"Oh? Is that so? So Jack and the others have been doing better than expected, huh?" Rosinante smiled faintly when he heard Sengoku's words, looking neither surprised nor apologetic.
"Don't play dumb. Don't tell me you don't know what your Grey Kingdom's Four Divisions have been doing across the Four Seas!" Sengoku's voice was cold as ice.
But this time Sengoku was really blaming the wrong man.
When it came to the conquests across the seas, Rosinante was basically a hands-off captain. He never meddled in the details — the Four Divisions had full autonomy in how they carried out their tasks. Rosinante only cared about the results. As long as the job got done, he didn't ask questions.
"So what?" Rosinante replied casually. "Becoming a vassal state of the Grey Kingdom is a lot better than being a World Government member state. At least we don't bleed them dry with the Heavenly Tribute."
"Tribute from your vassal states is no different from Heavenly Tribute," Sengoku countered.
"That's where you're wrong." Rosinante's tone turned a shade sharper. "Our tribute isn't about exploitation — it's resource coordination. Not that you'd understand. But when next year's tribute ceremony comes around, I can always invite you, Marshal Sengoku-to-be, to come see for yourself."
Indeed, this year Rosinante had exempted the Four Divisions' vassal states from paying tribute since they were busy campaigning in the Four Seas.
And funding? Not an issue.
The Grey Kingdom's wealth didn't depend on tribute. With control over Skypiea's vassal states and their foreign trade sovereignty, they were practically drowning in riches.
Taxes on trade alone filled their coffers, not to mention the transportation and escort fees, and the Grey Kingdom even organized trade themselves — enough to make them wealthier than most kingdoms could dream of.
The so-called "tribute" was more like an annual trade fair. Every Kingdom showcased its best products, and the moment something became a tribute item, other countries would scramble to buy it at premium prices.
"Very well. Then I'll wait and see next year," Sengoku said, his voice still chilly.
"But while you're in Sabaody," he added, "I'll have people keep tabs on you. A dangerous man like you, staying so close to Marine Headquarters and the World Government — we can't afford to take that risk."
Rosinante's smile disappeared, and his eyes turned cold.
"What's this, Sengoku? Do you really think I'm some meat on your chopping block?"
As he spoke, a crushing pressure radiated from him — a storm of raw will.
Conqueror's Haki.
It swelled stronger and stronger, until even the Den Den Mushi on Sengoku's end seemed to quiver. Sengoku's face darkened as he listened in silence.
"Oh my, so scary, so scary. Conqueror's Haki really is something else," Borsalino teased with a mocking grin.
"Whether you watch me or not, that's your business," Rosinante said coldly. "But whether I kill someone — that's my business. Don't forget, I'm a pirate. Just because you took down my bounty poster doesn't mean I've gone soft. If I feel like it, I'll kill. Marine, World Government, pirate — makes no difference to me."
"We must confirm that Bratt has truly left Sabaody," Sengoku said grimly. "That is the World Government's bottom line."
"No problem. You can send someone to verify for yourself," Rosinante replied coolly.
"Hand the Den Den Mushi to Borsalino," Sengoku ordered.
Rosinante casually tossed the transponder snail toward Borsalino.
"Moshi moshi," Borsalino said lazily.
"Find a place where we can talk," Sengoku's voice demanded from the other end.
"Understood."
Borsalino gave Rosinante a sidelong glance, then his body erupted in blinding light and shot into the sky, disappearing in a streak.
When the light faded, Rosinante slid his blade back into its sheath and walked over to Robin and the others.
"Rosinante-nii, are you okay?" Robin asked, concern evident in her voice.
"I'm fine. What could possibly happen?" Rosinante replied with a light smile. "That was just a small skirmish. And Borsalino knows perfectly well he can't just take me down. What we were doing just now was nothing more than testing each other. Neither of us was fighting seriously."
In truth, Rosinante hadn't even used his Limit Breaker Strike, much less his two ultimate cards — lifting his self-imposed restraints or unlocking Life Seal.
Likewise, Borsalino hadn't gone all out either.
So while the battle had looked explosive and earth-shaking, it was really more like a sparring match between two apex predators, each feeling out the other.
"That wasn't even your true strength?!" Yasopp said from the side, looking both horrified and thrilled.
"Next time you meet Borsalino, be careful," Rosinante warned. His expression grew serious. "This man is terrifying. At this point, he's even stronger than Sakazuki and Kuzan. His abilities are flawless, without a single obvious weakness. If he has one vulnerability, it's his personality. Maybe that's the only crack in his armor. That Glint-Glint Fruit of his… it's a truly fearsome power."
Truth be told, all three of the so-called "Monster Vice Admirals" were on a monstrous level.
But of the three, Borsalino's natural talent and Devil Fruit ability were easily the most broken — it was only his character flaws that held him back from surpassing the other two.
Sakazuki? The man was a machine — harsh on others, harsher on himself, his training bordering on brutal obsession. It was no wonder he would one day defeat Kuzan and become Fleet Admiral.
Kuzan, for all his lazy appearance, carried a quiet sense of duty and unshakable will. Lazy as he might seem, he never actually slacked off in his training.
Borsalino, though — he was arrogant to the bone. His overconfidence in his Light-Light Fruit had made him lazy and careless, never taking training as seriously as the others.
Sure, he probably put more effort into mastering his fruit, but in terms of physical training, he was far behind Sakazuki.
If not for the tremendous physical boost that came with fully developing his Logia, he might never have reached admiral-level strength.
But as of now, among the three, Borsalino was the most dangerous opponent of them all.
Hearing this, a flash of excitement lit up in Shanks' eyes — the kind of gleam that promised trouble. He looked eager, itching for a chance to challenge Borsalino.
The rest of the Red Hair Pirates all felt a chill.
Benn Beckman, the vice-captain, didn't hesitate — bonk! He smacked Shanks right on the head.
"Hey, what was that for?!" Shanks yelped, looking hurt.
"No. Absolutely not," Beckman said firmly.
"I didn't even say anything yet!" Shanks protested with a grin.
"No. I said no, so it's no. Don't even think about it. I know exactly what's going through your head — and the answer is still no," Beckman said flatly.
"…Fine, fine," Shanks said with a sheepish grin.
The rest of the Red Hair crew collectively let out a sigh of relief.
"Traveling with a captain like this must be exhausting," Rosinante said with a laugh.
"You don't know the half of it," Beckman replied with a helpless shrug.