Looking at the Den Den Mushi that had gone back into sleep mode, Sengoku's face darkened so badly it looked like he had just been slapped several times in a row.
"Damn it!"
His expression twisted with fury as he nearly crushed the Den Den Mushi in his hand.
He was genuinely enraged.
Still, he forced himself to stop. The Den Den Mushi might still be useful later.
After taking a deep breath, Sengoku turned toward his secretary.
"Call Akainu, Kizaru, and Garp here immediately."
"Yes, Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
Not long afterward, the three arrived inside the office.
One wore a yellow striped suit with tinted glasses, his entire body giving off a lazy and carefree aura, though the strange unsettling vibe around him was impossible to ignore.
Admiral Kizaru.
Beside him stood a stern man in a crimson suit and cap, his face cold and severe.
Admiral Akainu.
The last person was an elderly man wearing a dog-headed hat while stuffing snacks into his mouth nonstop.
Marine Hero, Vice Admiral Garp.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Akainu and Kizaru greeted him properly.
Sengoku nodded before noticing Garp standing by the doorway instead of entering.
"Garp, what are you doing standing there?"
"Hoo... Haa..."
"Hoo... Haa..."
Sengoku's face twitched.
That idiot had fallen asleep while standing.
Crumbs kept dropping from Garp's mouth as he snored loudly.
The serious atmosphere in the room vanished instantly.
Sengoku looked completely speechless.
"Garp! Wake up! This isn't the time to sleep!"
He walked over and smacked Garp awake.
"Eh? Sengoku?" Garp rubbed his eyes sleepily. "You done already? Then I'm leaving."
Sengoku nearly exploded.
"I haven't even started talking yet!"
If this old bastard were not the Hero of the Marines, if they had not fought side by side for decades, Sengoku genuinely would have punched him through the wall already.
Garp ignored Sengoku's black expression entirely and casually sat on a nearby sofa.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku," Akainu said seriously, "what happened?"
Calling both Admirals and Garp together could only mean something major had occurred.
Sengoku adjusted his glasses.
"You've all heard of Demon Eye Ryūjin, right?"
"You mean the pirate who recently defeated several Warlords, including Mihawk?" Kizaru scratched his cheek lazily. "Does this involve him?"
Akainu immediately snorted coldly.
"Are we finally moving to capture him? Leave it to me. Marine justice won't tolerate someone challenging its authority."
Meanwhile, Garp sat there munching on snacks like none of this concerned him.
Crunch. Crunch.
Sengoku spoke slowly.
"I already sent Aokiji to capture Ryūjin."
Akainu's eyes narrowed slightly.
Sengoku had always favored Aokiji more than him, something Akainu had never liked.
Especially since the two of them fundamentally disagreed with each other.
Then Sengoku continued grimly.
"But Aokiji was defeated... and captured by Ryūjin."
The office immediately fell silent.
Even Kizaru's lazy expression faded slightly.
Garp also stopped eating.
"Aokiji lost?" Akainu's face darkened. "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, you should've sent me instead. If I had gone, Ryūjin would already be in chains."
"There's no point talking about that now," Sengoku replied heavily. "We have a more troublesome problem in front of us."
"Ryūjin has taken Aokiji hostage."
"He contacted me personally and demanded ten Devil Fruits in exchange for Aokiji's release."
"He's given us half a month."
Bang!
Akainu slammed his fist onto the desk.
"That bastard actually dares threaten the Marines?!"
Kizaru whistled softly.
"Scary, scary... his guts are pretty big."
Akainu immediately stood up.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, let me handle this. I'll kill Ryūjin and bring Aokiji back myself."
"You're going," Sengoku replied immediately, "but Kizaru is going with you."
Akainu frowned.
"Two Admirals for one pirate? That's excessive."
If two Admirals moved together against one man, even victory would make the Marines look bad.
But Sengoku's expression remained firm.
"This operation cannot fail."
"Ryūjin captured Aokiji alive. Don't underestimate what that means."
Kizaru sighed dramatically.
"Can't a man relax in peace these days?"
Sengoku ignored him completely.
"You have half a month. Bring back Aokiji and capture Ryūjin."
Akainu and Kizaru both nodded before leaving the office.
Once they were gone, Garp tilted his head.
"So there's nothing for me to do?"
"There is," Sengoku answered seriously.
"It's time to move on the Devil Fruits we've been tracking."
"I want you to collect them within half a month."
