After hanging up the call, Doflamingo paid no further mind to the Five Elders' thoughts. However, in the minds of the Donquixote Pirates, the Five Elders were surely seething with rage right now! The ants they looked down upon had dared to speak to them in such a manner.
But, the angrier the Five Elders became, the happier they were. They would inevitably clash sooner or later. That day, perhaps, was coming very soon. Every member of the Donquixote Pirates had already steeled their resolve.
Holy Land Mariejois. The Five Elders angrily ended the call, each of their faces extremely grim.
"Too arrogant, that Donquixote Doflamingo!"
"We benevolently offer him a chance, and he dares to refuse us! He simply doesn't know what's good for him!"
"We must let this brat Doflamingo know the power of our World Government!"
"The dignity of the World Government shall not be violated!"
Except for the bald Elder holding the Shodai Kitetsu, who remained silent, the other four Five Elders vented their fury.
When the four had more or less finished venting, the bald Elder holding the Shodai Kitetsu finally opened his closed eyes and stated his view: "Let's resolve this trouble sooner rather than later. That brat Doflamingo's ambition is not small!"
The other four also glanced at the bald, sword-wielding Elder, then nodded in agreement.
"Leave it to Sengoku! He's been the Marine Fleet Admiral for so long; it's time he produced some results!" the blond Elder proposed.
"This time, we absolutely cannot let Doflamingo off. To ensure complete success, it's also time we dispatch our subordinate CP9 units to coordinate with Sengoku and his forces," the bald-headed Elder (another one) also offered his thoughts.
"It's just one Doflamingo. Isn't this giving him too much credit? You know, those fellows in the New World are restless right now! If we deploy so many people just for Doflamingo alone, then the Marines won't have enough strength to maintain the balance of power with those others," the Elder with long, straight white hair raised a question.
"Maintaining the balance of power is, of course, paramount. Then let us mobilize the Seven Warlords of the Sea! It's time for those fellows enjoying government benefits to contribute a little," the Elder with curly white hair, hearing the words of the long-haired Elder, suggested.
"Acceptable! Then deploy two Marine Admirals, summon the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and add our subordinate CP9. I believe this time, Donquixote Doflamingo will absolutely not be able to escape our grasp!" The bald Elder holding the Kitetsu sword also agreed with the others' proposals, giving the final conclusion.
"Then it's settled!"
"Agreed!"
"Seconded!"
"It's all up to Sengoku then!"
Marinfod, Fleet Admiral's office. The current Fleet Admiral Sengoku also received the order from the Five Elders.
"Yes, I will definitely complete this mission!" Sengoku replied respectfully to the voice on the other end of the Den Den Mushi.
Afterward, Sengoku hung up the call and, looking seriously at his adjutant beside him, commanded, "Notify all Marine officers of Vice Admiral rank and above to attend a meeting immediately."
The adjutant also realized something major had happened; otherwise, Fleet Admiral Sengoku wouldn't be so solemn. He dared not delay, quickly leaving the Fleet Admiral's office to relay the order.
Soon, Marine officers of Vice Admiral rank and above had all gathered in the Fleet Admiral's meeting room. There were many familiar faces, such as Kizaru and Aokiji. Apart from some who were still on missions and couldn't attend in person (participating via Den Den Mushi video conference instead), all officers currently at Marinfod were present.
"Everyone, this meeting is to deal with one person," Sengoku stood at the head of the table, looking seriously at each officer's face.
Seeing Sengoku's grave expression, and with Garp – Sengoku's usual stress-reliever – not present, everyone also put away some of their lax attitudes. Even Aokiji and Kizaru reined themselves in a bit, no longer appearing so casual and lazy.
All the officers quietly listened for Fleet Admiral Sengoku's next words, wanting to know who exactly this serious meeting was intended to target.
"This person is the former Celestial Dragon, Donquixote Doflamingo," Sengoku said gravely.
He then gave his adjutant a look. The adjutant, receiving the instruction, quickly distributed information on all members of the Donquixote Pirates to the officers present.
When Aokiji heard Doflamingo's name, his eyes also sharpened. He couldn't forget their great battle years ago. Moreover, Nico Robin was still with him. Unfortunately, Doflamingo's strength was not inferior to his own; he alone couldn't handle Doflamingo, let alone rescue Nico Robin.
Aokiji quickly flipped through the documents. When he saw Nico Robin's information, Aokiji's expression softened somewhat. After all, the only good news for Aokiji right now was that Nico Robin seemed to be doing well with the Donquixote Pirates.
However, so many years had passed; who knew if that fellow Doflamingo had corrupted Nico Robin.
While Aokiji's expression was complex, Kizaru, who was just "clocking in for work," curiously glanced at the information. He was naturally no stranger to Doflamingo; they had even clashed last time. Although it was just a coordinated act, it was evident that Doflamingo's strength was not to be underestimated.
For this mission, Kizaru was genuinely uninterested. With this kind of effort, he'd rather be in his office drinking tea and doing his nails – much more worthwhile. Moreover, Kizaru actually wasn't optimistic about Fleet Admiral Sengoku's chances of catching Doflamingo. So, rather than wasting that effort, the leisurely life in the office was much more pleasant.
For Kizaru, volunteering for battle was impossible, absolutely impossible in this lifetime. He wasn't that fellow Akainu, zealous about eliminating pirates. Wasn't it better to use such wonderful time for enjoyment?
