"Still no news about Whitebeard?"
The communications soldier standing nearby shook his head.
"No. Ever since the surveillance ships were sunk, we have received no further intelligence about the Whitebeard Pirates."
"I see…"
Sengoku frowned.
"So much time has passed, yet the Whitebeard Pirates still haven't made any move…"
"Are they planning to face us directly on the day of the public execution?"
Thinking about it carefully, it was not impossible.
After all… that man was Whitebeard.
Known as the strongest man in the world, he would never fear the Marines. So… the possibility of a direct confrontation was the highest.
Of course, he also could not rule out the possibility that the other side was brewing some larger scheme.
For example… attacking Impel Down.
Although the probability was not high, it was not impossible.
After all… they were pirates.
At that moment, Garp walked in from outside and silently sat down on the sofa.
Judging from his expression, his mood was not good.
'Thankfully, this guy didn't act recklessly…'
Sengoku muttered inwardly.
If Garp had gone mad in Impel Down, Magellan really would not have been able to stop him.
It could be said that if Garp wanted, he alone could smash through Impel Down.
Fortunately, this old man still remembered the meaning of the two words on his back.
"Don't look at me like that."
Garp glanced at Sengoku and said,
"This old man only went to see his grandson. I won't do anything unnecessary."
If he had really wanted to snatch Ace away, he would have taken him and left long ago. How could he possibly return to Marine Headquarters?
In the end… he was still a Marine.
"Mm. I know."
Seeing that Sengoku did not say anything else unnecessary, Garp closed his eyes and leaned back against the sofa without another word.
However, judging from his tightly furrowed brows, his heart was far from calm.
'He is still his grandson after all…'
Sengoku sighed inwardly.
But no matter what, what they had to do this time could not be changed.
He only hoped Garp would not do anything foolish when the time came.
Just then, a communications soldier ran in from outside with a panicked expression.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
"An emergency report has come from Impel Down!"
The moment those words came out, Sengoku's expression changed.
"Emergency report?!"
Sengoku quickly asked,
"Has the Whitebeard Pirates attacked?"
If the Whitebeard Pirates had gone after Impel Down, then… they would need to support Impel Down as fast as possible.
Then… in that area, they would kill Whitebeard.
'Impel Down…'
Garp opened his eyes and glanced at the newcomer, his brows furrowing even deeper.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, it is not the Whitebeard Pirates," the communications soldier said. "The Straw Hat crew has invaded Impel Down."
Garp: ???
Sengoku: !!!
After hearing this, Garp was dumbfounded.
He had never imagined his grandson would run to a place like that. Did that brat not know what kind of place Impel Down was?!
That was the pirates' hell!
As for Sengoku, he was furious.
The pirate crew that had killed three Celestial Dragons not long ago had now actually appeared in Impel Down?
This was like slapping the Marines in the face with the sole of a shoe!
Thinking of this, Sengoku said angrily,
"Why would the Straw Hat crew appear in Impel Down?!"
"Could this have been done by that bastard Kuma?!"
At that moment, Sengoku recalled Akainu's previous report. Kuma had indeed sent the entire Straw Hat crew flying.
But where exactly they had been sent, they had not known.
Looking at it now… perhaps they had been sent flying to Impel Down!
Otherwise, there was no way to explain how they had appeared in Impel Down.
"That is unknown," the communications soldier said, shaking his head. "Bartholomew Kuma has now lost his personality. Even if we wanted to question him, we would not get an answer."
Then the communications soldier guessed,
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, could it be possible that the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock, did something?"
"That woman wouldn't be that foolish. Besides, Amazon Lily greatly rejects men. She would not take such a massive risk to help the Straw Hat Pirates."
Compared to Boa Hancock, Sengoku was more inclined to believe that Kuma had sent the Straw Hat Pirates to Impel Down.
Of course, it was also possible that they had been sent to some special island in the Calm Belt, then relied on the Blood-Eyed Ninja jin's Water Release to cross the Calm Belt and reach Impel Down.
But no matter which possibility it was, the fact that the other side had reached Impel Down was extremely humiliating for the Marines.
After thinking for a moment, Sengoku asked,
"How many members of the Straw Hat Pirates appeared there?"
"Two," the communications soldier said. "Only Straw Hat Luffy and the Blood-Eyed Ninja."
"The two most troublesome ones…"
Sengoku frowned.
That bastard Kuma really knew how to cause trouble for them.
At that moment, a man sitting on the sofa asked,
"Have their purpose for appearing in Impel Down been confirmed?"
"Unclear."
The communications soldier shook his head.
"Impel Down has only discovered their traces."
"At the moment… they should be on Level Two, the Wild Beast Hell."
As for whether they had entered the deeper levels, they did not know.
"They're heading downward," the man said with a frown. "In that case, they entered Impel Down with a purpose… Are they trying to rescue someone?"
