Starting as a working person from Naruto

Chapter 384 Lieutenant Akihara Kagura, you're being a little too lenient!

"You are very smart."

A hint of appreciation flashed in Sengoku's eyes.

Because in every respect, Akihara Kagura's plan was flawless, allowing the Navy, an organization that maintains peace at sea, to learn the truth about the world and even embark on the path of protecting the world, although it is not yet possible to completely judge whether this path is right or wrong.

and…

They even prepared a plan for how to wrap things up.

Now all we need to do is pin the blame on Crocodile. At this point in time when the World Government is still needed, the Navy doesn't need to worry about being overly criticized by the World Government and the Five Elders. The Navy also didn't suffer any major losses in this incident.

Sengoku looked at Akihara Kagura and mentioned his plans for the naval ensign's future: "Once the Alabasta incident is over, you'll come back to Marineford with us. I'll arrange for you to spend some time in the naval training camp..."

"I want to get a Devil Fruit first."

Kagura Akihara quickly offered her idea, speaking very honestly: "The Konoha Pirates promised to help me obtain a Logia-type Rumble-Rumble Fruit, which would allow me to gain a foothold in the Navy and provide them with more intelligence about the Navy's internal affairs..."

Kagura Akihara, seemingly worried that Sengoku would be angry, explained softly, "When they needed me to be a spy in the Navy, I brought up my strength. They were willing to provide a Logia-type Devil Fruit. Since I didn't have much power to resist anyway, I might as well use them to get the Rumble-Rumble Fruit..."

"..."

A look of realization dawned on Sengoku's face.

The admiral was not angry about the deal between Akihara Kagura and the Konoha Pirates, because the lieutenant was on the Navy's side.

Otherwise, this little guy wouldn't have so readily revealed the information about his deal with the Konoha Pirates.

If this kid wanted to keep the Rumble-Rumble Fruit a secret, he could have claimed to have obtained it under some other pretext later, instead of telling the marshal about it before even receiving it…

This matter...

It will also benefit the navy.

Because a powerful Logia-type Devil Fruit user, especially with a terrifying ability like the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, could allow the Navy to gain at least a Vice Admiral or even an Admiral-level combatant out of thin air in the future!

"it is good."

The Fleet Admiral accepted Akihara Kagura's suggestion and said in a deep voice, "The Rumble-Rumble Fruit is of utmost importance. If it's too troublesome, I'll send Kuzan and Borsalino to help you..."

"This was promised by the Konoha Pirates."

Kagura Akihara shook her head and continued softly, "In that case, we can also take this opportunity to test their abilities. Those pirates seem to know everything; they even have detailed information about Skypiea..."

"Alright."

Sengoku nodded seriously, waved his hand at him, and said, "I've agreed to everything you said. As long as you obtain the power of the Rumble-Rumble Fruit, quickly return to Marineford for training. Your brain is more valuable than your strength..."

"Yes."

After Akihara Kagura agreed, she left immediately.

Sengoku watched the departing naval lieutenant, his gaze gradually deepening: "A clever little fellow."

Sengoku praised Akihara Kagura again, saying softly, "Kuzan mentioned that his strength wasn't particularly great, yet he was chosen by the Konoha Pirates to become one of them, and even allowed to manipulate the events in Alabasta. He certainly possesses considerable intelligence..."

"This little guy really got us all involved..."

Vice Admiral Tsuru nodded slowly, then sighed, "From the moment Buggy the Clown assassinated a Celestial Dragon, he traveled through the East Blue, Loguetown, and Drum Island, triggering the major events in Alabasta one after another. Buggy the Clown, Crocodile, Kuzan, Borsalino, and us old folks—everyone became part of his plan..."

"No…"

"That's not all..."

"The Five Elders are even part of it."

Sengoku shook his head and said in a deep voice, "From the beginning of the Alabasta incident to how it would end, he had already considered everything in advance..."

Regarding this...

Few in the Navy could have imagined this.

The mere fact that this naval lieutenant named Akihara Kagura was able to formulate and execute this operational plan demonstrates his considerable talent; he is sure to become a key strategist for the navy in the future…

"There's one more thing..."

Sengoku pondered his final test questions for Akihara Kagura and said softly, "If I were to carry out his plan, there would definitely be some bloodshed in this major incident, so that the Five Elders wouldn't suspect us. But he has no intention of sacrificing the Navy..."

"Kuzan is mistaken."

"This little guy isn't that ruthless."

"Perhaps they feel that by colluding with pirates, justice is no longer spotless, especially since the Alabasta incident resulted in the Navy and pirates working together..."

Sengoku took a deep breath, his gaze as sharp as Buddha's, as if he could see through people's hearts: "However, let me speak from the perspective of results. His plans are actually more beneficial to the Navy. At least we didn't suffer any major losses, and we even gained a pirate crew that we can use in the future. The minor injuries that Garp and I sustained are completely insignificant..."

