Marineford, Marineford, the corridor outside the Fleet Admiral's office.
"This Gern..." Sengoku gripped the report in his hand, his steps hurried, his cloak of Justice swaying with him.
He had just received an urgent report from Impel Down's Vice-Warden, Magellan.
The report's content was roughly: Gern, during the handover of Bullet, had unauthorizedly removed his Sea Stone restraints, allowing him to fight fiercely at the Impel Down entrance, even severely injuring the Chief Guard, Shiliew!
"Absolutely lawless!" Fury burned in Sengoku's eyes, so much so that the force with which he pushed open Kong's office door almost made the doorframe tremble.
"Fleet Admiral Kong! We cannot indulge Gern any longer!" Sengoku roared, then slammed the report heavily onto the table, stating righteously,
"What kind of place is Impel Down? He actually dared to remove Bullet's Sea Stone restraints in such a place, and even allowed him to injure Shiliew and threaten Magellan!
This is no longer a matter of disobeying orders; this is an open challenge to Marine discipline! We cannot let him remain idle at Marineford any longer!
I suggest immediately transferring him away from the core combat zones, sending him to monitor Whitebe...".
Before he could finish, Sengoku abruptly stopped.
Because he finally saw Kong's expression.
It wasn't anger, nor helplessness, but a kind of... almost stern calm.
On the desk, a Transponder Snail lay quietly, its eyes tightly shut, clearly having just ended an unpleasant call.
Noticing the abnormality, Sengoku slowed his steps, his voice tinged with a hint of inquiry, "Fleet Admiral Kong?"
"Ah? It's Sengoku!" Hearing the call, Kong slowly looked up, taking a deep breath.
His eyes held an unprecedented weariness, and he then placed the Transponder Snail from his palm back onto the table.
"Has something else happened? The Four Seas, or the Grand Line, or perhaps the New World...?"
"None of those. It's not about the sea." Kong leaned back in his chair, tilting his head, and pinched the bridge of his nose, tapping a proposal document on the table with his other hand.
Following that tap, Sengoku's gaze also fell upon the document, and at the beginning, he saw 【the four Admiral titles: Akainu, Kizaru, Aokiji, and White Lin】.
"It can't be..." Sengoku's eyebrows also furrowed.
"That's right, the World Government rejected Gern's promotion to Admiral document."
Kong's voice was hoarse, as if every word was squeezed out through his teeth.
"They explicitly stated that they would not add an Admiral position and insisted on promoting Sakazuki and Borsalino.
As for the remaining spot..." Kong paused here, his gaze sharply fixed on Sengoku.
"They plan to have Gern and Kuzan simultaneously serve as the remaining candidates.
In other words... Kuzan is the only 'opponent' they deliberately left for Gern."
"What does this mean? If so, wouldn't it be..." Sengoku's pupils suddenly contracted, his fists unconsciously clenching.
Countless possibilities flashed through his mind, finally settling on a terrifying conclusion.
"The Gorosei want Kuzan and Gern to fight each other to determine the final Admiral position?!"
"Bang!" Kong slammed his fist onto the desk, the solid wood surface instantly cracking with a spiderweb pattern.
"These bastards!"
"They don't care about the future of the Marine; they only care about their own power games!"
Looking at the enraged Kong, Sengoku's spectacles reflected a cold light. He forced himself to calm down and slowly said,
"It seems that Gern's actions at Impel Down the day before yesterday might have given them an excuse."
"Hm?" Kong frowned, "What actions?"
"Magellan just reported to me, saying..."
"Saying what? Is he praising Gern's efficiency? Haha, after all, it's Bullet!
I was originally planning to use a Buster Call to deal with him, but it was Gern again!" Kong laughed happily when he mentioned this, as it was a major matter concluded.
However, Sengoku's next words made his smile disappear.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, Magellan's report wasn't praise, but a complaint!
It was a 3000-word long complaint.
It roughly said that Gern removed Bullet's Sea Stone restraints at the Impel Down entrance and allowed him to injure Shiliew..."
Kong: "A 3000-word complaint? Magellan must have been holding in his poop to write that!"
"Forget it." Kong sighed deeply, "Anyway, compared to beating Gringo Saint until he cried 'daddy' back then, this isn't a big deal."
"But Gern's actions are undoubtedly continuing to challenge the World Government's bottom line at this point in time."
"The World Government's bottom line?" Kong sneered: "When have they ever cared about a bottom line?
They are just afraid that Gern's prestige and strength will threaten their indirect rule over the Marine!"
"I know that." Sengoku was silent for a moment, his gaze profound: "But Fleet Admiral Kong, we must make a choice.
If we continue to indulge Gern, the World Government might directly intervene in Marine internal affairs.
But if we suppress Gern, the Marine will lose a top-tier combat force capable of deterring the sea, especially at this current juncture."
"I'm well aware of that..." Kong stood up and walked to the window, his back to Sengoku.
His silhouette appeared particularly heavy in the sunlight, as if bearing the final pressure of his tenure.
"Sengoku, do you know why I haven't retired yet?" Kong's voice suddenly became calm, yet carried an undeniable firmness.
"Because I've been waiting for someone, someone who can carry the future of the Marine."
Sengoku paused slightly, then understood something: "You mean... Gern?"
"That's right." Kong turned around, his gaze like a torch: "Now, he has not only arrested Roger but also suppressed Bullet, so both his prestige and strength have reached their peak.
If he cannot become an Admiral, who else is qualified?"
"But the World Government won't allow it." Sengoku said in a deep voice.
"Then let them see that the Marine is not their puppet!" Kong's voice suddenly rose, a hint of determination flashing in his eyes.
Sengoku's breathing hitched slightly.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, are you sure you want to do this?"
"It's a must." Kong's gaze was as firm as iron: "The times have changed, Sengoku.
Roger ignited the Great Pirate Era with his death, and we must tell the world with our actions that the Justice of the Marine cannot be trampled upon by anyone!
Sengoku, I know your style (dovish).
It's fine now, but once you take this position, remember not to always choose to back down."
Sengoku took a deep breath and slowly nodded: "I understand."
"Go! And also inform them, whoever it is, Kuzan or Gern, once they return, they are to come see me first."
...
After Sengoku left, Kong stood alone, gazing at the deepening twilight outside the window.
Gern's sudden emergence was like a giant stone thrown into calm water, creating ripples within the Marine.
Over the years, the Marine's gradually acquired independent decision-making power had quietly taken shape amidst this series of changes.
"Sengoku is still too young..." Kong sank heavily into his chair.
He knew the calculations of those old foxes in the World Government too well.
Appointing the dovish Sengoku was clearly intended to reverse the current assertive style of the Marine.
"One term tough, one term gentle..." Kong sneered, he was all too familiar with this balancing act.
But what worried him more at the moment was another matter.
It was that he had to pave the way for Gern before his retirement.
Even if he couldn't be promoted to Admiral, he absolutely could not lose real power.
Thinking of this, Kong suddenly clenched his fist.
"This absolutely cannot happen..." Kong murmured to himself, his gaze fixed on the window with burning intensity.
Because he knew all too well the nature of those five old geezers.
Moreover, his half-lifetime of experience in dealing with them told him that the seemingly absurd actions of the World Government were often the last straw that broke the camel's back.
If they truly pushed a combat force like Gern to the opposing side... just imagining that possibility was enough to send shivers down his spine.
After all, others might be joking, but those five old geezers' outrageous actions could genuinely force Gern to rebel!
Kong, who had fought the World Government for half his life, knew this best of all...