Peaceful Headquarters
Marineford.
Marine Headquarters Office.
Sengoku sat at his desk, holding a cup of bitter tea.
Savoring it carefully.
He sighed inwardly:
Marine Headquarters is truly peaceful without that kid Kai around!
"Knock, knock, knock..."
A series of urgent knocks sounded.
Before Sengoku could speak—
The door opened.
The person who entered was Tsuru.
Within Sengoku's expectations.
After all, in the entire Marine Headquarters, only Tsuru and Garp dared to enter his office without permission.
"Tsuru, what's the matter?"
Tsuru nodded.
"Yes, news has come from the New World—"
Immediate Concern
Before Tsuru could finish, Sengoku interrupted:
"Does it involve that kid Kai?"
Seeing Tsuru nod, an ominous premonition arose in Sengoku's heart.
He sighed.
"Alright, what trouble has that kid Kai caused now!?"
"This time it shouldn't be blamed on Kai..."
Tsuru's expression came strange.
"Hm!?"
Sengoku looked somewhat confused.
Seeing the puzzlement on his face, Tsuru spoke directly:
"Before Kai's warship even reached G-1 Base, for some unknown reason, it drew the hostility of the 'Four Emperor' Kaido." Her voice continued: "He directly issued a rallying call to all New World pirates to attack G-1 Base!"
Pause.
"Then he assembled nearly half of the New World's pirate forces." Her tone came grave. "Including several major pirates with bounties over seven hundred million berries like 'Pauper' Morik..."
Panic Response
"WHAT!?"
Sengoku's face changed dramatically.
He shot up from his chair.
"Kaido assembled nearly half the New World's pirate forces to attack G-1 Base!?"
His voice came urgent:
"Quick! Quickly notify Kizaru and Aokiji to provide immediate support!"
After a pause, Sengoku seemed to feel the deployed forces were still insufficient.
He continued:
"Also, have that old bastard Garp hurry over there too!"
Justified Fear
How could Sengoku not be nervous?
G-1 Base was the Marines' largest base in the New World.
The resources the Marines spent to establish it?
Simply unimaginable.
If G-1 Base was truly destroyed by pirates—
Then for decades, the Marines wouldn't be able to establish another base of such scale in the New World.
In other words:
The Marines would completely lose even their last bit of control over the New World.
It wasn't that he didn't trust Kai's strength.
Sengoku was very clear about Kaido's monstrosity.
Even if Kai could defeat Kaido, he definitely couldn't kill him.
And Sengoku naturally knew G-1 Base's combat strength itself.
Once Kai was entangled by Kaido—
Facing the "Three Disasters" and major pirates with bounties over seven hundred million...
The Marines would face a massacre.
Too Late
"It's already too late."
Tsuru's voice came calm.
"The battle at G-1 Base has ended."
Kaido wasn't stupid.
He naturally knew that if he attacked G-1 Base, it would immediately draw support from Marine Headquarters.
So whether assembling pirates or deciding to attack—
He made decisions very quickly.
Leaving Marine Headquarters no time to react.
Hearing Tsuru's words, Sengoku's expression became extremely grim.
After a long moment, he asked:
"So..."
His voice came strained.
"What are the casualties at G-1 Base!?"
Sengoku didn't notice the hint of a smile in Tsuru's eyes.
Pirate Losses
Tsuru said:
"On the pirate side, except for the Kaido Pirates' escape, all remaining major pirates with bounties over three hundred million berries were killed."
Pause.
"As for the Marine side..."
Hearing about the pirate casualties, Sengoku's grim expression finally improved somewhat.
If the entire G-1 Base was destroyed while the pirates suffered no losses?
That would make Sengoku vomit blood.
"What about the Marine side!?"
Sengoku heavily exhaled a breath of stale air.
Closed his eyes.
Placed his hands on the nearby table.
Fully preparing himself mentally.
Unbelievable Numbers
"On the Marine side..."
Tsuru's voice came slow.
"Over fourteen hundred enlisted Marines died." Pause. "Thirty-seven officer-rank Marines died."
Another pause.
"And the number of general-rank Marine deaths was..."
Her tone came deliberate.
"...zero."
"That's acceptable."
Sengoku breathed a sigh of relief.
Then—
He froze completely.
What!?
By this count, only about a thousand people died in total!?
Acceptable!?
It was MORE than acceptable!
The death of over a thousand Marines in exchange for the elimination of nearly half the New World's pirate forces.
Perhaps in ordinary people's eyes, this death toll was already very high.
Equivalent to an entire small town's population.
But from the position of Fleet Admiral?
This number was truly insignificant.
Even if the casualties were ten times higher—
If it could eliminate nearly half the New World's pirate forces?
Sengoku wouldn't hesitate for a moment.
Confirmation
"Tsuru, are you certain!?"
Sengoku still couldn't quite believe it.
"Certain."
Tsuru's tone came matter-of-fact.
"Even the World Government's intelligence organizations have sent confirmation."
"Then why didn't you explain everything clearly from the start!?"
Sengoku felt somewhat helpless.
Suddenly noticing the hint of a smile on Tsuru's face—
He instantly understood everything.
His voice came annoyed:
"Tsuru! Did that old bastard Garp teach you this!?"
"Hahaha..."
Tsuru laughed without saying more.
As an old friend, occasionally teasing Sengoku was quite amusing to her.
However, she then straightened her expression.
Inquired:
"So now, how should Kai be arranged!?"
New Assignment
The fundamental reason Kai was dispatched to Marine G-1 Base was fear of New World pirates causing an uprising.
Now Kai had just arrived in the New World and forcefully suppressed a major uprising by nearly half the New World's pirates.
Even if the remaining pirates wanted to cause another uprising?
They'd probably have to consider whether they had the strength first.
Without major pirates exceeding "Four Emperor" level combat power?
They'd better stay quiet for a while.
Pirates were arrogant and brazen.
But they weren't brainless.
"Kai?"
Sengoku paused.
"Well, we can recall him now..."
His words suddenly stopped.
His expression became somewhat strange.
Then he said:
"Never mind, let him stay in the New World." His tone came decisive. "He can come back after five years."
In Sengoku's view, a big troublemaker like Kai was better kept in the New World.
Where his trouble would affect pirates.
Not reach his own head.
~~~~❃❃~~~~~~~~❃❃~~~~
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