Seeing Sakazuki's expression, Finn couldn't help but smile.
As expected, Sakazuki was also holding back a great deal of frustration, ready to erupt at any moment.
Finn took a slow sip of wine before speaking. "Pushing it by force won't work. Even if we tried, the result wouldn't change."
"What about me?" Onigumo cut in abruptly.
Momonga hesitated for a moment. Onigumo was one of Sakazuki's closest supporters, and with Sakazuki's promotion being suppressed, Onigumo was understandably furious on his behalf. Momonga, however, had no particular personal stake in the issue; he and Sakazuki were not especially close. Still, with Onigumo speaking up, remaining silent felt uncomfortable.
After a short pause, Momonga nodded. "Finn's business is my business."
Finn smiled, unsurprised.
Momonga was a good friend. He was straightforward, honest, and the kind of man who found it difficult to refuse someone he respected. Truthfully, Finn had invited him here because of that.
Onigumo and Momonga were both Rear Admirals—
and not ordinary ones.
They were among the elite of their rank, representing the influence of a significant portion of the Rear Admiral faction.
"Even if there are four of us, it won't work," Sakazuki spoke up, trying to restrain Onigumo.
"That's right, four people are definitely not enough. I think we need to unite the Marines as a whole," Finn said.
After a brief pause, Finn continued, "When the time comes, the four of us will take the lead. If we can convince Admiral Sengoku, then the matter will be almost settled."
"Where does Fleet Admiral Kong stand?" Sakazuki asked after a moment's silence.
"As long as we convince the Admiral, the Fleet Admiral will definitely stand on our side," Finn said with a smile.
"How do we start?" Sakazuki asked again.
"We need to wait for the right moment," Finn said softly.
After a brief pause, Finn continued, "Just wait and see. This matter is bound to develop in one of two ways. The first is that due to the pressure of the Great Pirate Era, the World Government may recognize reality and compromise with us, relying on our Marines again. At that time, there will be no need for us to intervene and the matter will resolve itself."
Sakazuki nodded. Indeed. He truly couldn't believe the World Government could continue suppressing the Marines like this. Weren't they afraid the Marines would rebel?
After thinking for a moment, Sakazuki asked again, "What's the second possibility?"
"The second possibility is more troublesome. That is, the World Government will find ways to suppress our Marines and completely wear down our spirit. At the same time, they'll develop some unconventional methods to curb our Marines," Finn said.
Sakazuki frowned and said nothing, but worry showed in his expression.
Because what Finn described was likely to become reality.
"But this is the opportunity I've been waiting for," Finn said suddenly.
Sakazuki was stunned for a moment, then came to his senses and said, "I understand."
Onigumo and Momonga weren't fools either and immediately understood what Finn meant.
At present, the World Government's actions hadn't yet become unacceptable to all Marines. Look at Momonga; he didn't feel anything particularly strong about it.
After all, what the World Government was targeting now was only the suppression of some elite Marine officers.
But if the World Government further "persecuted" the Marines, affecting more officers, then he and Finn could take the lead again, stirring up trouble and mobilizing public opinion. Perhaps even organizing a strike or something similar.
Forcing the World Government to make concessions might be very effective.
Of course, Sakazuki also knew that whoever took the lead would definitely be hated by the World Government, which would inevitably impact their future.
He glanced at Finn and thought, since Finn isn't afraid of offending the World Government, what should I, Sakazuki, be afraid of?
Sakazuki had a very tough personality. He could tolerate the World Government to some extent.
But if you asked whether he was afraid, he definitely wasn't.
Now that Finn had come out to lead the resistance, he was immediately ready to join in!
As for the future, he couldn't even become an Admiral Candidate now, so what future was there to worry about?
Finn also laughed. Although Sakazuki didn't say it explicitly, he obviously agreed with this plan.
In this way, he could counter the World Government and secure the Admiral position as soon as possible.
Secondly, he'd also dragged Sakazuki into offending the World Government alongside him. In the future, Sakazuki would definitely not have any involvement with the World Government anymore.
That would be beneficial for Finn.
"Wait for the right time..." Finn picked up his wine glass and was about to say something.
A loud explosion suddenly echoed from the direction of Marineford's port.
Finn and Sakazuki's expressions changed. Could it be that someone else was trying to cause trouble by imitating Shiki?
Before they could figure out what was happening, the tavern door was thrown open. A Rear Admiral rushed in and said in panic, "Vice Admiral Finn, Vice Admiral Sakazuki! Vice Admiral Saul of the Giants released that O'Hara prisoner and blocked the port's entrance with warships. Now he's escaping with the prisoner!"
Finn's expression eased slightly. So it was Saul's defection actually happening?
Is this guy really that pessimistic?
"Has he gotten far?" Finn asked.
"No, he's not above sea level yet!" the Rear Admiral responded quickly.
Finn stood up, set down his glass, and said, "Saul and I have a good relationship. I can't just sit here and watch him get himself killed. You guys keep drinking. I'll go deal with that idiot!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Finn picked up the justice coat hanging on the back of his chair, draped it over his shoulders, and turned to walk out the door.
Sakazuki glanced at his back but didn't intend to follow. He continued drinking quietly.
He had no doubt Finn would succeed.
If Finn couldn't even handle Saul, he didn't deserve to be an Admiral Candidate, let alone be promoted to Admiral in the future.
Meanwhile, on the sea not far from Marineford, Saul was desperately adjusting the sails, operating the ship's power systems, and escaping with Nico Olvia.
He'd blocked the port, so warships couldn't catch up in a short time.
But he knew how many monsters existed in the Marines, so he didn't dare be careless.