"..."

Lieutenant General Tsuru hesitated for a moment.

Vice Admiral Tsuru felt that his old friend Garp had suffered a serious injury, and he was even unable to wake up. This must be the most serious injury Garp had suffered in twenty years!

"pity…"

"It still has a fatal flaw..."

"After all, the little guy is still too young..."

Sengoku abruptly changed the subject, bringing up Akihara Kagura's shortcomings, his expression gradually becoming serious: "For this world, justice is indeed pure and spotless, but if justice is to remain completely untainted, the means by which it is carried out cannot always be righteous..."

As a man in his seventies, Sengoku had long seen through the truth of the world. Could it be that his methods of upholding justice as a naval admiral were clean?

Sengoku agreed to the World Government's policy of establishing the Seven Warlords of the Sea, abolished the previous bounties of the Seven Warlords, colluded with a group of pirates to counterbalance another group of pirates on the sea, and turned a blind eye to the actions of the Celestial Dragons. How can all of this be considered clean?

but…

As long as you believe you're doing the right thing, that's enough!

This naval lieutenant named Akihara Kagura is ultimately too young; his methods aren't ruthless enough, and he might even seem a bit too soft-hearted when he needs to pay a price to achieve his goals…

Blood flows into a river.

One will be a million bones.

For the sake of peace across the ocean, the orders carried out by the naval high command over the years have also resulted in the deaths of many innocent lives…

However, as long as the great peaceful order they desired could be achieved, the lives sacrificed were merely a trivial price to pay, even the Warring States period itself was among those who were sacrificed!

The Warring States Period of Buddha...

He's not some soft-hearted person!

Even though the Warring States period was named after Buddhism, it still had the tough and fierce methods of a Vajra!

Sengoku picked up a Den Den Mushi and slowly stated his plans: "It seems I need to find some time to properly train that little guy. Perhaps it wouldn't be bad to transfer him to Sakazuki's side for some training after he graduates from the headquarters training camp..."

"Transfer him to Sakazuki's side?"

Lieutenant General Tsuru hesitated for a moment, then frowned. "Wouldn't that make this little guy too extreme?"

"..."

Sengoku slowly shook his head, offering a reminder: "Decisiveness is a necessary quality for the navy to use violence to uphold justice. This little guy's actions are a bit too mild..."

"He's just an ordinary naval lieutenant, so I naturally wouldn't care. In fact, I'd admire his willingness to do anything to prevent any loss of naval personnel..."

Sengoku's expression grew increasingly serious, even becoming heavy and resolute: "But he's also involved with the Konoha Pirates, and the Konoha Pirates have colluded with him. He must understand one thing: at crucial moments, he must make necessary sacrifices for the greater good..."

Putting aside everything else...

If the Konoha Pirates hadn't agreed to his plan this time, and had even recklessly killed a lot of Marines in this incident, would he, as a Marine lieutenant, have turned on them in a fit of rage?

The Warring States period didn't want to admit it, but it had to admit one thing...

To achieve some goals, dirty compromises are indeed necessary.

Sengoku is already quite old, and he needs to consider the future of the Navy. He should properly nurture Akihara Kagura, this promising young naval talent. Even if it means placing her next to Admiral Akainu and forcing her to mature quickly, it wouldn't be a bad thing for the Navy...

after all…

Times have changed.

"The ocean is about to surge into a raging storm..."

Sengoku had always believed that the existence of the three admirals made the navy powerful enough, but after the Alabasta incident, he felt that the navy's strength was still weak: "Before this sea goes haywire, we must have enough power to maintain order..."

"Let's call the Five Elders first."

Sengoku held a Den Den Mushi and dialed the Five Elders' private number. His expression gradually became completely serious.

Mary Geoise.

Location of world government departments.

This is also where the Celestial Dragons live.

Pangu City.

The location of the Five Elders, the power center of the World Government.

After receiving the Den Den Mushi from Sengoku, the five elderly people were still somewhat unconcerned, even directly asking, "Has the Alabasta situation been completely resolved? If everyone who needed to be eliminated has been eliminated, we'll have CP take over the rest..."

"If you're talking about solving it, then it's not exactly a mistake..."

Sengoku's voice hesitated, as if he had encountered a tricky problem. He briefly summarized, "A lot has happened in Alabasta. The Konoha Pirates are very strong, Buggy the Clown has also gotten involved, Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, wants to seize Alabasta's secret weapon, Pluton, and the Straw Hat Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates' second division commander, Portgas D. Ace, have also gotten involved. Garp fought desperately and was seriously injured, but finally managed to defeat all the pirates..."

"Pluto..."

The voices of the Five Elders all became slightly serious.

"We understand."

