The Great Voyage Begins with the Celestial Dragons

Sakazuki calmly gazed towards the direction of the Marine Headquarters, wondering if his future self would end up like Sengoku today.

But he always knew that only by standing higher could he have the opportunity to realize his ideas.

Let there be no more pirates in this world.

It doesn't matter whether it will be recognized by others, whether pirates are a product of their time, or even whether there are good people among pirates.

He simply didn't want to see any more members of this group; that was his justice, absolute justice!

Compared to his wavering colleagues, Luther, a Celestial Dragon, was more to his liking.

He highly praised both the operation to capture Red Earl and the recent trip with Kizaru to exchange pirate heads for bounties.

This time, in particular, he was able to personally go to the New World to wipe out the pirates, and there was nothing that made him happier than this.

After leaving the Navy Headquarters, the Don Quixote quickly reached the New World through official channels on the Red Line.

Upon arriving in the New World, Luther witnessed firsthand the harshness of the environment.

Dark clouds filled the sky, lightning flashed intermittently, and a strong wind howled past.

This is simply the norm in the new world.

"Wow, the weather here is terrible."

Inside the cabin, Robin pouted and complained about the weather outside.

"Haha, this kind of weather comes and goes quickly. According to Gion's senses, it will be fine in another 20 minutes."

Luther stroked Robin's head, a smile unconsciously creeping onto his lips.

This kind of weather was alright for him, but there were many places in the New World that were much worse.

Environmental factors also limit the area, making it more suitable for pirates to hide, which is why the World Government has limited control over this region.

"Ok?"

Luther suddenly paused, looking towards the sea not far outside the cabin.

His reaction was quick, but Sakazuki and Gion's reactions were far superior.

The Don Quixote was already speeding in that direction, and Sakazuki had already stood on the deck, his fists turning into lava.

Under Luther's gaze, ripples gradually appeared on the sea, and a pirate ship wrapped in a transparent circular membrane slowly emerged.

The moment he saw the pirate flag appear, Sakazuki made his move.

A barrage of magma fists rained down on the pirate ship like an overwhelming storm.

In just a moment, this pirate crew, which had finally made it through the first half of the Grand Line, reached the end of their voyage.

After ensuring that no one had survived, Sakazuki walked back to the cabin with satisfaction.

He was pleased with his early success in the new world.

......

Several days later, at Naval Headquarters.

"This is the Donquixote Family Head's advice to the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Let's all share our thoughts."

Sengoku relayed Luther's opinion and observed everyone's reactions without making a sound.

He believed that a single admiral should be in charge of all the Shichibukai, and that the Shichibukai members should prioritize obedience, with the requirement for strength being negotiable.

Luther's idea was completely contrary to his own.

He wasn't actually optimistic about the Seven Warlords of the Sea plan, but since it had been proposed by his superiors, he preferred to make it look 'perfect'.

Simply put, the goal is to recruit some well-known, seemingly obedient, and relatively low-risk pirates. Ideally, they can handle other pirates, but if not, there's no loss.

While Luther's proposed solution would likely reduce the number of pirates, it could also provoke a counterattack from them, making it a losing proposition for the Navy.

"Marshal, the matter of the Seven Warlords of the Sea should be handled by one admiral. I support that prince's suggestion."

Lieutenant General Huoshaoshan of the headquarters said that he was a member of the Sakazuki faction and had naturally heard some rumors.

I second that!

Many hawkish and neutral lieutenant generals seconded the motion, either because they already supported Sakazuki or because they did not want to clash with Luther.

Seeing the unanimous attitude of the generals below, Sengoku's face darkened.

Only after becoming a Fleet Admiral do you realize how many limitations this position has.

Not to mention that they had to obey the Five Elders' orders, the Celestial Dragons' proposal had to be carefully considered.

Not to mention that none of his generals were willing to follow his orders; each had their own ideas.

Not to mention, the Five Elders had already set a huge trap for him before he even took office.

At the time, he was acting on the instructions of the Five Elders when he went to cause trouble for Luther.

Only by causing trouble for Luther could he successfully become a Fleet Admiral.

But now, the Five Elders are giving him a hint...

Making him consider Luther's thoughts, the Celestial Dragons' intentions are beyond question, this is clearly meant to annoy him.

"Karp, what are your thoughts?"

Sengoku looked at Garp with a dark face. Garp was the main one who offended Luther, so he shouldn't be blamed for this.

"Huh? Is there anything to worry about with such a small thing? It doesn't matter."

