Especially once the Five Elders learn of Kizaru's actions, it would already be a miracle if they don't try to kill him outright. As for reconciliation—well, that might require Garp to deliver each of them a good old "physical memory-loss punch."
"...Colonel Nami, Major Reiju, please step outside for a moment."
Sengoku's eyelid twitched; he suddenly felt a bad premonition. Turning his head, he addressed Nami and Reiju.
The two women glanced toward Kizaru, and only after receiving his subtle signal did they obediently leave the office.
Once the office door shut tightly, Sengoku's gaze returned to Kizaru.
"Speak. What exactly have you done?"
Sengoku's voice carried a heavy weight. From the moment Kizaru became Fleet Admiral, his every action was inevitably tied to the Navy.
Whatever Kizaru did, the Five Elders would see it as the Navy's intention.
"Ahem, well, actually I didn't do all that much..."
Looking at Sengoku's grave expression, Kizaru even felt a little embarrassed.
When he had first succeeded Sengoku as Fleet Admiral, it had only been thanks to Sengoku's full support.
Otherwise, even if Kizaru's rise had been flawless on paper, it would not have been so easy for him to fully take command of the Navy.
Sengoku himself had taken years after becoming Fleet Admiral to gradually subdue or replace the subordinates left behind by Steel Bone Kong and even the Fleet Admiral before him.
And now, in just a few short months since Kizaru's succession, he had dropped a massive "surprise" on Sengoku.
If a regret pill existed in this world, then aside from the Five Elders, the person who would want it the most would be Sengoku, the current Grand Inspector.
With this apologetic mindset, Kizaru revealed some of his manipulations—carefully choosing the less outrageous ones.
For instance, he admitted to deliberately blocking intelligence related to the Dark Matter Pirates, suppressing reports from various New World branches about unusual pirate activity, and so on.
As for allowing Morgans to use the News Coo to promote the Dark Matter Pirates, funneling obsolete weapons to pirates through the underworld, or diverting Sakazuki from his New World post—Kizaru didn't see the need to spell those out.
Even though he had already downplayed it, withholding the most terrifying truth—that Poros was actually one of their own—these revelations still hit Sengoku hard.
Sengoku had originally thought Kizaru had simply taken advantage of a situation to embarrass the World Government. But now it seemed his involvement ran far deeper than imagined—to the point where one could say Kizaru outright intended to overthrow the World Government!
"What about the CP organization? Why did none of their agents report anything?!"
Sengoku rubbed his forehead, feeling the nerves he had relaxed since stepping down as Fleet Admiral now pulled taut again.
Not even on the eve of the Marineford War had he felt such a headache.
At first, Sengoku had been confident he could protect Kizaru. After all, the Navy was indispensable to the World Government, and the Fleet Admiral was indispensable to the Navy.
But now, he wasn't so sure anymore. In the art of courting disaster, Kizaru's talent seemed maxed out.
Compared to this, Garp—who had never hesitated to oppose the Five Elders—suddenly looked like a model soldier. At least Garp hadn't conspired with Dragon to topple the World Government.
"The CP organization... well, Stussy helped a little."
Kizaru chuckled awkwardly. Not long ago, he had promised Sengoku that he would gradually cut ties with Stussy.
And yet here she was, siding with him on such a major issue. Only a fool wouldn't see that their relationship was far deeper than anyone had imagined.
"That woman has the ability to control all the CP agents in the New World?"
Sengoku was doubtful. From CP1 to CP9, the CP organization had thousands of agents stationed across the New World, forming a vast intelligence network.
Even if Stussy was CP0, there was no way she could control such a massive network—let alone keep the Five Elders in the dark.
If this was true, Sengoku had no choice but to admit he had underestimated Stussy's abilities.
"Ahem... Stussy alone isn't quite enough. But Fleet Admiral Kong lent a helping hand..."
Realizing that he couldn't hide it much longer under Sengoku's probing, Kizaru simply threw caution to the wind and confessed to another accomplice.
Strictly speaking, Fleet Admiral Kong wasn't really an accomplice—at least not at first. He had no idea Kizaru would stir up such chaos. It was only because of Pure Gold that Kizaru dragged him into this mess.
By the time Kong's decades of experience made him realize something was wrong, it was already too late to turn back.
