Marine Headquarters, Marineford - Fleet Admiral's Office
Fleet Admiral Kong sat behind his desk while Admiral Sengoku and Chief of Staff Tsuru occupied comfortable chairs before him. The three senior officers were engaged in quiet conversation about recent developments.
"That's the situation," Sengoku said, taking a sip from his teacup. "I've already informed Finn that if anything goes wrong, he bears full responsibility."
Kong stroked his chin thoughtfully and clicked his tongue. "That boy's far too bold! He actually dared touch Impel Down's prisoners? If something happens... he'll be in serious trouble."
Chief of Staff Tsuru smiled internally at their words. If these two genuinely opposed Finn's plan, they wouldn't be having this casual discussion. Especially the Fleet Admiral, who should have grabbed his Den Den Mushi and chewed Finn out by now.
How could he simply say the boy was "bold" with that almost admiring tone?
However, Tsuru understood the verbal protest paired with physical acquiescence perfectly. With the Great Pirate Era's arrival, every Marine leader agreed that difficult times lay ahead. Perhaps three to five years, possibly more than a decade of struggle.
Pirates would multiply exponentially. Pressure on the Marines would inevitably grow correspondingly. To handle this situation, they needed to strengthen their organization fundamentally.
Many methods existed, but ultimately, everything required enormous military expenditure. Not long ago, Kong had petitioned the World Government, requesting they increase next year's military budget by twenty percent as reserve funds for addressing the Great Pirate Era.
The World Government hadn't agreed. Of course, they hadn't rejected it outright either. They'd simply said they'd "consider it" and "see how the situation develops."
After all, although everyone felt difficulties approaching, nobody had truly experienced them yet. What if it wasn't that serious? What if things calmed quickly? Some sense of optimism remained.
If higher authorities wouldn't provide funds, the Marines had to raise money independently. But given numerous rules and regulations, they had limited options. Therefore, at this stage, they could only reduce non-essential expenses to the greatest extent possible.
Impel Down was a Marine Headquarters subordinate organization. Since the Marines commanded them, they naturally had to support them financially. However, Impel Down had always been a money pit that consumed resources without creating any value whatsoever. A complete financial drain.
Large amounts of military expenditure were consumed annually just maintaining Impel Down's operations. But the prison's duties were so critical that the Marines had no choice but to pour money into it continuously.
Nobody had reconsidered this arrangement before. Now Finn had this sudden inspiration to convert pirates into labor and make them work for the Marines. This gave Sengoku and the others an intriguing idea.
If this could be accomplished, the Marines wouldn't need hiring construction teams when expanding new bases. Just capture pirates and put them to work. Considering the organization's scale, imagine how much money could be saved annually.
Impel Down's existence value would be immediately enhanced. No longer an institution that only consumed money, but one that could give back to the Marines. Wasn't that beneficial?
Therefore, Sengoku hadn't immediately stopped Finn's radical behavior. Instead, he'd tacitly approved it, wanting to see if Finn could pull it off.
G-7 could be considered a pilot project. If this genuinely succeeded, the benefits to the Marines would be enormous. No longer a matter of hundreds of billions of Berries, but potentially evolving into savings of trillions.
"That boy has unconventional thinking," Tsuru said with a slight smile. "Maybe he can really accomplish something remarkable. That would benefit us tremendously."
"But it's not like he hasn't failed before," Sengoku said with some concern. "That non-existent intelligence organization, and the 'Special Operations Unit' he created recently, didn't they both fail? I sent him to G-7 hoping he'd work steadily, not constantly pursue unorthodox methods..."
Finn possessed many advantages. Sengoku never denied he was genuinely intelligent with substantial accumulated achievements. But it was also factual that Finn's thinking was excessively unconventional. Perhaps many concepts had good starting points, but simply couldn't be accomplished. Like the two examples he'd just mentioned.
Tsuru's expression froze slightly. "The non-existent organization is running perfectly well. What do you mean 'failed'?"
"Ahem..." Sengoku found himself abruptly countered without knowing how to respond.
However, Tsuru also knew that organization's results fell far short of original expectations. So after her retort, she didn't continue the subject.
"Let him try first," Kong spoke decisively.
After a brief pause, he added, "Only move prisoners from the first or second floors. That way, even if trouble occurs, it can be suppressed. Prevents the boy from ruining his future with something this ridiculous."
Pirates imprisoned on Impel Down's first and second floors all had bounties below fifty million Berries. Real small-fry, though in enormous numbers. Combined, probably over one hundred thousand prisoners occupied those levels.
Yes, Impel Down's prisoner population was massive. The facility itself was a large island extending deep underwater. Conceivable how many people could be imprisoned there.
These small-time pirates really weren't that important. Impossible for Finn to acquire thirty or fifty thousand at once, right? In Kong's assessment, he'd get at most ten to twenty thousand, possibly just a few thousand. Once any problems occurred, forces at Finn's disposal could suppress them.