Garp ate his donuts with a grin, completely ignoring the signal Sengoku was giving him.

He's not a real brute. Last time he fought Luther, everything went his way. If he causes trouble now, he won't get away with it.

"Warring States period, there's not much to say about this. We need to be merciful to pirates, but not too much."

"This is what Chief Instructor Zephyr said," he said, his words showing support for Luther, which made Sengoku glare at him in annoyance.

The way he said that makes it sound like he's the one who doesn't kill generals, when he was once a member of the hawks!

In this matter, the Warring States period was quite troubled.

It's not a matter of right or wrong at all; normally, he wouldn't care about such things at all.

If the Celestial Dragons make such a suggestion, then just do it and that's it; there's no need to overthink it.

But this time, the consequences of his regression were severe.

This was the first major decision he made after taking office as marshal. He had previously put forward different ideas and spoken about them in front of a group of generals.

If he compromises this time, who will listen to his orders in the future?

"Alright, everyone. The matter of the Seven Warlords is minor, but this is our first time cooperating with pirates, so we need to be extremely cautious. I propose that Sakazuki take the lead in this matter, but the specific personnel will be discussed jointly by our Navy and the World Government," Chief of Staff Tsuru said.

Her words made Sengoku's expression soften considerably.

At least, this was a step forward for the Warring States period.

Sakazuki can be in charge of this matter, but he can't just listen to the other side; he needs a certain degree of influence.

Moreover, Sakazuki will be hunting pirates in the New World with Rude soon, and the matter of the Seven Warlords of the Sea cannot be delayed.

"As Vice Admiral Tsuru wishes, Admiral Akainu will be in charge of making the invitations, and we will be in charge of the selection."

The Warring States General announced his decision, and none of the generals objected.

After discussing the main issues and a few minor matters, the meeting adjourned.

Many naval officers left the conference room one after another, leaving only Sengoku, Tsuru, and Zephyr.

Garp had originally intended to stay, but at Tsuru's prompting, he left ahead of schedule.

Chapter 64 Reaching a Consensus

"How do you feel, Marshal Sengoku!"

Zefa sat casually in the chair with his legs crossed, his words laced with teasing and jokes.

"Not very good, better to be a general."

The Warring States period, his face darkening, couldn't help but say in response to his old friend's teasing:

"You have it so easy. You only have to recruit new people, and people bribe you from time to time."

“That was a gift from my student to me as a sign of respect. I also often see your godson giving you gifts.”

Zephyr glanced at Sengoku with disdain. Wasn't it just that Luther had donated 5 million Berries to him to improve the basic facilities of the naval training camp?

Of course, if it weren't for the little gift Luther gave him, he wouldn't have stood up for Luther today.

The Navy doesn't even allocate 5 million dollars a year to the elite training camp, so this money is very significant to him, enabling him to do many things that were previously impossible.

With this funding, he is confident that his students will improve even faster.

“Rosinandi is still young; he’s different from that guy.” Zhan Guo shook his head.

"He's about the same age as Luther, and they seem to be cousins?" Zephyr clicked his tongue.

"That's true in terms of bloodline, but he and Doflamingo were expelled from the Donquixote Family long ago," Sengoku explained.

"Tsk, another messy family drama." Zepha shook his head, not wanting to dwell on family matters, and instead asked, "Luther sent me to ask you, what are you really thinking?"

"I'm quite curious why you're willing to stand by his side so wholeheartedly." Sengoku raised an eyebrow.

“He’s my student, I know him,” Zefa grinned.

"Is it really not because he wiped out those pirate families?" Sengoku raised an eyebrow.

"Say what you will, we're discussing you now." Zephyr leaned back in his chair with an air of nonchalance. "Right now, I just want to nurture the future of the Navy. Luther is willing to fully support me, so naturally I will support him as well. As for you, after becoming Fleet Admiral, you should know how difficult this position is."

Sengoku remained silent for a moment, understanding the implication in Zefa's words.

If he were willing to secretly support Luther, then Luther would also secretly support him.

After a moment, Zhan Guo let out a soft sigh, slowly stood up, and walked to the window.

"This position is very difficult, but people should always have some principles to uphold."

Through the glass of the conference room, he saw the thriving Naval Headquarters and the diligent sailors:

"There are some things I can compromise with him to ensure my ideas can be implemented. But there are other things I will stick to my principles on. Before I am a Fleet Admiral, I am first and foremost a naval officer, and I must live up to my sense of justice."