The next morning, Finn and the others made their way toward the conference room.
At the entrance, they found Sakazuki leaning against the wall, his arms crossed and his expression darker than usual. His white Marine coat hung from his shoulders, and even from a distance, the tension in his posture was obvious.
Gion and the others didn't acknowledge him, simply walking past and entering the conference room without comment.
Finn paused at the doorway, shifted his weight slightly, then moved to lean against the wall beside Sakazuki. "You've heard all the news already?"
"Of course," Sakazuki said, his voice hard as iron.
Without waiting for Finn to continue, he spoke again, anger bleeding through his controlled tone. "This is absolutely intolerable. It's a fundamental insult to justice and a disgrace to our entire Marine organization!"
"I agree completely," Finn nodded, his own expression grim.
Sakazuki turned his head to look directly at Finn, his eyes intense. "You're always clever, always thinking three moves ahead. Do you have any viable strategies for this situation?"
"A viable strategy?" Finn shook his head slowly, then said, "Yesterday I met with Instructor Zephyr. According to both the Instructor and Vice Admiral Garp's assessment, this matter is already a foregone conclusion. It cannot be stopped through direct opposition. Our Marines can only express our institutional dissatisfaction while simultaneously finding methods to make the situation more tolerable."
"It can't be stopped?" A flash of fury appeared in Sakazuki's eyes, the air around him seeming to heat slightly.
But soon, the anger receded, replaced by something colder and more calculating. "Why exactly can't it be stopped?"
"How would we stop it?" Finn asked rhetorically. "Should we completely sever ties with the World Government? Ensure that neither side can function effectively? We could certainly prevent the Seven Warlords plan that way, but I suspect pirates across all four seas would laugh themselves sick at our self-destruction."
Finn paused, seeming to organize his thoughts carefully.
But a gleam of understanding already flashed in Sakazuki's eyes. He sighed, the sound carrying deep frustration. "I understand the calculation now."
Then Sakazuki continued, his voice taking on a bitter edge. "From a certain perspective, this entire Seven Warlords arrangement is enough to make every evil pirate on the seas laugh with joy. But that's not even the worst possible outcome. If our Marines and the World Government completely fell out over something like this, that would be the real catastrophe. The impact would be exponentially more serious than the Seven Warlords system itself."
He clenched his jaw.
"Therefore, we must choose the lesser of two evils. For the sake of the so-called 'greater good,' we can only swallow our anger and make strategic compromises, correct?"
Finn nodded in agreement. "That's essentially the core of it. A more thorough analysis reveals this situation ultimately comes down to a contest of shamelessness. Who's willing to sacrifice more dignity: our Marines or the World Government?"
His voice took on a cynical edge.
"It appears our Marines' institutional integrity is still too strong, too principled. The World Government calculated with perfect accuracy that our Marines wouldn't completely turn against them over this proposal. So they're willing to be absolutely shameless in pursuing their objectives."
Compared to the World Government's willingness to abandon all principle, the Marines still possessed some institutional dignity. They didn't want to completely shatter the already fragile global order over this insult.
They didn't want to give every pirate on the seas the satisfaction of watching the Marines and World Government tear each other apart. Those bastards would die laughing on their ships!
The World Government's shamelessness lay in their precise calculation of the Marines' bottom line while possessing no comparable restraints themselves.
It was an alternative form of exploiting an opponent's principles against them.
"It's absolutely disgusting," Sakazuki said with venom in his voice.
Apparently, after Finn's analysis, he felt even more revolted by the World Government's tactics than before.
After a brief pause, Sakazuki asked again, his tone shifting slightly. "That said, I don't believe you're the type to simply accept defeat and do nothing. You must have some kind of plan brewing?"
"I do have certain ideas," Finn said, his voice dropping to something more conspiratorial. "Actually, I mentioned to you before that I was waiting for the right opportunity. This situation is obviously that opportunity."
Sakazuki looked momentarily confused. "What do you mean exactly?"
"Not many people know about this development yet, so you haven't felt the underlying institutional atmosphere shifting," Finn explained. "But Sakazuki, you and I are both disgusted by this arrangement. What do you think the reaction will be among other Marine officers?"
"Anyone with even a basic sense of justice in their heart..." Sakazuki started, then corrected himself. "No, anyone capable of serving at headquarters level will feel absolutely disgusted by this!"
He said it without hesitation, complete conviction in his voice.
"Exactly," Finn agreed. "Therefore, in this situation, we will collectively harbor tremendous dissatisfaction and resentment toward the World Government, correct?"
