Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Having successfully been promoted to Admiral, Kizaru was finally relieved of his duties as Sengoku's deputy; not only that, he also gained a large Admiral's office all to himself.
Once the door was closed, he could be as lazy as he wanted.
Lying on his small bed, he forgot all about official business.
Ever since he learned about parts of the Void Century from Beelzebul two and a half years ago, Kizaru became even more committed to the philosophy of slacking off while on the clock.
With a monthly salary of only a few hundred thousand Berries, why risk his life?
Instead of risking his life for the World Government, it was better to do what he could within the Marine—tasks that weren't too exhausting and were related to justice.
For example, eliminating pirates who slaughtered civilians.
Or being stationed at Egghead Island, responsible for the safety of Vegapunk, who worked for the World Government.
A job with freedom is a truly good job.
Checking the time, Kizaru stretched lazily, preparing to talk to his old boss, Sengoku, about being stationed at Egghead Island for the near future.
The pirates of the Grand Line were simply too terrifying.
Wearing his justice cloak and with his hands in his pockets, Kizaru leisurely strolled to the Fleet Admiral's office.
Before he could even speak, he suddenly heard Sengoku say:
"You're here. I happen to have something for you."
Hearing this, Kizaru thought, 'Oh no,' and his lazy expression was instantly replaced by one of helplessness.
"We just received a notice from the World Government. Saint Elaine of the Celestial Dragons is going to the Sabaody Archipelago to purchase some slaves, and Saint Elaine specifically requested your accompaniment."
Kizaru's face fell.
"Sengoku-san, aren't Sakazuki and Kuzan both at headquarters? I'm just fast; when it comes to protecting Saint Elaine, Kuzan would be much more suitable."
Just then, Kuzan's voice arrived before he did.
"Hey, hey, hey, Borsalino."
"Saint Elaine specifically called for you by name. I won't compete with you for such a 'wonderful' job as accompanying a Celestial Dragon."
Ever since joining the Marine, aside from studying under Zephyr, Aokiji spent most of his time punch-training battleships with Garp, so he naturally had no fondness for the Celestial Dragons.
Moreover, Kizaru had extensive experience dealing with the Celestial Dragons, making him the most suitable choice among the three Admirals.
Kizaru threw up his hands.
"Fine, fine. When do we leave?"
When faced with an unavoidable task at work, what else could he do but accept? After all, not everyone in the Marine was Vice Admiral Garp.
Sengoku picked up the notice from the World Government.
"Saint Elaine's yacht requires half a month to prepare for the trip. You just need to arrive at the Holy Land Mary Geoise in twenty days."
"Borsalino, there are many pirates near the human auction house on the Sabaody Archipelago. It's best to go and clear them out in advance to avoid any accidents."
Kizaru was full of helplessness.
"I know, I know."
Being personally requested by Saint Elaine was actually Beelzebul's fault. If Saint Elaine hadn't been left with psychological trauma from that previous kidnapping, such a task would never have fallen to a Marine Admiral.
Usually, when a Celestial Dragon descended to the lower world, the Marine would typically dispatch several Vice Admirals from headquarters to lead an escort fleet.
That kid Beelzebul really is a troublemaker.
Kizaru transformed into light and flew at high speed from Marineford toward the Sabaody Archipelago, but for some reason, a faint sense of unease rose in his heart.
Kizaru wasn't worried about other pirates, only that guy Beelzebul—after all, there was the precedent of him kidnapping Saint Elaine.
He had to find out his little brother's recent movements, lest Saint Elaine and Beelzebul cross paths on the Sabaody Archipelago; when enemies meet, their eyes would surely turn red with rage.
And they might not understand the situation.
If Beelzebul were provoked, given the Morning Star Pirates' current lineup, one Admiral would be far from enough, and Akainu and Aokiji wouldn't be fast enough to provide support.
And knowing Beelzebul's habits, he would certainly extort the World Government again.
When that happened, Kizaru would be the one running back and forth.
After thinking it over, Kizaru deactivated his elemental form, hovered in mid-air, took out a den den mushi, and dialed.
"Brother, where are you enjoying yourself lately?"
