Chapter 151: The Top Arrived as Expected!
With the official announcement of Tendou Pain and Enel being named Shichibukai, the entire Grand Line turned its attention to them.
Although Ryuunosuke's live broadcast shook the world, Sakazuki quickly moved to arrest every Marine stationed at the Sabaody Archipelago branch.
What followed was a global live execution.
It was the Navy's way of showing the world its stance—absolute justice. No tolerance would be shown toward corruption within its ranks.
By combining swift action and public display, the Navy managed to suppress the uproar stirred by the broadcast.
Initially, Sakazuki had planned to join Borsalino in hunting down the Dragon Hunter Pirates.
But Borsalino straight-up refused.
If he hadn't, the news wouldn't have stopped with just what had already happened. Things would've escalated even more.
---
At Marineford, in the Navy's war council room...
"Borsalino," Sakazuki said, his tone icy. "What was that about?"
"Why didn't you back me up when we had a shot at the Dragon Hunter Pirates in Sabaody?"
He was visibly frustrated. As a staunch believer in absolute justice, Sakazuki wanted to eliminate the Dragon Hunters as soon as possible. The Sabaody Archipelago wasn't that large; he felt the operation had high chances of success.
But Borsalino... just opted out.
Was it really because the Navy wouldn't pay him for overtime?
Borsalino yawned and leaned back. "Rayleigh was there."
He paused, then added, "And he's been training the Dragon Hunter Pirates."
"Be honest with yourself. What are the odds of the two of us actually taking them down?"
"If we fail, the Navy would be a worldwide laughingstock—again."
"And let's not forget," he continued, "I had to protect the Celestial Dragons. Imagine if one of those 'nobles' got assassinated on my watch while I was off chasing pirates..."
He didn't bother finishing the sentence. His point was loud and clear.
"You..." Sakazuki opened his mouth, but nothing came out.
He couldn't argue with that. In that situation, going after the Dragon Hunters wasn't just risky—it was reckless.
Sengoku stepped in before things got more heated.
"Enough. Let's move on."
"The Dragon Hunter Pirates are now a major thorn in both the Navy's and the World Government's side."
"I've told you all about the incident. Now we've got a clear course of action."
He glanced around the room.
"Blackbeard has been captured," Sengoku said calmly. "And we've also caught a member of the Dragon Hunters—a man named Urzi."
"It's time to launch the next phase of our plan."
Sakazuki clenched his jaw, but said nothing. Sengoku noted his reaction, mentally adding another checkmark to the list of reasons Sakazuki might not be fit to lead the Navy.
Even Borsalino, who'd worked under Sengoku for years, could barely get along with him. What hope did the entire Navy have under his command?
Kuzan, sitting to the side, remained unbothered.
Actually... he was asleep.
Sengoku nearly popped a vein. Just moments ago, he'd been thinking about how calm and dependable Kuzan was.
So much for that.
"Kuzan!"
"Huh? Fleet Admiral? Meeting's over already?"
The lazy admiral stretched and began to stand up.
"Sit down and listen to Sengoku," Garp barked from across the room.
"Yes, Vice Admiral Garp!"
Kuzan straightened instantly. That was his idol talking—he wasn't about to mess around now.
---
"The World Government has issued a joint command," Sengoku continued. "The Seven Warlords of the Sea, our warships, and the Pacifistas will all be deployed."
"This is a full-scale operation. All of our strength. The future of the seas depends on this move."
"We have to succeed. There's no other option."
Sengoku's eyes gleamed. He was nearing retirement, but being able to lead one last grand campaign? That would be the perfect end to his career.
Unless he failed—then it'd be a disaster.
Borsalino raised an eyebrow. "Is this really necessary?"
He glanced at Sengoku. "Aren't the Pacifistas still in development?"
As the one overseeing the science division, Borsalino hadn't received any updates—yet Sengoku clearly had.
His instincts screamed that something wasn't right.
"They're ready," Sengoku replied. "I just got word. Still rough around the edges, but they're combat-capable."
"This operation will serve as their test run."
He paused, then began outlining the battle plan to the gathered officers.
Meanwhile, on the Sabaody Archipelago...
Ryuunosuke leaned back in his chair as he listened to the report.
"Urzi was captured by the Navy?" he muttered.
The next sentence caught his attention. "...It wasn't the Navy that did it?"
A smirk slowly crept across his face.
"Blackbeard. You're really something, huh?"
Despite all the traps and ambushes Ryuunosuke had set, Blackbeard kept slipping away using dirty tricks and escape tactics.
But this time, he was getting bold. Targeting one of Ryuunosuke's squad leaders?
He remembered the last operation—when he fought the CP organization itself. Even then, he'd gone all-out to protect his so-called "handyman" members.
Blackbeard must've noticed.
Now, he was trying to play bait. Kidnap Urzi, and draw Ryuunosuke into a confrontation at Marineford.
"Interesting..."
He picked up the transponder snail. "Enel, keep cooperating with the Navy for now."
"I'll handle the rest."
"If Blackbeard wants to help me stir the pot, I'll let him."
He laughed quietly. "Besides, Luffy should be showing up any minute now..."
---
"Luffy!?" Enel's voice came through the line.
"Captain, you mean the Straw Hat Pirates?"
Though he'd only been out to sea for a few months, Enel had already learned the names of several rising stars.
The Straw Hats had recently made headlines with their daring escape from Enies Lobby.
Then, not long after, they defeated Gecko Moria—one of the Shichibukai.
That kind of stunt made even Enel take notice.
Still...
"They're not exactly ready for a fight of this scale," he said cautiously.
Ryuunosuke didn't hesitate. "Yeah."
Others might underestimate the Straw Hats, but he didn't.
Sure, they lacked the strength for a full-scale war.
But they were great at causing chaos.
With Urzi captured, Ryuunosuke knew that just a little push in the right direction would get Luffy and his crew moving.
And when that happened...
"I got it. I'll go make preparations," Enel replied, cutting the line.
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