Hearing it, Tsuru turned her head to glance at Sengoku.
They had fought side by side for decades.
She understood Sengoku better than anyone—so well, in fact, that a single glance was enough to read his thoughts.
She spoke calmly.
"Interested in the new guy, aren't you?"
Sengoku wasn't surprised. He nodded.
"Yeah."
"According to intelligence, Hanafuda had already fought both Zephyr and Smoker before clashing with him. He was severely injured by then."
"But Knight Gawain still managed to overwhelm him in moments. It wasn't even close—a complete domination."
"Even if both had been at full strength, I doubt the result would've been much different."
"Just from that fight alone, he's already displaying the power of a Warlord of the Sea."
As his words fell, the room fell silent. No one objected—because Sengoku was right.
Even Moria, now hiding in the Devil's Triangle, would likely struggle against Gawain's strength.
Time erodes many things—not only the body, which declines irreversibly after its peak, but also the mind.
Sengoku scanned the room. Seeing no disagreement, he continued:
"I'll report this to Mary Geoise myself. Once the Five Elders approve, Knight Gawain will officially be included in the Seven Warlords of the Sea."
He paused, then moved on from the topic of the Warlords. His eyes fell on the intelligence report from Loguetown.
His expression darkened. His brows furrowed. A trace of frustration surfaced in his gaze.
"As for Loguetown… the higher-ups have issued a strict order. This incident must not become public knowledge."
"So..."
He trailed off. But everyone in the room understood what he meant.
Da!
A sharp sound snapped everyone's attention toward the source.
Sengoku looked up.
In the corner, Aokiji had casually propped his legs up on the table and pulled his blindfold over his eyes, his entire posture exuding boredom and defiance.
He didn't even need to speak—his disapproval was written all over his body language.
For a moment, Sengoku felt a tightness in his chest. Around him, the officers remained silent.
In recent years, with the rise of a new generation of marines, the unspoken tension between the Navy and the World Government had only grown.
Aokiji's discontent was just the tip of the iceberg.
Bang!
A Vice Admiral suddenly slammed the table and stood up in anger.
"How many times has this happened?!"
"Everyone deserves to know what happened in Loguetown!"
Some officers began quietly questioning the World Government's decisions. Others voiced their support.
"Justice is absolute!"
"If news like this spreads, it'll only cause pointless panic. Sometimes we have no choice but to withhold information for the public's sake."
"No choice? This is the World Government we're talking about. All we're doing is covering up our own failures!"
The room erupted.
The officers split into two factions and quickly descended into shouting. The debate grew louder, more heated by the second.
Only Aokiji remained silent, a still figure among the noise.
"Quiet!"
Sengoku's voice cut through the chaos, silencing the room instantly. He turned to Aokiji.
"Kuzan, what do you think?"
"Ah la la~"
Aokiji pulled his blindfold up and replied lazily:
"No matter how loud we argue, it's not like we can change the World Government's decision, right?"
Sengoku paused, then responded quietly:
"Sometimes, to preserve peace, we have to make compromises. Even the harshest order is better than total chaos."
Aokiji's reply came quickly:
"So… studying history is a crime now?"
Sengoku was speechless.
A few minutes later, the meeting was officially adjourned.
Aokiji slung his coat over one shoulder and trailed behind the departing officers, lazy as ever.
Sengoku watched his back, sighing inwardly.
"Originally, Kuzan was the most promising candidate to take over as Fleet Admiral… but…"
Tsuru, standing nearby, tried to offer reassurance.
"If he really does take your place someday, he'll understand what we went through."
"…I hope that day comes."
East Blue – En Route to the Goa Kingdom
A small pirate ship drifted steadily toward the Goa Kingdom.
The pirates in the surrounding waters, upon seeing the skull flag with a round shield fluttering from the mast, turned pale and fled at full speed—none of them dared to risk being targeted.
After all, only one crew wielded such terrifying influence in the East Blue.
The Gawain Pirates.
Onboard, Kuro stood on the deck, scanning a newspaper in disbelief.
"What the hell is going on?!"
He flailed the paper in frustration.
"The World Economic Journal really published this garbage?"
"That naval officer who got beaten by Gawain twice somehow defeated a Warlord of the Sea? One of those monsters? Comparable to Hawkeye?! And he even repelled the Red Dragon?!"
He squinted at the headline again.
"Unless real dragons actually exist in this world—and they just happen to be red—then the one who got 'repelled' must've been Gawain."
"What the hell is he doing?"
"He was just going to an auction! How did he stir up this kind of mess?"