The first half of the Grand Line, Paradise.
Inside the Captain's quarters of the east blue emperor, Seven slapped unconscious the Tyrannosaurus Rex—named 'So Cute'—who was trying to swallow the den den mushi.
"Eh? Big brother? What's up?"
The den den mushi made a wretched face: "It's been a while since we talked. I wanted to ask if you're free lately."
Seven laughed.
"I'm free, I'm free. I just wandered from the South Blue to the East Blue and caught a T-Rex as a pet. I'm planning to take a good rest for a while and train it."
The den den mushi's expression became playful.
"Little brother, you really know how to enjoy yourself. Your life is even more comfortable than mine. By the way, how about I come over to your place for a few drinks in a few days?"
"Sure, you're welcome anytime."
Hanging up the den den mushi, Seven muttered to himself.
"Brother Kizaru must have something on his mind but isn't saying it directly. Is he giving me a hint?"
Two years ago, on Sky Island, Seven had promised to give Kizaru some gold.
However, because Kizaru hadn't visited Sky Island once in these two years, and the two hadn't met privately, the promised gold had never been delivered.
Unable to figure out why Kizaru called, Seven simply stopped thinking about it.
If nothing unexpected happened...
After taking Robin and the others to Sky Island, the east blue emperor would continue to the Sabaody Archipelago. Including the time for coating the ship, it would take about half a month.
In short, in half a month, Seven was about to meet the dedicated helmsman he had been longing for: the Blue Fatty, Jinbe.
Once the dedicated helmsman was in place, the Morning Star Pirates could finally set sail properly toward any turbulent sea in the world.
Jinbe's steering skills—everyone who's experienced them says they're great.
This is the talent of the Fishman Tribe.
If Devil Fruits are loathed by the sea, then the Fishman Tribe are the darlings of the ocean.
And Jinbe is one of the strongest Fishmen.
If Seven were to fall into the sea, he probably wouldn't be able to do anything to Jinbe; of course, Jinbe wouldn't be able to deal any effective damage to Seven either.
The Lunarian Tribe bloodline can adapt to any extreme environment, naturally including the deep sea. However, because he ate the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, Seven could only maintain a passive defense in seawater so he wouldn't drown.
Once Jinbe was on board, the Fruit users of the Morning Star Pirates would no longer have to worry about Mihawk being unable to fish them all out by himself when they fell into the sea.
Inviting Jinbe to join the crew was no big deal; it would either result in an agreement or a refusal.
What really gave Seven a headache was how to guaranteedly obtain the Float-Float Fruit from the Golden Lion.
Regarding Devil Fruits, the official setting of the pirate world is that after an ability user dies, the Devil Fruit will randomly respawn somewhere in the world.
Random means uncertainty.
Without relying on the Dark-Dark Fruit—the official built-in cheat—Seven couldn't think of a reliable method at the moment, which is why he chose to keep the Golden Lion imprisoned.
This is actually the same logic the World Government uses by locking up ability user prisoners in Impel Down.
Instead of killing the ability user and letting the Devil Fruit respawn randomly in the ocean, it's better to lock them in Impel Down, effectively imprisoning the Devil Fruit.
Seven also desperately wanted the Float-Float Fruit, even hoping to have an external vessel—like a glove or a ring—consume the fruit.
If successful, the east blue emperor would directly become an all-terrain vehicle for sea, land, and air.
Fujitora Issho's Zushi Zushi no Mi could also make the east blue emperor fly, but Seven was very greedy and hoped to have the Float-Float Fruit's ability as well.
Seven knew that weapons could consume Devil Fruits, but unfortunately, as a divine weapon, musou isshin had its own pride.
Aside from Seven, no one else could even touch it.
In battle, while it appeared the enemy was struck by the blade, they were actually being cut by the force field surrounding it.
Having thought about it to no avail, Seven opened the trading platform, trying to find a solution among the items listed by users from other worlds.
[Wild Rune Shard: 1,000,000 points. Flesh is weak, Mechanical Ascension. Do you want to become a god too? Seller's note: Don't touch the rune with your hands.]
"Profiteer!!!"