Back in Wano, the closed-off geography of the country and the special circumstances of the Beasts Pirates had made it possible to keep Boros's presence under wraps.
But once Big Mom's crew was brought under control and Boros openly declared war on the World Government, it became impossible to keep information about him and the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates from reaching the World Government.
Of course, Boros himself didn't care. Even though he acknowledged Kaido and Charlotte Linlin as top-tier combatants, he still didn't believe that anyone on this native planet—aside from Kizaru—could pose a threat to him.
The news of Kaido's defeat had already shocked the world. But because of Wano's isolation, and because Kizaru had deliberately or inadvertently suppressed further information, the Five Elders hadn't paid close attention.
Now, however, with two Yonko and their crews all under Boros's banner, the World Government and the Five Elders considered this force even more terrifying than the Rocks Pirates of the past.
On paper, the Rocks Pirates had a more star-studded roster, but a rookie Kaido back then was not the same as the Yonko Kaido of today.
What's more, the Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates had openly declared war on the World Government. If they weren't eliminated quickly, given pirates' reckless nature and their admiration for strength, more and more would likely follow suit. By then, things would spiral completely out of control!
"What is this 'Cosmic Dark Matter Pirates' anyway?! What is the Navy doing? Do you still intend to keep your post as Fleet Admiral, Kizaru?!"
The furious Five Elders immediately called Kizaru's office. To see two Yonko crews united, led by a madman openly declaring war on the Government—no matter how they looked at it, this was a failure of the Navy.
Even as the den-den mushi mimicked the elders' furious expressions, Kizaru showed no nervousness at all. If anything, he found it amusing.
"Am I remembering wrong? Wasn't monitoring Wano supposed to be the job of the CP agents? Since when did the Navy become CP's superior officers?"
Prepared for this line of questioning, Kizaru let out a mocking laugh and bluntly fired back.
Normally, the Navy could request the CP organizations' cooperation, and vice versa. But technically, CP was never a direct subordinate of the Navy.
In other words, if responsibility had to be assigned, the first ones to bear it should be CP0—the CP organization's highest branch.
Bang!
A loud slam came from the other end of the line, as one of the Elders pounded the table in rage. The noise was so sharp that even the den-den mushi on Kizaru's desk flinched.
"Stop shirking responsibility, Kizaru! Don't forget who put you in that Fleet Admiral's chair! If you let those lawless pirates continue rampaging, do you have any idea what the consequences will be?!"
The enraged Elder was then replaced by another, who quickly took over the call from Mary Geoise. But his mood was hardly better. At first he tried to reason with Kizaru in a calmer tone, but soon his words grew harsher and harsher—just short of outright shouting in his face.
At first glance, the Elders' reaction might have seemed excessive. But looking at Kizaru's utterly indifferent demeanor—along with his long record of disobeying orders and ignoring prohibitions—it wasn't hard to see why they were so strict with him.
"It was Fleet Admiral Sengoku who recommended me for the position! Have you all grown so old that you've forgotten even that?"
Kizaru spoke with a half-smile. Most of the Five Elders' usual tactics were useless against him—not just because he was a potential "rebel," but more importantly because he hadn't been promoted by their hand in the first place.
On the contrary, Kizaru had always been the one suppressed. Otherwise, he wouldn't have become a Vice Admiral at such a young age, only to stagnate for years before "earning" enough credit to be promoted to Admiral.
With Kizaru's strength and accomplishments, even factoring in his years of service, he had every qualification to compete with Sengoku back then for the position of Fleet Admiral.
"Forgetfulness is a sign of senility, you know. If you don't take care of your health, don't forget that Pure Gold can only grant eternal youth—it can't turn back the clock."
Kizaru's words dripped with sarcasm, and for a moment the Five Elders on the other end of the line fell silent.
After all, his reminder hit home: the Fleet Admiral's seat had been "bought" with Pure Gold.
Unless the Five Elders were willing to completely discard their dignity, there was little they could do against him.
And even if they were that shameless, they would first have to ensure Kizaru would still obey. Otherwise, they would have to seriously consider what it meant to be at odds with the Navy itself.
