Sengoku left the Gorosei's office and descended one floor.
He reached the door of the Commander-in-Chief's office and knocked.
The voice of Commander-in-Chief Kong came from inside, replying, "Come in."
Sengoku smiled, then pushed the door open and walked inside. He saw Kong deeply engrossed in reviewing some documents, looking extremely busy.
"What is it?" Kong asked without looking up. He thought it was a subordinate coming to report on work.
The next second, he heard Sengoku's familiar laugh. Sengoku chuckled and said, "Nothing in particular. Can't I just come and visit my old leader?"
Kong looked up in surprise. Seeing Sengoku, a smile appeared on his lips. "How can you call me your 'old' leader? As Commander-in-Chief, I am still your superior officer, hahahaha."
"But you no longer meddle in Navy affairs, do you?" Sengoku sat down on the sofa, responding with a smile.
"My interfering with Navy matters would undermine your authority. Besides, do I have any reason to doubt the way you handle things?" Kong explained with a laugh, then put down the documents he was holding, walked out from behind his desk, and sat on the sofa.
"I'm not interrupting your work, am I?" Sengoku asked.
"Not at all, I was just about done anyway," Kong waved his hand, then picked up the teapot from the table. After pouring Sengoku a cup of tea, he asked, "Did you finish your report to the five above?"
"Yes," Sengoku nodded. "Any new developments with them recently?"
"Don't worry. On the CP side, Stussy is the one they trust the most right now, and over here, I'm the Commander-in-Chief. As long as you all don't overstep or act too arrogantly, there won't be any issues," Kong said calmly.
"That's good. Speaking of which, Diarmuid truly made an impressive move back then. I originally thought his getting involved with that woman Stussy would be somewhat detrimental to the Navy. I only let it go because I trusted he wouldn't make any major mistakes. I never expected that in the blink of an eye, he'd develop Stussy into one of our own. It's truly eye-opening; who knew you could play the game this way?" Sengoku said, amused.
The Navy's current success in maintaining secrecy was, in fact, partly thanks to the contribution of Stussy.
"Indeed. But then again, if Diarmuid wasn't strongly supporting Stussy behind the scenes, Stussy might not have been able to become one of the CP organization's leaders," Kong nodded.
After a slight pause, Kong added, "Oh, right. Stussy was here in Mariejois a few days ago, reporting her work to the five Elders. I chatted with her briefly afterward. From what she implied, she plans to compete for the Director-General position by the end of this year."
"The Director-General of the CP Organization?" Sengoku asked in surprise.
"Of course! Did you think it was the Chief of Administration for Mariejois?" Kong jokingly chided.
The CP Organization and Marine Headquarters are parallel sister organizations, though their relationship is not always the best. Within the entire CP Organization, CP-0 stands above the rest, with the authority to report directly to the Celestial Dragons. It is also considered the highest authority overseeing the entire CP structure. From the Navy's perspective, CP-0 is akin to Marine Headquarters, while the others, like CP-9, are comparable to the major Navy bases like G-7.
Correspondingly, the high-ranking operational commanders of CP-0 are roughly equivalent to the elite Admirals of Marine Headquarters. When Diarmuid met Stussy, she was a Chief of CP-9. Before long, she was transferred and promoted to a high-ranking operational commander in CP-0. After that, she spent a few years, with the covert support of Diarmuid, Dragon, and the Navy, rising to become one of the Chief Leaders of CP-0.
CP-0 has several Chief Leaders. There are currently vacancies, but five individuals effectively hold the Grand Leader position. These five are essentially equivalent to the Admirals of Marine Headquarters. However, their power naturally varies. Stussy, who holds the internal position of Chief Leader while also controlling a vast external organization like the Pleasure District, is undoubtedly a true power broker. Calling her an Admiral-level figure is entirely appropriate. Those who rank slightly lower are comparable to Admiral candidates.
Having reached this level, she is essentially at the pinnacle of the entire CP-0 hierarchy. The next position she aims for is no longer under the CP-0 banner but the more encompassing title of 'CP Organization.' She is vying for the Director-General of the CP Organization! This position carries the true meaning of overseeing the entire CP structure, from 0 to 9, as well as all peripheral organizations, such as the full authority over the Pleasure District and all its operations.
Moreover, reaching this step means she no longer needs to report to the ordinary Celestial Dragons. She would only need to report directly to the supreme Gorosei, making her position far more powerful than the title of CP-0 Chief Leader. Furthermore, becoming the Director-General of the CP Organization would make her a legitimate rival to Commander-in-Chief Kong, as the CP Organization Director-General is legally qualified to run for Commander-in-Chief. This shows just how significant this position is.
Over the years, Stussy has consistently performed excellently, demonstrating both capability and political skill. Below her, thanks to her covert cooperation with Diarmuid and the Revolutionary Army, she has virtually no rivals within the entire CP Organization, having expertly brought everyone under her control. Those who opposed her have largely 'gallantly sacrificed themselves' in operations targeting the Revolutionary Army. She intentionally left a few so-called 'rivals' for the sake of camouflage, to prevent the perception that she was monopolizing power in the CP Organization, which is never a good look for someone seeking higher office, especially with cautious figures like the Gorosei.
