In the Fleet Admiral's office.
Fleet Admiral Sengoku was processing documents, his pen scratching across paper as he signed his name. Just as he finished, there was a knock at the door.
"Come in." Sengoku responded without looking up.
The door swung open and Finn walked in.
Seeing Finn's figure, Sengoku's eyes lit up. He said with mock seriousness, "Isn't this the legendary 'Strongest Admiral in History'?"
"Hahaha, do you really want to say that to me?" Finn laughed.
Without any ceremony, Finn casually walked over to the sofa and dropped onto it. He pulled a cigar from inside his coat, bit it between his lips, lit it, and puffed out smoke with obvious contentment.
Sengoku didn't ask about the battle situation first. Instead, he asked, "How are you feeling? What about your injuries?"
"Basically no external injuries, just some impact on my internal organs. Nothing serious. I'll rest for a few days." Finn waved his hand dismissively.
"You defeated Newgate and the others one after another. Even accounting for tactics, you didn't suffer many injuries yourself. That proves your strength. You must have entered a new realm. Calling you the 'Strongest Admiral' doesn't seem inappropriate." Sengoku nodded approvingly.
"You're praising me like this. Are you planning to give me a bonus?" Finn asked with suspicion.
Sengoku was almost laughing with exasperation. He cursed, "The bonus and other compensation have already been given to Hina. Go ask her for it yourself. You don't care about such a small amount, do you?"
"No matter how small a mosquito's legs are, they're still meat." Finn raised an eyebrow and grinned.
Sengoku didn't argue further. He set down his documents and said, "I've already heard the general process. I've read the reports from Kuzan and Gion. Overall, you did an excellent job this time. Very impressive, and it perfectly aligned with the Marines' current development goals."
"Okay, okay, I know all that..." Finn waved his hand insincerely, interrupting Sengoku mid-sentence.
Sengoku glared at Finn fiercely.
Finn didn't care about the look at all. Instead, he asked, "I just want to know if that bastard Borsalino is alright. What's Mary Geoise's attitude? I didn't feel comfortable asking when I met the Five Elders. Actually, it wasn't convenient to ask."
Sengoku was silent for a moment, then said, "There shouldn't be any problems with Mary Geoise. After the report was submitted, they chose to accept it tacitly. As for whether they discovered the Dyna Stone incident... I think they did, but we cleaned up well enough that we didn't expose any major scandals. So they decided not to investigate further."
"Fortunately they didn't pursue it. Otherwise, if they'd opened a formal investigation, it would have been difficult for us." Finn breathed a sigh of relief.
"Haha, that's true." Sengoku nodded and chuckled.
"What about Borsalino?" Finn asked again. Before Sengoku could speak, Finn continued, "That guy even lost control of the Dyna Stone. This is serious dereliction of duty. Fleet Admiral, I suggest stripping him of his Admiral rank and appointing Gion as the new Admiral!"
The instant Finn finished speaking, the door to Sengoku's office opened again. Borsalino walked in with a document in hand and a somewhat resentful expression. "Finn, next time you badmouth someone, could you please close the door first?"
"Hahahaha! I saw you at the corridor corner, so I said that specifically for you to hear." Finn laughed, then added, "Why don't you thank me quickly!?"
Borsalino shook his head helplessly, then straightened his expression. "Anyway, thank you very much this time. Otherwise, the consequences would have been disastrous."
"Have you figured out the situation?" Finn asked.
"More or less. It's not as complicated as I imagined. Nothing particularly special about it. Just simple internal corruption." Borsalino said.
Then he tossed the document in his hand to Sengoku. "This is the investigation report."
Sengoku opened the document and began reading. Although Finn was curious, he didn't try to grab it. Instead, he poured himself a cup of tea and chatted with Borsalino.
After a long moment, Sengoku set down the document with a sigh. "From this perspective, our Marines really must break away from Mary Geoise..."
"What's going on?" Finn was surprised. How did this relate to Mary Geoise?
He stood, took the document from the desk, and after glancing through it, Finn began to understand.
"Corruption is a contagious disease..." Finn said softly.
The document contained the prisoner's confession:
"I served in the Marines for twenty-six years and participated in countless wars, big and small. Three times, doctors said I wouldn't survive, but I managed to pull through. Later, I joined the Science Unit and became a Vice Admiral, responsible for guarding Dyna Stone in the New World. It's the most dangerous assignment. If Dyna Stone explodes, I'll definitely die. If pirates attack, I may not be able to stop them. I've made so many contributions to peace and justice in this world, but what do I get in return? In Mary Geoise, even the servants of high officials live better than me! I'm old now and have no more grand ambitions. I just want to make enough money to live luxuriously after retirement. At least live better than those damned parasites, right? Is there anything wrong with that?"
Was this wrong?
Of course it was. As a Marine Vice Admiral, the compensation was actually quite good. It was a well-paying position that could fully support a comfortable retirement.
But everything suffered in comparison. This Vice Admiral had suddenly discovered that his life wasn't as good as the servants of high-ranking officials in Mary Geoise.
