"What plan?" Sakazuki asked in confusion.
Clearly, as a Marine Rear Admiral, there were some things he did not know.
Sengoku looked at Sakazuki. After a moment of silence, he decided there was no need to hide it and explained, "The plan is called the Seven Warlords of the Sea Plan. CP suggested to the World Government that, considering our falling influence and control over the New World, we should use recruitment to break apart the pirate forces from within and bring some of them under control…"
Sakazuki was a Marine who believed in Absolute Justice.
In his eyes, all pirates deserved to die.
But now, CP had proposed the Seven Warlords plan to the World Government. And judging from Admiral Sengoku's explanation, it meant recruiting seven powerful and influential great pirates.
They would be used to divide and weaken the pirate side as a whole, and to balance old New World powers like Whitebeard and Shiki.
If this plan went through, then within a few years, the sea would have seven great pirates with the legal right to plunder.
Their pirate actions would no longer be treated as crimes by the World Government. They would only need to hand over part of what they stole to the World Government on a regular basis, just like member nations paying tribute.
Even in the proposal, the Seven Warlords would have a status equal to Marine Headquarters and CP.
This made Sakazuki feel sick. He immediately said in anger, "How could that be allowed? How could pirates ever be trusted? If this plan is allowed, the pirate forces will only grow stronger, and in the end we will be raising a disaster with our own hands!"
"Do not be so anxious. There is still no sign that the plan will be carried out right now," Sengoku said, trying to calm Sakazuki.
But Sakazuki was not a fool. On the contrary, as someone who would one day become an Admiral and even reach the position of Fleet Admiral, he had a very sharp sense for certain things.
Mary Geoise had not rejected CP's proposal. They had only pressed it down for the time being.
That meant they were tempted.
And if the Marines could not later give an effective answer and prove they had enough strength to stabilize the New World, then this plan would almost certainly be carried out.
Borsalino, standing nearby, was also thinking. After a moment, he said, "Mr. Sengoku, does Marine Headquarters have no good solution for the current situation in the New World?"
"Two weeks ago, Kong went to Mary Geoise to meet Saint Saturn and report some of the Marines' proposals. Saint Saturn has already reached an agreement with Saint Nusjuro. The third round of Marine funding this year will be greatly increased," Sengoku said softly.
"Expanding the forces?" Borsalino clicked his tongue.
"Expansion is only one part of it." Sengoku sighed, then continued, "After this new funding arrives, the newly created Science Unit will also receive a full upgrade. According to the plan, we will build a world-class research base on Punk Hazard, an island in the New World with no magnetic field. We will also increase investment in military strength. At the same time, we will begin a series of research projects, including artificial Devil Fruits, war machines, new warship upgrades, new energy sources, and more."
Borsalino froze for a moment, but soon understood the key point. He could not help saying, "Scientific results do not appear overnight. To gain benefits from this, it may take a very long time. Ten years, maybe even more…"
Without a doubt, increased investment from the World Government and Marine Headquarters would bring positive results and improve the Marines' overall combat power.
But just as Borsalino said, this was a long process. It was not as if they could throw money in and see results at once. There had to be time for that investment to turn into real strength.
"That cannot be helped. How could we get results without paying the cost in time?" Sengoku said helplessly.
Sakazuki frowned deeply when he heard this. "But the current situation requires a plan that works quickly. Otherwise, that Seven Warlords…"
He stopped there, because he suddenly realized something.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea Plan was exactly the kind of plan that could show results in a short time.
After a long silence, Sakazuki looked back at Admiral Sengoku and said in a somewhat lost voice, "Admiral, the World Government will definitely carry out the Seven Warlords plan… won't they?"
Even though he did not want to face that reality, Sengoku still took a deep breath and said, "If we cannot stop the wave of the Great Pirate Era in a short time, then this plan will be unavoidable…"
Looking at Sakazuki's disappointed expression, Chief Staff Officer Tsuru spoke to comfort him.
"This is only an urgent measure. The World Government can naturally see the danger of this plan too. But even if the plan is not carried out, those pirates will still exist. Instead of letting them run wild without limits, recruiting them can, in a way, reduce the harm they cause. It can only be called choosing the lesser evil in the face of the Great Pirate Era."
