Starting as a working person from Naruto

Chapter 364 The Fleet Admiral's Secret: We Can Live Off This for a Lifetime!

The Konoha Pirates' ship was bustling with activity.

Madara Uchiha had already activated his Sharingan, carefully staring at the white anti-eavesdropping Den Den Mushi in front of him, and began to transcribe the sealed memories using his Sharingan.

Because the Konoha Pirates were about to have their first exchange with the Fleet Admiral, which was also their first conversation with the other side's high-ranking officials, it was essential to record this first contact between the high-ranking officials.

Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku the Buddha leisurely sipped his black tea and ate his favorite senbei, enjoying the happiest short time before work began.

Before the mission began, he received a report from Lieutenant Kagura Akihara: the warship responsible for escorting Buggy the Clown had crossed Reverse Mountain and entered the Grand Line. They would stop in Drum Kingdom to treat Smoker and then arrest Straw Hat Luffy along the way, sending both Luffy and Buggy to Impel Down.

"Hopefully Garp won't be too upset."

Just as Sengoku was trying to reassure himself about his old friend and was about to call Aokiji to ask about him, a call came in on his own initiative.

"Puff puff..."

The Den Den Mushi's voice sounded somewhat muffled.

Sengoku put down the senbei and answered the Den Den Mushi. He then saw his Den Den Mushi gradually transform into the appearance of Aokiji.

"Kuzan, do you even know how to report now?"

Sengoku's voice carried a hint of displeasure as he sternly rebuked, "Ever since the Loguetown incident, I've been waiting for your news, detailed intelligence..."

"Feel sorry."

Aokiji took the initiative to apologize to Sengoku, his voice sincere as he said, "The situation has changed a bit; I was captured while pursuing the enemy..."

"Don't joke like that!"

Sengoku's face quickly fell.

There is no enemy in the entire world capable of capturing Aokiji. The combat power of the Marine Headquarters Admirals is among the world's top, and even if they are no match for them, it is impossible for them to be captured by the enemy!

This is a joke...

Is this guy deliberately teasing him?

He actually used such a lame excuse to avoid answering the phone for several days!

I know him well enough. At most, I'll just scold him a few times. How could I punish him at this time?

"Alright, stop making excuses. I won't pursue what you did these past few days."

Sengoku skipped over this exchange and asked in a deep voice, "Tell me first what exactly happened in Loguetown. I heard that that bastard Dragon was there too, and some unknown pirate injured Smoker..."

"Feel sorry…"

Aokiji didn't answer Sengoku's question, but his voice turned somber: "Fleet Marshal Sengoku, I wasn't joking just now..."

"Give me the Den Den Mushi."

A voice rang out from the other end of the Den Den Mushi.

Someone took Aokiji's Den Den Mushi and said bluntly, "Is this Fleet Admiral Sengoku? This is the Konoha Pirates. Your admiral is in our hands."

"..."

For a moment, Zhan Guo's mind went blank.

How is that possible...

Someone actually managed to capture a naval admiral!

Do not…

That's not what I'm concerned about right now...

The capture of the World Government's top military force is even more shocking than the killing of a Celestial Dragon. If word gets out, the entire ocean will be thrown into chaos!

The reason this ocean has maintained its balance is because of the balance between the World Government and the Four Emperors of the New World. The capture of a Marine Admiral has already broken this balance!

"What do you want?"

The Warring States period quickly calmed down.

As a seasoned naval admiral, he cares more about maintaining order and never about shameful issues like compromising with pirates.

"Release Bucky the Clown first."

The voice coming from the Den Den Mushi was even calmer than that of Sengoku the Buddha. As if he had thought of something, he casually said, "Hmm, then prepare a hundred Devil Fruits, a hundred Devil Fruit users..."

Let's get down to business.

Zhan Guo interrupted him coldly.

Let's forget about dreaming about this!

Even on the entire ocean, Devil Fruit users are extremely rare. The Navy isn't a Devil Fruit manufacturer, so how did they manage to get so many fruits?

"Make your offer."

The person on the other end of the Den Den Mushi gave Sengoku a suggestion.

"..."

The Buddha of the Warring States period fell silent after hearing his words.

Of course I'll haggle!

But your exorbitant prices are too high!

At least you guys have come up with a reasonable price first, so I can reasonably continue to bargain!

but…

The situation isn't particularly bad.

Sengoku's eyes narrowed slightly. He could roughly deduce that this pirate crew desperately needed Buggy the Clown, and everything else was likely secondary...

but…

Bucky the Clown is really not a good candidate for a trade.

Because Buggy the Clown killed a Celestial Dragon, the whole world knows about it, and the World Government has issued a decree that Buggy the Clown must be executed as a warning to others!

