It must be said, Vice Admiral Tsuru truly lived up to her reputation as the Marine Headquarters' Chief of Staff—her strategies were first-rate.
Sengoku turned to Vice Admiral Tsuru and laughed.
"Tsuru, this is so like you! I was still worrying about this matter, but you've already taken control of the most crucial person. Hahaha..."
"Crunch crunch crunch..."
Garp sat to the side, eating donuts as if no one else was around.
Sengoku: "..."
The corner of his eye twitched involuntarily, but since he'd just solved a troublesome problem and was in a good mood, he couldn't be bothered to deal with this brute.
...
Meanwhile, Lancelot received a call from Miss Valentine.
Miss Valentine looked full of self-reproach: "Master, I have failed in my duty."
Hearing this, Lancelot raised an eyebrow, "Krieg was taken away?"
Miss Valentine was momentarily stunned, then looked surprised.
"Master, you already knew?"
Thinking about it for a moment, it made sense.
Lancelot was the Governor of the entire East Blue—someone must have reported this matter to him.
Instead of answering directly, Lancelot chuckled lightly.
"It was to be expected. Have the people who took Krieg left the East Blue yet?"
Miss Valentine, "Not yet. That group came to the East Blue on a mission. Taking Krieg was an additional assignment. So they probably won't leave the East Blue until they complete their original mission."
Lancelot: "How strong are they?"
Miss Valentine: "A headquarters Commander leading five hundred marines."
Lancelot's smile widened: "Notify Matthew to kill them all for me."
Upon hearing this, Miss Valentine hesitated slightly before confirming.
"Even the marines?"
Lancelot couldn't help but laugh.
"When pirates encounter marines, would it make sense to only kill one pirate the marines had captured? Wouldn't that clearly tell everyone that I was behind this?"
After pausing briefly, he continued, "Matthew is a ruthless pirate with countless blood on his hands. So naturally, he should eliminate everyone. That would fit his pirate persona!"
Miss Valentine.
"Understood, Master. This subordinate was foolish."
"Hehe..." Lancelot let out an eerie laugh. "You're not foolish—you're just mindful of my Marine identity. Remember this... from now on, when handling matters, don't consider my Marine status.
Do what needs to be done, just make sure it's clean and leaves no traces for others to find."
Miss Valentine: "Yes, Master. Once Matthew succeeds, I'll have someone dispose of him."
Hearing this, Lancelot nodded with satisfaction: "Now that's the Baroque Works way of doing things."
Lancelot seemed to recall something: "By the way, how many nobles has that bastard Matthew robbed recently?"
Miss Valentine: "He's plundered eight kingdoms, but since none are World Government affiliate nations, the matter hasn't reached Marine Headquarters yet.
However, the situation has already escalated. Marine Headquarters will inevitably find out sooner or later..."
Lancelot chuckled upon hearing this.
"It seems he's grown fat enough. Even without this incident, it's about time to slaughter him."
Miss Valentine: "What about Buggy the Clown? Should we deal with him too? He's also been robbing numerous kingdoms lately..."
"Him?"
Lancelot showed a hint of hesitation before resolutely declaring: "Has he ever shorted us even a single coin of what belongs to us?"
Miss Valentine: "No... That Matthew fellow tries to play tricks during the loot division. But Buggy strictly adheres to our eight-to-two split when distributing his plundered treasures."
Lancelot pondered briefly: "Then let's properly nurture his Buggy Pirate Crew, help him firmly secure the position of top pirate in the East Blue. Have him thoroughly plunder those nobles for us..."
Miss Valentine: "Yes, Master."
Lancelot added: "This matter stays between us."
Miss Valentine's pupils contracted—she perfectly understood the implication in Lancelot's words.
This absolutely must not reach Gin's knowledge.
If Gin were to find out, she would bear full responsibility.
"Gulp..."
Miss Valentine couldn't help but swallow nervously.
She knew all too well what kind of man their Rear Admiral was.
She wouldn't naively believe he'd go easy on her just because she was his woman.
Miss Valentine nodded, her expression serious: "Rest assured, Master. This matter will never be known by a third person. I'll also keep close watch on Buggy's side."
Lancelot chuckled lightly: "No need for that on his end... Overly deliberate actions would only draw attention. Gin won't be returning to the East Blue anymore. Therefore, there will be no further intersection between them. No intersection naturally means no risk."
...
The moment he ended the communication with Miss Valentine, Lancelot's lips curled into a slight smile.
Because as long as Krieg remained alive, there would always be a barrier between him and Gin.
Even after all they'd been through together, having formed deep bonds and established profound trust between them.
Truth be told, he'd long wanted to eliminate Krieg.
He just couldn't find a reasonable method.
That's why when he gave Gin the Sand-Sand Fruit, he'd been waiting for this day to arrive.
Now, he simply couldn't suppress the smile on his lips.
With Krieg removed, there would finally be no more barriers between him and Gin.
...
Before long, Lancelot received another call.
It was from Gin.
"Rear Admiral Lancelot, I received a transfer order from Marine Headquarters, assigning me to serve as a rear admiral at HQ. But I refused them..." Gin's expression was extremely grim at this moment.
He wasn't stupid.
After thinking about it briefly, he understood what the Marine Headquarters was planning.
However, some matters... even when you know the truth, they can still create barriers in your heart.
This was an open scheme.
So now he felt somewhat uneasy.
After all, in his heart, Lancelot's status was no less than Krieg's... no, it had even surpassed Krieg's.
Because it was Lancelot who taught him Rokushiki, and Lancelot who brought him to confront powerful opponents, awakening his Armament Haki.
It was Lancelot who showed him the world beyond the East Blue.
Moreover, it was Lancelot who gave him the extremely precious Logia-type Sand-Sand Fruit and placed immense trust in him.
Therefore, he was afraid that Lancelot might develop a rift between them because of this matter.
"Eh?"
Lancelot looked surprised.
He had anticipated Krieg's move, but never expected Marine Headquarters to play so ruthlessly.
Not only were they using Krieg to control Gin, but they were also trying to drive a wedge between him and Gin.
However, he immediately laughed.
"This is great news! Why refuse? Accept their offer... but remember, starting today, we need to appear somewhat at odds on the surface. Do you understand what I mean?"
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