After Sakazuki left, Admiral Sengoku spoke with Kuzan and Saul about the scholars.
Although they'd captured someone alive, Nico Olvia hadn't spoken yet. O'Hara's location remained undisclosed.
But this time, the Marines hadn't just captured Olvia. They'd also seized an entire research ship belonging to the scholars. There should be evidence or traces on it.
After some discussion, Sengoku ordered the ship sent to Marine Intelligence, instructing Chief of Staff Tsuru to arrange a thorough investigation. Results should emerge soon.
Outside at the harbor, Finn squatted on a gun platform with a Den Den Mushi in hand. He looked unkempt and somewhat unruly, his justice coat draped carelessly over his shoulders.
Not far away, two warships slowly approached the port. Behind them trailed several captured pirate ships. Many Marine ships were converging, ready to help unload the cargo and prisoners.
Doberman stood on the docks with his troops, waiting to send the captured pirates directly to labor detail.
Now that G-7's main construction was complete, large numbers of Marines had begun recruiting their relatives and friends to live in the newly built military town.
This wasn't difficult at all. With the collapse of order, the first half of the Grand Line was infested with pirates and disasters were endless. Only under Marine rule could stability be maintained. Now G-7, a base staffed by Headquarters Marines, was actively recruiting civilians for its military town. This could be considered a benefit left to the Marines stationed there. Naturally, they brought their families, eager to live in the safest location available.
Then, large numbers of Impel Down prisoners had been sent to several islands in the Calm Belt to mine resources. Nearly fifty thousand prisoners now labored there.
Finn had established the system during his initial deployment. Subsequent arrangements were to proceed step by step: continue surveying the islands' resources, continue developing infrastructure. There was no need for him to oversee everything personally every day.
Headquarters had sent Momonga to help arrange matters concerning the Calm Belt operations. Momonga was a peer of Finn's, and they had a good relationship.
In addition, from a military chain-of-command perspective, he was Finn's direct subordinate.
Even though Finn had been away from Headquarters for almost two years, Momonga had remained connected to his command structure. He still held the rank of Rear Admiral and remained under Finn's nominal authority.
Finn had originally planned to bring Yamakaji along as well, alongside Momonga. However, after a discussion with Chief of Staff Tsuru, Yamakaji was reassigned to the Intelligence Department, now operating directly under her authority.
This kind of personnel movement was normal. Finn no longer worked at Headquarters, and G-7 couldn't accommodate so many elite Rear Admirals. They couldn't just monopolize Yamakaji. That wouldn't be training him; it would be destroying his future prospects.
What's more, Finn had already made up his mind to compete for the Admiral position within the next few years. He was waiting for the World Government to announce its plan for the Seven Warlords of the Sea, which would embarrass the Marines.
At that time, he could take advantage of the situation, consolidate Marine support, lead the charge against the World Government's interference, and fight for the Admiral position.
Once he claimed an Admiral rank, nominally speaking, even the Chief of Staff would be considered his peer rather than superior. Would he still need to worry about losing capable officers then?
The two warships were commanded by Gion, nominally for combat training, but in reality for pirate suppression. After all, the tide of the Great Pirate Era continued to invade G-7's waters. Located in the late first half of the Grand Line, the area saw constant pirate incursions.
A steady stream of pirates invaded the nearby waters.
For Finn, this had both advantages and disadvantages. The disadvantage was obvious: they were pirates, destroyers of order.
The advantage was that he didn't need to requisition prisoners from Impel Down. Finn commanded strong forces, so his troops could simply sail out, capture pirates, beat them into submission, and send them directly to the resource islands to mine. In the past six months, the process had been refined, and his troops were quite skilled at coordinating these operations.
If they removed their Marine uniforms and boarded different ships, they'd definitely qualify as professional slave traders and capture teams.
If Finn didn't think it was too cheap and morally corrupt, he'd even consider selling pirate captains and officers to slave traders at premium prices.
