Want to read ahead? Join my Patreon for just $7 to get early access to all upcoming chapters!
> > Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations <<
----------------------------------------------------------
Chapter 107: Don't You Know Kizaru by Now?
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Fleet Admiral's Office.
Click.
The crisp sound of the phone hanging up was like the final straw, sounding particularly jarring in the deathly silent room.
Sengoku the Buddha remained frozen in the posture of holding the receiver. The golden Den Den Mushi had already closed its mouth and ceased mimicking his furious expression, lying quietly on the desk as if it, too, had exhausted all its strength.
But the anger in Sengoku's chest was like magma blocked at the crater of a volcano—churning, surging, unable to find any outlet for release.
"Borsalino... you..."
He gritted his teeth, squeezing every word out through the gaps. The veins on the back of his hand bulged, and his knuckles turned white from the force of his grip.
Finally, all the cursing transformed into a heavy, muffled sound mixed with endless exhaustion.
Bang!
He punched a shallow dent into the hard mahogany desk. The documents on the table jumped from the impact before fluttering back down.
"Bastard!!"
Sengoku stood up abruptly, pacing irritably back and forth in the office like a caged lion.
The entire sea was in turmoil!
Whitebeard, Kaido, Big Mom—those three monsters entrenched in the New World—had actually turned their ships around like sharks scenting blood, aiming straight for the weakest sea: East Blue!
What an absurd scene this was!
Since the curtain fell on the Rocks era, when had such a bizarre and terrifying situation ever appeared on this vast sea?
And the Admiral he sent to monitor all this, Kizaru—who should have been the most stable link in the Marines—not only failed to play any role but was leisurely enjoying the Kabukicho in the Goa Kingdom!
He even... even proposed the ridiculous suggestion of including expenses from that kind of place in the Marines' reimbursement scope!
This was a provocation! It was a ruthless mockery of the Marines' "Absolute Justice"!
"Haa... Haa..."
Sengoku panted heavily. He felt his blood pressure soaring at an unprecedented speed, and his vision was going dark in patches.
Just then, the office door was gently pushed open.
"Here is your tea."
A gentle and calm voice sounded, like a clear spring instantly diluting the frantic heat in the room.
The Great Staff Officer Tsuru walked in carrying a tray with a steaming pot of tea and two cups.
She glanced at the dented desktop, then looked at Sengoku's flushed face and the throbbing veins on his forehead. Her gaze held not a ripple of emotion.
She placed a teacup in front of Sengoku, poured him some clear tea, and said indifferently, "At your age, getting this angry? Do you think your hair isn't white enough already?"
Sengoku's movements paused. Looking at Tsuru's face lined with wisdom, the anger in his chest deflated rapidly like a popped balloon.
He slumped back into his chair and picked up the teacup. The scalding tea went down his throat, but he felt no heat at all.
"Tsuru-chan..." His voice was hoarse. "You heard everything?"
"Don't you know what kind of person Borsalino is by now, after sitting in this position for so many years?" Tsuru poured a cup for herself as well, blowing on the steam unhurriedly. "Getting angry like this over a phone call where you already knew the outcome is unnecessary."
"I..." Sengoku opened his mouth but found himself powerless to refute.
Indeed, what kind of person was Kizaru?
The man who carried out "Ambiguous Justice" to the end—expecting him to go head-to-head with a "God" who could mold a moon with a wave of his hand? Expecting him to uphold the dignity of the Marines in front of such an existence?
That in itself was a laughable expectation.
Sengoku let out a bitter laugh and downed the tea in one gulp. His Adam's apple bobbed as if he hadn't swallowed tea, but a mouthful of bitterness and helplessness.
"I truly... lost my composure."
Tsuru looked at him quietly. Her eyes, which seemed capable of seeing through everything, reflected Sengoku's exhausted face.
She suddenly spoke, her voice very soft, yet like a precise scalpel, it cut open all of Sengoku's disguises.
"You aren't angry at Borsalino's dereliction of duty."
"You are feeling a heartfelt... panic because you have completely lost control of the situation, aren't you?"
Sengoku's body shook violently.
He looked up, meeting Tsuru's deep eyes. All his emotions—anger, frustration, helplessness—were seen clearly by those eyes in that moment.
After a long time, he let out a long sigh. His entire spine slumped as if all strength had been drained from him in an instant.
"As expected... nothing can be hidden from you, Tsuru-chan."
He was no longer the dignified Fleet Admiral, just an old man worried about the future of the world yet powerless to do anything about it.
"That Blake in East Blue... Garp obtained power from him that shouldn't belong to this world. Kizaru and Dragon bow their heads before him. Even Golden Lion Shiki was sealed by him like a doll..."
"The Four Emperors are gathering in East Blue. The Revolutionary Army ignited flames in the Goa Kingdom, and Kizaru turns a blind eye, even happy to see it happen..."
With every sentence Sengoku spoke, his voice lowered a fraction, and the light in his eyes dimmed a little more.
"One thing after another, everything has exceeded my expectations and broken away from the Marines' control. I feel like a fool standing on a dam, watching helplessly as floodwaters surge from all directions, unable to do anything."
"Tsuru-chan, tell me, how can I not panic?"
Tsuru listened quietly without interrupting him.
Only when he finished did she put down her teacup with a soft clack.
"Sengoku, have you ever considered that perhaps from the beginning, this wave wasn't something we, or any single force, could stop?"
Her voice was calm but carried a convincing power.
"Once the wheels of the era start rolling, anyone who tries to block the chariot like a mantis will only be crushed. We Marines are no exception."
"Rather than worrying here about things that cannot be changed, it is better to watch quietly."
Tsuru's gaze turned out the window. The sky over Marineford was clear as always, but she seemed to see the terrifying storm gathering over that weakest sea, a storm strong enough to overturn the entire world.
"Worrying so much... be careful you actually get too old to walk," she said half-jokingly.
Sengoku subconsciously touched his signature braided beard and let out a dazed "Ah?"
"Is... is that so?"
Seeing him like this, a very faint smile rarely seen appeared at the corner of Tsuru's mouth, but it was quickly retracted.
Her expression became serious again as she changed the subject.
"Besides, Sengoku, rather than worrying about the clash of gods far away in East Blue that we can't interfere with..."
"Right now, what you should be more worried about is the accountability coming from the Holy Land, Mary Geoise."
Sengoku's heart sank sharply, and his face instantly became even uglier than before.
The Five Elders!
Tsuru continued, her voice becoming cold and sharp:
"The newspaper has already spread throughout the world. Those five old fellows can't possibly be unaware."
"Right now, I'm afraid they are already very dissatisfied with our Marines' 'concealment,' aren't they?"
- - - - -
Support this fanfict by leaving Positive Review, Comments, and Power Stones.
For Advance Chapters:
Visit > Patreon.com/NegativeTranslations