This contrast had made him bitter and angry. He'd risked life and death, worked hard for most of his life, but what he'd gained was inferior to those who'd sold their conscience. This blow had twisted his thinking.
Eventually, he'd become this kind of person.
It was wrong, but also tragic.
As Finn said, corruption was contagious.
Marine Headquarters had launched several "Anti-Corruption Storm Operations," but this situation persisted. What was the reason?
On one hand, there were definitely problems within the Marines themselves. This didn't need to be covered up.
On the other hand, the overall environment of the Marines belonged to Mary Geoise's system. But corruption within Mary Geoise was extremely serious, and even the Five Elders struggled to effectively rectify this phenomenon. This rot would gradually spread throughout the entire system, and the Marines were no exception.
That's why Sengoku had been inspired to say they must separate.
"Well, these are all your concerns anyway, so I won't meddle. There's nothing about Dyna Stone that involves me anymore, so I'm withdrawing. Please give me some leave. I need rest after this battle." Finn tossed the document back onto Sengoku's desk with a smile.
Sengoku looked surprised. "Another vacation?"
"What do you mean 'another'? Don't slander my reputation out of thin air!" Finn reacted dramatically.
Sengoku didn't argue about semantics. Instead, he asked, "Have you arranged all your work?"
"Everything will proceed step by step. There won't be any major internal changes for now. As for external matters, Smoker will strengthen the Amway Group, and the Gran Tesoro plan will also launch. But our Marines don't need to intervene in those. He'll send people to lobby Mary Geoise. It would be bad for our Marines to participate too directly. We just need to provide some support for the neutral zone proposal." Finn said.
"What else?" Sengoku asked.
"Anything else? Nothing else, right?" Finn stroked his chin thoughtfully.
"The Calm Belt situation, and the matter with Dragon..." Sengoku said.
"The Calm Belt? The Calm Belt is fine. Isn't the cooperation between Hancock and Momonga going well? I heard they discovered a gold mine not long ago. As for Dragon... haven't you always been in charge of that guy's affairs, Fleet Admiral?" Finn asked with surprise.
Sengoku opened his mouth as if to say something, then shook his head. "Forget it, I'll handle Dragon's situation myself. If you want a vacation, take it. After all this trouble, you really do deserve some rest."
"Then I—" Borsalino suddenly spoke.
"If you don't want to die, just do your job honestly!" Sengoku's expression changed and he said viciously.
What kind of attitude is this? Finn is your biological son, and I was adopted from a garbage dump, right?
Finn laughed and patted Borsalino on the shoulder. Then, while Borsalino was still processing the unfairness, Finn waved to Sengoku and strutted out of the office.
Humming a little tune, Finn in high spirits quickly returned to his own office.
He found Hina watering some slightly withered plants, while Vergo stood obediently beside the bookcase.
Seeing Vergo, Finn's expression became complicated again.
Although he'd known from the beginning that Vergo was Doflamingo's man, to be honest, Finn still admired Vergo's capabilities greatly.
Therefore, every time he saw Vergo, he felt regret.
What a good Marine talent, wasted by that bastard Doflamingo.
"Why are you standing there? If someone saw, they'd think I was bullying you. Sit down." Finn walked to his desk, sat, and gestured.
Vergo nodded, smiled, and sat on the sofa.
"You came to me on your own initiative, which means Doflamingo has something to say, right? What, did he find the Dark-Dark Fruit for me?" Finn tapped ash from his cigar.
Vergo shook his head. "No, although the Young Master has been actively searching for the Dark-Dark Fruit, there's no news yet. He asked me to contact you, Admiral, to convey some of his ideas."
"What ideas?" Finn asked curiously, exhaling a stream of smoke.
"He said he wants to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea," Vergo said.
Did I travel through time again?
Wasn't Doflamingo already one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea?
What nonsense is this guy talking about?
"Wait, what the hell? Aside from the Heavenly Tribute incident, isn't he already one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea? Why does he still want to become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea? What are you talking about?" Finn asked, confused.
Vergo's mouth curled into a smile that seemed to carry deep meaning. He said softly, "The Young Master said he wants to become a true Warlord."
"What's 'true'? Is he sick? Why is he being so cryptic?" Finn cursed. Before Vergo could respond, Finn continued, "Go back and tell him to explain himself clearly. Why is he playing these games? Is he itching for trouble? Does he want a beating?"
That's not right. Didn't the Young Master say that as long as I conveyed these words to the Admiral, the Admiral would be surprised and would seriously ask about the details, possibly even contact him personally?
Why is the reaction completely different?
Did the Young Master miscalculate?
"Ah..." Vergo hesitated, then said, "Then should I contact the Young Master again?"
"Yeah, go tell him to straighten out his tongue and learn to speak clearly. Just contact me directly. He keeps being confusing every damn day." Finn waved his hand with obvious annoyance.
"Yes, Admiral." Vergo stood awkwardly.
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