So he could only grit his teeth, commit to the path, and hope the massive "bomb" Kizaru had planted wouldn't go off too soon.
"Wait! Who did you just say?!"
Sengoku, utterly stunned, spoke in disbelief. For a moment, he wondered if he was dreaming—no, trapped in a nightmare of the worst kind.
It was undeniable: Sengoku's promotion to Fleet Admiral had, in a way, come at the expense of Kong's dishonorable retirement.
But that didn't mean Sengoku had no respect for him. Born into a prestigious army family, Steel Bone Kong had not discriminated against the Navy's native faction after becoming Fleet Admiral despite his army background.
Most of the current high-ranking officers of the Navy, including Kizaru himself, had first made their mark during Kong's tenure.
Had he not carried the shame of being the first Fleet Admiral to lose a war, Kong's prestige at the time would have been more than enough to keep the position for another ten or twenty years.
And it was precisely because of that prestige that Sengoku went numb upon hearing even Kong had been dragged into this.
The most trusted man of the Five Elders, Steel Bone Kong, had chosen to side with Kizaru—joining him in a plot to overthrow the World Government.
This wasn't just absurd. It shook Sengoku's very worldview to its core.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, Supreme Commander of the Armed Forces—yes, he's in on it too!"
Kizaru, inwardly apologizing without much sincerity to the old man, knew there was no way to convince Sengoku through reason alone. Left with no choice, he invoked Kong's name.
Besides, it wasn't really a lie. Without Kong's help in covering things up, even with Stussy's cooperation, there was no way they could have kept the truth hidden this long.
"...You and Stussy, I can at least understand. But Kong... Steel Bone Kong? Why?! He's always been the Five Elders' most loyal servant!"
Sengoku struggled to accept it. Rationally, he knew Kizaru was most likely telling the truth. Without Kong's assistance, Kizaru and Stussy alone could never have accomplished this much.
But after all these years, the loyalty Steel Bone Kong had shown to the Five Elders could not possibly have been fake—could it?
"Maybe the old man... ahem, Fleet Admiral Kong, just couldn't stomach the World Government and the Celestial Dragons anymore?"
Kizaru relaxed a little now. Sengoku hadn't exploded in fury. Even if that didn't mean he was on Kizaru's side, it showed some softening.
At the very least, Kizaru no longer had to fear Sengoku swearing blind loyalty to the Five Elders and the Government. If even Sengoku—usually the very embodiment of "looking at the bigger picture"—was wavering, then persuading the rest of the Navy's high command might prove easier than he thought.
Realizing this, a bold thought flashed across Kizaru's mind.
Perhaps he didn't need to wait for war to break out. Maybe he could draw Sengoku into his camp ahead of time.
"...Other than Kong, don't tell me you've got more accomplices..."
Sengoku spoke with a numb expression. Even with all his years of experience, he found himself at a loss.
Kizaru had quietly set up an operation of staggering scale. There was no way a few words of persuasion would make him back down.
And even if the Navy were forcibly tied to Kizaru's side, Sengoku couldn't be sure the Five Elders would let them off.
After all, with Kong's support and the power of the Dark Matter Pirates, Kizaru now possessed the strength to genuinely topple the World Government.
If not for that terrifying figure lurking behind the Five Elders and the Celestial Dragons, Sengoku would have doubted whether the Government could even survive this crisis.
"There are no others."
Kizaru answered obediently. Truth be told, he had considered drawing more of the Navy's higher-ups to his side early on, but doing so risked leaks.
Even with his ability to sense malice ensuring he wouldn't be caught off guard, if all the careful preparations failed just because of that, it would be far too great a waste.
"You're sure? What about Garp? Isn't Kuzan your man? And Tsuru—don't tell me she's also…"
Sengoku still wasn't convinced. And who could blame him? If even Fleet Admiral Kong, who was supposed to be utterly loyal to the Five Elders and the World Government, had been swayed by Kizaru, then who in Marineford could be trusted at all?
"There really aren't any others. If they were with me, why would I have sent them away on vacation?"
Kizaru put on an innocent expression. Honestly, he couldn't speak for everyone, but if Garp knew the truth, chances were he would side with him.
The problem was that if Garp knew, then everyone in Marineford would know. Apart from keeping Ace's parentage a secret, Garp had never been reliable with sensitive information.
"I see…"
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