Chapter 38: Chapter 38: The World Government's Decision
"Let's head to Loguetown. There's someone I want to find," Rikuya Kazama said after a brief silence.
"Loguetown?"
Douglas Bullet frowned upon hearing the name.
He was more familiar with that place than most.
After all, Loguetown was known as the Town of Beginnings and Endings.
Located in the East Blue, it sat near the entrance of the Grand Line.
It was both the birthplace and the execution site of the former Pirate King, Gol D. Roger.
Naturally, Loguetown held special meaning for him.
"Mhm. There's someone I want to meet there.
With just the two of you, heading straight to Mary Geoise might not be enough."
Rikuya turned to the pair and let out a light snort.
"You want to go to Mary Geoise? You really don't fear death, huh?
You do realize our combined bounty is already over two billion, right?"
Crocodile exclaimed, clearly stunned by Rikuya's boldness.
"Didn't you go there yourself? Why so scared now?"
"I was invited to a warlord appointment ceremony. What are you going for?"
"And how do you know I'm not invited too?
For all you know, they could already be discussing my appointment right now."
Rikuya narrowed his eyes toward the direction of Mary Geoise.
And just as he predicted, in Mary Geoise, the Five Elders (Gorosei) had already summoned Fleet Admiral Sengoku immediately after Crocodile's defeat.
"Sengoku, the world's been a bit too chaotic lately.
First, that prison break incident had the entire globe questioning the authority of the World Government.
Now, instead of vanishing, that man is actively stirring up trouble—even defeating one of our appointed Warlords of the Sea.
Don't you think you ought to take some responsibility?"
One of the Five Elders—bald, with a green suit, downward-facing mustache, and a birthmark on his forehead—berated coldly.
"Hmph, don't twist the facts.
Impel Down has never been under our Navy's jurisdiction.
If you want it under us, then the Navy will gladly assign high-level forces to guard it!"
Sengoku retorted coolly.
He wasn't wrong.
Although the Navy served as the world's main peacekeeping force, Impel Down was a separate entity, equal in status.
They simply worked in cooperation.
The Navy never stationed anyone long-term in the underwater prison, making it a different organization entirely.
So the Five Elders were clearly looking for someone to take the fall—and Sengoku saw right through them.
"Hmph, fine. Let's say Impel Down isn't your responsibility.
But what about Crocodile? That is your concern, isn't it?"
Another Elder spoke, this one wearing a white martial robe, glasses, bald, and the only one without a suit or beard.
"That has nothing to do with me either.
The Warlord system wasn't my idea.
And those pirates are vicious criminals to begin with.
Letting them fight amongst themselves actually works in our favor, doesn't it?"
Sengoku replied again.
"Perhaps. But according to our latest intel, Crocodile is now one of Kazama Rikuya's crewmates.
Which means Rikuya's power has grown again.
Don't tell me that still has nothing to do with the Navy?"
"Of course we'll issue bounties.
In fact, I've already dispatched Admiral Sakazuki to the East Blue.
But that guy's constantly drifting with no base of operations—it's hard to locate him in such a short time!"
Sengoku responded, visibly irked.
"There's no point. He managed to steal Shanks' ship—sending Sakazuki would be meaningless.
And if he were defeated too, what would happen to the World Government's face then?"
"No point sending him? Don't tell me… you're planning to…"
Sengoku's expression darkened as he realized something.
Sure enough, another Elder spoke up:
"We've already made our decision.
He will replace Crocodile as the new Warlord of the Sea.
Additionally, we will issue invitations—in the name of the Navy—to the remaining Warlords for a summit.
At that meeting, you will require them to take responsibility for maintaining order in the seas around their territories.
And warn them: if they allow themselves to be defeated again,
they will be permanently stripped of their Warlord title!"
"So the World Government wants to save face…
What about our Navy's dignity?
This man just emerged and we haven't even sent an Admiral to fight him,
and now you're going to give him legal status as a Warlord?
Have you thought at all about what this means for us?
How do I explain this to my subordinates?"
Sengoku finally snapped.
He had always been deeply opposed to the Warlord system.
It was a structure that constantly slapped the Navy in the face—and as Fleet Admiral, it fell on him to take the brunt of that shame.
He hated the entire concept and had long wanted it abolished.
What made it worse was the intel they had gathered:
After receiving government approval, these Warlords weren't turning over a new leaf.
Instead, they were using their legal status to openly exploit and plunder from their territories.
It completely violated the Navy's sense of justice—and only served to embolden pirates further.
So now, hearing that Rikuya was about to be brought into that same system, Sengoku became the first to voice his firm opposition.
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