdiction.
If negotiations truly failed, the Marines couldn't possibly move against him... At least not before the war against Whitebeard arrived; they couldn't reveal their hand.
"No matter what, we must win him over!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku stated unequivocally, "A pirate who has never had a single glorious battle record on the high seas, yet single-handedly dealt with Doflamingo and Blackbeard... This is no longer a strength that can be judged by the level of a regular Seven Warlord. He is qualified for us to offer him more conditions!"
"And I believe that with his potential, he might even grow to the level of a Four Emperor in the future!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku had always been known as a "tactical mastermind."
His strategic vision was far-reaching, and he had a keen eye for people, especially in judging character, proving to be exceptionally accurate.
If it hadn't been for Blackbeard using Ace as a bargaining chip to secure a position among the Seven Warlords this time, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, in his judgment, would never have invited Blackbeard to join the Seven Warlords.
It wasn't just because Blackbeard was originally Whitebeard's subordinate; more importantly, he saw Blackbeard's unscrupulous cunning in achieving his goals.
And indeed, as he expected, if Blackbeard hadn't died at Ye Jia's hands, in the near future, during the Paramount War, Blackbeard would have stirred up the entire situation, overthrown Whitebeard, seized his abilities, and achieved his own ambitions.
Ultimately, after Whitebeard's death, the Marines would have yet another formidable enemy in Blackbeard.
As soon as Fleet Admiral Sengoku uttered these words, the officers present furrowed their brows.
Having someone with the potential of a Four Emperor join the Seven Warlords was a good thing, but the Seven Warlords were also uncontrollable. If they were like Jinbe, unwilling to serve the World Government, or even turned against it... then it would be a double loss, losing the lady and breaking the army.
"Therefore, this time, I need an Admiral to go to Amazon Lily. Firstly, to inform the Empress that she must participate in this war against Whitebeard, and secondly, to invite Ye Jia to join the Seven Warlords and come with the Empress to help the Marines resist Whitebeard's invasion!"
Fleet Admiral Sengoku looked at the three Admirals. "Akainu, Kizaru, Aokiji, is anyone volunteering?"
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, you think very highly of that kid... but I really don't want to go on such a troublesome mission."
Kizaru was the first to decline the invitation.
He was a man who hated trouble and was also very concerned about his image. Although he was lazy, it didn't mean he wanted to associate with unruly pirates like the Seven Warlords.
Especially as an Admiral, to invite a young punk to be a Seven Warlord? What a joke!
"This invitation cannot fail... Having you Admirals go is to show the Marines' sincerity. Before this, we have never had a precedent of an Admiral inviting a pirate to join the Seven Warlords. Facing the crisis of Whitebeard, we have no choice but to do this."
Fleet Admiral Sengoku said in a deep voice.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku..."
Akainu Sakazuki wanted to speak, but Fleet Admiral Sengoku raised a hand and interrupted him.
"Akainu, you have a more important mission this time; you don't need to participate in the invitation."
Akainu nodded upon hearing this.
How could Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who had watched Akainu and the others grow up, not understand Akainu's temperament?
Akainu never showed mercy to pirates, exterminating them all, leaving no prisoners... To him, pirates were the embodiment of evil, and his goal was to wipe out all pirates.
Sending him to invite a pirate? The outcome would be predictable.
"So it seems... only I am left..."
Aokiji showed a helpless expression, spreading his hands. "Alright, for the sake of Marine Headquarters, I'll go. I hope that kid won't make things too difficult for me."
Compared to Kizaru and Akainu, Aokiji could be considered the most humane among the Admirals, without being entirely black or white.
Kizaru was lazy and hated trouble, so he dealt with pirates directly.
Akainu was the same, constantly fighting with the goal of purging pirates, never stopping.
Only Aokiji understood that pirates had both good and evil, and he always distinguished between them clearly.
Letting Robin go was one time, letting the Straw Hats go was another... Aokiji knew very well who should be killed and who shouldn't.
"Good, this matter is entrusted to Aokiji. Next, let's continue discussing the deployment for the Whitebeard War..."
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