"What are you two arguing about now?"
Just as Sengoku was still fuming, the office door was pushed open. Tsuru walked in while holding a stack of documents. One glance at the scene, Sengoku red faced behind his desk and Enel sprawled lazily across the sofa, told her everything she needed to know.
After all, this kind of scene had become far too common.
Ever since Enel had risen to the position of Marine Admiral, Sengoku would scold him almost every time he returned to Marineford. It was no longer anything unusual.
"This guy went to the red light district, fought over a courtesan, ran himself into massive debt, and now he has the nerve to come back and ask me for a salary advance."
Sengoku leaned back in his chair, pointing angrily at Enel, who lay on the sofa like a lifeless salted fish, his face full of contempt.
Tsuru walked over to her desk, set the documents down neatly, and sat upright.
"If I remember correctly, his salary has already been advanced until the year after next, hasn't it?"
Before Sengoku could respond, Enel suddenly sprang to his feet. He rubbed his hands together and approached Tsuru with a flattering smile.
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, I'm a little short on cash lately. Could you lend me one hundred million Berries?"
Tsuru pressed her fingers against her temple, clearly at a loss for words.
"Do you even remember that you still owe me twenty million Berries? You borrowed it three years ago, and I still have the IOU."
She paused, then added calmly, "Also, Gion's savings have all been borrowed by you. She cannot even afford to buy herself a proper dress anymore. Women value beauty more than you think."
Enel laughed awkwardly and scratched his head, pretending not to hear the second part.
"Bururururu… Bururururu…"
Before Sengoku could explode again, the Den Den Mushi on his desk began to ring.
He opened the drawer and glanced at it, his brows knitting together slightly.
"Hello."
"What?"
Sengoku's expression changed instantly. The anger from earlier was replaced by a sharp seriousness. After ending the call, he slammed the receiver down and clenched his teeth.
"Garp."
The name was forced out like it carried physical weight.
Tsuru sighed softly.
"What did Garp do this time?"
She did not even need to think about it. Whenever Sengoku looked like this, Garp was always involved.
Sometimes, she genuinely pitied Sengoku. Being Fleet Admiral was truly exhausting.
"The bastard's grandson, Monkey D. Luffy, punched a Celestial Dragon on Sabaody Archipelago."
Sengoku slammed his fist onto the desk.
"That damned Garp. He barely cleaned up the Enies Lobby mess, and now his grandson is causing chaos again. Call that fool over here immediately."
"Garp is currently in the New World," Tsuru reminded him calmly.
Sengoku's mouth twitched, his expression darkening further. Slowly, his gaze shifted toward Enel, who had already collapsed back onto the sofa.
"You're going to Sabaody Archipelago. Capture the Straw Hat Pirates."
Enel yawned loudly.
"I just saw Borsalino and Sakazuki around Marineford. Let them go. I need sleep. If I stay awake any longer, I might actually die."
"I'll advance your salary," Sengoku said flatly.
In an instant, Enel sat upright. His eyes lit up, and he snapped his fingers, all traces of fatigue vanishing as if they had never existed.
"No problem at all. As a Marine Admiral, I absolutely cannot tolerate pirates running wild."
With his long silver hair swaying, Enel straightened his silver suit, draped his Marine coat over his shoulders, and strode out of the office with an expression full of righteous determination.
Watching his back disappear, Sengoku rubbed his forehead and let out a long sigh.
Ever since becoming Fleet Admiral, his mental and physical health had steadily declined. Even his blood pressure had begun acting up.
If this continued, he doubted he would live a long life.
Instead of leaving Marineford immediately, Enel changed direction and headed straight for Borsalino's office.
Hands tucked casually into his pockets, he kicked the door open without hesitation. The entire office shook violently, the doors swinging back and forth as if they were about to fall off entirely.
Borsalino, who had been sipping coffee leisurely, nearly choked.
When he saw Enel strolling in arrogantly, his face stretched into a long scowl, his eyes filled with disgust.
"Damn bastard. That door was just repaired."
"Don't sweat the small stuff," Enel said casually while picking at his ear. "You've kicked open my office door over a hundred times too."
"First things first," Borsalino said coldly, "I am not lending you any money."
He was already convinced Enel was here to borrow again.
That scoundrel still owed him fifty million Berries. It had been years. Three? Five? Even he had lost count.
"Do I look like that kind of person?"
Enel scoffed. "The Fleet Admiral already agreed to advance my salary until the year after next. Why would I still need to borrow from you?"
Borsalino said nothing, only staring at him with disbelief.
He was certain that Enel would burn through that salary within a week, and that was being generous.
"The Fleet Admiral wants us to head to Sabaody Archipelago to deal with the Supernovas," Enel said smoothly.
It was a blatant lie.
There were two reasons for dragging Borsalino along. Ethan, known as the Furious One, and Emma, the Rose Queen, were fellow transmigrators and likely possessed golden fingers. Facing them alone was risky.
The second reason was simpler. Capturing Monkey D. Luffy meant provoking Garp. It was always better to share that hatred.
After careful consideration, Borsalino was the perfect shield.
"Why haven't I received any orders?" Borsalino asked suspiciously.
It was only a group of Supernovas. With Enel's strength, this should have been effortless.
Was it really necessary to send two Admirals?
"Am I not delivering Sengoku's orders to you right now?" Enel replied lazily. "A Celestial Dragon was assaulted. The higher ups are breathing down our necks. We move first, and the troops will follow."
Borsalino's right eyelid twitched.
He had a very bad feeling.
"You're sure about this?"
"Let's move already. I don't want my salary docked."
Seeing how earnest Enel appeared, Borsalino finally stood up. He put on his Marine coat, adjusted his sunglasses, and walked out.
Moments later, a streak of brilliant blue lightning and a golden ray shot into the sky. Along the coast, the subordinates of both Admirals boarded their warships, setting sail for Sabaody Archipelago.
Meanwhile, on Sabaody Archipelago, events continued unfolding exactly as fate intended.
Saint Shalria stepped onto the auction stage, her customized pistol aimed directly at Kemi inside the tank. She intended to kill the mermaid and crush the pirates' hopes.
But just as she pulled the trigger, an overwhelming wave of will erupted from backstage.
Saint Shalria's eyes rolled back, and she collapsed instantly.
The wall behind the stage exploded inward.
An old man stepped through the rubble. He had long, curly silver hair, glasses, a beard, and a distinct vertical scar over his right eye.
"This place is as chaotic as ever."
Silvers Rayleigh had arrived.
The fighting throughout the auction hall slowed almost immediately.
"Let's leave."
Lucien quietly signaled Stussy.
Now was not the time to act.
Neither Ethan nor Emma had made a move, and with Rayleigh present, forcing anything would only end in failure. Their chance would come when the Admirals arrived.
If they were going to act, they needed to gain something meaningful.
Otherwise, losing the initiative was not worth the risk.
Stussy nodded and carried Lucien as they slipped away with the crowd.
Neither Emma nor Ethan noticed anything unusual.
Lucien had hidden himself perfectly.
Besides, the scene was far too chaotic. Everyone's attention was fixed on Rayleigh.
Who would bother paying attention to a woman holding a child with calm amethyst eyes?
____
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