"Why did you save me?" Olvia looked at the giant Saul in surprise.
For several years, Saul had been hunting down scholars like them, but now he'd saved her life?
"We already know your identity. You're a scholar from O'Hara. O'Hara is about to face the Buster Call. After I take you away, you can go to O'Hara and find a way to save people. As for me, the justice in my heart has been shaken. Staying in the Marines will only make things more painful," Saul said in a deep voice.
"Buster Call?" Olvia's voice filled with horror.
As a scholar, she certainly knew what the Buster Call was.
At this moment, Saul's expression suddenly changed and he looked up at the sky.
Olvia, originally terrified, instinctively followed Saul's gaze upward, then was completely stunned.
A massive rock, like a meteor, was falling from above!
"It's Finn!" Saul said with grave seriousness in his eyes.
But he wasn't too panicked, because he could see the meteorite would fall in front of them, not hit the warship directly. Maybe it was to block their path? A greeting?
"Who is Finn?" Olvia asked quickly.
She hadn't paid much attention to Marine affairs and didn't know much about current officers.
"Rodriguez Finn, known as the Violent Tiger of Marine Headquarters, the only Admiral Candidate in the Marines. His strength is truly monstrous," Saul said in a deep voice.
"Admiral Candidate... that should be Vice Admiral rank, right? Aren't you also a Vice Admiral?" Olvia asked quickly.
"It's incomparable..." Saul shook his head.
Before he could say anything else, the warship, which had been moving forward, suddenly stopped. This sudden halt almost made Olvia fall over.
At the same time, Saul turned his head and looked behind him.
"Saul, what the hell are you doing? Come back with me now! I can still guarantee your safety!" Finn suddenly landed on the warship and said in a deep voice.
"Finn, O'Hara's Buster Call..." Saul began.
"Shut up! O'Hara's Buster Call cannot be changed, and those scholars deserve to die!" Finn said bluntly.
At this moment, Olvia came to her senses and shouted angrily, "Deserve to die? Why should we die? Is slaughtering unarmed scholars the justice of your Marines?"
Upon hearing this, Finn slapped Olvia across the face without hesitation, then kicked her to the deck and said, "I'm not Saul. I don't have his good temper, and I won't listen to your nonsense. Researching the Poneglyphs is strictly prohibited by law. Once involved, it's a capital crime. What's more, the Poneglyphs also record information about ancient weapons. Don't you deserve to die?"
Olvia was slapped hard, blood oozing from the corner of her mouth. She wiped it with her hand but didn't back down. She argued, "We simply want to know the history of the past. It is the wealth and heritage of all humanity. Listening to and protecting the voices of the past is the philosophy of us scholars. Is this considered a crime?"
"Nonsense!" Finn kicked her again, then said in a deep voice, "Who gave you the right to represent all of humanity? You scholars, waving noble banners, yet you have no regard for the safety of the world. Let me ask you, this time it was fortunate that our Marines caught and discovered you first. If some powerful and evil pirates had found you first, how could you guarantee that ancient weapons wouldn't fall into their hands?"
"We scholars are never afraid of death! We will never leak information to evil parties!" Olvia said without hesitation.
Judging from her posture, she genuinely didn't seem afraid of death.
As for the fact that scholars weren't afraid of death, both Saul and Finn were very clear about it.
But Finn did not soften his attitude. His voice lowered, cold.
"Aren't there Devil Fruits that deal with hypnosis, memory alteration, or extraction?"
Olvia, who had been preparing to speak, froze. Her words dried up at once.
Finn continued, his tone controlled but laced with steel.
"I have never seen a group so convinced of their own righteousness while ignoring the law entirely. Tell me, have the scholars of O'Hara ever once followed proper procedures to address this issue through legal channels? O'Hara is an autonomous island. You have the right to submit proposals to the World Council. For decades, not one of you has attempted to amend the laws regarding Poneglyph research."
He leaned forward slightly.
"Instead, you conduct secret research. You break the law in broad daylight, and now you act as if you are justified."
His words deepened.
"If the ancient weapons are unsealed, who will take responsibility? How many civilians, how many Marines, will die because of your so-called 'truth'?"
Finn's eyes were cold.
"And after all that, you still dare to stand here and speak as if you hold the moral high ground. That in itself is generous of me. I have already given you more respect than you deserve."
Finn scolded without any hesitation.
His words left Olvia completely speechless.
Because she really couldn't refute the things Finn mentioned, and she had never even considered them before.
Saul on the side was also confused, vaguely feeling that what Finn said made sense.
Somehow, his Marine sense of justice suddenly returned.
"Shameless," Finn snapped, his patience already wearing thin.
He turned to Saul, expression darkening.
"Saul. You know very well you are not my match. Come back with me. I will speak to the Fleet Admiral on your behalf."
Saul opened his mouth. "I—"
But Finn cut him off, voice sharp.
"Still making excuses? Stubborn fool."
The moment the words left his lips, the air collapsed.
A surge of gravity crashed down on Saul, slamming him flat against the deck. The entire warship groaned, sinking ten meters into the sea under the sheer force.
Then, with a silent command, Finn lifted the warship itself, the ocean bending around it as it began to glide back toward Marineford.
Saul lay pinned, completely bewildered.
I didn't even say anything yet!
What are you doing!?
Why are you like this!?
Please act like a normal human being!
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Writing takes time, coffee, and a lot of love.If you'd like to support my work, join me at [email protected]/GoldenGaruda
You'll get early access to over 50 chapters, selection on new series, and the satisfaction of knowing your support directly fuels more stories.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~