Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
In Admiral Sengoku's office, he was speaking into a Den Den Mushi, his expression thoughtful.
"Amber Lead Disease?" Sengoku asked with evident confusion.
After a brief pause, he continued speaking into the receiver. "Why has Amber Lead Disease resurfaced? Is that condition genuinely contagious? Or is there actually something wrong with the finished amber lead products themselves?"
Thinking this, Sengoku glanced at the amber lead coffee cup sitting on his desk. It was part of a tea set Finn had given him. He felt a twinge of unease. Would that guy really deceive us?
"No, Admiral, it's a survivor from Flevance back then. Still just a child," a male voice came through the Den Den Mushi. If Finn had been present, he might have recognized the voice as Rosinante's.
"Really?" Sengoku breathed a sigh of relief.
He was quiet for a moment, then continued. "So, you want to save this child?"
"Yes," Rosinante responded softly from the other end.
"This will be very difficult. As far as I know, the World Government once summoned renowned doctors from around the world to consult on this disease. The final conclusion was that it's terminal, with no cure," Sengoku said, his tone carrying a hint of helplessness.
To be honest, if there had been any possibility that Amber Lead Disease could be cured, the World Government wouldn't have sat idly by and watched Flevance be destroyed.
Although Flevance's fall had allowed the World Government, as the major speculator behind the scenes, to reap enormous profits, if the country hadn't collapsed, the Government could have continued profiting indefinitely. Unless they were incredibly short-sighted, the choice should have been obvious.
"It's difficult, but there's still a possibility?" Rosinante asked suddenly.
"This..." Sengoku hesitated, then said, "I can only suggest you try the Drum Kingdom. The doctors there are exceptional."
"A world medical power?" Rosinante said after a pause.
Then he smiled. "Alright, I understand, Admiral."
"Don't get your hopes too high," Sengoku cautioned again.
Admiral Sengoku wasn't deceiving Rosinante. After the World Government's consultation had concluded, the case files and information had been transferred to the Drum Kingdom. After all, for the medical community, every terminal illness represented a new frontier.
Doctors in the Drum Kingdom might still be researching Amber Lead Disease. What if there'd been a breakthrough?
Whether successful or not, it was worth attempting.
Without continuing that topic, Rosinante suddenly asked, "How is Brother Finn doing these days? I haven't heard much about him."
"He went to the New World to capture the Straw Hat Pirates. I don't know the current situation," Sengoku said calmly.
From these words, it was clear he trusted Rosinante deeply.
"I really miss him. I haven't seen him in years," Rosinante said with a sigh.
"Hahaha! Why don't you just finish your mission and come back?" Sengoku laughed.
In truth, due to Finn's intimidation and Doflamingo's own calculations, that man had never truly opposed the Marines. On the contrary, the Marines even had business dealings with him, purchasing goods at favorable prices.
Therefore, Marine Headquarters had no plans to take action against Doflamingo. Rosinante's current infiltration of the Donquixote Family was, frankly, not particularly useful anymore.
Rosinante himself was quite surprised. In his memory, his brother should have been a madman, but after several years of contact, he'd discovered that Doflamingo seemed to have changed dramatically.
Not only did he avoid chaotic actions, but despite flying a pirate flag, he didn't plunder or antagonize the Marines. He devoted himself entirely to studying the underworld and continuously expanding the Donquixote Family's business.
As for underworld affairs, there wasn't much to investigate. After all, no one in that world was virtuous. Whatever Doflamingo did there, there was nothing actionable.
This left Rosinante feeling rather uncomfortable. He'd been infiltrating the Donquixote Family for several years. Apart from occasionally reporting some of Doflamingo's business dealings and whereabouts, he had no significant intelligence whatsoever.
So what was the point of his infiltration?
Therefore, after Sengoku finished speaking, Rosinante was somewhat tempted to return, but after thinking it over, he said, "At least let me resolve this child's problem first."
Sengoku held no hope for curing the child's Amber Lead Disease, so he didn't press further and simply acknowledged it casually.
Just then, a knock came at his office door. His secretary entered and whispered, "Admiral, the Fleet Admiral requests your presence."
"Understood," Sengoku responded, then said to the Den Den Mushi, "In any case, be careful. Safety comes first, alright?"
"I know, Admiral," Rosinante said with a smile.
"Good, that's it then. I still have matters to attend to." Sengoku smiled as well, and the two ended the call.
It was clear that after chatting with Rosinante for a while, Sengoku was in excellent spirits. After all, he regarded Rosinante as his own son and had indeed adopted him formally.
He was in his sixties now, and his relationship with Chief of Staff Tsuru had no romantic future. Even if they could enjoy a peaceful sunset together eventually, having children at their age was impossible.
Therefore, in Sengoku's eyes, Rosinante was his son, the one he'd likely rely on in his old age.
And he was very satisfied with Rosinante.
After putting away the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku picked up the Justice cloak hanging on the rack, draped it over his shoulders, left his office, and headed toward Fleet Admiral Kong's quarters.
Admiral Sengoku was the designated successor for the next Fleet Admiral position. If nothing unexpected occurred, Fleet Admiral Kong would definitely transfer to Mary Geoise within two years to become Commander-in-Chief.
Additionally, Sengoku had already taken over many of the Fleet Admiral's responsibilities, so he didn't need to knock when entering the Fleet Admiral's office.
As soon as he opened the door, he saw Fleet Admiral Kong laughing heartily while speaking into a Den Den Mushi.