If they can't even handle Buggy the Clown, what face will the Celestial Dragons and the World Government have left? Who will still respect the Celestial Dragons?

Sengoku could only try to gain their trust by taking advantage of the negotiations. Once he rescued Aokiji from the pirate crew, he would personally mobilize the Marine Admirals and Vice Admirals to quickly eliminate this emerging pirate crew!

If you want to gain the other party's trust through negotiation...

Then you have to use some skill, instead of just accepting whatever the other person says!

after all…

Empty talk seems insincere!

"Then the price I offer might be beyond your acceptable range..."

Sengoku gritted his teeth, thought for a moment, and then said in a deep voice, "Within my authority, I can only prepare one or two Devil Fruits..."

"Besides, I can't hand Buggy the Clown over to you. Buggy the Clown is a notorious pirate whom the World Government has specifically ordered to be executed. He knows too much..."

"goodbye."

The Den Den Mushi seemed about to hang up.

"etc!"

Sengoku quickly stopped them, unable to contain himself as he roared, "You guys should try to negotiate a lower price! I can't keep bidding forever!"

"Don't think my proposal lacks sincerity; the exorbitant ransom you just demanded was equally insincere!"

This is a problem where both buyers and sellers want to make a profit.

When the market price of a naval admiral is opaque, both sides can only cautiously try to test each other's bottom line. Only through constant tug-of-war can a suitable bottom line for negotiation be established in the minds of both parties.

Admiral Aokiji was treated like a commodity, placed on the negotiating table by Sengoku the Buddha and the Konoha Pirates, except that it was a pure seller's market.

but…

The seller genuinely wanted to close the deal.

The steady, mechanical voice came through the Den Den Mushi: "The Navy should release Buggy the Clown first, to show your sincerity..."

"Those are the pirates the World Government specifically ordered to be publicly executed..."

Sengoku took a deep breath. It seemed that this pirate crew was determined to get Buggy. They were most likely after the secret about One Piece that Buggy the Clown had mentioned.

Sengoku narrowed his eyes slightly and continued speaking into the Den Den Mushi beside him: "Buggy the Clown killed a Celestial Dragon and angered the World Government. He also harbors the secret of One Piece. His life is far more important than Kuzan's..."

"It seems this deal is off..."

The Konoha Pirates seemed ready to hang up on the Den Den Mushi immediately.

"etc!"

Sengoku immediately probed the other party's bottom line and continued to negotiate: "However, I am the Fleet Admiral, and everything I do is for the sake of the Navy!"

"As long as you guarantee the return of Kuzan, I can do my best to defy the World Government's orders and hand over Buggy the Clown to you. After all, your bottom line is Buggy the Clown, so it must be for the so-called secret of the One Piece, right?"

"Devil Fruits and all that are just extras for you, right?"

"That's not bad, but capturing a naval admiral isn't easy..."

The reply from the Den Den Mushi said it all, seemingly sighing softly, "We might never have another chance to capture a Marine Admiral. Since it's highly likely we'll only be doing this one deal with the Navy this time, we might not have a sale for three years, but when we do, we should make enough to last for three years, right?"

"Then I'll try my best to gather Devil Fruits and pirates who possess Devil Fruit abilities..."

A sharp glint flashed in Sengoku's eyes as he spoke softly, "Besides, your bottom line is Bucky the Clown. Even if the warships responsible for escorting them come non-stop, it will still take Bucky half a month to get here..."

Half a month...

This time should be enough for Admiral Akainu to quickly return to headquarters from the G1 branch in the New World, as Admiral Kizaru has always been stationed at Marine Headquarters.

"Half a month?"

The Konoha Pirates seemed hesitant, as if worried about something: "You're not going to mobilize the Navy to attack us in half a month, are you?"

"I am a naval admiral."

Sengoku's voice immediately became calm and steady, as if he were to guarantee it with his own credibility: "If the Fleet Admiral breaks his promise to you, it would be tantamount to breaking his promise to the entire world..."

"Then the World Government can just replace him with another Fleet Admiral, right?"

The Konoha Pirates' words directly exposed Sengoku's ulterior motives.

Click...

Click...

Sengoku crushed his senbei with force, feeling annoyed that his secret was being exposed. He snapped, "I swear on my honor! If you don't trust me, why did you even bother negotiating with me?!"

"..."

The Konoha Pirates remained silent.

Obviously.

The admiral seemed genuinely angry.

"All right."

"You make a good point..."

The voice on the Den Den Mushi hesitated, further exposing the flaw in Sengoku's words: "But we still want to ask, compared to the honor of the Navy, compared to the lives of your subordinates, shouldn't a qualified Fleet Admiral consider his own reputation worthless?"

"..."

The heart of the Warring States period fell silent.