The Marines had always gathered information on Devil Fruits.
After all, a single fruit could create a terrifying powerhouse.
Marine Headquarters even conducted research on artificial Devil Fruits.
Naturally, they had intelligence on several fruits already, though they had not moved on them yet for various reasons.
Now, because of Ryūjin's threat, Sengoku no longer had a choice.
The Marines did possess stored Devil Fruits already, but those fruits were all officially documented.
If those were used as ransom, the Marines would become the laughingstock of the entire world.
The exchange had to be handled privately.
Garp burst out laughing.
"Sengoku, aren't you overthinking this?"
"Akainu and Kizaru are both going. You seriously think they can lose?"
"There's nobody on the sea that strong. Not even Roger or Rocks back then."
Defeating a Marine Admiral was not impossible.
Whitebeard could do it.
Some of the Four Emperors probably could too.
But defeating and capturing one alive was a completely different matter.
And taking on two Admirals simultaneously?
That sounded absurd.
Sengoku's expression remained extremely serious.
"Ryūjin didn't just beat Aokiji."
"He captured him."
"That changes everything."
"Maybe I'm being overly cautious, but I have to prepare for the worst."
"Besides, collecting more Devil Fruits benefits the Marines regardless."
Garp sighed and stood up.
"Half a month is still too short."
Even with intelligence already available, gathering several Devil Fruits within such a limited timeframe would be difficult.
Sengoku nodded heavily.
If things truly went badly, they might ultimately have no choice but to use the Marines' own reserved fruits.
After Garp left, Sengoku remained silent for a moment before issuing another order.
"Prepare a bounty for Demon Eye Ryūjin."
The secretary immediately asked, "What amount, Fleet Admiral Sengoku?"
Sengoku's eyes turned cold.
"Four billion Berries."
The secretary froze in shock.
"Four... four billion?!"
This was Ryūjin's very first bounty, yet it instantly reached Four Emperor territory.
Even Red-Haired Shanks only had a bounty around that level.
But Shanks had sailed the seas for years, rising step by step from Roger's former crew until becoming one of the Four Emperors.
As for Ryūjin?
It had not even been half a year since he became famous after defeating Mihawk in the East Blue.
Sengoku spoke coldly.
"Ryūjin defeated and captured Aokiji."
"Even if he isn't fully equal to the Four Emperors yet, he's close enough."
"And bounty levels don't only represent strength."
"They represent danger."
Sengoku's expression darkened further.
"Not even the Four Emperors have ever kidnapped a Marine Admiral to extort us."
"I understand, Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Soon afterward, the new bounty was officially issued.
The entire world exploded.
Within days, Ryūjin's bounty spread across the Four Seas, the Grand Line, and the New World.
Everywhere people looked, discussions erupted endlessly.
"Four billion Berries?!"
"This has to be fake!"
"He's already reached Four Emperor level?"
"How long has Ryūjin even been active?!"
"Less than half a year!"
"This is insane!"
"The Marines are basically acknowledging him as another Emperor!"
"From now on, the sea won't have Four Emperors anymore."
"It'll be Five Emperors!"
...
Moby Dick.
Whitebeard stood at the bow of the ship while staring quietly at the endless sea.
Lately, he had been feeling strangely uneasy.
It reminded him of the feeling he had before Ace departed to hunt Blackbeard.
At the time, Whitebeard had tried stopping him.
But Ace insisted.
And as a father, how could he stop his own son from making his choice?
No matter the consequences, he would bear them together.
"Pops! Pops!"
Marco suddenly rushed over while holding a bounty poster.
"Something huge happened!"
Whitebeard turned around with a faint smile.
"For you to panic like this, Marco, it must be serious."
The other division commanders also looked over curiously.
"What happened?"
"Did Sengoku finally die?"
"Stop dragging it out and say it already!"
Marco took a deep breath before speaking.
"The Marines issued a bounty for Demon Eye Ryūjin."
"Guess how much?"
Seeing everyone glaring at him impatiently, Marco quickly gave the answer.
"Four billion Berries."
The deck instantly exploded into chaos.
"What?!"
"Four billion?!"
"That's ridiculous!"
"This is his first bounty!"
"Red Hair's bounty is around that level too!"
"Are the Marines seriously treating him as a Four Emperor already?"
Even Whitebeard looked genuinely surprised.
"Four billion..."
His eyes narrowed slightly.
"That kid really caused one hell of a disturbance."