Sengoku was conflicted.
The situation in the New World remained unclear, and whoever he sent risked combat casualties.
Suddenly, a smiling face flashed through Sengoku's mind. "Raleigh. Raleigh is now an Admiral, and his abilities, physical combat skills, and swordsmanship are all exceptionally strong. Sending him to handle matters in the New World might be the better choice."
For now, Sengoku could only rely on Raleigh.
After all, Sakazuki was a battle maniac. If sent to the New World, he would undoubtedly engage in daily battles with other Pirates.
Sengoku preferred the feeling of strategizing and would not proactively burst the bubble before things escalated to that point.
"Go, deliver this letter to Admiral Raleigh."
Sengoku returned to his desk, picked up a pen, and began signing the order.
He then handed it to the messenger, ordering him to rush to the New World as quickly as possible to maintain stability.
....
"Shanks? He was just a cabin boy on a ship back in the day."
Raleigh didn't dwell on it
In his view, whether it was Red-Haired Shanks or Kaido of the Beasts, they were merely tests on his path.
"To think they'd send me directly into the New World—this is perfect."
Raleigh stood up excitedly and looked at the nautical chart hanging in his office.
"Hmm, to reach the New World, you either take the elevator unique to Mary Geoise or get a Coating at Sabaody Archipelago, then use Fish-Man Island as a stepping stone to the most chaotic part of the New World."
As long as the issue of entry was resolved, the rest wouldn't be a problem.
Even if Kaido of the Beasts and Red-Haired Shanks were to fight against all odds, wouldn't that be a good thing?
His love for watching drama and excitement hadn't changed, even after transmigrating to this other world.
"Are you leaving again, Raleigh?"
Upon hearing the news, Gion hurried over from the battleship to ask.
Raleigh reached out, pulled Gion into his arms, and held her. "This is the first time Fleet Admiral Sengoku has given me an order. No matter what, I have to go to the New World. But don't worry. With my strength, as long as Charlotte Linlin, Kaido of the Beasts, and Red-Haired Shanks don't team up against me simultaneously in the New World, I have nothing to fear."
Raleigh knew Gion also had a mission.
Since being with Raleigh, she hadn't captured many Pirates for a long time and lacked sufficient Military Merit, so she was still a Rear Admiral, unlike Tokikake, who had become a Vice Admiral.
Now, she planned to head to the first half of the Grand Line to earn some Military Merit and get promoted to Vice Admiral.
"Then you must be careful on your journey."
The two gazed deeply into each other's eyes before sharing a kiss.
....
An island in the New World, Punk Hazard.
The Ice-Fire Island where Luffy will landed in the future.
However, Punk Hazard hadn't changed at all at this time, remaining like any other island in the sea.
The reason it became a land of ice and fire was due to the duel between Sakazuki and Kuzan here.
Raleigh suddenly remembered someone—a Gas Fruit Ability user who loved playing with poison gas: Caesar Clown.
It was his collaboration with the Donquixote Family that led to the family's various weapons and drugs.
But after closing his eyes and using his Observation Haki and Storm Fruit Ability to search the area, Raleigh found nothing and ended his scan.
The reason he came to Punk Hazard was because someone was waiting for him here.
"Long time no see, Momonga, Cleveland."
Yes, the ones appearing here were Momonga and Cleveland.
Cleveland hadn't reached the rank of Rear Admiral, while Momonga had been promoted to Vice Admiral.
Over the years, due to the efforts of the North Blue mafia, most Pirates in the North Blue could only purchase limited supplies, so Cleveland's Military Merit hadn't increased significantly.
In the cave, aside from Momonga and Cleveland who had arrived earlier, there was only Raleigh, the newly promoted Admiral.
"So, Momonga, Cleveland, long time no see. I've missed you both." Raleigh stepped forward and asked jokingly.
"Have you verified the source of the intelligence?"
Momonga pointed to a model pieced together from clay and sandstone, depicting the terrain and geographical features of all locations in the Grand Line, along with their inherent weaknesses.
At this moment, the entire World Model had already been marked with small flags by Momonga and Cleveland.
Red represented the Revolutionary Army's sphere of influence, blue represented the Navy's sphere of influence, and there was still one important guest yet to make an appearance—the black flags representing Pirate Strength.
Pirates indeed had their small flags scattered everywhere, but these flags were disconnected, with most actually located within the spheres of influence of either the Navy or the Revolutionary Army.
Cleveland asked with great interest, "Admiral Raleigh, looking at it this way, it's quite vivid. The Revolutionary Army truly is a colossal entity."
Observing the Revolutionary Army, which already occupied one-third of the territory, Raleigh showed no particular reaction.
Instead, he explained to Cleveland, "Cleveland, those are nothing more than self-indulgent tricks. Although they appear powerful now, both the World Government and the Navy need only a light touch to burst their bubble. Without any support, it is truly astonishing that Dragon has managed to develop to this extent."
However, Dragon was already prepared for battle.
Compared to secretly infiltrating several member nations, only to discover internally that these areas actually belonged to the Revolutionary Army's sphere of influence...
"As expected of Dragon, always able to see the outcome of things at a glance. No wonder the World Government arrested his Army Commanders. He has already developed to this point—who knows what would happen if he continued to grow."
After exchanging a glance with Cleveland, Momonga spoke up and asked, "What's wrong, Raleigh? Do you think what Dragon wants to accomplish is impossible?"
"I originally wanted to borrow Dragon's ideas to develop our own strength."
Raleigh shook his head and said, "More people aren't necessarily better. An organization cannot recklessly expand solely through this kind of development method. Before proper integration is achieved, the Revolutionary Army's combat effectiveness has been continuously declining."