If he could use his reputation to save his subordinates' lives, or to restore the navy's honor, Sengoku would never hesitate to throw his own reputation on the ground and let others trample on it!

but…

How could such words come out of a pirate's mouth!

"alright."

"Let's get serious."

The Konoha Pirates seemed to have given up on bargaining and directly stated their bottom line: "We can only give you two days to find a way to get the World Government to issue a statement in the newspapers declaring Buggy the Clown innocent and releasing him. As long as we get the information recorded in the newspapers, we will release this Marine Headquarters Admiral..."

"This is impossible..."

Sengoku immediately thought of the Five Elders' true colors.

How can the life of a mere admiral compare to the Celestial Dragons' intimidation of the world?

"etc…"

Sengoku's expression suddenly changed; he suddenly realized their purpose: "No...you...aren't here for the secret of One Piece!"

Sengoku's body felt heavy, but his voice remained calm as he stated the other party's purpose: "You are here to kill the Celestial Dragons, to incite hatred against them throughout the world. Your goal is to target the Celestial Dragons!"

As long as one pirate who killed a Celestial Dragon isn't executed...

From then on, the Celestial Dragons' safety level will drop sharply, and any enemy who hates the Celestial Dragons and the World Government will have the courage to kill them!

At that time...

Even the navy couldn't protect them all!

The World Government absolutely does not want to see this happen. They need to execute Buggy the Clown in a swift and decisive manner to deter all thieves who dare to disrupt the Celestial Dragons' dignified rule!

and many more…

This seems pretty good...

A sudden realization flashed in Zhan Guo's eyes.

If the Celestial Dragons start indiscriminately killing people all over the world, and the Navy is unable to protect them, those Celestial Dragons who are harming innocent people all over the world will probably have no choice but to hide in the Holy Land Mary Geoise and wait to die for their own safety.

The member states of the World Government no longer need to worry about being persecuted, and the entire navy no longer needs to feel aggrieved for always being called the Celestial Dragons' dogs while protecting them.

but…

The Five Elders would definitely not agree to such a thing.

Because in the eyes of the Five Elders, the Navy is nothing more than the Celestial Dragons' dogs.

Once the Navy is unable to protect the Celestial Dragons, whether due to funding issues or power problems, the World Government will likely gradually strip the Navy of its power...

but…

This will be a long process of political compromise.

In the context of the Great Pirate Era, the Navy is an important tool for the World Government to maintain its rule and cannot be abolished by the World Government.

At that moment, the Buddha Sengoku's mind raced. He almost instantly considered the pros and cons of the matter, but he couldn't make a decision for a long time...

I'm really having trouble making a decision...

Because this was almost a godsend.

After all, the person in charge of escorting Buggy the Clown was Colonel Smoker, who was known for his rebellious and disobedient nature. He might make a deal with the pirates to rescue Kuzan, but we can't put that guy in the position of making a deal with the pirates, since he also carries the name of justice!

The only possibility is…

The World Government might be extremely angry about this, but it doesn't matter; as long as the blame is pinned entirely on the Konoha Pirates...

"The world government would never publish in a newspaper!"

A glint flashed in Sengoku's glasses as he cautiously used his Observation Haki to sense his surroundings, then lowered his voice as he spoke into the Den Den Mushi!

He could tell the other person was intelligent and hoped they would understand his predicament: "All I can do is give you information about the warships escorting Pakistan... but you must release Kuzan and are not allowed to harm any navy personnel!"

"Understood."

The Konoha Pirates were quite clever; he seemed to understand the Fleet Admiral's predicament perfectly. The steady, mechanical voice quickly came through: "The Konoha Pirates rescued Buggy the Clown, and Admiral Aokiji arrived in time to help, but only managed to save the Marines on the warship. Fleet Admiral, is this scenario acceptable?"

"..."

Sengoku felt comfortable dealing with intelligent people. He was always arguing with that idiot Garp until he was dizzy. At this moment, he felt that his mind was clearer than ever before.

This world…

There are even these outrageous pirates!

It's extremely rare to find a pirate crew that's both powerful and willing to target the Celestial Dragons. They themselves are natural targets, and they're even willing to be those targets!

but…

All of this must begin with ensuring Aokiji's safety!

Aokiji is a junior he highly regards, and also the future Fleet Admiral he recognizes!

"Speaking of which..."

Sengoku spoke cautiously, but his words were somewhat presumptuous: "Could Kuzan arrest one of your people? That would make it easier for Kuzan to submit his report..."

If only there were someone like that...

You can get more relevant information yourself!

certainly…

It's okay if we can't catch it...

As long as I can get Kuzan, the strongest fighter, back first, I can get some specific information from him, think about how to use this pirate crew, and how the Navy should deal with this pirate crew once it is possible to achieve my goal in the future!

The framework of world government order must not be undermined!

However, the filth of the world government can be cleaned up!

