Sengoku froze.
His first reaction was that Bullet had betrayed the Marines.
But after another thought, he realized that if Bullet had merely betrayed them, Enel would never have taken over Sabaody immediately afterward.
In other words, the most likely possibility was that Bullet's actions had been arranged in advance by Raleigh.
Sengoku's face darkened at once.
He spoke in a low voice, "You may leave first. Close the door behind you."
The intelligence officer left the heavy atmosphere of the Fleet Admiral's office as if he had been granted amnesty, carefully closing the door behind him.
Sengoku took a deep breath.
By the time he came back to himself, he had regained his composure.
"What crime did the Marine soldiers of Sabaody commit?"
Sengoku knew that Raleigh had risen to power for two reasons.
First, he had the support of the Five Elders. Second, his prestige among the Marine soldiers was simply too high.
If there had not been a serious problem, Raleigh would never do something that damaged his own foundation.
Sitting in the Fleet Admiral's chair, Raleigh did not even raise his head.
"That is correct. Bullet and Enel were indeed sent there by me."
"As for the reason…"
After thinking for a moment, Raleigh pulled a file from the cabinet behind him.
These documents had been moved over from Raleigh's previous Admiral office.
"If you want the answer, then this file contains what you need."
A thick dossier was handed to Sengoku.
Sengoku began slowly flipping through its contents.
The more he read, the more anger burned in his chest.
Every record in the file marked the time, location, and people involved. Sengoku even remembered a few of the more famous incidents listed inside.
But he had never known that all of it was connected to Nick Adrien and the Marine soldiers stationed at Sabaody.
"It feels strange, does it not?"
"To be honest, I felt the same way the first time I saw it. But later, I figured it out."
"The Sabaody Archipelago is the place most frequently visited by the Celestial Dragons. For Nick Adrien to hold his position as branch commander there for so many years, he must have had very deep ties with them."
"So under that kind of atmosphere, it was perfectly natural for him to lead all the Marine soldiers on Sabaody into illegal dealings. After all, in their minds, serving the Celestial Dragons was the only way to keep rising through the Marine ranks."
Raleigh's words left Sengoku feeling bleak.
Indeed, because there were so many Celestial Dragons on Sabaody, most Marines were actually unwilling to serve there.
Nick Adrien had remained stationed at Sabaody for years, and he had constantly received praise from the World Government.
So despite having no real accomplishments, his rank had risen higher and higher.
Inside the thick dossier were countless records of human trafficking, arms smuggling, collusion between Marines and pirates, and collusion between Marines and underground forces.
Letting them die almost seemed merciful.
Sengoku let out a long sigh, placed the file back on Raleigh's desk, and returned to his own seat.
He no longer had the face to argue about anything.
Even though this matter had been discovered during Sengoku's tenure, he no longer cared about that.
According to Raleigh's plan, after Sengoku stepped down as Fleet Admiral, he would go to Sabaody to retire.
If this had erupted then, it would undoubtedly have damaged his prestige once again.
Now that it had been exposed and those people had been dealt with by thunderous means, it could still be described as cutting out rotten flesh to heal the bone.
"After Bullet finishes clearing out those parasites, I will hand you a brand-new environment. The Marine soldiers there will all be transferred in from various locations along the Grand Line."
"Only soldiers like that can cut off the connection between Paradise and the New World."
Sengoku's rank had already reached the very peak of the Marines.
Moreover, Commander-in-Chief Kong had only taken his position not too long ago.
Given Kong's age, he could still remain in office for another decade or more.
During that time, Sengoku could not casually separate himself from the Marines, so Raleigh could only arrange a special position for him.
Inspector General.
His duty would be to supervise high-ranking Marine officers at the level of Vice Admiral and above, preventing corruption and treason.
In truth, that position suited Sengoku very well.
"Very well."
Sengoku's original plan had been completely different from Raleigh's idea.
He had thought that once he went to Sabaody, he could live a relaxed, semi-retired life.
Unless the Marines faced total destruction, he would not take action.
But Raleigh's arrangement gave that post tremendous weight.
First, if Sabaody was properly controlled, then the pirates of the New World would be completely cut off from Paradise's supplies and manpower.
Second, he would be able to supervise high-ranking Marine officers at any time.
In theory, even Admirals fell within the scope of his oversight.
Sengoku suddenly found himself wanting to accomplish something in this position.
Raleigh lowered his head again and continued signing documents related to troop transfers, weapons shipments, and supply transport.
"I said before that I would catch all pirates in one net and wipe them out completely."
"Sealing off the New World is only one step in the grand strategy. If we take each step steadily, then pirates will have no power to fight back against this plan."
...
Time passed swiftly, and at last, the day of the Fleet Admiral handover arrived.
It was not until Gion came to notify Raleigh that morning that he finally stopped the pen in his hand and stretched.
"What time do you think it is? How are you still signing documents?"
There was a hint of reproach in Gion's words, and a blush colored her face.
In her hands was the new Fleet Admiral coat custom-made for Raleigh.
"There is still some time, is there not?"
"What warfare values most is timing. The enemy will not stand there in a daze and wait for us. Only by preparing everything in advance can we avoid confusion once the battle begins."
Raleigh's eyes were filled with overwhelming confidence.
Gion found herself momentarily dazed by the sight.
After personally helping Raleigh put on the coat, Enel and Momonga walked in from outside the office.
They opened the office door, allowing the reporters outside to take photographs.
"Good. Let us go to the square."
At that instant, countless camera flashes burst wildly, turning Raleigh's vision snow-white.
Today, Marines, pirates, and even the Revolutionary Army across the world were unusually quiet.
No force began a battle on this day.
From morning onward, they had activated their video Den Den Mushi, waiting expectantly for the figure who would soon appear on the large screens.
In Marineford's square, rows upon rows of Marine soldiers stood neatly in place. Before them were Vice Admirals whose eyes burned with fanaticism.
In essence, almost every Marine soldier and Marine officer was filled with anticipation and excitement over Raleigh's rise to power.
Because the Admiral they supported most had successfully ascended to the position of Fleet Admiral.
At this moment, the entire world fell silent because of one man.
North Blue, East Blue, South Blue, West Blue, the Grand Line.
Marines, pirates, the Revolutionary Army, the World Government, and ordinary civilians.
All of them stared intently at the Den Den Mushi before them.
They waited to hear just how earth-shaking Raleigh's speech would be.