Chapter 150: Sengoku's Thoughts, Appointment of the Seven Warlords of the Sea!
After Sengoku took action, Akainu immediately set out to sea.
Two warships of Buster Call level were dispatched.
At the same time, news of the situation quickly reached the World Government.
From then on, Sengoku had no energy left for anything else—he could only wait for the World Government's scolding.
Meanwhile, on Ryuunosuke's side, he had released all the slaves.
Unfortunately, nearly 80% of the women had gone mad. Even when they knew they were free, their faces remained expressionless—empty.
They were already dead inside.
Ryuunosuke didn't force them to live with that kind of pain. He ended their lives swiftly and painlessly.
As for the rest—the ones still clinging to their will—they chose to follow Ryuunosuke out of that place.
Right now, they just wanted to leave. What came after? They couldn't even begin to think about it.
---
Marineford.
Sengoku had been getting chewed out all day.
Now, he stood silently on the edge of a rocky reef near the coast, gazing out at the sea, lost in thought.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the two have accepted the Navy's offer," a voice behind him said.
"They've arrived at Marineford. You should go meet them."
It was Vice Admiral Tsuru. She understood Sengoku wasn't in the best state right now, but this matter still required his presence.
"…I know," Sengoku replied quietly. "Take them to the conference room. I'll be there soon."
Seeing his condition, Tsuru didn't press further. Sengoku clearly needed a moment to himself.
She nodded and turned to go prepare.
"Hey," came a familiar, lazy voice. "Wanna eat some rice crackers? Helps ease the stress."
Sengoku gave a long sigh. "Garp… y'know, sometimes I really envy you."
"Why can't I just live like you do?"
Hearing that, Garp chuckled and dropped down to sit beside Sengoku on the rock.
"You envy me? I'm just a bastard," Garp said, chomping on a senbei. "Back when you and Tsuru were holding down the Navy Headquarters, I was still chasing after Roger."
"You took on the responsibility. That's why all this crap falls on your lap."
Sengoku shook his head, but Garp's words didn't bring him much comfort.
If anything, he envied the man even more.
"…I've been in this position for too long," Sengoku muttered. "I'm getting old, Garp. Maybe it's time to retire."
Garp fell silent for a moment.
That… was serious.
For decades, Sengoku had weathered every storm. No matter what came their way, he always carried the Navy on his back.
But after the Dragon Hunter Pirates incident, something in him had changed. He wasn't bouncing back anymore.
Now, he was actually considering stepping down.
"Retirement wouldn't be the worst thing," Garp said after a while. "But who's going to take your place? All three admirals come with big issues."
He wasn't shocked by Sengoku's desire to step down. The World Government's recent actions had made it clear that they saw the Navy more as their lapdogs than an independent force.
Back in the day, if pirates accused them of being dogs for the World Government, Sengoku would brush it off.
But now?
How was he supposed to deny it?
The root of the chaos at Sabaody Archipelago was the Celestial Dragons and their damn slave trade.
And even though the Navy was supposed to act independently, its movements were constantly restricted by the World Government.
The Celestial Dragons were only getting more arrogant, their cruelty more blatant.
Every time Sengoku heard someone call the Navy the World Government's dog, he couldn't even argue anymore.
"…Kuzan," Sengoku finally said.
"Sakazuki's too extreme. If he takes the position of Fleet Admiral, he'll destroy the Navy's internal balance. The other officers won't follow him."
"As for Borsalino, he doesn't care enough to lead. He'd just ignore the responsibilities."
"Kuzan, huh?" Garp scratched his head. "That kid's strong, no doubt. But he's got issues of his own."
"And he's trying to follow in my footsteps…"
The moment he said that, he felt a chill from beside him.
Yeah, it was Sengoku's glare.
This bastard Garp. It was his fault Kuzan ended up like this.
Changing the subject quickly, Garp said, "Anyway, there's something else."
"The World Government's picked someone new for the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
"But this one… is a bit special."
Sengoku immediately thought of the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
But that would be insane. There's no way the World Government would choose him… and even if they did, he'd never accept it!
"Who?"
"Someone calling himself Whitebeard Jr. Edward Weevil."
"You remember him, don't you?"
Garp handed him a photo.
Sengoku stared at it for a moment, his face hardening.
Of course, he remembered.
This was the lunatic who ambushed Zephyr's ship and killed his wife and children.
He also slaughtered many of Zephyr's students.
And the World Government wanted him to be a Warlord!?
They were seriously pushing it now.
If this actually happened, Sengoku could already imagine how Zephyr would react.
"So, you better pick your own candidates fast," Garp said, dropping a bag of senbei into Sengoku's hand before walking away.
Sengoku stared down at the crackers, then let out a strange, almost bitter chuckle.
He took a bite, stood up, and headed to the meeting room.
---
Inside the conference room sat two new faces.
Tendo Pain, captain of the Akatsuki Pirates.
And Enel, captain of the Thunder God Pirates.
Sengoku entered casually, still chewing his senbei.
"So… Tendo Pain, Enel."
"Since you've come here, I assume you've made your decisions?"
"We accept the title of Shichibukai," Enel replied bluntly.
"But I want to be clear—what does it mean when you say we must 'obey the Navy's summons'?"
"It means exactly that," Sengoku said. "If the Navy requires your strength, you're expected to respond."
Enel frowned. "So we're basically allowed legal plunder in exchange for servitude?"
"Besides that, there are no other benefits?"
"I agree," Pain said, cutting in. "But I want territory."
"I've already chosen it—the Kingdom of Farn. It doesn't belong to the World Government's alliance."
"From now on, it's mine."
"Anything else I need to know?"
Sengoku responded after a pause. "As long as you don't harm innocent civilians, the Navy will not interfere."
"Your status as Warlords of the Sea will be made public."
Still, even as he spoke, something gnawed at him.
He had a bad feeling about all this.
He just couldn't put his finger on why.
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