Ever since the power dynamics of the New World gradually stabilized,
Sakazuki had been laying out his strategy across all four seas.
The Grand Line entered a strange period of calm.
Time slowly moved forward to the year 1495.
During these three years, whether pirates or the Marines, no major events had erupted.
The three major powers in the New World were focused on consolidating their forces, halting their expansion.
The Roger Pirates, who had suddenly reappeared at Twin Cape two years ago, advanced rapidly into the New World.
Their unusual behavior attracted the attention of Marine top brass.
They had been constantly speculating on Roger's true intentions.
From the Marine side they were gradually becoming overwhelmed.
The consolidation of New World powers had created a unified front.
Garp was chasing Roger.
Sakazuki was guarding the first half of the Grand Line.
Sengoku led forces to suppress G1 Branch in the New World.
The new generation of Marine monsters was steadily growing stronger, gradually gaining fame across the four seas.
Due to a shortage of high-level combat power, the Marines were unable to gain a foothold in the New World.
At that time, after discussions between the high-ranking officials of the Holy Land and Fleet Admiral Kong, a plan named the "Seven Warlords of the Sea" was placed on the agenda.
The intention was to select seven promising, powerful up-and-coming pirates.
The government would grant them the right to legally plunder, along with certain special privileges.
This would allow them to compete with the New World's major forces, thereby suppressing their expansion.
However, the proposal to legalize plundering met strong opposition from many high-ranking officers.
It had not been implemented yet.
Meanwhile, Karol, traveling through the four seas with Enel unknowingly, quietly arranged for countless soldiers who had been trained from a young age to infiltrate branch bases.
At some point, every year, several Base Commanders of the branch offices across the four seas were mysteriously killed by pirates...
This strange period of calm was broken the moment Roger returned to the New World...
...
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Sakazuki, who had just rushed back from G1 Branch, hadn't even disembarked when the alarm rang out.
In a flash, he rushed toward the Fleet Admiral's office.
Fleet Admiral's Office.
Sakazuki pushed the door open and entered. Several high-ranking officers were already gathered inside.
Fleet Admiral Kong nodded at Sakazuki, signaling him to take a seat nearby.
After Sakazuki found a seat, moments later, a Marine Headquarters clerk rushed in.
He reported the situation:
"Fleet Admiral Kong, Roger and Golden Lion have made contact in the Edd War sea zone of the New World."
Fleet Admiral Kong nodded:
"As for Roger and Golden Lion..."
Garp suddenly stood up and walked out:
"Ha ha, here's my chance."
A vein popped on Fleet Admiral Kong's forehead:
"Wait, Garp! I haven't finished speaking!"
Garp chuckled:
"But I've heard enough!"
With that, he pulled open the office door.
Fleet Admiral Kong slammed the table:
"Get back he—"
Bang!
The sound of the door slamming shut cut him off mid-sentence.
His words were forcibly swallowed back down.
Faced with Garp's personality, Fleet Admiral Kong could only shake his head helplessly.
However, with Sengoku already assigned, and with Garp joining in, there shouldn't be any major problems.
With the Roger-Golden Lion issue being dealt with, only one matter remained.
He looked around at everyone else in the room:
"Regarding the proposal for the Seven Warlords of the Sea,"
"does anyone else have something to say?"
Immediately, the office exploded as if someone had lit a powder keg.
"Absolutely not! Giving pirates the right to legally plunder is a complete joke!"
"They're pirates! If looting becomes legal, wouldn't we Marines become the laughingstock of the world?"
"This kind of thing must never be allowed!"
"..."
"Since when did the Marines need pirates to help control the seas?!"
"Absolutely unacc—"
Fleet Admiral Kong frowned at the noisy crowd, clearly pained by the chaos.
He slammed the table:
"Silence!"
He rubbed his temples and looked toward the still-silent Sakazuki:
"Sakazuki, what do you think?"
Everyone fell silent and turned to look at Sakazuki.