As he spoke, several guesses appeared in his mind.
After hearing the man's words, Garp's expression became somewhat unnatural.
'Luffy and that ninja brat must be going after Ace.'
Garp muttered inwardly.
If those two really succeeded, Ace would survive.
Thinking of this, Garp's tightly furrowed brows relaxed.
At that moment, Sengoku glanced at Garp, clearly understanding what was going on.
Then he said,
"They must be after Fire Fist Ace. Straw Hat and Fire Fist Ace are sworn brothers."
If it were not for Fire Fist Ace, Straw Hat and the Blood-Eyed Ninja had no reason to go to Impel Down.
"I see…"
The man nodded after hearing this and said nothing further.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, should we send reinforcements to Impel Down?" the communications soldier asked.
He had heard that even an Admiral had been unable to capture the Straw Hat Pirates.
Could Impel Down really stop such terrifying people?
"Reinforcements…"
Sengoku did not immediately answer. Instead, he frowned and began thinking.
At that moment, intelligence about the Blood-Eyed Ninja jin surfaced in his mind one by one.
He possessed Release techniques of various attributes, with Water Release posing the greatest threat.
He also possessed hypnosis and… an immortal body.
A person like that appearing in Impel Down was truly not good news.
'Should I send an Admiral to support them?'
If he sent Borsalino to Impel Down, he could indeed arrive there very quickly.
But there was one problem.
What if Whitebeard launched a surprise attack on Marine Headquarters at that time?
Losing one Admiral might cause unexpected changes.
Then their goal of keeping Whitebeard here might become impossible to accomplish.
But leaving the Blood-Eyed Ninja to rampage through Impel Down was also unacceptable.
After all, that guy was powerful too.
Although this brat was not an Admiral's match, it would also be impossible for Vice Admiral-level officers to capture him.
Although Sengoku did not want to admit it, that brat was indeed quite strong now.
Ninjutsu, Haki, plus an immortal body…
How much combat power he could unleash was still unknown.
However…
'In an environment like Impel Down, the strength Magellan can display is no weaker than an Admiral.'
Sengoku muttered inwardly.
After all… biological poison was the natural enemy of all humans.
Even if the Blood-Eyed Ninja possessed an ability similar to an immortal body, if he was continuously attacked by poison that naturally countered living creatures, he probably would not fare well.
'Even if this guy uses Water Release to deal with Magellan, in the end, he will still be finished by Magellan's deadly poison!'
Sengoku thought.
After all… Magellan's Venom-Venom Fruit could easily infect an entire area of seawater, turning it into terrifying deadly poison.
Thinking this, Sengoku made his decision.
"There is no need for reinforcements."
Sengoku said,
"Magellan's strength is still very powerful."
After saying that, he paused briefly, then continued,
"Tell Magellan that he must keep the Blood-Eyed Ninja inside Impel Down!"
Sengoku said,
"Even if he cannot kill him, he must restrict him there!"
"Also, don't forget to send Magellan the intelligence on the Blood-Eyed Ninja jin and Straw Hat."
As long as they could keep the Blood-Eyed Ninja inside Impel Down for two days, the war on their side should be over.
At that time… even if the Blood-Eyed Ninja truly possessed an immortal body, they could still capture him.
As for Straw Hat?
With Magellan there, that guy would not be able to leave alive either.
After all… he did not have an immortal body.
"Yes!"
"Also!"
As if remembering something, Sengoku said,
"If he needs troops, have him notify the Marines outside."
The forces of ten Marine warships were already considerable.
Although they might not necessarily be able to capture the Blood-Eyed Ninja, helping Magellan maintain order was still possible.
"Understood!"
After receiving the order, the communications soldier quickly left.
Watching him go, Sengoku rubbed his brow.
"Everything really is happening at once."
However, that man appearing there might also be an opportunity for them.
'If we can capture him, perhaps we can uncover the secrets on his body.'
Sengoku thought inwardly.
Of course, if the other side was accidentally killed by Magellan, they would have no way to obtain those secrets about ninjas.
But Sengoku did not intend to force it.
It would naturally be best if they could obtain them. If not, there was nothing they could do.
After all… this was a critical period.
They had to guard against Whitebeard.
That was the most important thing. Everything else came after it.
At that moment, a strange sound entered his ears, successfully interrupting Sengoku's thoughts.
Crunch.
Crunch.
Crunch.
"So delicious~" Garp said.
Sengoku: "…"
Looking at Garp, who was sitting there cheerfully eating rice crackers, Sengoku immediately felt anger surge up.
"Garp, you bastard! What are you laughing about?!"
"Ahahahaha!"
"You bastard!"
Sengoku opened his shark-like mouth and roared,
"Do you even know what your grandson has done?!"