"…Enough with the nonsense. Whatever the case, that lunatic who claims he will become Pirate King—he should be the Navy's primary target, shouldn't he, Kizaru?"
At last, one Elder who realized Kizaru was not Sengoku was forced to soften his tone.
Judging from the den-den mushi's expression, the Elder's mood was far from pleasant at having to lower himself like this.
"That's right. Once the top brass finish their vacations, I'll convene a meeting to discuss how to eliminate the target."
Kizaru didn't press his advantage. In fact, he even offered them a promise.
"Vacations? What do you mean?"
On the other end, the Elders suddenly felt a chill of foreboding, and one of them barked angrily into the line.
But no matter how wildly they imagined, none of them could have guessed that Kizaru had simply granted every single high-ranking officer in the Navy vacation time.
Even workaholics like Inspector Sengoku and Sakazuki had been influenced by Kizaru's years of preaching his "slacker philosophy," and even Vice Admiral Tsuru had taken time off to relax.
As a result, Marine Headquarters barely had enough personnel left to handle routine duties. To mobilize a grand fleet against Boros was now practically impossible.
"That's what I mean. You guys never let me take time off, so when I became Fleet Admiral, I decided to give everyone a vacation… As for me, I stayed behind at Marineford to hold down the fort. How touching is that, huh?"
Kizaru chuckled, but his words nearly made the Five Elders cough up blood in fury.
"Call them back… Recall every single one of them immediately! Otherwise, even as Fleet Admiral, you won't be able to withstand the wrath of the World Government!"
After hearing Kizaru's explanation, the Elder on the other end was trembling with rage. He cursed the day they had given into the temptation of Pure Gold and entrusted the Fleet Admiral's chair to Kizaru.
If given the chance, they would probably still cave to Pure Gold's allure—but that didn't stop them from regretting it now, nor from issuing him their harshest warning yet.
Kizaru had expected hostility from the Five Elders, but even he hadn't anticipated their desperation. They went so far as to pointedly remind him of his title as Fleet Admiral, a move that nearly tore away all pretense and placed the Navy on the opposite side of the World Government.
"…Fine. I'll summon the high command back as soon as possible. But tell me—are you hiding something from me?"
At that moment, Kizaru suddenly realized something. His sharp brows lifted slightly, and his keen gaze locked onto the den-den mushi, which had already taken on the face of another of the Five Elders.
For the Elders to go so far as to threaten him with the taboo subject of a rift between the Navy and the World Government—and without Kizaru sensing any direct hostility toward himself—clearly meant something was happening that he had yet to learn about.
"That isn't something you… need to know! Do your duty. CP agents will fully cooperate with the Navy. That band of lunatics must be eliminated as quickly as possible! Even if it sparks a war across the New World, so be it!"
The Elder speaking through the den-den mushi seemed to guess Kizaru's thoughts. He rattled off his words in haste and then abruptly cut the line, obviously unwilling to let Kizaru probe any deeper.
Kizaru raised an eyebrow at being hung up on. He casually pulled out a small notebook from his drawer and jotted down the name of the Elder who had just cut him off.
Boros was moving at an impressive pace, and at this rate, it wouldn't be long before Kizaru could go down the list one by one and settle accounts.
If anyone were to flip open Kizaru's "grudge book," they would see that most of the names inside were Celestial Dragons—with the Five Elders making up the largest share.
As the saying goes, "A gentleman's revenge can wait ten years." Kizaru was no gentleman, but when it came to bearing grudges, he far exceeded that standard.
"What exactly happened, I wonder… Moshi moshi, this is Kizaru."
After putting away his "grudge book," Kizaru stroked his chin thoughtfully, then pulled a special-line den-den mushi from a hidden drawer beneath his desk. He dialed a number and immediately hung up. Not long after, the special line began to ring back.
"…I should've known nothing from you would come without strings attached…"
A weathered voice came from the other end.
If any older veteran Marine had been in the office, they would have been astonished to recognize that voice—it was identical to that of Fleet Admiral Kong from decades past.
°°°
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