It wasn't that Fleet Admiral Sengoku feared the strength of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Rather, it was his sense of responsibility toward the Navy that drove him to pursue perfection.
If possible, he wanted to wipe out Whitebeard—and the entire Whitebeard Pirates—without suffering any losses among the Navy's top brass.
"Ah, I've already persuaded the Pirate Empress. I'm just about to get in touch with the remaining few…"
Borsalino replied lazily.
As for how he persuaded her—well, that was obviously through proper publicity—
ahem, naturally through heartfelt reasoning and righteous persuasion.
"Good. Finish recruiting the Warlords as soon as possible. After the war is over, I'll personally approve a full month of leave for you."
Sengoku was genuinely surprised.
Borsalino, the Navy's most infamous slacker, was actually being proactive for once.
But to be safe, the Warlord recruitment had to be completed quickly.
For that, Sengoku was even willing to make a personal promise.
For a man who usually wished the Navy's upper ranks would all work 9–9–6, this was nothing short of miraculous.
"…Huh? That's urgent?"
Borsalino sounded incredulous.
"Did something happen with Fire Fist Ace?"
For a brief moment, he almost wondered if Sengoku had worked himself into a daze and mistaken him for Sakazuki—the ultimate workaholic.
But he quickly realized the more likely explanation.
Every plan surrounding the Summit War revolved around Portgas D. Ace.
If the timetable was being moved up, then Ace was probably already in Navy custody.
"Blackbeard has handed Fire Fist Ace over to G-6,"
Sengoku said gravely.
"The news hasn't leaked yet, but if Ace stays missing for too long, the Whitebeard Pirates will grow suspicious…"
When the enemy was Whitebeard, no amount of caution was excessive.
This generation of Navy leadership had personally witnessed the rise of the Whitebeard Pirates.
Compared to even the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, Whitebeard's reputation on the seas was in no way inferior.
If they wanted to completely eliminate the Whitebeard Pirates, the Navy would have to commit everything.
"…Got it. I'll finish recruiting the Warlords as soon as possible."
Borsalino scratched his head.
His carefree days were getting shorter and shorter.
Sure, he could slack off at Marineford too—but how could that compare to life on Amazon Lily?
Still, Sengoku wasn't someone he could afford to offend.
After all, he was the man who signed his paycheck.
If Sengoku got angry, being a carefree salary thief would become much harder.
"Good. Once you're done, return to headquarters immediately.
There's no need to recruit all of them—five… no, four will do. I'll handle the rest."
Sengoku knew exactly what kind of people the Warlords were.
Even if an Admiral personally went out, there was no guarantee they'd all fall in line.
Better to give Borsalino a relaxed target—
otherwise, before the Summit War even began, an Admiral might end up fighting a Warlord.
He knew these "legal pirates" far too well.
Once the majority agreed, the remaining troublemakers could be dealt with through other means.
Without the ability to band together, even the Seven Warlords were ultimately just powerful pirates—
under enough pressure from Marineford, they would bow their heads soon enough.
"Mm-hm, leave it to me… sigh, life really isn't easy for me, is it…"
Borsalino hung up the call, basked in the sunlight for a while longer, then picked up a Den Den Mushi once again.
"…Borsalino?"
The voice on the other end sounded surprised.
From a certain perspective, the two of them had long since parted ways.
Given their current positions, calling each other enemies wouldn't be inaccurate.
"It's me. How've you been lately, Dragon?"
Borsalino asked unhurriedly.
Dragon leaving the Navy to form the Revolutionary Army had been his own decision.
But without Borsalino's subtle encouragement back then, it was hard to say how many more years Dragon would've remained in uniform.
"Haha! Thanks to the World Government and the Celestial Dragons, the revolution is going very smoothly!"
Dragon harbored no hostility toward Borsalino despite their opposing stances.
Strictly speaking, Borsalino's guidance had played a significant role in him becoming the leader of the Revolutionary Army.
It was just a pity that his senior hadn't continued walking the right path—
though Dragon didn't resent him for it.
Anyone who could say "Celestial Dragons should be punished the same as civilians" would, sooner or later, return to the path they were meant to walk.
When that time came, they would fight side by side once more.
With that thought, Dragon's tone grew warmer.
"We haven't met in person, but you mentioned your right-hand man a few months ago—
that young man named Sabo, wasn't it?"
Borsalino knew exactly what Dragon was thinking.
But he had little faith in the current Revolutionary Army—and even less desire to be a pioneer charging headfirst at Im.
He also had no interest in gambling his life against the World Government's deepest secrets.
"Sabo? He's now the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army,"
Dragon said proudly, like a parent bragging about their child.
"If you ever get the chance, you should meet him. Sabo is outstanding in every way."
In Dragon's heart, Sabo was the perfect successor to carry on the struggle against the World Government.
"…Mm. I remember you once asked me to look into Sabo's past…"
Borsalino's eyes narrowed slightly.
Ace's life or death didn't really matter to him—but an event as massive as the Summit War couldn't be borne by the Navy alone.
If the enemy were only the Whitebeard Pirates, then suppressing pirates was simply the Navy's duty, and the World Government could comfortably stay out of it.
But if the Revolutionary Army got involved too?
Then the World Government would have no excuse to remain on the sidelines.
The Five Elders loved hoarding trump cards—
It was about time they were forced to flip a few.
Such a perfect opportunity couldn't be wasted.
No matter what, he had to find a way to drag at least one or two of the World Government's top-tier forces into the open.
Otherwise, even with Borsalino quietly holding back, mere pirates or revolutionaries would never be enough to force Im—or Im's hidden weapons—into action.
It wasn't that Borsalino lacked patience or time.
He simply didn't want the power gap to widen even further.
After all…
he couldn't seriously count on Luffy awakening as the Sun God, could he?
"…You found something?"
Dragon asked, recalling how Sabo had once asked him to investigate his lost memories.
When no clues surfaced, Dragon had turned to Borsalino for help instead.
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