"This is the Devil Fruit that the World Government promised you."
After returning to his office, Sengoku opened a secure safe beside his desk and handed Sherwin a large treasure chest.
Sherwin lifted the lid, revealing three Devil Fruits inside, each with a unique shape and texture.
Hmm… though the process was a bit troublesome, at least the World Government kept its word.
Now the question was whether any of these Fruits would be useful to him — and if he might gain new fragments from them.
After closing the lid again, Sherwin was about to take his leave to study the newly acquired Devil Fruits when Sengoku spoke first.
"Sigh…" Sengoku exhaled helplessly, then said,
"Actually, I welcome the fact that you've become one of the Seven Warlords.
Officers like Colonel Bling Bling from the East Blue and Colonel Hilnans from the West Blue — the commander of the base in Cuddy hometown — all speak very highly of you.
I also know you're not like scum such as Doflamingo."
After giving Sherwin ample praise, Sengoku shifted the tone, passing the blame decisively.
"Personally, I don't want to make things difficult for you, but this was an order from above — they can't just swallow their pride."
As he spoke, he gestured toward the treasure chest in Sherwin hand.
"So… what exactly are you trying to say?"
Sherwin looked at Sengoku, puzzled by this sudden "heart-to-heart," wondering what he was getting at.
"I just don't want you to develop any ill feelings toward the Navy because of this."
"Oh, you don't need to worry about that," Sherwin shrugged.
After all, from the manga, he already knew that no matter how much the Navy preached about justice,
they were nothing more than dogs wearing the collars of the Celestial Dragons.
His impression of them couldn't possibly sink any lower.
Completely misunderstanding Sherwin attitude, Sengoku brightened — and took the opportunity to extend the invitation he had long been planning.
"So, are you willing to join the Navy?"
Sengoku had clearly done his homework before trying to recruit Sherwin.
"I know you can't be stationed at a regular base like the average Marine, but that fine. The Navy has some special divisions that aren't publicly known.
You could secretly enlist while continuing your role as one of the Seven Warlords."
He first mentioned a special unit that offered great autonomy, then sweetened the deal:
"You like collecting famous blades and Devil Fruits, right? Once you join us, you can use the Navy intelligence network to help you find them.
Plus, you can earn merit points through missions and exchange them internally for rare blades and Fruits."
Huh? When did I become this popular?
Sherwin rubbed his chin in amusement. Kuma had wanted to recommend him to the Revolutionary Army, the World Government wanted him to be a "proper" Warlord, and now even Fleet Admiral Sengoku wanted to pull him into the Navy…
Still, he had to admit — Sengoku offer was somewhat tempting.
He had no interest in serving as a dog for the World Government or the Celestial Dragons, but before his true stance was exposed, milking a few benefits from the Navy didn't sound bad at all.
In fact, officers like Colonel Bling Bling had suggested something similar before, but Sherwin had turned them all down.
Back then, his situation was different — and besides, those officers were merely proposing ideas without any real authority to make it happen.
Sengoku, however, as Fleet Admiral, could decide such matters with a single word. That made a world of difference.
But after that brief moment of temptation, Sherwin still shook his head and declined.
"If I wanted to join the Navy, I would've done it back when old man Garp invited me."
Indeed, milking the Navy sounded nice in theory — but it required completing missions assigned by Sengoku to accumulate merit points.
What seemed like an easy deal on paper would, in reality, be far more complicated to pull off.
Besides, the Navy supplies also belong to the World Government, and the World Government even holds higher priority in allocating those resources.
Since Sherwin already has the title of Warlord of the Sea, he can easily obtain what he needs through the World Government connections. So for him, joining the Navy feels completely unnecessary.
The real problem is—what if he clashes with the Navy in the future?
If things turn hostile, this Navy identity would be utterly meaningless.
He could always keep up the pretense, of course, but as a Warlord, he already enjoys enough freedom.
Why bother burdening himself with an extra layer of restraint for the sake of benefits that look appealing but are hard to grasp?
"Too bad my strategists, Huamei Meow and Robin, aren't here. Maybe they could've come up with a better plan," Sherwin muttered regretfully, clicking his tongue.
After Sherwin turned him down, Sengoku didn't press further. As Fleet Admiral of the Navy, he still had his pride—no way he'd cling to a mere young man decision.
Of course, the real reason was that Sengoku sensed something in Sherwin calm attitude:
the young man indeed possessed a strong sense of justice, just as the reports suggested—but it wasn't the same kind of justice the Navy upheld.
If that was truly the case, then things could become troublesome…
Sengoku brow twitched slightly. He'd seen many cases like Sherwin before.
Such people often ended up clashing with the Navy, the allied nations, or the World Government—either turning into pirates or being recruited into the Revolutionary Army by that man, Dragon.
Fortunately, Sherwin was now a Warlord of the Sea. That alone greatly reduced the chances of him becoming their enemy.
"Since that the case, let just leave it at that."
Sengoku shook his head, pushing aside the tangle of thoughts in his mind.
At this point, he no longer had the patience to keep chatting with Sherwin—Marineford, which had just been blasted into a crater, was still waiting for him to handle the aftermath!
The more he thought about how all of that had something to do with the kid in front of him, and how his recent workload was somehow always tied to Sherwin, the more irritated he felt just looking at him.
Anyway, the kid had a good relationship with Garp, and he seemed to get along well with Tsuru too.
Sengoku decided to just let those two handle the matter of keeping up ties with Sherwin.
With that thought, and his head already aching from the repairs at Marineford and other pressing business, Sengoku waved his hand impatiently at Sherwin and said,
"If you're interested in Marineford, you can stay here for a few more days. If anything comes up, look for Garp or Tsuru. I still have work to do, so I won't be entertaining you."
After saying that, he didn't bother with Sherwin any further and turned to the documents on his desk, resuming his work.
Unaware of Sengoku shifting mood, Sherwin stood there a little baffled. The so-called "wise general" of the Navy sure was acting strangely—hot one moment and cold the next.
Even if he'd refused the man offer, there was no need for such an obvious change in attitude, was there?
Why did both the World Government and the Navy act so petty?
Sherwin clicked his tongue in annoyance, muttering inwardly as he hugged the chest containing the Devil Fruits and left the Fleet Admiral office.
After all, he was far more eager to check which fruits he'd just obtained—and to see whether that stingy Hunter Manual would finally reward him with new fragments—than to waste more time here talking to an old man.