Kizaru indifferently patted the geisha who was massaging his shoulders, signaling her to continue and asking for a little more pressure.
Then, addressing the den den mushi, he continued in an even more lazy, and somewhat pleased, tone:
"Besides, Fleet Admiral, this is a good thing!"
"A good thing!?"
The den den mushi, mimicking Sengoku's face, instantly opened its mouth wide, the materialized veins on its forehead throbbing wildly as if they were about to burst.
"Borsalino! Have you lost your mind?! The sea is about to boil over! The Four Emperors gathering in the East Blue is unprecedented since the Rocks Era! You call this a good thing!?"
Sengoku's roar made the temperature in the entire room seem to drop several degrees.
"Oh my, don't be so agitated, Fleet Admiral." Kizaru's voice remained infuriatingly nonchalant.
"Just think, those fellows are all a bunch of lawless scoundrels."
His finger lightly traced the rim of his wine glass, and his eyes behind the sunglasses gazed through the window toward the distant horizon, as if he could already see the approaching storm.
"I really don't think they'll properly follow the rules set by young White Night."
"Especially... that bastard Kaido." Kizaru's tone became playful.
"Do you think that 'Strongest Creature,' who seeks death and finds pleasure in destruction and combat, will honestly line up, pay, and go inside to play some 'instance' game after meeting a man who calls himself a 'God' and can casually mold the moon?"
Kizaru paused, and without waiting for Sengoku to reply, he continued speaking.
"All he will do is try every possible way to challenge that 'God' and continue playing his death-seeking game."
The roaring on the other end of the line ceased.
Only heavy, suppressed breathing remained.
Sengoku was no fool; he instantly grasped the deeper meaning behind Kizaru's words.
"Rather than having the Marine gather all our fighting power and pay a terrible price to intercept them in the New World or the Grand Line—and still not necessarily manage to stop them..."
Kizaru's voice became a devil's whisper, full of temptation.
"Why not just let them pass?"
"Let these unruly monsters go to the East Blue and personally test... just how firm that 'God's' rules truly are."
"Let young White Night deal with them himself."
"And us?" Kizaru leaned back comfortably, enjoying the geisha's service, and summarized lazily, "We just need to prepare the newspaper and popcorn, sit in the best seats, and enjoy the grandest fireworks show since the Rocks Era... wouldn't that be great?"
"Isn't this... a good thing?"
Silence.
The den den mushi fell into a prolonged silence.
Sengoku's furious expression froze, then slowly, bit by bit, it crumbled, eventually settling into a complex look mixed with exhaustion, helplessness, and a hint of sudden realization.
He was right.
Letting a monster deal with monsters.
This was indeed the option that incurred the least loss for the Marine in the current situation, and arguably... the only correct choice.
However, hearing it spoken by a dignified Marine Admiral in such a matter-of-fact, even gloating tone, was something he, as the Fleet Admiral, simply could not accept.
"...But that's still no reason for you bastard to slack off in the Goa Kingdom!" After a long pause, Sengoku finally squeezed this sentence out through gritted teeth, his voice hoarse.
"The situation in the Goa Kingdom, and Dragon..."
"Ah, regarding that," Kizaru picked up his wine glass, took a small sip, and said leisurely, "Fleet Admiral, I was just about to ask for your instructions."
His tone suddenly became serious, completely unlike his usual frivolous demeanor.
Sengoku on the other end was visibly stunned; even the raging expression on the den den mushi's face subsided slightly, replaced by seriousness.
"Instructions? Speak."
For Kizaru to speak in this manner, it must be a major decision concerning the future direction of the Marine.
Perhaps it was about how to deal with the affiliated nations occupied by the Revolutionary Army? Or how to respond to Dragon's next move?
Sengoku composed himself and waited for Kizaru's next words.
Then, he heard Kizaru slowly speak in a tone he had never used before, solemn as if discussing world peace:
"Fleet Admiral, I conducted an investigation here in the Goa Kingdom and found that the Revolutionary Army has a policy that is deeply popular."
"I was wondering... could the Marine also include the expenses of the Kabukicho district in our reimbursement scope?"
"..."
"..."
"I think this is a wonderful policy, Fleet Admiral."
Kizaru completely ignored the deathly silence on the other end, adding on his own: "Think about it, our comrades are risking their lives out there, so it's only right for them to relax when they come back. This will not only greatly boost morale but also promote economic prosperity—killing two birds with one stone."
"I believe that if you implement this policy, all colleagues throughout the Marine will surely support your brilliant leadership even more!"
Silence.
A long silence, enough to freeze the air solid.
The geishas in the room didn't dare breathe, carefully watching the golden den den mushi.
They watched as the den den mushi's face, mimicking Sengoku's appearance, visibly changed color, slowly turning red from its normal complexion, then flushed red, and finally becoming a deep crimson, like a boiled shrimp.
White materialized steam even began rising from its head.
The next second.
"Borsalino—!!!"
A roar loud enough to rip off the roof and shatter glass exploded from the den den mushi's mouth!
"You! Get! Back! Here! Right! Now!!"
"Oh my? Moshi Moshi?"
Kizaru quickly held the receiver away, showing an exaggerated expression of surprise.
"The signal suddenly got so bad... Fleet Admiral? What are you saying? *Zzzzt... Zzzzt...* I can't hear anything at all..."
He feigned saying "Hello" twice into the receiver, then decisively hung up before Sengoku's next round of roaring could begin.
"Click."
The entire world was quiet.
Kizaru returned the receiver to its place and gave a lewd yet friendly smile to the group of stunned, terrified geishas.
He clapped his hands and lazily leaned back onto the tatami mat.
"Alright, alright, work matters have been dealt with."
"Come on."
"Continue the music, continue the dance."