Chapter 34: The Ruthless Admiral, Sengoku!

Chapter 34: Chapter 34: The Ruthless Admiral, Sengoku!

At the Holy Land Mariejois, on the top floor of the World Government headquarters, the Five Elders were gathered, discussing pressing matters.

The Five Elders were the true power behind the World Government. Above them was a figure known only as "Imu," an enigmatic individual whose existence even most of the Celestial Dragons were unaware of. Imu rarely intervened, only appearing when it was necessary to "extinguish" certain threats, to erase individuals or ideas deemed too dangerous. So, unless it was an existential crisis for the World Government, most decisions were handled by the Five Elders themselves.

These five men were the highest authority within the Celestial Dragons, often referred to as the 'Supreme Celestial Dragons.'

The Five Elders of today, though not as old and frail as they would appear in later decades, were still no longer in their prime.

"The intel has come in. Six months ago, the Roger Pirates had another encounter with the Whitebeard Pirates in the New World," the bearded Elder began with a grim expression. "But what's troubling is the presence of the Wanokuni samurai on Whitebeard's ship... Kozuki Oden has indeed joined them. We were right about the Roger Pirates."

The bald Elder sighed in frustration. "First Douglas Bullet, leaves the Roger Pirates, and now they've gained another powerhouse? It's like they're playing a game we can't win."

"That's not the real issue here," the Elder with the sword cut in. "The problem is that Roger's crew has been scouring the seas, seeking the world's secrets. They're after the final island, Raftel. Normally, this wouldn't concern us much since even if they found the historical Poneglyphs, they wouldn't be able to read them. But now... with Kozuki Oden aboard, that changes everything. He could be capable of deciphering the ancient text!"

"Then we must prioritize capturing the Roger Pirates," said the Elder with blond hair calmly.

"We've already ramped up our efforts, but unlike Whitebeard, Shiki, or Big Mom, Roger doesn't have a fixed base or territory. They're always on the move. Finding them in the vast ocean is like finding a needle in a haystack," said the curly-haired Elder gravely.

"And they don't just stay in the New World. They're all over the globe. Last we heard, they were spotted in the first half of the Grand Line, but we have no idea what they were searching for," added the bearded Elder.

"What else could it be? They're clearly after more Poneglyphs," the bald Elder replied with a deep frown.

In fact, the Roger Pirates were currently in Water 7, but not for anything related to the Poneglyphs. They were there to commission a ship from the legendary shipwright, Tom. Contrary to what Claudius had thought, the famous Oro Jackson hadn't been built yet, and that's what Roger and his crew were in Water 7 to get their new, faster ship.

The blonde Elder shook his head. "No, nothing substantial. Finding an Ancient Weapon is no easy task. I've merely told Spandine to test the waters. If he manages to uncover something, great. If not, there's no rush."

"Well, since the Ancient Weapons are tied to the historical texts, it makes sense to let him handle both tasks," the bald Elder said with a nod.

Spandine's reputation wasn't great, but at least in this instance, he would succeed in exposing Ohara. Claudius knew all too well what kind of chaos Spandine's investigation would cause in the years to come. The Ohara tragedy was fast approaching, though no one knew it yet.

"So, moving on to today's main issue," the bald Elder said, pointing at a map on the table. "What do you think of Sengoku's proposal?"

The map showed an island, Cornillo Island, one of the famous hot spring islands in the New World. Coincidentally, this was where Claudius and Dragon were currently located.

"Is the intel solid?" asked the bearded Elder.

"It's been confirmed by CP-0," the bald Elder replied. "The remnants of Captain John's pirate crew have been hiding out there."

"Then, justice must be carried out. The fleet from Naval Headquarters has been stationed nearby for a while now, correct?" said the curly-haired Elder.

The phrase "carry out justice" in this context meant only one thing a Buster Call. Cornillo Island was about to be wiped off the map.

Captain John had once been a member of the infamous Rocks Pirates, before they were disbanded after the Battle of God Valley. After that, John went solo, but in recent years, he had been driven into a corner by Golden Lion Shiki. Shiki had been on a rampage, recruiting or destroying anyone who might oppose him, trying to recreate the fearsome Rocks Pirates of old.

So far, Shiki had crushed rival pirates like Ochoku and Silver Axe. Now, he was gunning for Captain John, who had narrowly escaped one of Shiki's attacks. But John was not one to give up easily. He had hidden a vast treasure across the world, and if he managed to regroup and recover, he could easily return to power in a short time.

But Admiral Sengoku wasn't about to let that happen. He had weighed the options and decided that the only way to deal with Captain John was to obliterate him and his crew. A Buster Call would ensure that no one, including John, could escape.

Sengoku, often seen as calm and collected, was ruthless when it came to justice. He always chose the most efficient path, even if it was brutal. His cold logic would later be seen in the destruction of Ohara, and even during the Marineford War, where he was willing to sacrifice the entire Naval Headquarters to crush Whitebeard's forces. Sengoku wasn't just ruthless toward his enemies he was willing to put everything on the line to protect the World Government's interests, even if it meant heavy losses for the Marines themselves.