"Hmph..."
Sengoku snorted coldly, revealing his displeasure with his old friend's attitude: "Don't cozy up to me now, don't forget we're Navy!"
"You bastard, remember your identity at all times, you're a veteran, a veteran who joined the Navy to annihilate pirates!"
"Understood."
A complex expression crossed Garp's face as he reached out to hang up the radio snail in his hand. He slowly closed his eyes, reclining in his chair for a rest.
At this moment.
Garp seemed to return to the past.
Fire Fist Ace and Straw Hat Luffy are both his grandsons.
Yet everyone in the world is busy, some have died, and some are striving for change, while he, an old Navy veteran, remains relatively idle.
However, even as a veteran, he spends most of his time executing military orders, having to entrust the care of Fire Fist Ace and Straw Hat Luffy to the bandit Dadan in his hometown. He's almost done nothing for the two little ones, even the tavern owner in his hometown took care of them more...
"Luffy... Ace..."
"Why did you have to become pirates..."
Garp rubbed his eyes, seemingly in some pain and suppression, his voice growing older: "This world is indeed suffocating, more dead than alive, who knows when its end will come, yet when pirates rampage, most people have no hope for life..."
On the other side.
On Vice Admiral Tsuru's warship.
Sengoku looked angrily at the peacefully resting radio snail, surprised that that bastard Garp dared to hang up on him when he was in need!
"That bastard..."
"Enough."
Vice Admiral Tsuru comforted Sengoku with a gentle tone: "Now, that guy must also be feeling troubled, and don't you still have to report to the Five Elders?"
"..."
Sengoku fell silent, his eyes showing a hint of dissatisfaction and doubt: "I originally thought they would be wary of the Konoha Pirates' potential trouble to overthrow the world..."
Perhaps the Five Elders do care about something...
However, they haven't told him, the Navy Admiral, just instructed him to deal with the Konoha Pirates quietly and also bring Clown Buggy back.
Any suspects involved in the killing of Heavenly Celestial Dragons must be executed, even Clown Buggy, just a scapegoat, must be captured and killed!
"Forget it."
Sengoku shook his head, speaking solemnly: "Now we must keep our journey to Alabasta secret, lest the New World reacts oddly..."
"But they also granted me a power, upon arriving at Alabasta, if needed, I can enlist Seven Warlords of the Sea Crocodile for battle."
Such a lineup of participants...
The Five Elders didn't accept, seemingly no issues too.
In fact.
The Five Elders considered taking over proactively.
Yet Sengoku directly applied for deployment of two Admirals of Navy Headquarters, and even added himself, the Navy Admiral to act along, also including Vice Admiral Garp, and to secretly recruit Seven Warlords of the Sea Crocodile upon arrival.
The Five Elders originally thought one Admiral can't solve the opponent, deploying three Admirals could crush the opposition, yet Sengoku took it further than they imagined...
This Navy Admiral is overly cautious.
Two Admirals, one Admiral, one Vice Admiral, one Navy Staff Vice Admiral, one Seven Warlords of the Sea member, even Smoker is a Logia-type ability user.
Such a lineup going almost feels like the top combat power fully deployed, the New World pirates might even mock Sengoku's overexertion!
This lineup could even go against the strongest Whitebeard Pirates, even if Gol D. Roger revived, seeing such a Navy lineup could only flee, let alone a mere newly-emerged pirate group...
Thus...
As the world's top power holders, the Five Elders need not step into a lowly human living area for this, Alabasta might contain Pluto's signals, this fits well for CP9 agency to continue searching Pluto.
On Smoker's warship.
This warship is already nearing Alabasta.
Aokiji received the message from Sengoku that Admiral Kizaru will first land in Alabasta, with Aokiji responsible for assisting Kizaru to hold off the Konoha Pirates, awaiting Sengoku, Tsuru, and Garp to land in Alabasta.
With Aokiji aware of the message…
Akihara Kagura naturally knew too.
"Almost all top Navy force dispatched..."
Aokiji looked at Akihara Kagura, recalling his own embarrassing defeat, squinting as he asked: "For other pirate groups, maybe it's a catastrophe; but if battling that pirate group, what will the outcome be?"
"From the results, I might be the ultimate beneficiary..."
Akihara Kagura smiled widely, lifting his head to gaze at the floating white clouds in the sky: "Navy's failure, government conscription, at a time when Navy's confidence dropped immensely, acquiring the Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit, surely I'll be focused in Navy training, won't I?"
"So confident in them, aren't you?"
Aokiji seemed to reflect on the potential outcomes.
"They are simply confident, Navy might be somewhat arrogant."
Akihara Kagura shook his head with a sigh: "Weakness and ignorance are never reasons for failure, arrogance is indeed..."
"For anyone, this Navy operation is indeed quite terrifying; but for us, Navy's action..."
"No, rather, for the world government's organization's move, for the Konoha Pirates seems overly ambitious..."
"Has Admiral Aokiji himself forgotten too..."
Akihara Kagura pointed out to Aokiji, speaking casually: "Konoha Pirates aren't them, they are us, Admiral Aokiji, you are one of us too..."
"..."
Aokiji instinctively didn't want to remember such facts.
"Considering the timing..."
"Admirals Aokiji and Kizaru are the first line in delaying Konoha Pirates' actions, responsible for stalling until the arrival of the three veterans..."
"We both should clearly understand..."
"This delay battle's main force is only Admiral Kizaru alone..."
"Meaning..."
"Before reinforcements from the Navy Admiral and Vice Admiral Garp arrive, our main target is only Admiral Kizaru, currently he battles alone..."
"How about it?"
Akihara Kagura stared at Aokiji, whose gaze was complex, slowly asking: "Admiral Aokiji, want to let Admiral Kizaru feel the experience of colleagues not willing to give their full effort in battle?"
"..."
Aokiji's eye twitched suddenly.
Is that guy Kizaru who always seems like an actor about to be acted on?
Always practicing 'ambiguous justice,' seemingly never needing nor willing to exert full strength in any task...
Is he finally able to personally feel how others view his reluctance to fully commit in battle?
But...
This seems quite exhilarating!
Although Kizaru's delay mission might face trouble, once Kizaru finds an opponent he can't handle, wanting to escape directly, Konoha Pirates absolutely can't stop the speed of the Flash-Flash Fruit ability user, Kizaru wouldn't face any danger...
"If that's the case..."
Aokiji's eyebrows rose, revealing a lazy grin: "Then let Borsalino experience what it's like when he doesn't take work seriously, and his hard-working colleagues feel on edge... Though I'm much like him, haven't really focused much on my work for a long time..."