Finn had barely finished speaking when Fleet Admiral Kong leaned forward, his expression thoughtful.
"Fish-Man Island connects the first half of the Grand Line to the New World," Kong said. "Its geographical position is critical. It's the primary route pirates use to enter the New World. If we can establish friendly relations with Fish-Man Island and station troops there, it would provide a tremendous strategic advantage for eliminating pirate threats."
Admiral Sengoku nodded, adding his own perspective. "Not only that, but improving relations with Fish-Man Island would also allow us to deploy forces into the New World far more quickly and efficiently."
At that moment, Momonga raised his hand hesitantly. "Improving relations seems necessary, but Admiral Sengoku, isn't deploying forces through Fish-Man Island extremely dangerous?"
Historically, the Marines had entered the New World primarily through Mary Geoise. The Fish-Man Island route was rarely used, and for good reason.
First, relations with the island weren't particularly strong. Second, the route through Mary Geoise was infinitely safer. Fish-Man Island sat ten thousand meters below the surface. For anyone who wasn't a Fishman or Mermaid, descending to that depth meant putting your life in the hands of the sea itself. Whether you survived depended entirely on luck.
Undersea currents could tear a ship apart. Sea Kings the size of islands could appear without warning. Swarms of sea beasts could overwhelm even the sturdiest warship. In the deep ocean, even Marine vessels were fragile.
In the past, when the Marines had transported warships to the New World via Fish-Man Island, only seven or eight out of every ten ships made it through intact. Total losses were rare, but damage was almost guaranteed.
Momonga's concerns were valid.
As soon as he finished speaking, several other Marine officers nodded and began murmuring among themselves. This was exactly why the Marines avoided the Fish-Man Island route. Pirates had no choice, they couldn't access Mary Geoise. But the Marines could. Why risk it?
They were all willing to die for justice, but dying pointlessly in the depths of the ocean, crushed by water pressure or swallowed by a Sea King, that wasn't heroic. It was tragic.
While the Vice Admirals debated, Finn calmly lifted his teacup and took a slow sip. Then he pulled a cigar from his coat pocket, struck a match, and lit it. He inhaled deeply, exhaled a thin stream of smoke, and tapped his fingers lightly against the table.
The sound wasn't loud, but the room fell silent almost immediately. Momonga and the others turned their attention to the Admiral.
Finn spoke, his tone measured and deliberate.
"Your concerns are valid. That's precisely why we need to find ways to minimize the risks. But we can't retreat or hesitate just because something is dangerous or difficult. Since when did the Marines start fearing the sea? Tell me, isn't Fish-Man Island a member nation? Isn't it under our protection? Are pirates allowed to use a route that we, the Marines, refuse to take?"
Momonga and the others fell silent. No one refuted him.
Finn tapped the ash from his cigar into a small tray, then continued. "We can improve relations with Fish-Man Island and recruit Fishmen into the Marines. We can assign them escort duties. When our warships pass through Fish-Man Island, they'll accompany us and provide protection during the underwater journey. That alone would significantly reduce the threat."
He paused, letting the idea settle before continuing. "Second, this deployment strategy should focus primarily on transporting warships. Personnel can travel separately, entering the New World via Mary Geoise and reuniting with the ships later. Even if something goes wrong during the underwater journey, our personnel losses will be minimal. Once mutual trust is established, we can even assign recruited Fishman Marines to handle the escort duties entirely, further reducing risk. As for warship losses, compared to the ability to deploy forces quickly into the New World, the trade-off is acceptable."
Though Finn had already arranged for Smoker to secretly build warships in the New World, he wasn't foolish enough to put all his eggs in one basket. Contingency plans were essential.
The moment Finn finished, the eyes of Momonga and the others lit up. That… actually makes sense.
Finn wasn't done. "So, my proposal is this: take advantage of Queen Otohime's current goodwill toward the surface world and establish friendly relations between the Marines and Fish-Man Island as quickly as possible. That should be the focus of this discussion, not the dangers of the route. Now, let's hear your thoughts on how to make that happen."
He leaned back in his chair, cigar in hand, and waited.
The room erupted into discussion.
"Fish-Man Island is flying Whitebeard's flag, though…"
"So what? They're also a member nation. Is the Marine going to be intimidated by Whitebeard's flag?"
"That's not what I meant! Are you saying I'm a coward?"
"Stop arguing. Didn't the Intelligence Department report that King Neptune harbors deep prejudice and hostility toward surface-dwellers?"
"It's not one-sided hostility. Most people on the surface are hostile to Fishmen and Merfolk too. The hatred is mutual, built up over generations."
"If we don't resolve the chaos in the Sabaody Archipelago and the Fishman and Mermaid slave trade in Mary Geoise, establishing friendly relations with Fish-Man Island will be nearly impossible."
"The Sabaody Archipelago is manageable. We just need to crack down on the slave traders and eliminate the criminal element there. But Mary Geoise? We have no authority there."
