Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
"We're back!"
The door slammed heavily against the wall. Just as it was about to bounce back, it was stopped by a broad, thick palm.
"Ah, this trip was really great."
"Kong-san… cough, Fleet Admiral."
Sensing the tense atmosphere, Garp didn't dare act recklessly. He hurriedly found a seat and sat down, not even daring to reach for the senbei on the table.
"Garp, you're being very quiet. That's not like you."
Sengoku, who entered afterwards, hadn't even had time to assess the situation before he started teasing.
"I… cough... Kong-san, did something happen?"
Tsuru glared at her two unreliable partners, gritting her teeth.
"Garp, didn't I tell you not to use the power of the Goro Goro no Mi? If you can't guarantee the capture of the Roger Pirates or other major pirates, keep this power hidden!"
"Do you know how much trouble your willful actions have brought upon the Marines?!"
'Trouble…'
Garp's face darkened, "What are those five old bastards up to now? If they want to demote me, they can do it anytime!"
"Even if I become a soldier, I will absolutely not guard the Celestial Dragons!!"
"If it were only that, I wouldn't be this troubled."
Kong sighed, leaned back in his chair, closed his eyes, and massaged his temples.
"The World Government, no, the Five Elders have decided to give small punishment to the Marines for concealing the fact that you ate the Goro Goro no Mi."
'A small punishment?'
Hearing this descriptor, Sengoku immediately knew the situation was absolutely bad.
The Five Elders were performance artists skilled in the art of politics. The 'small' in their mouths meant big, and 'big' meant a Buster Call.
Matters that could be reported directly to that level were generally not small troubles.
"Next year's military budget for the Marines will be cut by thirty percent from its original amount!"
As soon as Tsuru said this, Sengoku and Garp simultaneously slammed the table, stood up, their faces full of shock.
"Bastards!!"
"Kong-san, do the Five Elders know what this means!?"
"Since the Rocks Pirates disbanded, how much trouble have those powerful figures under his command caused after going independent?!"
"Marine's casualties are increasing every day!!"
"If 30% of the military funds are cut, it's equivalent to cutting the entire annual budget for one of the Four Blues for us!!!"
"This-"
Kong raised his hand, signaling Sengoku to be quiet.
"As the Fleet Admiral, I understand this better than anyone."
"But the Five Elders don't see that. They just want to use this result to warn us Marines."
"Don't do things they don't know about. Even if the sky is falling, report it to them first."
"As for the military budget issue..."
"Tsuru, you draft a… forget it, I'll do it myself."
Sitting up straight and picking up a brush, Kong didn't know how to begin.
Downsizing the army?
Or cutting the salaries of officers at the rank of Captain and above?
Whichever of these two choices he made, it would greatly shake the morale of the Marines.
"Damn it!!"
The brush was snapped by a great force. Kong truly couldn't suppress the anger in his heart. He stood up and walked to the window, gazing at the scenery of the headquarters island.
"Kong-san…"
Buru Buru Buru~
Buru Buru Buru~
Everyone looked at Sengoku.
"Quiet."
After suppressing his own emotions, Sengoku picked up the Den Den Mushi.
Kacha…
No one answered.
Seeing this, Sengoku's eyes suddenly lit up. He hurriedly took out an anti-eavesdropping Den Den Mushi and set it up.
"Twilight."
"It's me."
Bazel's voice came through the Den Den Mushi.
"Why is it taking so long? Is it inconvenient?"
"No, just discussing some matters."
Sengoku instinctively glanced at Kong. After receiving a signal that he didn't need to keep it secret, he explained the Marines' predicament.
At that moment, they were extremely in sync in wanting to find a breakthrough from the always-clever Bazel.
"A predicament? What kind of predicament is this?"
Bazel's baffled expression was transmitted perfectly through the Den Den Mushi.
"You don't know?"
The four people in the room were stunned. Sengoku asked in return, "Should we know something?"
"I thought you knew! The Marines are short on money next year, right? You're desperate to get through this toughest year by downsizing the military or cutting salaries?"
Sengoku nodded in agreement.
"Then it's simple. Make a trip to the West Blue. It's best if you lead the team personally, Uncle."
"Travel incognito. Disguise yourselves as underworld figures and go see the Marines in that sea. Then you'll understand what method I'm referring to."