Even if a few escaped, it wouldn't be catastrophic. Wouldn't cause unmanageable incidents.
Since Finn's matter concerned the Marines' overall interests, he couldn't just be left charging ahead alone. Kong still hoped to protect him to some extent.
Even though Sengoku said Finn would bear full responsibility if anything happened, did anyone believe Sengoku wouldn't intervene if genuine problems arose? The statement was meant to encourage Finn toward greater caution, nothing more.
Seeing neither Sengoku nor Tsuru objecting, Kong nodded. "Alright, after we finish here, nobody discusses this matter. I won't report it to the World Government. The three of us keep it between ourselves. Let's wait and see if Finn can accomplish this."
At that moment, Tsuru said, "There's one more thing I believe we should pay attention to."
"What?" Sengoku asked, taking another sip of tea.
"When Finn worked for me, he frequently studied information about the Calm Belt. Now he's chosen G-7 base, which borders the southern Calm Belt, and plans recruiting people from Impel Down for hard labor. I can't help wondering if he's interested in developing the Calm Belt..." Tsuru spoke quietly but clearly.
Both Kong and Sengoku froze momentarily.
Developing the Calm Belt? What kind of scheme is that?
But quickly, Sengoku spoke up. "This might be worthwhile, but our Marines focus primarily on combat. We don't have resources for that kind of development. We can't conscript Marines to develop the Calm Belt, right? If the World Government discovered that, they'd definitely stop us. And now, using Impel Down prisoners... that's within arguable boundaries, so there's hope. But are there benefits in the Calm Belt? Will risks and rewards be proportional?"
Though Sengoku was brilliant, he didn't know everything. The Calm Belt was genuinely his knowledge blind spot.
Kong smiled at this. He supported all plans and actions that could strengthen the Marines at this stage. "Let's contact him and ask directly. Won't that clarify everything?"
Without further discussion, Kong pulled out his Den Den Mushi, dialed several times, and sent a signal to Finn.
Impel Down Port
Finn was currently watching Impel Down personnel and the Marines he'd brought work together, escorting over two thousand prisoners onto warships.
This was the first batch he planned to remove. Neither more nor less. With seven thousand soldiers at his disposal, suppressing these unarmed, low-bounty pirates shouldn't pose problems.
Warships had strong carrying capacity. In conventional combat, the standard configuration was one thousand Marines. However, the journey wasn't far, just half a day's return. Therefore, Finn hadn't brought any baggage when coming.
Simultaneously, the thousand-person standard was arranged for proper soldiers. What human rights did prisoners have? Just squeeze them into the cabins and transport them back. Two warships, one thousand prisoners each, no problem whatsoever.
Watching people being loaded one by one, though Mescas had arranged everything, he still felt somewhat anxious, glancing at Finn periodically.
At that moment, the Den Den Mushi on Finn's belt rang.
He picked it up and glanced at it, murmuring with surprise, "Fleet Admiral Kong? Could something be wrong?" He looked up at the prisoners and clicked his tongue. "Hope he's not calling to stop me."
Without overthinking, Finn answered with a smile. "Fleet Admiral, do you have instructions?"
"Are you at Impel Down?" Kong asked directly.
"Yes. Seems Admiral Sengoku reported my plan?" Finn wasn't too surprised, though slightly worried the Fleet Admiral might halt everything.
"Indeed. Be careful in your actions. Also, don't touch people from the lower floors. They're all troublemakers. Just pull from the first and second floors," Kong warned.
Finn's heart warmed considerably. He smiled. "Understood. Warden Mescas also suggested this. We're indeed only moving prisoners from the first and second floors, all non-powerful individuals."
Mescas beside him visibly relaxed. With the Fleet Admiral's approval, who would dare report this? Reporting would be pointless!
"Good, as long as you understand. Better to be cautious in everything. This matter occupies ambiguous territory, and you should recognize its seriousness. I won't elaborate further. This time I'm calling to ask you..." Kong continued.
"Fleet Admiral, please ask," Finn replied attentively.
"Tsuru says you're very interested in the Calm Belt? Do you have plans regarding that region?" Kong inquired.
Finn paused momentarily, then said, "Chief of Staff Tsuru is remarkably perceptive. I never explicitly mentioned anything, but she guessed it?"
"Haha, you're not the only intelligent one," the Fleet Admiral teased with good humor.
Finn smiled. "I have this concept, but haven't implemented anything yet."
"We don't know much about the Calm Belt. You've consulted considerable information, so you should have gained insights, correct? Tell us about it..." Kong requested.
"Yes, Fleet Admiral." Finn nodded, though Kong couldn't see it.
Developing the Calm Belt might become one of the critical methods for freeing the Marines from constraints in the future. Finn felt it was time for another discussion with Marine leadership about this strategic opportunity.
The pieces were falling into place. Time to reveal the bigger picture.