Splash!
With a dramatic sigh, Kuro tossed the newspaper overboard. But despite his complaints, a faint smile played at the corners of his lips.
"…Still."
"With all this chaos, that auction had to be a front. Gawain might be strong—but he's no match for me when it comes to making money."
Thinking along these lines, Kuro couldn't help but feel a surge of confidence—completely unaware of the strange smile forming on Gin's face.
A few minutes later, Kuro finally turned around and asked,
"What is it?"
"We're still dozens of nautical miles from entering the Kingdom of Goa's territory, but…"
Gin's expression darkened.
"There's been no word from the team Jasmine sent ahead. Even if they couldn't recover the money, it doesn't make sense for them to completely lose contact."
"You think the royal family of the Kingdom of Goa might've moved against them?"
Gin gave a slow nod.
"It's a possibility we can't ignore."
"Heh."
Kuro scoffed, unconcerned.
"If they really dared to pull something, then maybe it's time we tested whether we can take over a whole country in the East Blue."
"But keep in mind… the Kingdom of Goa is a member of the World Government—"
Kuro cut him off before he could finish.
"We're not going to destroy the country outright and overthrow the royal family."
He smirked.
"Do you seriously think those pampered Celestial Dragons care about the lives of a few royals?"
His voice was thick with sarcasm.
Ever since Gawain defeated him and mentioned the World Government and their so-called Heavenly Tribute, Kuro had started paying closer attention to global politics.
He was clever—always had been—but had been too shortsighted to see the world for what it truly was. Now that he had a broader view, his understanding far surpassed that of Gin.
"No," Kuro continued. "They only care about whether a country pays its Heavenly Tribute on time."
Gin's face remained impassive, but there was a trace of respect in his eyes as he said,
"You and the captain make the decisions. I just fight."
Without another word, he turned and headed back to the training room below deck, resuming his daily routine.
At the very least, I want to stay useful to Captain Gawain.
That thought kept Gin moving. He strapped on heavier weights and returned to his practice, sweating through the quiet strain of each repetition.
Even though his progress was slower than when he first started training, the mere sensation of still growing stronger was intoxicating.
"Hu—!"
"Hu—!"
The sound of Gin's heavy breathing carried all the way to the deck.
Kuro twitched slightly at the sound. His eyelid twitched, annoyed.
"That guy's so sneaky, getting stronger behind the scenes…" he muttered, resigned as he remained stuck managing the ship and crew.
The sea was calm, and ships began to appear more frequently as they neared the Kingdom of Goa's port.
To avoid causing alarm, Kuro ordered the crew to replace their pirate flag with the Raven Harbor flag and proceed according to the planned route.
A few hours later...
Kuro's ship arrived at the port of the Kingdom of Goa.
But before they could even dock, the crew's attention was drawn to several figures hanging at the edge of the harbor.
"Wait—that's... Jand?! One of our port guards!"
A sharp-eyed pirate on deck pointed out the figure suspended in the distance.
They had been sent from Raven Harbor days earlier to collect debts—just like Kuro and his crew—but had ended up like this.
"Did they commit a crime or something? Why else would they be punished like that?"
"Heh. Surprised?"
"Lord Grayza already sent men a few times to collect. They were turned away with excuses every time. Looks like the same story now."
The pirate scoffed, then noticed Kuro's face darkening.
"Do they really have the gall to pull something like this?!"
He turned sharply.
"Gin!"
Gin's voice came from the cabin, low and steady.
"I know what to do."
The door swung open and Gin strode out with slow, heavy steps. As he moved, the ship shook beneath the sheer force of his legs.
In the next instant, his figure shot off like a cannonball, breaking through the Kingdom of Goa's guard line and landing squarely in front of the strung-up Raven Harbor men.
Boom!
The wooden dock beneath him cracked under the force of his landing.
Gin barely stabilized his footing—then froze.
The sight before him made his breath catch in his throat.
The Raven Harbor guards hanging there were in horrific condition. Their flesh was torn and swollen, blood oozing from every inch of their broken bodies. Not a patch of unmarked skin remained. Blood trickled from their wounds, pooling on the planks below.
Even someone like Gin, hardened by countless battles, could tell—these men, even if rescued, wouldn't live long.
"Captain... Gin?"
Jand, one of the strung-up guards, managed to lift his head weakly, a flicker of hope in his eyes—only to have it dim once again. His voice was barely audible:
"We just... asked about the port's arrears... but the king said we offended him..."
"Captain Gin... if you can... please help us ask—why...?"