Above, her relationship with the Gorosei is extremely close, and her various actions have made significant contributions to Mariejois. For example, she participated in the creation of the Amway Group and engaged in deep cooperation with the Warlord of the Sea, 'White Hunter' Smoker, helping Mariejois acquire a portion of the Amway Group's shares.
Another example is the Gold City matter, which she is fully representing Mariejois on, furthering cooperation with Smoker and bringing more benefits to Mariejois. Additionally, the Intelligence power of the Pleasure District is immense, helping the Gorosei effectively understand the current global situation and trends, consolidating a wealth of intelligence, and analyzing various event progressions.
It could be said that in the eyes of the Gorosei, she is an extremely outstanding subordinate and one who is highly trustworthy. Over the past few years, the frequency of her direct work reports to the Gorosei has also been increasing, which is a clear signal that the Gorosei are intentionally grooming her to take over the Director-General position of the CP Organization. After all, technically, only the Director-General has the authority to report directly to the Gorosei. Any others are acts of overreach, unless they are a special case, like Spandine, who is treated uniquely.
"Although it sounds unbelievable, thinking about it, she has virtually no rivals. It seems like a natural progression," Sengoku clicked his tongue.
He knew Stussy's seniority was deeper than Diarmuid's, but because Stussy was always associated with Diarmuid, Sengoku inexplicably viewed her as a junior. Now, in the blink of an eye, she was about to reach the position of CP Organization Director-General? Thinking further, it was just like himself back then, becoming Admiral and then Fleet Admiral with virtually no competition!
"Indeed. The current CP Organization Director-General, Strange, is past his prime. Stussy has shown him plenty of respect and deference, and he knows he's on his way out. Since the Gorosei have tacitly shown their hand, he won't be an obstacle to Stussy. Perhaps, for the sake of his comfortable retirement, he might even give Stussy a helping hand," Kong said with a cheerful laugh.
Sengoku nodded. "That makes sense. If I retire, I would certainly push Diarmuid into my spot, just to prevent that bastard from retaliating against me later."
"Hahahaha! Are you already thinking about retirement? You've only been Fleet Admiral for two or three years!" Kong roared with laughter.
"I think I've done enough. When it's time to make way for the younger generation, you have to step aside. That's an eternal truth; the future belongs to the young. As long as I finish what I set out to do and fulfill my mission as Fleet Admiral, that's enough," Sengoku said with a cheerful and open-minded attitude.
But after a slight pause, he added, "Of course, not right now."
"Did you never think of becoming Commander-in-Chief?" Kong suddenly asked.
"I should have thought about it before. I felt that only by becoming the Commander-in-Chief could one truly reach the peak of a military career, the absolute pinnacle. To become Fleet Admiral and fail to advance further... it seemed like a regret somehow," Sengoku said with a mix of contemplation and wistfulness.
"And then?" Kong asked curiously.
"And then?" Sengoku smiled, then continued, "No 'then.' Thinking about it now, isn't being a pure Navy man for a lifetime a wonderful thing in itself? Hahahahaha..."
"You've certainly achieved a high level of enlightenment," Kong chuckled.
"I've already envisioned it. When the time comes, I'll become the Inspector General. That position has been vacant for so many years; no one is filling it, so I will take it. Then, I'll use my power for personal gain, travel under the Navy's budget, conduct incognito inspections, and visit all the various bases. I've been a Navy man for most of my life, but there are so many bases I've never even been to. In my remaining years, I must thoroughly examine every inch of our Navy to feel truly satisfied. Isn't that much more interesting than sitting here, pretending to be a Fleet Admiral?" Sengoku said with a beaming smile.
Despite using joking terms like 'using power for personal gain,' his tone was filled with sincere passion and love for the Navy. Yes, the Navy was the place he had fought for his entire life; it was the meaning of his existence!
Kong was moved by his words. "You bastard, after hearing you say that, I want to resign immediately! You're right, wouldn't becoming the Inspector General be much better than this Commander-in-Chief position?"
"Hahahaha! No, not yet! We can't do it now. We should go together when the time comes, then there won't be a problem. But for now, we still need to work hard to sort out the problems with Mariejois on this end," Sengoku laughed loudly.
Kong spoke with deep emotion. "I feel like we're acting like the villains in those old kingdom stories—the powerful officials and nobles who control power, manipulate the court, and sideline the king. I have to say, thinking about it is a bit thrilling!"
"It is! When Stussy truly takes the top spot, the Commander-in-Chief, the CP Organization Director-General, and the Fleet Admiral will all be on the same side. If we could also manage to bring the Administrative Chief, Piersak, into the fold, then..." As he spoke, Sengoku paused, then said, "That's right! If we could take care of that Piersak guy, wouldn't Mariejois be completely under our control?"
"Forget it! Piersak was personally groomed by those five Elders. There's no possibility of recruiting him. Don't even try to probe. Let's stick to the current plan," Kong interrupted Sengoku's fantasy without hesitation.
Sengoku shook his head, slightly resigned, then smiled. "You're right. I tend to overthink things."
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