An old man took over the conversation and said in a deep voice, "The navy's mission is complete. The rest is all handed over to..."

"but…"

Sengoku interrupted the Five Elders, bringing up another troublesome issue: "Before we arrived in Alabasta, those pirates discovered a golden palace left behind by the King of Alabasta eight hundred years ago, and it contains some rather troublesome secrets..."

"..."

The Five Elders' expressions remained unchanged.

"Where are those pirates?"

An old man raised a matter of concern, seemingly believing that the golden palace that had appeared held the whereabouts of Hades. He solemnly ordered, "Absolutely no pirates are allowed to escape. Seal the secret of Hades; no one is to know the whereabouts of that ancient weapon!"

"already…"

"It's too late..."

Sengoku's voice was somewhat heavy as he directly placed all the blame on the Konoha Pirates: "The Konoha Pirates are very strong, no less so than the Rocks Pirates back then. They covered the escape of other pirate crews..."

"How do you do things?!"

An old man, upon hearing this, was about to start cursing.

"We can't be too harsh on them..."

Another old man shook his head, not particularly dissatisfied with Sengoku's report: "If that suddenly appearing pirate crew is really as powerful as the Rocks Pirates, it will be difficult for them to stop them, and they'll be lucky to even defeat them..."

"Let's not talk about that..."

Another old man interrupted their conversation, questioning Sengoku in a deep voice: "So, the news about Hades' ancient weapon has been leaked, right?"

"Maybe yes, maybe no..."

Sengoku put forward a fabricated concept and continued, "However, we did not find the specific location of Hades in the Golden Palace. We only briefly mentioned that eight hundred years ago, the Alabasta royal family did indeed possess the ancient weapon Hades..."

"That's good."

The five elders were immediately relieved.

"but…"

Sengoku took a deep breath and revealed news that made the Five Elders instantly uneasy: "The Golden Palace mentions history from eight hundred years ago..."

"!!!"

All five elders involuntarily widened their eyes!

no…

Are you kidding me?!

How could Alabasta possibly harbor such a secret!

Did the Alabasta king from 800 years ago really store the blank century of history in the Golden Palace? And how did a group of escaped pirates even find out about it?

Just as the Five Elders were about to question Sengoku about what secrets were hidden in the Golden Palace of Alabasta, Sengoku preemptively asked his own question!

"I have something I'd like to ask..."

Sengoku's attitude became more serious than ever before, and he asked, "The Golden Palace mentioned Mary Geoise and a being named Im. Is that true? Why do the Konoha Pirates also know about this?"

"..."

The Five Elders' eyes suddenly widened in horror!

This secret…

It actually appeared in the Golden Palace?

That newly emerged pirate group from Konoha Pirates not only used Buggy the Clown to assassinate a Celestial Dragon, but they also know about this secret within Mary Geoise.

Inside that golden underground palace…

What secrets are hidden inside?

How much of the secrets inside have the pirates actually known?

How many people actually know that Lord Im still exists?

The five elders stared at each other in shock, seemingly eager to find the answer to their questions in each other's eyes, but all they could see on each other's faces was confusion, bewilderment, shock, and unease!

"Do you want to ask any more questions...?"

An elderly man with a white beard sat on the sofa, his brows furrowed, and his face showed an unprecedented level of tension.

Anyone who learns of Im's existence must be eliminated!

Even though these Five Elders are the highest authorities in the World Government, they dare not pry into the secrets behind Im!

No one knows how many secrets Im holds hidden within the golden palace. Are they even qualified to know them? Perhaps the secrets hidden within that palace are ones they dare not even attempt to uncover…

"Hang up the phone with Sengoku first."

An old man reminded his colleague to hang up on Fleet Admiral Sengoku, and before hanging up, he added in a deep voice, "Tell Sengoku that no one is allowed to know the secret of the Golden Palace right now, and any pirates who already know must be eliminated immediately!"

"The Navy... doesn't have that capability..."

Another elderly man had to remind his colleague as well.

The phone hangs up.

The Five Elders need to hold an internal meeting first.

Because they need to hold an internal meeting first to determine whether they should continue to inquire about the secrets of Im in the golden underground palace mentioned by Sengoku.

Even if we don't ask...

"Actually, quite a few pirates already know this..."

An old man sighed and suggested a past practice: "If we're hesitant to decide, we should first consult Lord Im..."

"but…"

An elderly man holding a katana and wearing glasses said in a deep voice, "Wouldn't it anger Lord Im if we simply asked him if we could learn the secrets of the Golden Palace from Sengoku?"

It's nothing else...

It's just a little strange...

In order to learn some secrets about Im, should I go and ask Im for his thoughts in person?

I highly doubt that Im is some kind of moon god... the one who manipulates shadows and controls the Five Elders and their mythical beasts as subordinates... I think there's a moon god like that...

(End of this chapter)