After listening to Tsuru's words, Sengoku's face became more serious, and the atmosphere he had hoped to lighten only grew heavier.
Especially after realizing that Doflamingo's transformation occurred after Shin arrived in Dressrosa, Sengoku felt a chill run down his spine.
Upon entering the King's Plateau, Sengoku and Tsuru quickly arrived at the conference room, which was already filled with people.
Whitebeard sat on the east side with Marco, Ace, and Yamato. Charlotte Pudding occupied the west side with her older brother, Katakuri. Kozuki Hiyori and Denjiro sat together.
Kaido and King were positioned on the south side, while Doflamingo and Violet sat on the north side, directly facing the entrance.
Despite the situation, Doflamingo was still processing documents. With three major pirate crews gathered in Dressrosa, the workload had become so overwhelming that he had barely any time to rest.
At the head of the table, Shin sat upright, his gaze fixed on the newly arrived Admiral Sengoku.
Even with Sengoku's composed nature, stepping into a room filled with old adversaries staring him down made his muscles tense. If this negotiation fell apart, he doubted he would last more than ten minutes before being struck down.
Then, his gaze flicked toward Shin.
No… maybe not even ten minutes. A fight could break out at any moment.
"Welcome, welcome," Shin greeted with a smirk. "Quite a rare visitor, I must say."
"I never thought I'd be negotiating with pirates under these circumstances," Sengoku responded with a self-deprecating chuckle.
"Gurararara! Sengoku, this is no longer our era—the era of the Four Emperors, Marine heroes, and Admirals. You'd best get used to it," Whitebeard said with an unusual tone of reassurance.
"Hee hee hee, Whitebeard, you speak as if we're relics of the past," Charlotte Pudding teased. "We're still quite young."
After defeating her mother and assuming the mantle of a Four Emperor, Charlotte Pudding held no intention of associating herself with Whitebeard's generation.
Of course, she only showed such courtesy because Whitebeard had spoken. If Kaido had made such a remark, she would have fired back without hesitation.
Sengoku, uninterested in debating his place in history, got straight to the point. "What happened in Mary Geoise?"
Shin waved his hand dismissively. "The so-called 'Celestial Dragons' and their lackeys are dead. That includes Imu."
The soul of Imu, which Shin had sealed away, had begun weakening once separated from Mary Geoise. Eventually, Shin deliberately stripped it of all its memories, causing it to collapse completely.
Only then did Shin realize that Imu had been deceiving everyone all along.
The climate of the world had long since stabilized after 800 years. Even if the Sunlight Tree Eve ceased to exist, the world's climate wouldn't spiral into chaos.
Unless Imu had been actively manipulating it, the presence or absence of the Sunlight Tree Eve made little difference.
More importantly, using the Sunlight Tree Eve as a climate-controlling weapon required vast amounts of life force. Even when wielded by Imu, it would only serve to weaken her soul. It was nothing like the catastrophe she had claimed would occur.
But whether Imu lied or not doesn't matter anymore, Shin thought. The dead don't concern me.
Hearing Shin's words, Sengoku let out a bitter chuckle. He wasn't surprised—he had already prepared himself for this outcome.
"So," Sengoku exhaled, "what are you planning to do with the Marines?"
That single question caused a pang of sorrow to hit both Sengoku and Tsuru. It was as good as admitting the Marines surrender.
But there was no alternative.
The Marines, despite being an independent force with vast autonomy, had always relied on funding from the World Government. Without that backing, it could not sustain itself.
The pirates didn't need to lift a finger. In a few months, the Marines would collapse under its own weight.
No military can function without supplies. Even if the Marines were willing to fight for justice without pay, they still needed food, weapons, and ammunition.
Previously, the World Government had handled all of these logistics. But now, with its downfall, the Marines had no means to sustain itself.
The only viable solution lay in the room before him—his former enemies.
Sengoku looked around, taking in the faces of those present. There was no one else left to turn to.
Shin's smirk widened. "There's nothing complicated about it. The Marines still play a crucial role in maintaining order. All you have to do is continue fulfilling that role."
Sengoku scoffed. "You mean continue fighting pirates?"
His voice carried a hint of derision, though he knew this wasn't the place for defiance.
"Pirates funding the Marines to fight pirates? What's the difference between the Marines and a mercenary force at that point?"
Shin leaned back. "Tell me, Sengoku, what exactly defines a pirate?"
Sengoku frowned at the rhetorical question.
Shin continued, "According to the World Government, any ship that isn't explicitly registered under an allied nation is a pirate vessel."
"Sure, there are pirates who pillage and murder. But do you know how many so-called 'pirates' were just travelers? Scholars? Merchants who refused to pay arbitrary fees?"
Sengoku remained silent.
Shin's smirk grew sharper. "The World Government even labeled entire nations as pirate states if they weren't part of their system. Tell me, was that justice?"
Sengoku gritted his teeth but didn't argue. He had always known the corruption that ran through the World Government, but hearing it laid bare like this still stung.
"You know," Shin said, voice lighter, "I always wondered why so many ships hoisted pirate flags so openly. Then I realized—it didn't matter."
Sengoku narrowed his eyes. "What do you mean?"
Shin chuckled. "Because every ship outside of the government's influence was already considered a pirate vessel. It made no difference whether they flew the flag or not."
"In the Four Seas, it was more lenient. But on the Grand Line? If you weren't flying a Marines or World Government banner, you were a pirate."
Sengoku's lips pressed into a thin line.
For all the years he had served, for all the battles he had fought, was this what it had come down to?
The Marines were now negotiating for their survival—not against criminals, but against the very forces the World Government had condemned for centuries.
And deep down, Sengoku realized the bitter truth—
They had been wrong all along.
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P.S. Can anybody help me create a new cover fic? I don't know where to create a fire cover. Just drop it in the comments. Shin will travel to the multiverse after this One Piece Arc.