"Raleigh, something incredible has happened."
Gion rushed to Raleigh's side, clutching the latest newspaper.
Raleigh, who had been sound asleep, was shaken awake by Gion.
He smacked his lips and looked at what she was holding.
"What's this?" Raleigh asked.
"See for yourself." Gion seemed so shocked by the news that she could hardly speak coherently.
Raleigh took the newspaper from her hands and began reading.
He had no idea what he was about to see, but it left him stunned.
It turned out the storyline was still unfolding.
The headline on the newspaper in his hands was printed in the largest font, clearly stating:
"Holy Land Mary Geoise Attacked: Who Is This Most Heinous Fish-Man Criminal in History?"
Below it was a massive wanted poster.
The photo on the poster was none other than Fisher Tiger, with raging flames behind him and slaves fleeing in the distance.
Bounty: 500,000,000 Berries.
The World Government probably isn't aware of Dragon's affairs, otherwise, they would surely issue an astronomical bounty for Dragon.
While pondering this, Raleigh continued reading the text.
Most of these news reports were inaccurate, as the Five Elders had blocked the internal information channels of Mary Geoise.
Just knowing Fisher Tiger's name and photo was already impressive.
Raleigh stroked his chin. "The Boa sisters should have escaped along with them, right?"
"I remember that among the slaves who escaped this time, aside from the three Hancock sisters, there should also be Golden Emperor Tesoro and a little girl from the Revolutionary Army. There probably aren't any other important figures."
Raleigh could foresee that the Navy would soon be facing busy tasks again, and the Donquixote Family, also part of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, would soon grow stronger.
After leaving the North Blue, Doflamingo had also started dealing in the human trafficking business.
Moreover, his human auction house was quite famous on Sabaody Archipelago.
Having already wasted a lot of time in the Kingdom of Alabasta, Raleigh decided to spend the remaining time looking for Doflamingo to have a chat.
As for those escaped slaves? Raleigh had no intention of stooping to the life of capturing slaves.
Sengoku wouldn't agree to it either, at most sending some Rear Admirals with insufficient strength to capture those slaves.
...
In the palace of Fish-Man Island, Queen Otohime and King Neptune sat side by side, watching their daughter Shirahoshi, who had just fallen asleep.
"Mr. Tiger actually succeeded in making the World Nobles lose face."
They had also seen the latest news and learned that Tiger's mission had been accomplished.
However, this incident was not a good thing for Fish-Man Island.
Because their own forces were very weak—if it weren't for Fish-Man Island's location in the middle of the sea, it would have long been occupied by swarms of Pirates.
The reason Fish-Man Island still existed was that all Pirates needed to pass through it to resupply, skirting the bottom of the Red Line to reach the New World.
No single Pirate Crew could hold this place alone.
"The World Government will likely impose sanctions on us; we can only rely on other forces. Which Pirate Crew do you think can protect us now?" Neptune felt frustrated.
As the king of a World Government Affiliate Nation, he never imagined the day would come when he would need protection from Pirates.
But for the future of Fish-Man Island, they had no choice but to consider the well-being of their people.
"There aren't many powerful forces among the Pirates in the New World right now. Charlotte Linlin's price is too high, and she demands souls. I'm more inclined toward the Red-Haired Pirates that left here not long ago. From them, I see the shadow of Roger." Queen Otohime carefully recalled the appearance of that red-haired young captain on Fish-Man Island.
"That kid named Shanks? I did hear he was once a crew member of the Pirate King Roger and now leads his own Pirate Crew, but they aren't strong enough to protect Fish-Man Island yet."
"How about we seek help from the Navy instead?" Neptune recalled a name, one known to every pirate in the world.
Christian Raleigh.
Queen Otohime nodded; she knew exactly who Neptune was referring to.
"We can try contacting him."
Outside the palace, Fish-Man District was now engulfed in celebration.
Countless Fish-Men had stepped out of their homes, laughing joyfully in the streets.
Newspapers were tossed into the air, fluttering freely as they fell.
In their eyes, a Fish-Man who dared to challenge the Celestial Dragons was a hero to all of Fish-Man District.
They took immense pride in having once followed Tiger.
Jinbe, Arlong, Hatchan, and a large group of Fish-Men immediately abandoned their current affairs, determined to leave Fish-Man District and Fish-Man Island to follow in their big brother's footsteps.
...
Navy Headquarters, Marineford.
Every corner of Marineford had been thoroughly cleaned, with fresh flowers neatly arranged throughout.
At the center of the parade ground, Navy soldiers were constructing a stage for speeches.
Ever since Kong and Sengoku jointly captured the Redfield and sent him to Impel Down, Sengoku's promotion application and Kong's resignation request had been submitted simultaneously.
Although the Five Elders were currently preoccupied with handling the slave escape incident, the appointment document for Sengoku as Fleet Admiral had been signed and delivered to the Navy.
Sengoku had now begun the internal Navy procedures to grasp those hidden powers before officially assuming the role of Fleet Admiral.
After a long day of work, Sengoku, carrying his weary body, arrived at the Fleet Admiral's office.
Kong was currently wearing glasses and reading a newspaper.
"Fleet Admiral, the preparations needed on-site are basically complete. I've already gone to inspect them," Sengoku reported, standing ramrod straight.
Upon hearing Sengoku's voice, Kong shifted his gaze from the newspaper to look at his disciple and said.
"Sengoku, you shouldn't handle such matters personally from now on."
"As the Fleet Admiral, your word alone can make many people lay down their lives for you. You must learn to utilize everyone's strengths appropriately. Among the Navy's high command, some share similar views, others differ, but there are no fools—except for Garp."
"A Fleet Admiral's duty is to properly leverage the strengths of each individual. For instance, regarding these preparations, you could have had Tsuru take a look, or assigned Borsalino or Tokikake to oversee them. As an Admiral, and soon to take my place, you need to adapt to this change sooner."
Sengoku nodded, but his posture remained unchanged.
Kong sighed, then waved his hand and said, "Take a seat."
In the spacious office, a white-haired Fleet Admiral and a robust Admiral sat facing each other.
As if suddenly remembering something, Sengoku produced a report and said, "Fleet Admiral Kong, I have intelligence here reported by the Navies of the Four Blues. The intelligence indicates that the Revolutionary Army's strength in the South Blue and West Blue has grown significantly, to the point where they can overthrow a kingdom and install their own people on the throne. Have the Five Elders given any response?"
"I fear that if we allow the Revolutionary Army to continue developing, they could very well become a serious threat to the World Government and the Navy."
Kong set down the newspaper in his hand and spoke with grave sincerity. "Sengoku, I know that ever since you joined the Navy, you have demonstrated a strategic vision and wisdom far surpassing others. But there is one thing I must tell you—this is what my old Fleet Admiral taught me."
"On these seas, aside from the World Government, no force has ever existed permanently. They may flourish for a time, but that is only because the World Government does not take them seriously. Once the World Government decides to act, all forces on the sea will crumble like sandcastles washed away by the tide."
"So remember, everything in this world is under the control of the government. They don't need a Navy with independent thinking—they only need an obedient military."
Sengoku stood frozen in place after hearing Kong's words.
Searching his heart, Sengoku had upheld Justice for so many years.
It was understandable that he could not fully grasp this.
Because Justice meant something different to every member of the Navy, giving rise to various slogans of Justice.
To Sengoku, this was commonplace, but in Kong's eyes, it meant nothing.
The World Government did not need various forms of Justice—they did not even need Justice itself.
What they truly wanted were pawns who acted under the banner of Justice, obeying their commands.