"However, after seeing it, I hope you don't act rashly. If you strike the snake but don't kill it, you will suffer its poison."
"The Marines in the West Blue can solve the funding problem for next year, but the situation there is even worse than in the Grand Line."
"Pulling one hair moves the whole body. If you don't want to see millions of civilians die, it's best to wait for my signal before you act."
"The West Blue... that sea is a model sea among the Four Blues."
Sengoku asked in a deep voice, "What intel have you gathered that we at Headquarters don't know?"
"...I just met with Marlon, the leader of the West Blue's mafia."
The Den Den Mushi lowered its voice, its tentacles vaguely covering its lips.
"We chatted a bit as pirates. You understand what that means, right, Uncle?"
'Marlon!?'
The name of the largest underworld organization in the West Blue was the Mafia, but this was the first time they'd heard that its leader was actually Marlon!
You have to know, he's a former member of the Rocks Pirates!
Upon hearing this name, Kong and Tsuru instinctively looked at each other.
Their eyes both held a shock and incredulity only the other could understand.
'The Headquarters didn't know that a remnant of the Rocks was in the West Blue?'
Kong absolutely refused to believe that the leader of the largest organization could operate in the West Blue while taking perfect precautions to never be seen by Marine's intelligence informants.
In other words, the Marines in the West Blue knew of Marlon's existence, but they didn't report it!
'Not reporting it was one thing, but they were even deliberately obfuscating intel about Marlon?!'
"Sengoku, ask Twilight why he knows about this, while we at Headquarters know nothing!"
On the other end of the line, Bazel scratched his head. He felt no guilt about throwing the blame onto Marlon.
After all, it wasn't like Headquarters could sit down for tea with Marlon and ask if he'd chatted with Bazel.
"Because the Marines in the West Blue have no sense of justice left."
"Their justice is money and treasure."
"A model sea? Don't make me laugh. That sea is built on a foundation of blood, it's a sea of bloody gold!"
"Any righteous Marine who dared to report has already fallen into the underworld. The ones left are all 'qualified' Marines hailed as protector gods, Fleet Admiral Kong!"
"As for why Headquarters hasn't received any intel, I suggest you investigate those Marine officers from the Celestial Dragon faction."
"Their reach goes much deeper than we imagine."
Sengoku's face was grim, "We will act cautiously on this matter. Did you contact Headquarters this time for something important, or do you need us to cooperate with you on something?"
"No!"
The Den Den Mushi suddenly showed a playful smile.
"This matter could actually greatly alleviate the Marines' embarrassment next year. I guessed the Five Elders would definitely move against the Marines as soon as I saw that report about Garp's battle with Roger."
"I just didn't have a chance to contact you before."
"But now it's different. Do you know Buena Festa?"
'Buena Festa?'
Sengoku nodded and said, "He's a somewhat famous warmonger in the Grand Line. Seems to be a rookie. The World Government is drafting his bounty."
"Protect him as much as possible, Uncle Sengoku~"
The Den Den Mushi's meaningful words made Sengoku frown, "You want the Marines to protect a wanted criminal?"
"Correct, 'Protect'! Because that guy plans to host a grand festival that only great pirates and many other pirates can attend, hahaha!!"
"The more of these grand festivals, the better. Only when those pirates gather together can my abilities be used to their fullest!"
"Fleet Admiral, have Vice Admiral Garp lead a team. Find a way to send all those Marine officers and soldiers close to the Celestial Dragons into the operation to suppress the grand festival."
"The Five Elders must have demanded more officer positions from you. This is perfect. Send them to suppress us under the pretext of earning merits!"
As soon as these words were spoken, Sengoku understood instantly and looked at Kong excitedly.
"That's right, Kong-san! If we send them under the pretext of earning merits and promotions, and tell them they just need to wait on the warships… everything will be handled by Garp, who will atone for his mistakes through his actions!!"
"They just need to go get some gilding to immediately become Rear Admirals or even Vice Admirals. Then, use the pirates' hands to wipe them out in one go. Finally, just pin all the blame on the pirates!"
"This way, we can not only purge the trash from Marine Headquarters but also alleviate the strain on the military budget. Even if the Five Elders find out, they won't have a pretext to act!"
"As for Garp..."
"This guy would be thrilled to never get promoted. He couldn't care less about a little black mark like this!"