Sakazuki nodded firmly. "Of course. If the greater strategic picture didn't constrain us, I would personally burn down that filthy so-called 'Holy Land' of Mary Geoise right now!"
Finn was momentarily stunned by the vehemence, then said thoughtfully, "Don't worry. Maybe someone will help you burn it down in the future."
Sakazuki looked confused. What the hell was that supposed to mean?
Finn didn't explain the cryptic comment, instead continuing his analysis. "So the institutional morale is primed and ready to be weaponized. I vaguely understand now why the Fleet Admiral and Admiral didn't make any significant moves regarding you being suppressed as an Admiral Candidate. They were probably waiting for exactly the right opportunity, or perhaps for the World Government to take even more extreme action that would unite Marine sentiment."
His eyes gleamed with strategic calculation.
"Now that action has arrived, and the timing is perfect. In the past, the World Government still commanded some residual prestige and respect within our Marines. But after today's revelations spread through the ranks, I suspect there won't be any goodwill remaining!"
Sakazuki's eyes suddenly lit up with understanding. He glanced around to ensure no one was in earshot, then leaned closer. "Are you planning to rebel against the World Government?"
"Fuck you, watch your language!" Finn hissed, genuinely irritated despite their friendship. "We're close, but if you spread that kind of seditious nonsense, I'll still sue you for defamation! You want to rebel? Go right ahead, and I'll cheer you on from a safe distance!"
Finn rolled his eyes with exaggerated annoyance.
Sakazuki couldn't help but laugh at Finn's reaction. It had obviously been a deliberately provocative joke.
"With institutional unity and shared resentment, we can leverage the Seven Warlords issue to force the World Government into making significant concessions on other critical fronts," Finn explained, his voice taking on the quality of a strategic briefing. "Such as my promotion to full Admiral, and you receiving formal recognition as an Admiral Candidate. In short, we cannot allow the World Government to continue strangling our Marines' institutional development as they have been."
He paused, considering.
"Additionally, we should fight aggressively for increased military budget and, simultaneously, obtain certain additional operational authorities to further expand Marine independence from direct World Government oversight."
Sakazuki crossed his arms, nodding with approval. "That reasoning is sound. But are you genuinely not going to address the Seven Warlords system itself?"
"Of course we have to address it," Finn said, his voice taking on an edge. "Policy promulgation is one thing. Actual implementation is something else entirely. I thought carefully about this last night. Our Marines need to secure several key authorities within this damned plan."
"Such as?" Sakazuki prompted.
"For example, the actual selection process for the Seven Warlords positions," Finn said, and a cruel smile slowly spread across his face. "In other words, as a loyal and fundamentally just organization serving under the World Government, we cannot allow the government to be deceived by pirates who present false credentials and inflated reputations, correct? We cannot grant Seven Warlords status to pirates who lack genuine capability or proven strength."
His smile widened.
"We need thorough vetting authority."
Sakazuki looked confused at first, processing the surface meaning. But when he saw the particularly cruel smile on Finn's lips, understanding suddenly dawned. He burst out laughing. "Hahahaha! That's brilliant!"
The logic was elegant in its simplicity. It sounded perfectly reasonable on the surface, a conscientious safeguard. But Sakazuki had grasped the real implication immediately.
It was one thing for the World Government to decide which pirates would be nominated for Seven Warlords positions. It was an entirely different matter for the Marines to decide which pirates would survive the vetting process to actually assume those positions.
Put simply, if the Marines felt a World Government appointment was inappropriate or strategically dangerous, they could use the excuse of "mandatory capability assessment" to directly eliminate that pirate during the evaluation process.
Problem solved.
No matter how powerful the World Government was, they couldn't appoint a dead pirate to the Seven Warlords, could they?
In this way, the Marines would possess substantial authority to interfere with and undermine the entire Seven Warlords system.
By ensuring that only mediocre, non-threatening pirates achieved Warlord status, the Marines could minimize the damage caused by this ridiculous arrangement.
"I'm glad you grasp the strategy immediately," Finn said with satisfaction.
After a brief pause, he continued with a mischievous glint in his eye. "I even have an even dirtier contingency plan beyond that..."
"Oh? Really? I'm extremely interested..."
Finn grinned and was about to elaborate when he suddenly froze. "Wait, that's not Sakazuki's voice."
He turned around slowly.
Admiral Sengoku and Fleet Admiral Kong stood directly behind them, having approached completely unnoticed. It turned out that Finn and Sakazuki had become so animated in their conspiratorial discussion that they'd stopped leaning against the wall and had been gesturing freely.
Their voices had carried.
Sakazuki had just realized the same thing. He looked at the Fleet Admiral and Admiral with visible surprise, his expression briefly resembling a child caught planning mischief.
