After hearing Raleigh's words, Sakazuki revealed a satisfied smile.
It was not that he had never wanted to fight for the position of Fleet Admiral.
Rather, he had realized that even if he became Fleet Admiral, he would not be able to accomplish his own goals.
Because he had already clearly sensed the limits of his own ability.
As an admiral, his strength and strategies were both sufficient.
But if he became Fleet Admiral, it would be very difficult for him to coordinate internal Navy affairs.
His overall strategic vision was also not enough.
Before Raleigh became famous, Sakazuki's goal had always been to become Fleet Admiral.
But as Raleigh walked step by step until he stood at the same admiral rank as him, Sakazuki was not joking when he said that he had seen in Raleigh the hope of changing the Navy and changing the world.
That was why Sakazuki had taken the initiative to come and talk to Raleigh about this matter.
"I have already notified my people. If, after we return to headquarters, Sengoku refuses to give up his position to you, then we will directly mobilize personnel and replace him."
Sakazuki said forcefully.
In the battles against pirates, Sengoku had disappointed Sakazuki many times.
The current Sakazuki no longer wanted Sengoku to remain in that position.
Raleigh shook his head and said,
"Do not act rashly, Sakazuki-senpai."
"We do not need to hurry right now. Someone will create the conditions for us to rise."
The reason Raleigh had struck so heavily against the Revolutionary Army in the Four Seas before was precisely for this moment.
Back then, Sengoku had transferred Raleigh away from the first half of the Grand Line because Raleigh had killed the Revolutionary Army too ruthlessly.
Now, Sengoku would also be pushed out by the Five Elders because of that same reason.
Everything had remained within Raleigh's plan.
When Raleigh and the others were close to Marineford, a World Government warship intercepted Raleigh's warship.
The leading CP0 member invited Raleigh aboard for a conversation.
Raleigh obeyed their words and boarded the World Government's ship without bringing a single person with him.
Inside the enormous conference room, there was only Raleigh and one CP0 member.
The CP0 member did not speak. Instead, he activated the live-broadcast Den Den Mushi in his hand, then left the conference room.
Raleigh could feel that this conference room had been embedded with a large amount of Seastone material, because he felt extremely uncomfortable.
Before Raleigh could begin studying the conference room, the image from the live-broadcast Den Den Mushi had already appeared.
The people who appeared on the screen were none other than the rulers of the World Government, the Five Elders.
This was also Raleigh's first meeting with the Five Elders.
In the past, the Five Elders had never treated Raleigh as an important figure, even though he was already the Navy admiral known as "Christian Raleigh."
"Christian Raleigh, current admiral of the Navy, known as the Nightmare of Pirates. Am I correct?"
The long-bearded Elder spoke first.
Raleigh nodded slightly and said calmly,
"That's me, Lords Five Elders."
The Five Elders on the screen seemed relatively satisfied with Raleigh's attitude.
After nodding, the bald Elder holding the cursed sword spoke.
"Not long ago, we were very satisfied with your pursuit and slaughter of the Revolutionary Army on the Grand Line. However, when you were advancing with unstoppable momentum, Fleet Admiral Sengoku recalled you. Did you feel any resentment?"
Raleigh nodded and deliberately put on an angry expression.
"I don't know what headquarters was thinking. If I had been given a little more time, I could have entered the Four Seas and begun clearing out the Revolutionary Army's forces."
"After replacing me with Kuzan, the war against the Revolutionary Army has made no progress at all."
The Five Elders looked at one another. They were all very satisfied.
Of course, they also knew that Raleigh's appearance was an act.
But many times, political experts relied on silently maintaining such tacit understandings without exposing them.
They did not care whether Raleigh had other thoughts.
What they cared about was whether Raleigh could reach a common stance with them on this matter.
"We are also very dissatisfied with that. Sengoku seems to have some connection with the Revolutionary Army. Therefore, the Fleet Admiral of the Navy may need to be replaced."
"If it were you, what price would you be willing to pay?"
The short, stout Elder spoke directly.
They had enough confidence to push Raleigh into the position of Fleet Admiral.
But at the same time, they also needed Raleigh to express his true thoughts.
The Five Elders could support either Raleigh or Sakazuki.
Right now, they simply wanted to see how determined Raleigh was to become Fleet Admiral.
"If I can ascend to the position of Fleet Admiral with the help of the Five Elders, then from now on, every order of the Navy will fully obey the commands of the Five Elders."
Raleigh said with a sincere expression.
In any case, it was only empty promises.
Whether it was genuine or fake did not matter.
Before every Fleet Admiral took office, they would go to Mary Geoise and declare their loyalty to the World Government and the Celestial Dragons.
So Raleigh simply treated this as saying it ahead of time.
"Very good. We have seen your determination, so prepare yourself. We will pave the road for you at Marineford. The rest will be left to you."
After saying that, the Five Elders chose to end the call with the Den Den Mushi.
In truth, on this matter, the Five Elders could not provide much actual help.
They could only provide Raleigh with the conditions to compete for the Fleet Admiral position.
Whether he could truly become Fleet Admiral would still depend on Raleigh's own performance.
Sakazuki and Kuzan were both people Raleigh needed to deal with himself.
The Five Elders had always liked making empty promises with their mouths.
Whether things succeeded or not depended only on the opportunity they provided.
It was just like when Sakazuki and Kuzan had competed for the position of Fleet Admiral.
The Five Elders had merely provided Sakazuki with a platform for a duel.
If Sakazuki had lost back then, the Five Elders would have had no choice but to hold their noses and acknowledge Kuzan as the new Fleet Admiral.
After returning to his own warship, Raleigh stood on the deck and looked in the direction of Marineford.
"Fleet Admiral, have you already prepared yourself?"
...
Inside Marineford, the atmosphere was extremely heated.
Everyone knew that Raleigh and Sakazuki were about to return, and they poured one hundred percent of their enthusiasm into decorating Marineford.
Because Raleigh and Sakazuki had shown the world the Navy's invincible might, these people had also felt the glory of the Navy.
While all of Marineford was filled with joy and celebration, only the few people inside the Fleet Admiral's office had ugly expressions.
Sengoku sat at the Fleet Admiral's desk, his face full of worry.
Aside from Garp, who was sitting on the sofa eating rice crackers, Tsuru was also frowning as she calculated something.
"Garp, can you stop eating?"
Sengoku felt somewhat depressed when he saw Garp eating rice crackers in big mouthfuls.
"Sengoku, don't worry. Isn't it just the position of Fleet Admiral? Even if you lose it, it's not a big deal. Look at me. I don't have an official position, and I'm very relaxed."
Sengoku exhaled a mouthful of smoke and sighed softly.
Not everyone could be as carefree as Garp.
He had started as an ordinary soldier and climbed step by step for so many years before finally obtaining the position of Fleet Admiral he had wanted.
And now, he might lose it so easily.
No matter who it was, they would feel unwilling.
Sometimes, Sengoku truly envied Garp.
Carefree, heartless, and never treating any loss as something important.
Tsuru raised her head and said,
"Sengoku, have the Five Elders also agreed to let someone else replace you?"
Sengoku was momentarily speechless and did not know what to say.
Several figures surfaced one after another in his mind.
Finally, Raleigh's appearance began to slowly enlarge in his thoughts.
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