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Chapter 47: The Advancing Akainu
"Or is there anyone here who thinks they can do a better job than Kuzan?"
"Who?!"
No one could answer Sengoku's question.
Even a hardline hawk like Doberman could only grit his teeth, swallowing the words that had risen to his throat.
He was right.
An Admiral had failed.
What could they do?
In the dead silence, a low, suppressed voice, like magma churning deep underground, suddenly rang out.
"I can."
Akainu Sakazuki slowly... stood up.
He looked at no one, his magma-burning eyes fixed on Sengoku.
"Fleet Admiral, it is precisely because the enemy possesses such terrifying power that we must use the most thorough, most absolute power, to completely erase them from the source!"
"Conciliation? Probing?"
A cold arc twisted Sakazuki's lips.
"Those are tactics for the weak!"
"Any potential threat must be burned to ash with magma before it can fully erupt! That... is 'Absolute Justice'!"
"Send me to the East Blue."
"Whether it's that monster Uchiha Madara... or that merchant Blake..."
"Let me personally weigh their worth!"
"If they are a threat, I will vaporize the entire East Blue, along with that so-called 'Dungeon Shop'!"
Arrogant!
Utterly arrogant!
Everyone present, including Kizaru and Aokiji, felt the unquestionable, all-destroying resolve in Sakazuki's words!
This man... he's serious!
He would truly turn the entire East Blue into a sea of fire for his so-called "Justice"!
"You will sit down, Sakazuki!"
Sengoku was trembling with rage, the seagull on his hat nearly jumping off.
"Are you going to solve a problem, or are you going to start a war whose consequences none of us can predict?!"
"If that Blake truly has the ability to traverse worlds and resurrect the dead! If you anger him, can you bear the consequences?!"
"What if he sells those 'dungeons' to Whitebeard! To Kaido! To Big Mom!"
"Can you, Sakazuki, alone, stop all the pirates in the world?!"
Sengoku's roar was like rolling thunder.
Sakazuki just stood there coldly, the air around him twisting from the heat.
"Then I will eliminate all of them, too."
A madman!
A complete and utter madman!
Sengoku clenched his fists. He knew it was impossible to reason with this man.
Just then, Grand Staff Officer Tsuru, who had been silent, spoke softly.
"Sengoku, calm down."
Her voice wasn't loud, but it had a power that made everyone quiet down.
"Sakazuki, you sit down as well. This matter cannot be solved just by shouting about killing."
Akainu glanced at Tsuru, hesitated for a moment, and finally sat back down with a look of displeasure.
Tsuru looked around the room, her gaze resting on the face of each high-ranking officer.
"Everyone understands the gravity of the situation."
"We are facing an unprecedented unknown. It could be an opportunity, or it could be a disaster that destroys our world."
"Sakazuki's line of thinking... I can understand it. To face a threat and crush it in the cradle with our greatest strength. That has always been the Navy's way."
"But..."
Tsuru's tone shifted.
"This time, we don't even know the nature of the 'threat'. A rash move could very well get us burned."
"Therefore, I agree with Sengoku's view."
"We need to send someone. Not to fight, but to 'experience,' to 'investigate,' and to 'evaluate'."
"We need to know... what that man, Blake, really wants."
"Money? Fame? Or... does he have a grander scheme?"
"We need to know the risk-to-reward ratio of these 'dungeons'. Garp's 'Chakra,' Kuzan's crushing defeat... what is the pattern here?"
Tsuru's words were clear and logical, and the tense atmosphere gradually eased.
"Oooh, Staff Officer Tsuru really does make sense."
Kizaru Borsalino spoke lazily, adjusting his sunglasses.
"Such a dangerous and interesting place... it really makes one... want to go see it in person."
"Borsalino, you want to go?"
"W-Well..."
Kizaru scratched the back of his head, giving his signature sleazy smile.
"If it's a work-funded trip, I'd be happy to."
"After all, I haven't seen the scenery of the East Blue in a long time."
"And... that 'Chakra' that lets people walk on the sea, and that 'Six Paths-level monster' that beat Kuzan so badly..."
He pushed up his sunglasses, an unreadable glint flashing on the lenses.
"It's... so very curious."
Tsuru's gaze moved from his face to Sengoku in the main seat.
"Sengoku. I believe Borsalino is the most suitable candidate right now."
"Your reasons?"
Sengoku suppressed his anger and asked in a low voice.
"First, speed."
Tsuru held up one finger.
"His Glint-Glint Fruit gives him the fastest speed in the Navy. He can advance or retreat in any situation. On this point, not even Garp can match him. His safety is the highest priority."
"Second, personality."
Tsuru held up a second finger.
"Sakazuki's justice is too extreme. The moment he identifies a threat, he will inevitably take the most drastic measures, which could push the situation to the worst possible outcome."
"Kuzan has just suffered a terrible defeat. His mind is not stable. If he faces that unknown entity again, he might make a misjudgment."
"As for Borsalino," Tsuru's gaze sharpened, "he looks lazy, but he understands how to weigh pros and cons better than anyone, and he values his own life more than anyone. His 'Unclear Justice' is the perfect cover for a mission that requires probing and investigation."
"He will absolutely not risk his own life unless he is certain. This means he won't easily provoke that man, Blake."
This analysis was clear and insightful.
All the high-ranking officers in the room, including the hawkish Vice Admirals, subconsciously nodded.
Even Kuzan, who had kept his eyes closed, slowly opened them, glanced at Kizaru, and tacitly agreed.
Only Akainu snorted, his face full of disdain.
In his view, a slippery guy like Kizaru was unworthy of the word "Justice."
Sengoku was silent.
He looked at his three Admirals.
One wanted to burn everything.
One had just had his confidence shattered.
And one was perpetually slacking off.
Comparing them...
It seemed that Kizaru, the unreliable one, was the most reliable choice.
"Sigh..."
Sengoku let out a long sigh, feeling as if his energy had been drained.
He leaned back tiredly in his chair and waved his hand.
"Alright."
"Borsalino."
"Oooh?" Kizaru responded lazily.
"You will lead this mission."
Sengoku's expression turned serious again, his eyes as sharp as a hawk's.
"I am giving you the highest clearance!"
"But, you must remember a few things!"
"First: clear the dungeons!"
"Second: clear the dungeons!"
"And third: still clear the dungeons!" Sengoku said, word by word, his voice holding an unquestionable command. "You must clear as many dungeons as possible, summarize the strategies, and evaluate the value and risk of these 'dungeons'!!"
.....
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