As the officers debated heatedly, Admiral Sengoku leaned closer to Finn and spoke quietly. "They're right. How do we resolve the issues in Mary Geoise and the Sabaody Archipelago?"
Finn exhaled a plume of smoke, his voice low. "The Sabaody Archipelago is relatively simple."
"What do you mean?" Sengoku asked.
Most of the Fishmen and Merfolk sold into slavery were captured in the Sabaody Archipelago. It was the primary hub for that trade. If they could solve the problem there, the safety of Fish-Man Island's residents would improve dramatically.
"Crack down on the slave traders," Finn said. "It's legal. As long as we move quickly, the World Government won't be able to stop us."
Sengoku nodded, then frowned. "Many of those traders have backing from powerful nobles, even Celestial Dragon families. If we don't eliminate them completely, they'll just reappear. It'll be a temporary fix at best."
"Then we eliminate them a different way," Finn said.
"What way?"
"The Marines secretly back a slave trader and help them become the biggest operation in the Sabaody Archipelago. That way, we control the dark market and can shape it however we want. We sell only pirates, criminals, and scum to Mary Geoise, and we crack down hard on anyone trafficking innocents. The methods are a bit underhanded, but the outcome is good."
Sengoku froze.
You've been running a prisoner labor program in the Calm Belt with hundreds of thousands of pirates, and now you want to control the slave trade too? Are you addicted to this?
But as distasteful as it sounded, the more Sengoku thought about it, the more sense it made.
We could assign it to one of the Seven Warlords.
"What about Mary Geoise?" Sengoku asked again.
"There's no solution to Mary Geoise," Finn said bluntly. "The Marines have no authority there. So tell me, Admiral, do you have the power to demand that the Celestial Dragons release their Fishman and Mermaid slaves and hand them over to us?"
"If I had that kind of power," Sengoku replied dryly, "I wouldn't be sitting here. I'd be meeting you in the office of the Five Elders."
Finn laughed. "Exactly. We can't control what happens in Mary Geoise."
"Then how do we improve relations with Fish-Man Island?" Sengoku asked, frustration creeping into his voice. "If we can't resolve the Mary Geoise issue, it's a dead end."
"I remember the Fleet Admiral asked me that same question years ago," Finn said thoughtfully. "I've been thinking about it ever since. I only recently came up with an answer."
Sengoku's eyes lit up. "Tell me."
"You change the framing," Finn said with a sly grin.
"What do you mean?"
"When it comes to the Mary Geoise issue, we position ourselves alongside Fish-Man Island as fellow victims. If we share the same stance, things become much easier."
Sengoku blinked, confused at first. Then understanding dawned, and he nodded slowly. "I think I see what you're getting at. The Marines publicly oppose the slave trade and formally propose ending it to Mary Geoise. Mary Geoise rejects the proposal. We become 'victims' and 'losers' in the process, but we've made our stance clear. Then, we approach Fish-Man Island with that shared identity. As fellow victims, we open dialogue and build trust. Is that it?"
"Essentially, yes," Finn said. "Let the Fleet Admiral go to Mary Geoise and raise the issue directly. Once they reject it, we immediately set out for Fish-Man Island and communicate with them about it. There's a decent chance of success. We need to show them that the Marines stand with them."
"It makes sense," Sengoku said quietly. "We don't have any better options. Let's try it."
He paused, then looked at Finn. "I'll accompany the Fleet Admiral to Mary Geoise. As for Fish-Man Island, you'll need to go yourself. It shows more sincerity if an Admiral goes in person."
"Agreed," Finn said. "I'll go after you return from Mary Geoise."
The two Admirals quickly reached consensus. Sengoku turned to explain the plan to Fleet Admiral Kong, while Finn redirected the room's attention back to himself and laid out the strategy.
The assembled officers debated for a while, but ultimately agreed to the approach.
Once Finn finished, Chief of Staff Tsuru spoke up. "Now, there's something I need to discuss with all of you."
Tsuru had been in a notably good mood ever since her reinstatement as Chief of Staff. The room fell silent as she spoke.
Finn sipped his tea, waiting.
"It's about the North Blue. Flevance," Tsuru said.
Finn's eyes widened slightly. Flevance? Already? That was faster than I expected.
"Recently, the price of Amber Lead in Flevance has been rising steadily," Tsuru continued. "The Donquixote Family has been active in the North Blue, and our Intelligence Department has been monitoring them. We've discovered they've been purchasing large quantities of Amber Lead."
Borsalino scratched his chin. "Is that a problem? They're just buying Amber Lead. Do we need to interfere?"
Tsuru's expression darkened. "Yes. Flevance is likely on the verge of collapse. We've received reports about Amber Lead Disease."
"Amber Lead Disease?" Sengoku murmured, surprised. "There's something wrong with Amber Lead? It causes illness?"
His mind immediately flashed to the Amber Lead tableware Finn had given him years ago. He'd treasured that set, using it for every meal.
Wait. Is it poisonous?
Sengoku's eyes slowly turned toward Finn.
Are you… are you trying to assassinate me?
Do you want to become Fleet Admiral early?