"One shouldn't be too shameless..."

The Konoha Pirates seemed shocked by the Fleet Admiral's shamelessness. They were fine with just one message for letting Aokiji go, but why did he also want them to lose someone else?

"All right."

Sengoku, the Buddha, had no choice but to abandon his naive idea and said in a deep voice, "The warship escorting Buggy the Clown should arrive at Drum Island in the first half of the Grand Line soon, but all my men must return alive, or I will not let you go!"

"It's a pleasure working with you."

The Konoha Pirates immediately hung up on the Den Den Mushi.

The first half of the Grand Line.

On the ship of the Konoha Pirates.

After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, the red-haired boy turned to look in Madara Uchiha's direction: "Did the transfer seal record this memory?"

"Hmph, this admiral is really bold..."

Madara Uchiha stretched out his hand, touching his eye socket, a cold smile playing on his lips: "To think I was lured into a trap like that..."

"Even the Celestial Dragons are giving him a headache..."

Hashirama Senju stood next to Madara Uchiha and shook his head.

"Mr. Madara, show Admiral Aokiji the memories of the transferred seal..."

Sasori's voice remained mechanical and indifferent, as if he cared nothing for anything: "As soon as this Fleet Admiral answered our call, he fell into our pre-set trap. After all, his personality isn't that extreme; he wants to fight the Celestial Dragons with us..."

"This secret..."

"We can eat like this for a lifetime."

"..."

next moment!

Madara Uchiha looked at Aokiji!

A crimson hue filled Aokiji's eyes.

The admiral instantly recalled the memory, his eyes filled with confusion and despair. This group of people had actually used a special ability to record the Den Den Mushi conversation!

This is…

Evidence of collusion between the Fleet Admiral and pirates!

"General Aokiji..."

The red-haired boy seemed to sense that Aokiji understood the situation and said softly, "Now you can leave this ship, but you don't want the Fleet Admiral you've been protecting to be labeled a traitor by the World Government, do you?"

In a real sense, this record of collusion did not have a significant impact on the Warring States period of Buddhism.

Even if this record were released, Sengoku the Buddha would at most have his reputation completely ruined. He was impeccable in this exchange, and at most would be accused of making a deal with pirates to rescue a Marine Admiral. However, that Marine Fleet Admiral is quite eloquent, and he could definitely turn the tables...

but…

Admiral Aokiji wouldn't have thought that far ahead.

Aokiji only understood what Sengoku the Buddha and the Konoha Pirates were doing: they had reached a cooperation that could overthrow the Celestial Dragons' order!

If the World Government finds out about this, this Fleet Admiral will definitely be condemned as a dog that bites back on its master, and might even be executed by the World Government...

However, Aokiji, one of the beneficiaries, could not stand idly by and watch all of this happen!

The admiral's eyes gradually lost their confusion and seemed to harden, as if he were about to join the darkness.

"I won't reveal your secret..."

Looking into Madara Uchiha's crimson eyes, Admiral Aokiji offered up his weakness: "After all, our goal of eliminating the Celestial Dragons should be the same. I can cooperate with your operations within the Navy..."

"We won't make things particularly difficult for you."

Sasori raised his palm and gently pressed it onto Aokiji's arm, leaving a cursed seal mark: "And we don't let anyone help us for nothing, so consider this power an advance reward for you..."

"This is…"

Aokiji frowned, looking at the dark leaf mark.

"Chakra".

"A magical ability, as powerful as domineering aura."

Sasori glanced at Orochimaru nearby and said softly, "Mr. Orochimaru, could you please get him a scroll of the Ice Release technique formula? He should master one before disembarking, after all, he's practically one of us now..."

same…

This is also a power capable of instantly binding Aokiji's movements.

After all, the chakra within the cursed seal all originated from Akihara Kagura's Sage Chakra...

"Come with me."

Orochimaru's lips curled into a smile as he led Aokiji into the cabin.

After they left the deck.

Madara Uchiha's smile also seemed to turn eerie.

"snort"

"If nothing unexpected happens..."

Madara Uchiha stared into Sasori's eyes, as if he could see through them the person manipulating him: "This guy's collusion with us, and the fact that you can use that Marine Admiral who's so devoted to protecting his subordinates, right? Kagura Akihara?"

"You just set up a trap..."

Madara Uchiha, who knew Akihara Kagura very well, grinned and said, "They'll actually help you build this fake trap into a bottomless abyss, jumping in willingly while thinking they're saving someone..."

People are always moved by their own actions...

"So you always fall into the trap of self-pity."

Sasori's voice was calm and slow, as if he himself was slowly contemplating: "The Admiral is not an exception... the Fleet Admiral... naturally will be no exception either..."

Is it messy?

Have we written too many characters?

(End of this chapter)