Looking at the disconnected call, Sengoku was so angry that he wanted to smash the Den Den Mushi in his hand. But seeing the poor creature trembling, he managed to calm himself down.
Even though the plan hadn't gone perfectly, they had still used this opportunity to get rid of some corrupt officers within the Marines.
That was at least good for the future of the organization.
Knock, knock, knock~~~
"Come in!"
"Sengoku, we need to make a public statement. If we don't, people across the seas will think the Marines are full of corrupt officers."
Vice Admiral Tsuru pushed the door open as she spoke.
"You handle it, Tsuru," Sengoku said, looking at her with some surprise.
It felt strange to him.
As the Grand Strategist of the Marines, Tsuru didn't need his approval to clear up a situation like this.
"Sigh~~~"
"This isn't something I can decide on my own anymore. The Celestial Dragons are involved." Tsuru's tone was filled with helplessness.
The moment she said that, Sengoku, known for his strategic mind, immediately understood the real issue.
"The World Government wants the Marines to take the fall?" he asked with a frown.
"You guessed right. The Five Elders themselves called my office and gave a direct order."
"As for why they didn't go through you… It's probably because they knew you wouldn't agree."
Just thinking about it gave Tsuru a headache.
"What a joke!"
"They want us to take the blame? That's not happening! As long as I'm the Fleet Admiral, I will never approve this!" Sengoku's anger was obvious.
The Celestial Dragons care about their reputation. The World Government cares about its reputation.
So what? Do the Marines not care about theirs?
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
"This is bad—you need to see this!"
Suddenly, Brannew rushed into the office, looking flustered. He handed a document to Sengoku.
Seeing Brannew's panicked expression, Sengoku's heart sank.
He immediately scanned the report.
But the moment his eyes landed on the first page, the veins on his forehead bulged, and his hands gripped the paper so tightly it nearly tore.
"AHHH!!!"
"Those bastards! They dared to issue orders without even consulting me!"
Sengoku slammed his desk so hard that it shattered into pieces.
"What happened?" Tsuru asked quickly, seeing how furious he was.
Brannew, prepared for this, silently handed her a backup copy of the report.
Tsuru read through it.
By the time she was done, her face had darkened. If she had been in her own office, she might have smashed something too.
Brannew didn't waste any time—he signaled the men outside to bring in a new desk.
A few Marines swiftly cleared out the broken remains of the old desk, set up the new one, and then left immediately.
The tension in the room was suffocating.
Brannew, having done his job, quietly exited the Fleet Admiral's office, leaving no trace of his presence.
Sengoku and Tsuru finally took a deep breath and calmed down.
Brannew's smooth handling of the situation had made it hard for them to keep their anger going.
"The World Government must have known we wouldn't agree," Sengoku muttered. "That's why they went over our heads."
"…Now, I finally understand why Dragon made the choice he did."
"Sengoku."
"Don't say that again."
Tsuru's voice was serious.
She knew those words could bring trouble.
Realizing his slip, Sengoku nodded.
As Fleet Admiral, his stance had to remain firm—no matter what.
"But we need to respond properly. Otherwise, the entire Marine force will start to lose confidence," Vice Admiral Tsuru said seriously.
This time, to save face for the Celestial Dragons, the World Government shifted the blame onto the Marines. For the older generation of Marines, this was completely unacceptable.
"Of course, we need to respond, but we can't do it through Marine or World Government channels," Sengoku said after thinking for a moment.
"If we can't use our channels… then we'll have to go through Morgans. Garp should handle this—Ryuen will give him some respect," Vice Admiral Tsuru suggested.
"I was thinking the same thing. In that case, contact Garp and have him return as soon as possible. As for the rest, let Sakazuki handle it." Sengoku's voice turned colder as he spoke.
"Understood." Vice Admiral Tsuru nodded, then got up and left.
Letting Sakazuki finish the job meant one thing—eliminating those people completely. But that was exactly what she had in mind.
Once everyone had left, Sengoku leaned back in his chair, deep in thought.
Officially, the Marines were still a branch of the World Government, and trying to operate independently was incredibly difficult—just the issue of military funding alone was a headache.
However, the Marines had grown powerful enough to gain some level of autonomy.
"This has to be done step by step. We still need the World Government's funding for now, but we should start planning to break free from their control…"
"Ryuen, the world map can be redrawn anytime, but for now, you'll have to endure it," Sengoku murmured to himself.
~~~~~~
Clarkde Island.
Just as Ryuen was about to set off, he suddenly shivered.
"What's wrong? Don't tell me you're feeling weak already?" Nami asked curiously.
The others looked at Ryuen with strange expressions, as if they had just heard something unbelievable. Their young captain… was already worn out?
"Idiots!"
"That's impossible! Stop making things up!" Ryuen shouted, both embarrassed and angry.
That strange feeling he just had… it was as if someone was plotting against him. And there was only one person who would do something like that—Sengoku!
Nami ignored him. She had just been joking anyway.
Didn't she know better than anyone if Ryuen was weak or not?
The crew set off once again. Clarkde Island was huge, so they had work to do today.
Not everyone went, though. Hog, Robin, Anya, and Daisy all decided to explore the island and learn more about it. After all, every place had something unique to offer, and they wanted to take in as much as possible.
Sugar, on the other hand, volunteered to stay behind and guard the ship—mostly because she was too lazy to walk around.
~~~~~~
Unlike Water 7, Clarkde Island was actually a cluster of small islands. The dense waterways made it the perfect place for a thriving shipbuilding industry.
Ryuen and his crew climbed to the highest peak on the island, looking down at the scattered islands below. Each small island had a village, and these villages would either work alone or join together to form shipbuilding companies.
The bigger companies built large ships, while the smaller ones focused on smaller vessels. The industry had developed in a fairly balanced way.
This island was also a frequent stop for pirates. Water 7 had Marines patrolling all the time, and Enies Lobby was nearby.
Even though Enies Lobby was gone now, pirates still didn't want to risk testing their luck there.
That made Clarkde Island a much better option.
"Hey!"
"What are you standing around for? Come help!"
"Oh, I'm coming~~~"
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