The entire Fleet Admiral's office was heavy with tension.
Even Garp, usually carefree and irreverent, sat with furrowed brows.
"What should we do now?"
Vice Admiral Tsuru's tone was grave as she looked toward Sengoku.
"The situation is more or less clear," Sengoku said after a pause. "The Warlord Hanafuda used the cadets aboard the ship as hostages—that's how it ended up like this."
Though Zephyr was getting on in years, he was still at his peak. Even for a Warlord, defeating him outright should have been impossible.
The real problem was that this time, Zephyr had brought a group of Marine cadets from the training camp.
This battle had cost Zephyr an arm—and many of the cadets their lives.
"We must respond immediately," Akainu growled, his sharp gaze fixed on Sengoku.
"Our opponent is a Warlord," Sengoku replied in a low voice. "As long as he still holds that title, the World Government won't allow us to take action against him."
That statement silenced the entire room.
"So even after what he's done, the World Government won't revoke his title?" Garp muttered, scowling.
He'd opposed the Warlord system from the very beginning.
And now, with one of them committing such an atrocity, perhaps this was the perfect opportunity to
Garp glanced toward Tsuru, his thoughts written plainly across his face.
Tsuru met his eyes and gave a small, regretful shake of the head.
"The Warlords aren't just individuals," Sengoku said solemnly.
It was easy enough to strip one of their title—but doing so could make the others restless.
In essence, the Seven Warlords were pirates bound to the World Government by fragile agreements.
If that contract was broken now, the entire system could collapse.
The Government had fought hard to establish the Warlord program; they would never allow it to crumble so easily.
To revoke a Warlord's title, either the man had to die—or be defeated.
But whoever defeated him could not be a Marine.
It was infuriating. Truly infuriating.
"Perhaps there's another way,"
Kizaru suddenly spoke, breaking the silence.
"I know what you're thinking," Sengoku sighed, shaking his head. "But we can't keep it from the World Government."
Hanafuda wasn't weak. His reputation had been built from clashing with Kaidou himself, and the two shared a close relationship.
Even if Zephyr had been restrained by concern for his cadets, the fact that Hanafuda had managed to injure a former Admiral spoke volumes of his power.
If they wanted to secretly eliminate or subdue him, only the people in this very room might have a chance—and their movements would never go unnoticed.
Just then, the Den Den Mushi on Sengoku's desk rang.
Buru buru buru…
The sound shattered the silence, drawing everyone's gaze.
"This is Sengoku," he answered.
"End the matter with Zephyr here."
The voice on the other end was familiar to them all—it belonged to former Fleet Admiral Kong.
"Hanafuda's assault on the Marines and the resulting casualties have dealt a severe blow to our reputation," Sengoku pressed, still hoping to argue his case.
"That's an order,"
Kong's voice cut him off—then the line went dead.
Sengoku lowered the receiver, his face dark and unreadable.
"There is one way,"
Vice Admiral Tsuru said suddenly.
All eyes turned to her.
"The Marines can't move," she continued calmly, "but that doesn't mean others can't. It may not restore our reputation—but if the goal is simply to deal with Hanafuda… I have someone in mind."
Sengoku's eyes narrowed. "You mean…?"
"Mm. Don," Tsuru said.
At that name, both Kizaru and Aokiji's expressions grew more serious.
"Why would he help us?" Akainu demanded.
Of course he knew who Don was. Everyone in this room did. They'd discussed him more than once—especially after he'd turned down the Navy's invitation.
"Isn't he a bounty hunter?" Tsuru replied smoothly.
"He's still in Paradise, far from the New World," Garp reminded her.
"That doesn't matter," Tsuru said. "The question is whether he'd agree to it. If it's him, he might actually be able to take Hanafuda down. Once Hanafuda is defeated, his title as Warlord will be stripped automatically."
"So the real problem," Aokiji murmured, "is how to make him accept."
Tsuru looked toward Sengoku meaningfully. "We'll have to offer him something in return."
And what that "something" might be—that was Sengoku's headache to solve.
"Garp," Sengoku said after a moment's thought. "You'll go see him. Ask for his opinion."
"Me?" Garp blinked. "That brat's not exactly easy to talk to."
"Just meet him," Sengoku said. "Find out what he wants."
"Fine." Garp sighed, rising to his feet. "But you'd all better think hard about how you're going to face Zephyr when he comes back."
With that, he turned and left, leaving behind a room full of uneasy silence.
Alabasta — Yuba Oasis
Don stared down at the newspaper in his hand.
So it had happened after all.
"Warlord Hanafuda attacked the Marines? And even injured former Admiral Zephyr?"
Robin's eyes widened as she read the headlines.
At the mention of Hanafuda, Issho's brow furrowed ever so slightly.
Don caught it immediately and turned toward him.
"You know him?"
Issho paused for a beat, then shook his head. "No."
"I see." Don nodded, eyes dropping back to the paper.
"This guy's pretty close to Kaidou. According to the report, he's been collecting Zoan-type Devil Fruits across the New World—probably part of Kaidou's pet project."
He thought for a moment, then shrugged. "Well, it's got nothing to do with us."
Setting the paper aside, Don turned his gaze to Galdino, who was standing stiffly nearby.
Cold sweat trickled down Galdino's temples as Don's eyes met his.
"What did Crocodile tell you to do?"
"H-he told me to deliver this Eternal Log Pose to you, sir! Then wait in Alabasta for further orders!"
"I see. Then get to it."
Don waved a hand dismissively.
Galdino exhaled in relief and scurried off.
"He seemed terrified," Robin remarked softly.
"He was the one from Little Garden," Don replied.
"Stay here for the next few days," he added, turning to Issho. "Use the time to refine that training method for your Devil Fruit."
Issho inclined his head. "Understood."
But Robin couldn't shake the unease rising in her chest
as if something… unexpected was about to arrive.
END OF CHAPTER
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