That's right. To avoid any potential chaos, the labor force drawn from pirate prisoners consisted mainly of common crew members. As for captured captains, officers, and the like, after being sentenced on Enies Lobby, they were executed if possible. Those who couldn't be executed were sent to Impel Down for detention.
During this period, under Gion's leadership, they'd continued fighting. Not all the recruits had evolved into elite Marines, but calling them veterans who'd seen blood was entirely appropriate.
G-7 wasn't short of money. Headquarters paid military expenses annually. Finn also had enormous funds at his disposal. In addition to pirate spoils, protection fees collected from the three surrounding kingdoms, and payments from merchant convoys, the financial situation showed both income and outflow rather than pure expenditure.
Therefore, he never treated his Marines unfairly. As combat operations became more frequent, merit and commendations were distributed appropriately. With Gion, the great swordsman with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, leading operations, they were basically invincible in every battle.
The morale of G-7 was exceptionally high.
Judging from these aspects alone, Finn had fully demonstrated his capability at G-7.
When he'd first arrived at G-7, the base had only about seven thousand Marines, and the installation was just an ordinary base. They'd had barely over one billion berries in reserve, nothing special about it.
Now, in just two years, G-7 boasted an fifteen-thousand-strong military force, and the Calm Belt development was on track. Military towns had been built across the entire island. The population was gradually increasing, and the originally ordinary base had been transformed into a fortress.
In the surrounding waters, protected by overwhelming military strength, they'd won every battle. Both military power and economic development had to be emphasized. Both hands had to be strong.
Finn had accomplished it.
Therefore, even if he returned to Headquarters now and naturally succeeded to an Admiral position, the senior officers at Headquarters wouldn't object.
If they needed to be convinced, they were convinced.
This was also what Finn looked forward to. He wanted to unite Marine opinion and confront the World Government to compete for Admiral rank.
The first requirement was making all the senior officers in the Marines submit to his leadership so they could work together.
Now, he was almost there.
"So Sakazuki didn't get the Admiral Candidate position?" Finn asked into the Den Den Mushi while chewing on his cigar.
"Yeah, it's really unfortunate," Kuzan said from the other end.
"Truly unfortunate," Finn responded.
Thanks to his decisive action, before the Great Pirate Era officially began, after Roger was captured, Finn had been quickly recognized as an Admiral Candidate. He'd wasted no time securing the position.
If he'd delayed any longer, once the political winds shifted, he might have been suppressed like Sakazuki.
Sometimes, he couldn't help overthinking things. If he'd worked with Dragon, perhaps such frustrating situations wouldn't occur.
Or if he'd made up his mind to go to sea back then, he might have become a powerful pirate by now. Drinking good wine, eating good meat, killing anyone he disliked.
No need to be bound by Marine rules and regulations like now. So many things couldn't be done recklessly. You had to restrain yourself with so-called "rules."
But after calming down and thinking it through again, if the times hadn't changed, it would be fine. But now the world had transformed drastically, and the Marines' opportunity would only come in the next twenty years. Once he could lead the Marines out of their predicament, he might become the world's most powerful person in one stroke.
What did Finn want?
Wasn't it status and power?
If he could become Fleet Admiral of the Marines, command all military forces in the world, give an order and have millions of troops respond, thousands of heads roll with a word, and then remove the shackles on the Marines? Then what would the World Government amount to?
If the Five Elders had sense, let them continue in office. If they didn't have sense and angered Finn, wouldn't it be the same if Dragon took over instead?
Wasn't this more promising than being a pirate?
So he still couldn't pursue short-term benefits.
What's more, thinking about it, had he suffered any losses in the Marines?
After all, the World Government's troubles hadn't fallen on him yet. Sakazuki bore the losses.