"Once the power held by the Marines is enough to suppress the New World again, the so-called Seven Warlords will naturally no longer be needed," Sengoku added.
Sakazuki stayed silent.
As for that talk of "choosing the lesser evil," he only felt it was self-deception.
But he knew very well that right now, his rank and influence were too low. He had no power to stop anything.
At that moment, Sakazuki made a decision.
In the future, he would fight to become Fleet Admiral.
He did not want to see this kind of thing happen again. Once he became Fleet Admiral, this Seven Warlords plan would be abolished.
Seeing that Sakazuki no longer spoke, Sengoku stopped trying to comfort him. Instead, he looked at Borsalino and said, "I originally planned to officially bring this up at the meeting next week, but since we have already talked about it today, I will give you a warning first, Borsalino."
Borsalino put down the teacup in his hand and looked at Admiral Sengoku. "What is it, Mr. Sengoku?"
"The Science Unit's new plan needs someone to guard and protect it. In particular, Dr. Vegapunk, who only recently joined the Science Unit, is an extremely valuable talent. Saint Saturn values him greatly. When the time comes, you will serve as the commander of the Marine Science Unit and go to Punk Hazard to oversee things there," Sengoku said.
"That sounds like a very troublesome job…" Borsalino scratched his head and said.
"If you think it is troublesome, I can send you to G-1 instead!" Sengoku glared at Borsalino.
G-1 was the Marines' most important base in the New World. Not only did it protect the Dyna Stone mining area, it was also the Marines' reserve headquarters.
As a large and organized force, the Marines had always prepared plans for many different situations.
For example, if Marine Headquarters ever fell, what backup plan should be used?
That backup plan was to immediately promote the G-1 Marine base in the New World into the new Marine Headquarters. When G-1 had been built, its size and level had been completely different from an ordinary Marine base. The Marines had spent a huge amount of money building G-1 to the same standard as Marine Headquarters.
One reason was because it was the reserve headquarters.
The other reason was that it represented the Marines' ambition to take control of the New World.
If the Marines fully suppressed the New World, then the plan to move Marine Headquarters would be started. Even if Marineford had no problems, Marine Headquarters would officially move into the New World.
Borsalino was rather laid-back, so just hearing "G-1" gave him a headache.
Look at what happened at G-1. The Fleet Admiral went there, and because of one sudden incident, he now had to go deep into the New World and step onto the front line.
Borsalino would be even worse off.
Compared to that, going to Punk Hazard to guard the Science Unit would indeed be much easier.
So Borsalino immediately smiled and said, "I was only joking. Once the meeting ends and the official order is given, I will leave for Punk Hazard at once."
Only then did Sengoku nod. Then he reached out and called Garp's side through the Den Den Mushi again.
He thought it would be useless once more, but after a while, the call was answered, and Bogard's voice came through.
"Admiral Sengoku!?"
"Bogard!?" Sengoku suddenly sat up straight. Before the other side could speak, he immediately said in a deep voice, "According to our intelligence, Shiki is very likely heading toward you. So this is an official order from an Admiral of Headquarters. I order the unit led by Vice Admiral Garp to leave the Savila Island battlefield immediately, contact Fleet Admiral Kong who is coming to support you, regroup with him, and return to G-1 to rest!"
Bogard, who had originally wanted to say something, froze for a moment, then quickly answered, "Yes. All for justice!"
Usually, Garp could laugh, argue, bicker, and even occasionally disobey Sengoku, but that was only when Sengoku had not given orders in the most serious way.
Once Sengoku gave an order as an Admiral, Garp had no room to bargain. He had to obey.
That was the basic system of the Marines.
Otherwise, if this kind of behavior spread through the Marines, it would greatly weaken the authority of Marine Headquarters and cause the Marines' fighting strength to fall.
In the original story, this was why Sakazuki had been so furious when Fujitora disobeyed orders.
But that could not be helped. After all, Fujitora had been brought in through the World Military Draft and had become an Admiral from the outside. He had not grown up within the Marines, so his understanding of these rules was still lacking.
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