"Hehehe... Fleet Admiral, Admiral, you're here," Finn said with an awkward smile, trying to salvage some dignity.
"You seem to have quite a collection of clever schemes brewing," Admiral Sengoku said with an amused smile. "I'd very much like to hear about this 'dirtier plan' you mentioned during the formal meeting. Don't just stand out here in the corridor. Let's all go in together."
Finn scratched the back of his head, nodded awkwardly, and walked into the conference room alongside Sakazuki.
Admiral Sengoku shook his head with tolerant exasperation at Fleet Admiral Kong beside him. "That kid..."
"Hahahaha! It's excellent, isn't it?" Kong laughed loudly, genuinely amused rather than disapproving. "That guy has always been brilliantly devious. I'm looking forward to hearing these dirty tricks of his in detail."
He strode toward the conference room entrance, clearly in good spirits despite the serious matters they were about to discuss.
Inside the conference room, Finn settled into his seat beside Gion.
She looked at him with mild surprise. "What's wrong with you?"
"Nothing important," Finn waved his hand dismissively, then reached for the teacup on the table and took a sip. "Who knows, you might be promoted to Vice Admiral in a couple of days."
Gion, who had just begun turning away, suddenly snapped her head back around to stare at him. "You're going to be promoted to Admiral?"
"I should have been promoted to Admiral quite some time ago," Finn said with complete confidence, no false modesty in his tone. "I have both the capability and the documented merit. Under my command, G-7 has developed with extraordinary speed and even pioneered new strategic thinking for headquarters operations. This approach helps break institutional constraints and expand our operational flexibility."
He leaned back slightly in his chair.
"In this situation, with the Admiral position vacant, if I don't take it, who will?"
"Vice Admiral Garp!" Gion shot back immediately, her deadpan delivery perfect.
"Can you please have a normal conversation without the sarcasm?" Finn said, genuinely annoyed.
"Hahahaha!" Gion laughed at his reaction, then her expression grew more serious. "But didn't you say the higher-ups had sealed off that promotion pathway?"
"Which is exactly why this time, I'm going to force that opening back into existence," Finn replied, a confident smile playing at his lips.
"That's genuinely exciting," Gion said. But soon the smile faded from her face, replaced by something more melancholic, almost lonely.
Finn noticed the shift immediately and asked with concern, "What's wrong? Aren't you happy about your potential promotion?"
Gion forced a smile that didn't reach her eyes. "I'm happy."
"Then what's with that expression?" Finn pressed, confused by her sudden mood change.
"Nothing. The meeting is about to start. Stop talking and be quiet," Gion said, waving her hand with exaggerated impatience, clearly trying to shut down the conversation.
Finn was thoroughly confused. How had this woman's mood turned so suddenly?
Elsewhere in her thoughts, Gion took a sip from her teacup, thinking with helpless resignation, 'Once I'm promoted to Vice Admiral, Finn will definitely have me take over permanent command of G-7. That's the logical assignment. But unfortunately, he'll also become an Admiral and return to Marineford for permanent headquarters duty. Won't it be extremely difficult for us to see each other after that?'
The realization sat heavy in her chest.
At that moment, Fleet Admiral Kong reached out and rapped his knuckles on the conference table sharply, the sound cutting through all side conversations. "Silence. The meeting will now begin."
As soon as he finished speaking, Finn and all the other officers immediately ceased their private discussions.
Looking around the room, Finn could see this conference was packed with institutional power.
Fleet Admiral Kong sat at the head of the table, radiating authority. Admiral Sengoku occupied the position to his right. Chief Instructor Zephyr was present, as was Vice Admiral Garp, still wearing his ridiculous dog-head hat even to formal meetings.
Vice Admiral Tsuru, who had been stripped of her Chief of Staff title but clearly retained enormous informal influence, sat among them with quiet dignity.
Even Borsalino had been recalled from whatever assignment he'd been handling. Kuzan was there, looking slightly more awake than usual. Sakazuki, of course, having just entered with Finn.
Vice Admiral Jonathan, Vice Admiral Tsuru's longtime ally, and numerous other senior Vice Admirals filled the remaining seats.
Momonga and other rising officers from Finn's generation occupied positions toward the lower end of the table's hierarchy.
In short, virtually every senior Marine officer and elite combatant was present.
The room felt heavy with anticipation, with barely suppressed anger, with the weight of the decision that lay before them.
This would not be an ordinary strategy meeting.
This would determine the Marines' institutional future for years to come.
Kong's eyes swept across the assembled faces, his expression grave. "You all know why we're here. Let's begin."
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