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At Marine Headquarters, Marineford, Sengoku once again convened a meeting.
“We have received intelligence that Shin Uzumaki’s Kuja Pirates have left Amazon Lily.” Sengoku placed the intelligence report on the table.
“Are they heading to the New World?” Garp asked Sengoku.
There weren’t many people at the meeting, just Sengoku, Garp, and a few key Vice Admirals. None of the Admirals were present—they had all gone to the New World.
The New World was in turmoil.
Kaido’s Beast Pirates and Whitebeard’s Whitebeard Pirates had gone to war. Though a war between two Yonko-level pirate crews was a good thing for them, they also needed to control the situation to prevent it from getting too serious.
The three Admirals were there to suppress the situation. That wasn’t a major concern.
“They are not returning to the New World. If they were, I could relax a little…”
Sengoku’s face was filled with worry. His hair had turned a few shades whiter, and more wrinkles had appeared on his forehead. It was all due to stress.
“Not returning to the New World??”
Garp’s brow also furrowed.
Though Garp didn’t like to get involved in things, it didn’t mean he didn’t care about anything. If he truly didn’t care about anything, Garp would have retired already. But he hadn’t.
“If they’re not going back to the New World, then where is Shin Uzumaki going?” Garp asked Sengoku.
“Based on the Kuja Pirates’ movements, it is estimated that they are heading to the Four Seas. As for which sea they are going to, it is not clear.”
Sengoku could only analyze the Kuja Pirates’ purpose based on their movements.
“Going to the Four Seas?”
Garp frowned for a while, then his eyes suddenly lit up. “COULD IT BE THAT THEY ARE HEADING TO THE NORTH BLUE??”
Sengoku looked at Garp, then nodded lightly. “That’s a possibility. After all, the Op-Op Fruit has been causing quite a stir recently.”
As a Strategist, Sengoku had analyzed many things from some intelligence and had guessed Shin’s target. But truthfully, it didn’t matter—Shin had never tried to hide it. With his level of power, what was the point in secrecy?
————
“By the way, Garp, I have something I want to discuss with you. This matter is very important.”
Sengoku said seriously to Garp.
“DON’T… DON’T SAY IT!” Garp, seeing Sengoku’s serious look, immediately didn’t want to discuss it with him. He knew it was not good news.
“I must say this. And I need your help.”
“Alright, let’s hear it. I’ll help if I can—but don’t push me if I can’t.”
Garp hesitated for a moment, then decided to listen first. However, his intuition told him that it was definitely not something good.
Sengoku took out a piece of paper and placed it in front of him. Garp curiously picked it up.
His expression was slightly strange. Garp asked with confusion, “Why are you showing me the Kuja Pirates’ Recruitment notice?”
The recruitment notice, the one Shin had issued before. The Kuja Pirates were recruiting powerhouses worldwide, limited to women, and they had to be beautiful.
“The Kuja Pirates, especially Shin Uzumaki, are too much of a concern for us. So I have prepared a plan to deal with the Kuja Pirates.”
“Oh, what’s your plan??” Garp asked curiously.
At this moment, the curious Garp completely missed the sly smile on Sengoku’s face. Garp had been completely pulled into the pit by Sengoku.
“An undercover plan. I want to send a Marine to go undercover in the Kuja Pirates.”
“Undercover? Who do you want to send?” Garp frowned and asked Sengoku.
Average Marines couldn’t go undercover. And most of the excellent Marines were men. To send someone undercover, it had to be a woman.
After all, the Kuja Pirates only wanted women—they didn’t want anyone else.
Also, if they weren’t strong enough, the plan was doomed. And if they got discovered, it’d be a serious problem.
“Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral Gion.”
“What??”
Hearing the name Sengoku said, Garp exploded. He jumped up and questioned Sengoku.
Garp didn’t care about Sengoku’s undercover plan, but Sengoku actually wanted Gion to go undercover? Was he crazy?
And the most crucial thing was that Sengoku was actually dragging him into this. No wonder he had a bad feeling. It turned out Sengoku was this suicidal, and he was being dragged in as well.
Gion was Momousagi. Her rank was Vice Admiral, but her strength was very formidable—and she was considered a candidate for Marine Admiral in the future.
The most crucial thing was that Momousagi was Tsuru’s younger sister. Though not blood sisters—they had a very close relationship.
Tsuru was not here right now—she was out hunting Doflamingo. If Tsuru knew about this, would he still be alive?
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“Gion has already agreed. And she has already left,” Sengoku said to Garp.
“WHAT??”
Before, Garp had just reacted strongly. Now he was about to explode. Now Garp understood. This wasn’t a discussion—Sengoku was looking for someone to take the blame.
That’s right, Sengoku was looking for Garp to take the blame. If Garp didn’t take the blame, WHO WOULD?
Of course, Sengoku knew he couldn’t escape either. But if it were just him, he would likely be beaten to death by Tsuru.
After all those years as comrades, if Tsuru really turned on him, Sengoku wouldn’t have the heart to fight back. Besides, Tsuru wasn’t exactly weak.
If Garp were there, the attention would probably shift to him. After all, he and Tsuru had plenty of unresolved history.
Though they didn’t talk about it now, Sengoku knew that Tsuru still had some resentment towards Garp.
This time, it might just erupt all at once.
He could take the opportunity to extricate himself.
As expected of a strategist, he had calculated Garp perfectly. The key was that Garp couldn’t even escape now, because Gion had already left.
————
“You bastard—you’re trying to get me killed, aren’t you??” Garp slammed his fist on the table, shattering it, and roared at Sengoku.
“Get Momousagi back immediately—or things are going to get ugly.” Garp gritted his teeth and roared.
Because of Tsuru, Garp also had a very good impression of Momousagi.
“I can’t call her back. She even left her Den Den Mushi behind,” Sengoku said to Garp, shaking his head.
“Why did you let Momousagi go?”
Garp asked Sengoku angrily.
“You’re asking the obvious. In the entire Marine force, Gion’s the most suitable, isn’t she? She’s strong enough—and more importantly, she’s beautiful.”
Momousagi was a hidden combat force—the various factions didn’t know about her. It was precisely for this reason that Sengoku had sent Momousagi.
If it were someone else—say, the new recruit Hina—her strength wasn’t bad, but her background could be dug up with minimal effort. She simply wasn’t fit for undercover work. Looking across the entire Marine force, Gion seemed to be the only real option. So Sengoku made his decision.
He had also discussed it with Gion. If Gion didn’t agree, Sengoku wouldn’t have forced her.
But when he told Gion at that time, Gion agreed directly.
This was for the best. Gion was sent out after all her information was erased, and Sengoku conveniently pulled Garp in to take the blame together.
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