Holy Land Mariejois, Commander-in-Chief's Office.
"Redfield is actually dead!"
Kong stared at the report in front of him in shock. As Redfield's old rival, he was well aware of the pirate's true strength.
Before the Great Pirate Era, the Navy and the Pirates were rivals. To face the top pirates of the seas, the Navy naturally had corresponding powerful figures.
At that time, Kong was the Fleet Admiral. Though only two out of the three Admirals were officially in position, that was merely because Garp was too bothered to accept the promotion, despite essentially holding the duties and authority of an Admiral.
In essence, the Navy's Three Admirals were meant to correspond to the Three Pinnacle Pirates.
As for Redfield, he was a lone figure and a few years older, having set sail earlier than Roger, Newgate, and Shiki.
Kong was similar; he had developed an enmity with Redfield ever since he joined the Navy, making them decades-long rivals.
The time Redfield was captured was when Kong sought to end their long-standing feud. In the end, Redfield won by a single, critical move, defeating Kong. Although Garp ultimately captured Redfield, Kong had, undeniably, been beaten in a head-on confrontation.
Therefore, hearing that the escaped Redfield had died at the hands of a young man barely thirty years old, no matter how great that youth's reputation, made Kong's emotions exceptionally complex.
After a long silence, Kong raised a hand and rubbed his temples, carefully reading the report sent by Momousagi Gion once more.
In Gion's report, that battle involved not only the Slayer Oliver and the Lightning God Enel of the Chris Pirates but also Doflamingo and the Golden Emperor Tesoro.
However, the killing blow was delivered solely by Golden Ring Aeridar. The combination of the Impact-Impact Fruit and the Float-Float Fruit's powers was extremely well-honed, and the destructive power was immense. The residual shockwaves alone were enough to completely destroy Micity Port.
Furthermore, Gion included a suggestion at the end of the report: If this man cannot be brought to our side, we must use all our might to completely eradicate him, or the consequences will be endless!
Seeing Gion's advice, Kong felt a headache. Of course, he wanted to wipe out Golden Ring Aeridar, but the Navy had just suffered heavy losses in the Battle of Marineford and needed time to recuperate and recover. It was impossible for them to engage in another major war in the short term.
The difficulty of attempting to subjugate the Chris Pirates was even greater than the difficulty of taking on the Whitebeard Pirates.
The connections in the Neutral Zone were too complicated, involving the Navy, the World Government, the Yonko, and countless nations and powers. Attacking there would be a situation where "one wrong move shakes the whole body."
Even putting aside these complications, if the Navy were to attack the Chris Pirates, who could guarantee a victory? Who could ensure the complete annihilation of the entire crew?
Moreover, with the abilities of instantaneous movement and supersonic flight, only Kizaru Borsalino could keep up with his speed. Who could guarantee that Kizaru could kill Golden Ring Aeridar?
Even if only Golden Ring Aeridar remained of the entire Chris Pirate Crew, if he escaped, that would be enough to give the Navy and the World Government an endless headache.
With the combined abilities of instantaneous movement, supersonic flight, and the Float-Float Fruit, he possesses the capability to strike any target anywhere in the world at will.
Imagine the Navy's various branch fortresses and bases, as well as the World Government's affiliated nations, constantly under attack by such a Great Pirate—a veritable mobile natural disaster.
Good heavens! A cold sweat broke out on Kong's back as he realized that if this man went mad, he could practically shake the very foundations of the Navy and the World Government single-handedly.
Kong put down Gion's report, concluding that without a foolproof plan, they absolutely could not afford to tear things down completely.
After lamenting Redfield's death and finishing Gion's report, Kong's head began to ache for another reason.
"I can't believe the usually good-natured Kuzan would so vehemently oppose Sakazuki," Kong frowned deeply.
Since Sengoku stepped down as Fleet Admiral, the position was still vacant.
Former Fleet Admiral Sengoku recommended Kuzan to take the position, and the Dove faction also hoped he would become the next Fleet Admiral.
However, the upper echelons of the World Government, led by the Gorosei, mostly agreed that Sakazuki should take the position.
Adding to the tension, the normally easygoing Kuzan uncharacteristically opposed Sakazuki with intense words, leading to a highly volatile atmosphere within the Navy.
The dispute between the two Admirals made Kong extremely troubled. Although he personally leaned towards Kuzan, as the Commander-in-Chief, he had to maintain impartiality.
Pere pere pere... Pere pere pere...
Suddenly, the Den Den Mushi on his desk began to ring.
Click.
"This is Kong."
Kong reached out and answered the Den Den Mushi.
"Something's wrong. Kuzan and Sakazuki have completely fallen out!" Sengoku's grave voice came through the receiver.
Hearing this, Kong's face turned pale with shock.
"What? What happened?"
…
Nakor, Capital of Clifford Kingdom, Palace Entertainment City, Central Tower.
"Shurororororo~ Joker, ready to come and inspect the results?"
The Den Den Mushi held in his hand shook, emitting strange laughter.
Doflamingo's eyes lit up. He glanced at Aeridar across from him and chuckled: "Fuffuffuffu~ Caesar, I am very pleased right now. I hope you're not deceiving me!"
Hearing the name Caesar, Aeridar's eyes narrowed, as if recalling something.
"Of course not, Joker!"
The man named Caesar giggled over the Den Den Mushi: "However, the research funds are almost depleted..."
"I understand. I guarantee you'll have sufficient research funds!" As if knowing the man's ways, Doflamingo immediately cut him off.
"Shurororororo~ Joker, please come as soon as possible!" Caesar laughed excitedly.
Click.
The Den Den Mushi hung up.
"Fuffuffuffu~ Interested in a business deal?" Doflamingo looked up at Aeridar across the table.
"Sounds interesting. Tell me about it." Aeridar did not refuse.
"M. Caesar Clown, formerly a scientist in the Navy Headquarters' Science Unit. He was once arrested for conducting various heinous and inhumane experiments, but successfully escaped from a prison ship shortly after," Doflamingo said, taking out a wanted poster and handing it over.
The poster showed a monstrous-looking man with long purple-blue hair and goat-horn-like ornaments on his head. He wore a gaseous coat over a striped suit, with black gloves marked with 'CC' on his hands. M. Caesar Clown, former Navy Headquarters scientist, with a bounty of 300,000,000 Berries!
"This man is arrogant, believing his experiments can never fail. He is better at killing than anyone, utterly despises Vegapunk, and constantly works against him," Doflamingo said, curling the corner of his mouth into a smile. "But, I have to admit, he does have some talent."
"Artificial Devil Fruits! Interested in learning more, King?"
"Fuffuffufuffufu!"