The voice coming through the receiver was Finn's.
"A great victory?" Fleet Admiral Kong asked with a booming laugh.
On Finn's end, he clicked his tongue. "Not a complete victory. A few still escaped, but the main threat has been neutralized. Straw Hat Shanks and Ben Beckman, the captain and first mate of the Straw Hat Pirates, have both been apprehended. The rest of them managed to escape by sheer luck."
"Well, capturing the captain and first mate can certainly be considered a great victory. Excellent work. Bring them back," Fleet Admiral Kong said, still laughing.
That's right, the capture operation against the Straw Hat Pirates had proceeded remarkably smoothly.
After Finn dealt with Shanks, Sakazuki had also captured Ben Beckman. However, thanks to Beckman's sacrifice and cover, Yasopp, Lucky Roux, and the others had escaped into the Calm Belt.
But without Shanks and Beckman, the Straw Hat Pirates were effectively finished. Neither Yasopp nor Lucky Roux possessed the capability to revitalize the Straw Hat Pirates.
"We're returning now," Finn replied, then asked, "By the way, Fleet Admiral, what should we do with Shanks?"
"Take him to Impel Down first. When we have time later, we can try using him to track down those bastards from Roger's pirate crew who are still hiding," Fleet Admiral Kong said without hesitation.
Although the Marines were no longer conducting large-scale manhunts for members of Roger's pirate crew, that was only because the Marines had shifted focus to pirates currently committing crimes, temporarily reducing attention on those who'd gone into hiding and remained quiet.
But this didn't mean Fleet Admiral Kong would let them off permanently. In his view, once the Marines had pacified the New World, they'd eventually hunt down and eliminate every last one of them.
You've sailed the seas under a pirate flag for so many years, and in the end, you think you can just retire peacefully?
How could there be such a convenient outcome in this world?
"Understood," Finn responded again, then continued, "Big Mom and Kaido have genuinely formed an alliance now. On my way back, everywhere I go, there's panic. The storm clouds of war are gathering over the New World. Fleet Admiral, regarding this matter—"
"We'll stick to the original plan. Let them fight each other first," Fleet Admiral Kong said firmly.
After a brief pause, he decided not to continue that discussion. Instead, he said, "By the way, Finn, G-7's Commodore Boa Hancock has submitted an application to retire and return to Amazon Lily to inherit the throne."
When Finn heard this news, he felt somewhat amused.
He couldn't help thinking that Hancock really was like a protagonist. After retiring, she was going back to inherit a throne?
The Marines probably hadn't received such a report in hundreds of years.
He wanted to inherit a throne too. He wondered if anyone would abdicate for him.
"Is she even an adult yet?" Finn asked with surprise.
"Not yet, but she will be soon. On the day of her coming-of-age ceremony, she'll officially succeed to the throne, so she needs to return and prepare properly. Originally, the report was sent to Gion, but since Gion went to the New World with you, I ended up handling this matter, and the report was forwarded to me," Fleet Admiral Kong said with a smile.
"Alright, I understand. Fleet Admiral, please approve it for us and let her return to Amazon Lily first. By the way, before she 'retires,' promote her to Rear Admiral," Finn said pleasantly.
Hancock's retirement wasn't genuine retirement, of course. It was time for her to return to inherit the throne and command the Kuja Pirates. Her public identity would shift to the shadows.
After that, she would no longer be a Marine officer but the captain of the Kuja Pirates. She'd sail as the Amazon Lily Empress, and the Marines would support her candidacy as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
After chatting for a few more minutes, Fleet Admiral Kong ended the call with Finn and looked at Admiral Sengoku, who had already seated himself on the sofa.
Sengoku asked with a smile, "Was that Finn? Sounds like things went well?"
"Indeed, the Straw Hat Pirates are essentially finished. Shanks and his vice-captain have been captured," Fleet Admiral Kong nodded.
"There's nothing surprising about that. I originally thought that as long as Finn and the others could locate the Straw Hat Pirates, there would basically be no other outcome," Sengoku said with a smile.
"True enough," Fleet Admiral Kong agreed.
After a brief pause, Fleet Admiral Kong handed a document from his desk to Sengoku. "This is a political assignment. Take a look."
Sengoku looked momentarily puzzled, then took the document and flipped through it. He said helplessly, "Isn't this rather unreasonable? This task has been pending for over twenty years with no progress. Where am I supposed to find the Ope Ope no Mi?"
"The reason this matter has resurfaced recently is because there seems to be news about the Ope Ope no Mi. Not long ago, someone apparently spotted this fruit in the North Blue, though it was just a sighting. In any case, the higher-ups want you to investigate," Fleet Admiral Kong said with a smile.
Sengoku didn't take it particularly seriously. After all, it was just hearsay.
"Will there be consequences if nothing comes of it?" Sengoku asked.
"No," Fleet Admiral Kong waved his hand dismissively.
"Alright, I understand. I'll find a way to look into it," Sengoku nodded.
Meanwhile, in the New World, in Smoker's Tobacco City—territory belonging to one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, White Hunter Smoker—a peculiar scene was unfolding.
Smoker sat on his throne with three cigars in his mouth, looking with somewhat strange eyes at the man kneeling on the ground not far away. "You want to join me? What's your name?"
"Tesoro. Gild Tesoro!" the man answered quickly.
What was this? Smoker unleashed his Conqueror's Haki, and Tesoro just bowed down to him?