"Causing a scene at Enies Lobby was bad enough. Three Celestial Dragons died because of his Straw Hat Pirates. And now… he has invaded Impel Down together with the Blood-Eyed Ninja!"
"These incidents were unheard of in the past!"
Unfortunately, Sengoku's words not only failed to make Garp restrain himself, they made the man laugh even more happily.
"Ahahahahaha! As expected of my grandson!"
Garp laughed loudly.
Sengoku: "…"
Looking at the laughing Garp, veins bulged on Sengoku's forehead.
Was this bastard getting a little too carried away?
"You bastard!"
Sengoku quickly rushed out from his position, grabbed Garp by the collar, and glared at him furiously.
"If it weren't because you're the Hero of the Marines, do you think you wouldn't be held responsible?"
If this guy did not carry the title of Marine Hero, the World Government would definitely hold him accountable. At that point, even if Sengoku wanted to protect him, he would not be able to!
Thinking this, Sengoku became even angrier.
"Ahahahahaha! These old bones of mine can't take responsibility for something this big," Garp laughed. "So spare me."
"You're still laughing!"
Sengoku opened his shark-like mouth and roared,
"Do you know how much effort Tsuru and I spent cleaning up those messes from before?!"
"You bastard!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Sengoku snatched the rice crackers from Garp's hand, his expression extremely unhappy.
"Hey, give my rice crackers back, Sengoku!"
"Shut up!" Sengoku said. "They're mine now!"
Then, in front of Garp, Sengoku ate all the rice crackers in one breath, directly stunning Garp.
"All… all gone?"
"What, are you dissatisfied?" Sengoku glared at him.
Garp: "…"
He had only brought this one bag of rice crackers, yet Sengoku, that bastard, had eaten all of them.
What kind of nonsense was this?
The man sitting on the sofa looked helplessly at this scene.
Was this really something suitable for him to witness?
Shaking his head, the man said,
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, what if the Blood-Eyed Ninja and Straw Hat really rescue Fire Fist Ace?"
Although the probability was not high, they needed to consider every possibility to avoid accidents.
Hearing the man's words, Sengoku thought for a moment and said,
"Then we can only send an Admiral to deal with it."
In his view, no matter how powerful the Blood-Eyed Ninja was, it was impossible for him to rescue Fire Fist Ace under Magellan's nose.
After all… that man was imprisoned on Impel Down's Level Six.
And the special existence of Level Six was only known to a small number of high-ranking officials within Impel Down.
So… even if the other side had hypnotic abilities, the probability of finding Level Six was not high.
Of course, if they really did happen to find Fire Fist Ace and rescue him… then they could only send Borsalino.
But unless it was absolutely necessary, Sengoku would not send out an Admiral.
After all… the execution was tomorrow.
The Whitebeard Pirates could appear at Marine Headquarters at any time. They had to be guarded against.
"An Admiral…"
The man frowned.
"Would there still be time?"
"Mm. There would."
Sengoku nodded.
"Impel Down is enormous. Even if that guy can find Fire Fist Ace and rescue him, returning to the surface would take quite some time."
"Furthermore, Magellan will stop them. He can absolutely hold out until Borsalino arrives."
However, Sengoku felt that the probability of this happening was not high.
After all… Magellan truly was powerful.
The Venom-Venom Fruit, in that kind of environment, was almost invincible.
This was also why he felt comfortable leaving the Blood-Eyed Ninja jin to Magellan.
That man's ability was practically the natural enemy of human beings.
"I see."
The man nodded and said nothing more.
Sengoku glanced at Garp, who had fallen silent again, and shook his head helplessly.
He could still understand how conflicted this man must feel inside.
As the grandfather of Ace and Straw Hat, Garp absolutely hoped his grandsons could be saved.
But at the same time, he was also a Marine who carried justice on his back.
From the Marines' perspective, he naturally would not want something to happen in a place like Impel Down.
But Sengoku did not say anything.
After all… there were some things he had to do.
At that moment, a communications soldier ran in from outside and said,
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, aside from the Pirate Empress Boa Hancock and Knight of the Sea Jinbe, all the Seven Warlords have arrived!"
Hearing this, Sengoku nodded and asked,
"They haven't caused any trouble, have they?"
With those unruly people arriving at Marine Headquarters, it was entirely possible they might try something crooked.
After all… they were pirates.
Even if they carried the title of Warlord, they could never truly be on the same side as the Marines.
So they had to be guarded against.
"Doflamingo controlled our men and made them attack one another, but Vice Admiral Tsuru stopped him," the communications soldier said.
"Doflamingo…"
The moment Sengoku thought of that former Celestial Dragon's information, his head began to ache.
That man was also someone who wished for the world to fall into chaos.
Forget it. With Tsuru watching him, he probably would not dare to cause more trouble.
The only question was how much effort these Warlords would put into the coming war.
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