Chapter 251: Navy Headquarters, Retirement Group!
At Navy Headquarters, the atmosphere was unusually relaxed—at least, for those no longer in active service.
"Ryuunosuke's move is quite bold," Garp muttered, crunching on a piece of senbei. "Sengoku, what do you think the World Government's next order to Sakazuki will be? Defend the allied nations?"
He didn't stop eating, of course. Not even world-altering events could keep Garp from his beloved snacks.
"I don't know," Sengoku said with a sigh, folding his arms. "But I'm starting to feel lucky I'm not the one in charge anymore. If I were still Fleet Admiral, I'd be drowning in headaches."
Garp chuckled. "So now you understand what I meant by freedom from office, old man."
Sengoku leaned back, his tone laced with rare ease. "It's not our problem anymore. Let Sakazuki deal with it. He's tough—he'll manage."
Truth be told, Sengoku felt a twinge of sympathy for his successor. When he had been in charge, the Admirals at least followed his orders to some degree. Aokiji, Kizaru, and Akainu had their quirks, sure, but they executed missions with some level of discipline.
Things were different now.
Green Bull was practically a rogue—strong enough to hold his position but barely following command. Kizaru was even worse. The man punched out at five o'clock sharp every day, treating Navy assignments like part-time work. Try getting that guy to fight seriously unless his own life was at stake.
And then there was Fujitora…
Sengoku glanced across the room. Fujitora was sitting calmly, playing dice with Kuzan, a light smile on his face.
This was the state of the "Retirement Group"—admirals-turned-consultants with no real power and even less motivation to stress themselves.
Fujitora still followed orders—technically. But the man had his own brand of justice, and he'd never blindly carry out anything that went against it.
"Honestly," Sengoku muttered, "I do feel bad for Sakazuki."
Garp popped another senbei into his mouth. "So, what's the World Government gonna do next? Call back the Warlords of the Sea?"
Sengoku shrugged. "They might try. But those guys aren't exactly reliable."
He ticked them off mentally.
"The Empress? No way she'll answer the call. Hawkeye... well, let's just hope he doesn't come out and cause more chaos. Doflamingo's already been conquered by the Dragon Hunter Pirates."
He paused, frowning.
"Law—Trafalgar—won't follow the Government blindly either. Moriah? Vanished. Buggy? Can't even find him. And then there's Weevil..."
At the mention of Edward Weevil, Tsuru sighed quietly.
"Let's just say," she murmured, "if Weevil shows up, he won't get a warm welcome. Not after Z's defection. The New Navy will likely treat him as a target."
Garp raised an eyebrow. "Speaking of that, what do you think Ryuunosuke's goal is?"
Sengoku leaned forward, thoughtful. "If it was just revenge, he wouldn't need to go public like this. He could've taken the slow approach—corrosion from the shadows. That would've been safer and possibly more effective."
"But instead," Sengoku continued, "he's announced his war against the World Government to the whole damn world. That paints a massive target on his back. It's not just a personal grudge anymore—this is a declaration of ideology."
"And a hell of a statement," Garp added.
Sengoku nodded. "If the Dragon Hunter Pirates get bogged down with side battles and politics, they'll have no time to prepare for a full-scale war. But maybe... that's exactly what he wants."
He rubbed his chin. "When you're no longer carrying the burden of leadership, you start to see things differently."
Garp chuckled. "You think too much. This kid—Ryuunosuke—has never done anything we can predict."
"But we both know the World Government isn't just relying on the Navy or the Shichibukai," Sengoku said seriously. "They've got deeper cards to play."
Garp's eyes narrowed, serious for once. "You mean the hidden forces?"
"Exactly. The CP organizations. The Celestial Dragon Guards. That Dwool unit that wiped out the Dragon Hunter Pirates' logistics team."
Tsuru's gaze darkened. "And let's not forget the scientific research division. Or... the King."
At the mention of that, the room fell quiet.
Sengoku nodded grimly. "Yeah. The King—Heavenly King, to be exact. The world knows the Government has it, but it hasn't been used in years. People are starting to think it's a myth."
"If they do use it..." Tsuru trailed off. "The outcome of the war might not be so clear."
Garp stared out the window for a long moment.
"To think I might see the King in action again... this era is full of surprises."
Tsuru shifted topics. "Speaking of surprises—Shanks and his crew have been loitering in the East Blue for quite a while now."
Garp's hand froze mid-air, senbei halfway to his mouth.
She continued carefully, "They went to Marijoa, met with the Dragon Hunters, and then returned to the East Blue. That's a curious trail."
Garp frowned. He had suspected something for a while now. But the Red-Haired Pirates weren't always present—just... lurking. Floating in and out of the region. At first, he thought nothing of it.
But now...
"I don't know what that kid Shanks is planning," he muttered. "But if they discover that, we might be staring down something far worse."
He didn't elaborate, and Tsuru didn't press.
Instead, she returned to the growing enigma at the center of it all.
"Let's talk about the Dragon Hunter Pirates," she said. "I've been wondering for a while now—how did they grow so fast?"
Fujitora chuckled, shaking the dice cup in his hand. "Evil's scariest when it first appears, no?"
Kuzan stopped mid-roll.
The Dragon Hunter Pirates…
Their strength was a mystery even to former Admirals.
Kuzan remembered teaming up with Garp over a year ago to stop them. Back then, they were just escaping. Dangerous, yes, but manageable.
But now?
Now they had grown into something far beyond expectation. In less than two years, they had risen to stand toe-to-toe with the strongest forces in the world.
And last time Kuzan fought Ryuunosuke…
He doubted himself for the first time in decades.
"It's not like we didn't try," Kuzan said quietly. "We hit them with everything we had. Over and over again."
Fujitora nodded. "And every time, they came back stronger."
"Exactly," Kuzan said. "Now, I'm not even sure I can stand in front of that man."
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