Marshall Sengoku, Staff officer and Vice Admiral of the Marine Tsuru, and the Vice Admiral Garp gathered together. They were old comrades-in-arms who had joined the navy at the same time.
There weren't many veterans left.
At that moment, the three of them looked grim, having received a report from the 18th branch of the East Blue, which contradicted the earlier report from the 16th branch.
The initial report from the 16th branch claimed that a pirate had killed the corrupt Colonel Nezumi. For such a crime, Sengoku immediately issued a bounty of 1 billion berries—an enormous price for a little girl.
But the new report from the 18th branch revealed another truth: The pirate in question, a young girl named Mina, had defeated the Arlong Pirates and handed the captured villains over to the navy.
The Arlong Pirates had ruled over more than a dozen villages in the East Blue, committing countless crimes.
Moreover, this report confirmed that Colonel Nezumi of the 16th branch had colluded with Arlong to oppress the villagers.
Sengoku's face darkened. He had been deceived. That such corruption existed under his command was a disgrace to the navy.
Garp looked equally troubled. He hadn't expected such a brutal pirate to rise in the East Blue, despite his years of hunting down pirates there. It seemed he had been careless.
The East Blue was his home, and of course he would do everything in his power to protect it.
The reason it was called the "weakest sea" was simply because Garp had eliminated all those with the potential to become great pirates early on. That way, they never had the chance to rise.
And naturally, with fewer Devil Fruits in the East Blue, there were fewer people capable of becoming powerful pirates.
So they had no chance to become great pirates.
Of course, there were fewer Devil Fruits in the East Blue, so there were fewer people who could rise to become powerful pirates.
Vice Admiral Tsuru asked grimly: "Now what should we do with the 16th branch of the East Blue Navy? And what should we do with Arlong? After all, he is the one protected by the Shichibukai Jinbe."
Garp answered angrily: "The presence of these people in the navy is simply a disgrace. As for the members of the 16th branch, they must all be eliminated and held accountable. And Arlong, protected or not, committed heinous crimes. Of course, he deserves immediate execution."
Even Sengoku's expression was dark. "Those people have truly brought shame to the navy. I never expected such scoundrels among our ranks. But if we eliminate them so easily, how will we recruit replacements? We should send a new branch captain to restore discipline. And Arlong should be kept in Impel Down. Otherwise, the World Government will think I'm undermining the Shichibukai system."
Garp was deeply dissatisfied. He picked up the plate of senbei on the table and poured it into his mouth. "Sengoku, can those worm-ridden marines still protect civilians? Isn't the punishment for Arlong too light? Such a person should be smashed to death by my iron fist. After all, they all committed capital crimes—especially Arlong."
Sengoku sighed helplessly. "Although they made mistakes, we should give them a chance to atone for their sins. As for imprisoning Arlong in Impel Down, the suffering he will endure there is no easier than death itself."
Garp fell silent. He knew Sengoku was right.
Impel Down was a hell for pirates, and letting such a hateful criminal rot there was punishment enough.
Vice Admiral Tsuru did not object.
She thought this approach was sound.
After all, Arlong had already been spared once because of Jinbe, so of course he couldn't be let go again.
Marshal Sengoku was firm in his decision, but even so he did not kill Arlong. He also had to give an explanation to the sea knight Jinbe.
And of course, they had to explain to the World Government that the navy's original duty was to capture pirates.
Releasing Arlong once before had already been a violation of that duty—though it had been done under the World Government's orders, for the sake of the Shichibukai system when Jinbe joined.
Now there was another problem to solve.
"This incident has greatly damaged the reputation of the navy. Such a scandal must not be leaked. I have ordered the 18th branch, who are aware of the truth, to keep it secret.
And then there is the little girl who killed the marine captain. Tsuru, what do you think we should do with her?"
He still admired the girl who had defeated the Arlong Pirates.
Arlong's bounty was 200 million berries, one of the highest in the East Blue.
No one had expected a little girl to take him down. Tsuru continued with her suggestion:
"I think this is a very promising child. If there's a chance, I would like to recruit her into the navy and train her well. Perhaps she could become a top force in the navy, like Admiral Candidate Taotu."
That's right—Momousagi was a candidate for admiral. Although her current rank was still vice admiral, in terms of strength she could definitely rise to admiral.
Compared with the current three admirals, she was only slightly weaker.
Even so, she could still deter the great pirates.
Sengoku agreed with Vice Admiral Tsuru's reasoning about protecting the reputation of the navy.
There was nothing to object to—if the navy's reputation was ruined, the world would no longer trust them. And without trust, how could the navy uphold justice across the seas?
Still, Sengoku thought carefully about the second half of Tsuru's proposal and found it very feasible.
"Tsuru-chan, you are right. But the actions of this little girl named Mina, who killed a marine captain, must be addressed. We can clean up the mess, then release her. Perhaps we can successfully recruit her into the navy."
Vice Admiral Tsuru agreed with this approach.
"If we imprison her and then release her, she will likely feel grateful. That would make her more willing to join us. It's a good plan."
But Garp was furious.
"Sengoku, are you out of your mind? That captain colluded with pirates—such marines are even more hateful than pirates themselves! Those civilian pirates have been abused by Arlong, and only the navy can save them. Is it a crime to kill a corrupt marine? If I see one, I'll beat him to death myself!"
"You're not rewarding Mina—you're punishing her instead. Are you crazy?"
"As for Tsuru's proposal, I think it's feasible. If a girl like this joins us, she could indeed become a powerful force in the navy, like Gion."