Unfortunately, Kizaru didn't want a laborious fate, but this mission, he really couldn't escape it. To deal with Doflamingo's Rumble-Rumble Fruit, he was, of course, an indispensable presence.
"Damn Donquixote Doflamingo! Why couldn't he just be a good Celestial Dragon? Why did he have to become a pirate!" Vice Admiral Onigumo said indignantly.
"Alright, does anyone have any opinions now?" Sengoku swept his gaze over everyone, beginning to ask for their opinions, though in reality, he wanted to see how many people were willing to participate in this mission.
Don't think that just because one becomes Fleet Admiral, one can rule dictatorially. The factions within the Marines were incredibly complex, and Sengoku had put in a lot of effort to manage these relationships.
"All pirates deserve to die!" Before anyone else could speak, Akainu's Den Den Mushi directly transmitted his murderously cold words.
Everyone knew Akainu hated evil like a personal enemy and showed no mercy to pirates, not tolerating even a speck of dust in his eyes. Sengoku wasn't surprised by his reaction.
"Ara, rara. For this mission, count me in, I suppose!" Aokiji lifted his head, looked at Sengoku, and actively volunteered for battle. This was a first.
Sengoku was very satisfied with Aokiji's attitude. Aokiji was a talent their faction had painstakingly cultivated; his own position was to be handed over to him in the future. However, over these many years, who knew what Aokiji had experienced; the once passionate and righteous Marine had become lazy.
Could it really be that he had spent too much time with that fellow Borsalino? And picked up bad habits.
Thinking of Kizaru, Sengoku also looked at him. Kizaru, as if by some strange coincidence, met Sengoku's gaze.
This eye contact made Kizaru's heart sink. He hadn't expected it, but he still couldn't avoid it. His leisurely office life was about to bid him farewell.
"Well then, I'll participate too, I guess!" Kizaru knew he couldn't escape and no longer resisted, simply lying flat and accepting his fate.
Hearing the two Admirals, Kizaru and Aokiji, state their positions, Akainu's Den Den Mushi also synchronized with Akainu's expression; it seemed Akainu was quite pleased with their volunteering for battle.
The other officers of Vice Admiral rank and below were greatly shocked upon hearing this. They hadn't expected Fleet Admiral Sengoku to dispatch two Marine Admirals. Usually, only one would be dispatched even to protect Celestial Dragons! For two Marine Admirals to be mobilized together – this showed just how much importance was being placed on Doflamingo!
However, their ranks were not high enough. These were all big shots here; there was no room for them to speak. They could only silently await the Fleet Admiral's orders.
"Deploying two Admirals! It seems Doflamingo won't escape this time, even if he grows wings!" Vice Admiral Yamakaji couldn't help but say excitedly.
"The World Government is taking the matter of Doflamingo very seriously this time. They have already dispatched CP agents to assist us. Additionally, we also plan to summon the Seven Warlords of the Sea to help us!" Sengoku, hearing Yamakaji's words, continued to drop bombshells.
"This… isn't this too exaggerated?" Vice Admiral Doberman said, somewhat astonished.
Yes! Just one Doflamingo, was it necessary to treat him like this? This was intending to crush Doflamingo completely! This kind of force could even contend with some of the great pirate crews in the New World, perhaps even gain the upper hand. For just a rookie pirate crew, this was too much!
"The World Government places great importance on Doflamingo!" Sengoku could only say this. He also didn't know what Doflamingo had done to make even the Five Elders go to such lengths to deal with him.
However, what did this have to do with him, Sengoku? As long as Doflamingo could be captured, everything was worth it.
"But, will those Seven Warlords of the Sea really cooperate with us honestly?" Vice Admiral Doberman still voiced his doubts.
"I don't believe those pirates will kindly cooperate with us," Vice Admiral Onigumo said coldly, his words filled with disdain for the Seven Warlords.
"Alright!" Sengoku interrupted their discussion and said solemnly, "We will issue the summons. Let's just see if they come or not." If they come, so what? If they don't, so what?
Fleet Admiral Sengoku didn't give specific instructions. After all, the Seven Warlords of the Sea were under the World Government's purview; the Marines had no authority to dismiss them. This was perhaps Sengoku's ambiguous decision, or rather, his helplessness.
"Crane, I'll leave this matter to you!" Sengoku then said to Vice Admiral Tsuru beside him.
Vice Admiral Tsuru, her hands crossed supporting her chin, nodded slightly in agreement.
Sengoku was very satisfied with this meeting. Without his old comrade stirring up trouble, the meeting had proceeded smoothly. He hadn't been angered by Garp, and probably even lost a few less white hairs.
Next, Sengoku discussed with everyone the specific details of how to deal with Doflamingo and his crew, where to carry out the capture of Doflamingo, and an analysis of the intelligence on the Donquixote Pirates' members.
While the Marines were still holding their meeting, the CP9 units directly under the World Government had already been mobilized much earlier, beginning to track the Donquixote Pirates to carry out preliminary intelligence work for the subsequent encirclement and annihilation plan.
"Now, we just wait for the fish to bite the hook!"
The meeting lasted for a long time, well into the dead of night, before the lights in the meeting room finally went dark.
However, the lights in the Fleet Admiral's office were still on. Sengoku sat in the Fleet Admiral's chair, took out a stack of documents, and from it, found the familiar file of his adopted son.
Looking at Rosinante's file, Sengoku's old eyes filled with tears, a look of sorrow on his face.
"Soon, you will be able to rest in peace properly!"