As the current publicly acknowledged "fourth" strongest force in the Marines,
Sakazuki commanded considerable authority.
After a brief pause, Sakazuki spoke:
"The proposal for the Seven Warlords of the Sea has good intentions."
"Just tying down the New World's pirate powerhouses alone"
"could greatly reduce the sacrifice of Marine soldiers."
"However, the powers granted to the Seven Warlords are far too extensive."
"They must be restricted."
"For example, this 'legal plundering' is far too vague."
"To say nothing else—if they plunder a warship, are we supposed to turn a blind eye?"
"If there's no clear scope set,"
"it'll be impossible to control them later when they get too big to rein in."
"We must clearly draft the regulations they are required to follow."
"Then infiltrate, control, and even assist in their development from all angles."
"Train them to be obedient dogs, not forces equal to the Marines."
"A dog just needs to be able to bite."
"If it disobeys, just kill it—there are plenty who'd rather be dogs when death is on the line."
"There's no need to be overly lenient with them."
"It's best to concentrate the Seven Warlords of the Sea in the first half of the Grand Line."
"With Marine Headquarters backing them, they can absolutely compete with the New World powerhouses."
"Keep those pirate lords locked tightly in the New World, limiting their growth."
Everyone gave it some thought—and realized it made sense.
Fleet Admiral Kong's eyes lit up:
"Good. That makes sense."
"I'll head to the Holy Land to handle this."
"Dismissed!"
"Oh right—Leopold, go check the current records and find out who is closest to Jaya Island."
"Notify them to capture that outlaw group from Ohara as quickly as possible."
"Yes, sir!"
Meanwhile, Sakazuki remained expressionless...
...
Elsewhere.
Not far from the Fleet Admiral's office, Garp had just exited.
Behind him, a lazy young man suddenly appeared.
With hands in his pockets, Kuzan said in exaggerated admiration:
"Garp-san, you turned down a promotion again, didn't you?"
"That's just too cool!"
Garp grinned:
"If you want true freedom, you don't need high rank."
Then he looked to Vice Admiral Tsuru beside him:
"Tsuru, give me a lift when you set sail."
Vice Admiral Tsuru shot him a glance:
"The sortie order hasn't even been issued yet."
"And you'll wreck the ship again. I don't want you aboard."
Garp laughed heartily:
"Don't be like that. Roger's gotta be taken down by me, no one else!"
With that, the group walked toward the dock full of warships.
On one of the warships at the port—
Sengoku, who was assigning tasks to Borsalino and the others, suddenly turned around.
Looking at Garp approaching from below, he had a bad feeling and roared:
"Garp! We're already handling the Shiki matter—you get back now!"
Garp climbed aboard another warship, laughing:
"Don't worry about it, Sengoku!"
"You can have all the credit!"
"Ahahahahaha!!!"
Veins bulged on Sengoku's forehead from the opposite ship:
"Was that what I meant, you bastard?!"
"..."
...
Buru buru~ Buru buru~
On a warship in the Grand Line, the Den Den Mushi began ringing.
After years of training and experience, Dragon had become more composed than ever.
He picked up the Den Den Mushi, and a voice came from the other end:
"Is this Rear Admiral Monkey D. Dragon?"
Dragon replied:
"This is he. Go ahead."
The voice of the communications officer on the other end responded:
"Here's the situation—"
"That outlaw organization previously wanted for researching forbidden government topics—"
"has appeared near Jaya Island."
"You're currently the closest. Fleet Admiral Kong has ordered them to be captured with utmost speed."
"We're transmitting the data to you now."
Dragon replied:
"Understood."
He gave orders to the helmsman.
Moments later, all the information from the Den Den Mushi had been transcribed onto paper.
Frowning at the data, Dragon muttered:
"Historians..."
...
In a quiet corner of Marine Headquarters,
Sakazuki, through Observation Haki, sensed everything happening in the communications room.
He chuckled softly:
"Dragon..."
"Is it fate...?"
The time has come...
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