Several days had passed since Sengoku was promoted to Fleet Admiral, and the positions of the three new Admirals in the Navy had all been filled.
Their posters had spread across the world along the routes of the News Coos.
The Vice Admirals who had appeared in the Summit War had also been promoted one after another from the ranks of the Rear Admirals.
After the celebrations at Marineford, most of the Navy soldiers and officers gathered and embarked on journeys to various parts of the world.
They firmly believed that under the Flag of Justice, evil forces such as pirates would be swept away by brave Navy soldiers.
In the newly renovated Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku had changed into his uniform.
He sat in the position previously occupied by Kong and began reviewing documents, imitating Kong's manner.
Crunch crunch.
The veins on Sengoku's forehead throbbed incessantly, and the pen in his hand seemed to be under immense pressure, slightly deforming.
However, the source of the noise seemed completely unaware and continued eating loudly.
Crunch crunch.
Bang!
Sengoku could no longer bear it and slammed his palm on the solid wood desk, producing a loud noise.
The source of the noise was startled, and the senbei in his mouth was forgotten, choking him.
"Cough..."
Looking at Garp's flailing, Sengoku's anger erupted as he punched Garp in the face.
BONK!
Garp's head collided with the sofa.
Using the force, Garp swallowed the senbei in his mouth. Gasping for breath, he complained unhappily, "Sengoku, you almost killed me."
Sengoku clenched his fists again, his eyes filled with danger.
"Who told you to eat senbei while I'm working? Don't worry, if you choke to death on senbei, I absolutely won't cover for you. I'll send a report to the whole world saying you died from eating senbei, and I'll promote someone else to take your place."
Seeing the furious Sengoku, Garp shrank his head back.
He was stubborn, but he knew when to pick his battles.
Sengoku had always held the upper hand over him. Whether it came to fighting or arguing, Garp always fell a little short.
Not daring to speak, Garp took out his senbei again, ready to eat.
Whoosh.
The senbei in Garp's hand instantly appeared in Sengoku's grasp, leaving Garp staring dumbfounded at his now-empty left hand.
Sengoku tilted his head back and poured all the senbei into his mouth, chewing loudly.
"You bastard, Sengoku! You stole my senbei! Damn you!"
After hurling insults at each other, both men fell silent simultaneously.
After hesitating for a moment, Sengoku finally spoke.
"Garp, do you remember when Raleigh mentioned Dragon's Revolutionary Army?"
Garp was taken aback.
How could he remember anything about the Revolutionary Army Dragon founded, especially something that came from Raleigh's mouth?
Back then, Garp had nearly clashed with Raleigh and Sakazuki over Roger's child.
Because of that incident, Garp had been placed under house arrest and stripped of his Navy Hero title.
"I remember Raleigh once said Dragon started a Revolutionary Army in a country in the North Blue, but that was just small-scale stuff. No army can compare to our Navy!" Garp declared proudly.
At present, the Navy was at its peak.
The previous generation of Monster—Sengoku, Garp, and Zephyr—hadn't declined in strength, while the new generation of Admirals were still climbing toward their peak.
Add to that a Chief of Staff—Kuzan—whose strength was no less than that of an Admiral.
Indeed, because Kuzan hadn't managed to seize an Admiral position from Borsalino, Sengoku had created the Chief of Staff role for him, a position higher than Tsuru's.
This Chief of Staff held significant authority. In the first high-ranking officers' meeting Sengoku convened under his Fleet Admiral title, he explicitly outlined the Chief of Staff's powers and subtly hinted at his relationship with Kuzan.
Sengoku believed anyone who understood would treat Kuzan with the same respect as an Admiral.
Moreover, precisely because Kuzan wasn't an Admiral, he enjoyed a status similar to Garp's—not required to garrison Marineford, free to organize fleets and set sail as he pleased.
"Garp, perhaps you don't realize it, but Dragon's Revolutionary Army has grown powerful now."
Sengoku took a document from the table and showed it to Garp.
"This is intelligence collected by our personnel on the Revolutionary Army's areas of activity. Across the Four Blues, the Revolutionary Army has gained a substantial popular base. Though they haven't risen in rebellion yet, who can guarantee they won't revolt soon?"
"The Five Elders have set their sights on Dragon's location. Before they order the Navy to wage war on the Revolutionary Army... you should go and meet Dragon."
Sengoku looked at Garp with complex emotions.
To be honest, he didn't want to go to war with the Revolutionary Army either, especially since its leader was Monkey D. Dragon.
Without joking, Dragon was truly a child Sengoku had watched grow up.
Especially before Dragon left the Navy, Sengoku had always regarded Dragon as his successor.
Now, Dragon had withdrawn from the Navy, but traces of the knowledge Sengoku imparted to him could still be found in the newly established force he created.
Garp fell into a rare silence for a moment before speaking in a low voice, "Alright, send me the specific address. I need some time to find Dragon and ask him."
Sengoku nodded without any objection.
Before the Revolutionary Army fully exposed its threat to the World Nobles, Sengoku hoped Garp could persuade Dragon to abandon the Revolutionary Army.
This way, the Navy and the Revolutionary Army wouldn't have to clash in the future.
....
Far away in the North Blue, Dragon was pondering how to rescue Ivankov and Inazuma from Impel Down.
Little did he know that the first thing Sengoku would do after becoming Fleet Admiral was to send Garp to find him and demand the dissolution of the Revolutionary Army.
....
Understanding the seriousness of the matter, Garp no longer wore his usual carefree expression.
He sat motionless on the sofa, only taking a moment to call his adjutant and instruct him to have the supplies on the battleship loaded first.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, there's new intelligence."
A messenger pushed open the door, holding several nautical charts and documents as he entered Sengoku's office.
"What's so urgent? Is it about the New World?"
Sengoku frowned.
What he feared most now was trouble in the New World.
Whether it was the Four Blues or the first half of the Grand Line, they were merely opponents easily conquered by the current naval forces.
Only the pirates in the New World posed a challenge to Sengoku.
A large nautical chart was quickly spread open on the coffee table, while the messenger handed the top-secret intelligence directly to Sengoku.
"Reporting to Fleet Admiral Sengoku, according to intelligence from our informants in the New World, Kaido has led a group of pirates to the territory of the Red-Haired Shanks Pirate Crew, which recently entered the New World."
Sengoku reviewed all the intelligence in his hands and then analyzed it against the islands marked on the nautical chart.
"Shanks, isn't that the red-haired kid from Roger's ship? How did he catch Kaido's attention?"
So far, the title of the Four Emperors had not yet emerged among Pirates.
This was because Whitebeard Edward Newgate, one of the original Four Emperors, had already been eliminated by the Navy.
The remaining commanders, such as Marco, were unable to defend the vast territory of the Whitebeard Pirates and could only abandon some less important islands in exchange for absolute control over their core territories.
"Who should I send?"