"I discussed this with Borsalino before, back in the New World. I was thinking that once Sakazuki became an Admiral Candidate, Borsalino would probably follow suit, and you, Kuzan, wouldn't be able to escape either. I was considering, with your help, trying to win this honor for Gion as well. But as expected, Sakazuki was cut down as soon as he stepped forward. Now no one can hope for it." Finn complained.
"Hahahaha, Borsalino and I are fine. We have some qualifications at least. But Gion has been suppressed by you and remained a Rear Admiral for several years. How can she possibly catch up to Admiral Candidate status? If you have this idea, you might as well talk to the Admiral and transfer Gion to Vice Admiral," Kuzan laughed.
Finn looked at Gion, who was disembarking from the warship in the distance. She looked handsome and graceful, handing something over to Doberman. He smiled and said, "It was just a joke. As for Gion's promotion, I plan to put it on hold for a while longer."
He had indeed suppressed Gion for a long time. Tokikake had become a Vice Admiral at Marine Headquarters half a year ago.
Gion was still serving as a Rear Admiral under his command.
Looking at Doberman again, he probably had the potential to be promoted to Vice Admiral soon.
Momonga and Onigumo would probably follow shortly after.
Thinking about Gion, she really had been treated unfairly. Doberman was from the 8th Officer Training Camp, while Gion had been runner-up in the 6th. Now even Doberman was about to catch up with her. The suppression was indeed excessive.
But that's how it looked from outsiders' perspectives.
As for Gion herself, she'd never complained about these matters to Finn. On the contrary, she seemed content with the arrangement.
At the same time, she vaguely sensed that Finn was planning to entrust G-7 to her eventually.
After hearing Finn's words, Kuzan seemed to have thought of something. "Can't bear to part with your G-7?"
"Hahahaha, could you bear to part with it if you were in my position?" Finn laughed.
He didn't try to hide anything.
G-7 had been built up by him. It was also the starting point of the Calm Belt development plan. There was no way he'd abandon it when returning to Headquarters.
If he wanted to establish a more stable position in the Marines, he needed to create his own faction. At the same time, he needed to leave sufficient benefits for his followers.
G-7 was the most valuable asset in his hand, so naturally he had to hold onto it firmly.
So Finn had decided that when he was about to be transferred, he'd promote Gion's rank and simultaneously make her the base commander of G-7.
He'd stamp two generations of influence with his mark on G-7. And when Gion eventually left, he'd arrange for Doberman to serve as base commander for one term, stamping it with three generations of his command lineage.
From then on, anyone who came to work at G-7 would inevitably owe him loyalty. After a while, wouldn't they all become part of his faction?
"I couldn't bear to," Kuzan admitted with a smile.
"Exactly," Finn said with satisfaction.
After a brief pause, without further discussing these matters, Finn asked, "What's happening at Headquarters lately?"
"Nothing much. Oh, by the way, Saul is back. His mission has come to an end. He also said he wanted to find you for a drink when he returned. It's a pity you're not at Headquarters." Kuzan's tone was casual.
Finn's eyes lit up when he heard this.
Saul's mission was over?
In other words, was O'Hara's major incident coming soon?
If O'Hara was truly about to be exposed, that meant the Buster Call would be issued. The entire island of scholars would be erased from existence. Saul would defect. Kuzan would be sent to participate, where he'd meet young Nico Robin and plant the seeds of his future ideological crisis.
More importantly, from Finn's perspective, the O'Hara incident represented another wedge being driven between the Marines and the World Government. Another crack in the foundation.
Each crack brought him closer to his goal.
"Tell Saul I owe him that drink," Finn said. "When I'm back at Headquarters next, we'll make up for it."
"Will do," Kuzan replied easily. "Take care of yourself out there, Finn. Don't work too hard."
"Same to you. Stay lazy, Kuzan. It suits you."
They both laughed, and the Den Den Mushi connection ended.
Finn remained on the gun platform, watching Gion coordinate the prisoner transfer with Doberman. The sun was setting over G-7, painting the fortress in orange and gold.
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