Chapter 78: Shaken faith
"So, Garp, did you willingly let Roger go?" asked Sengoku loudly, watching Garp sit on a rocks, receiving medical treatment for his wounds.
"Ah, come on, I'm injured right now, Sengoku; keep it down," Garp replied nonchalantly, picking his nose with his right pinky finger as he got bandaged up.
Sengoku seemed helpless with Garp's typical behavior and continued, "Do you realize what a rare opportunity this was? The potential displayed by Roger's pirate crew is terrifying. If we let them continue roaming the seas, they might become the next rock! Do you understand?"
"Roger isn't that kind of person," Garp replied earnestly after flicking the booger aside.
Just as Sengoku was about to say more, Tsuru interjected, "Alright, Sengoku, you know Garp's personality after all these years. His decisions are not easily swayed. By the way, have the casualty reports come out?"
Upon hearing Tsuru mention the casualty reports, Sengoku felt a headache coming on. The navy had suffered significant losses in this battle, not only among the lower ranks but even some mid-level commanders.
"Our elite forces in the East Blue were decimated, and while the losses in the North, South, and West Seas weren't as extreme, we'll still need a massive recruitment drive after this. As for the New World branch, G1's losses are manageable, but G5's main force is virtually wiped out. Rebuilding them won't be easy. I plan to discuss with Fleet Admiral Kong whether we should recruit anew for G5, considering its tarnished reputation. Additionally, the other branches have also suffered significant reductions and will require reinforcements from headquarters. So, for the time being, I'm assigning Garp and Zephyr to hold the fort in the New World. While the Rocks situation seems resolved, the remnants under Gold Lion Shiki, Edward Newgate, Charlotte Linlin, Kaido, Nicholas, Captain John, the Black Brothers, and other smaller pirate crews formerly under the Rocks will surely stir up trouble in the New World. As for the Four Blues, I and Tsuru will handle that."
Sengoku looked at Garp as he delivered his instructions.
"Hey, Sengoku, are you trying to separate me and Zephyr to make a move on Tsuru? Don't think I don't see through your intentions." Garp remarked disdainfully, giving the impression that he had everything figured out.
"What are you talking about!?" Sengoku retorted, visibly irritated, before landing a punch on Garp's head.
Meanwhile, Tsuru, without many words, simply placed her hand on Garp's shoulder and activated her Devil Fruit ability. Suddenly, Garp's entire body transformed as if washed clean, resembling freshly dried laundry.
"Ah, I really want some senbei," Garp remarked, seemingly unfazed by the transformation.
Observing his father's absurd behavior, Dragon shook his head, feeling embarrassed.
"By the way, how should we handle rocks?" Tsuru inquired, ignoring Garp's remark.
In the navy's high command, Sengoku was straightforward, Kong was impulsive, the other two retiring admirals were reckless, and Zephyr was a cultured brute. In the end, only Tsuru and Sengoku had real brains.
"CP has secretly transported rocks to Mary Geoise. Since it's an order from the Five Elders, we can't interfere. It's for the best anyway; I'm relieved we don't have to deal with it," Sengoku reported.
As Sengoku briefed them, the Den Den Mushi on his person suddenly rang, morphing into a bald figure upon answering.
"Sengoku, how's the situation there?" Den Den Mushi inquired, adopting a condescending tone.
"Currently, we're cleaning up the battlefield. Rocks have been transported to Mary Geoise by CP0. The Silver Axe and Wang Zhi of Rocks were killed in action; Captain John escaped with his remaining crew; Whitebeard, Nicholas, and Roger fled."
"That's enough. Organize all the navy forces to withdraw. You won't be responsible for that area anymore."
As Den Den Mushi abruptly ended the call, Sengoku looked at Tsuru and then ordered the messenger, "Command all navy personnel to prepare for evacuation!"
"Vice Admiral Sengoku, if we withdraw..." Dragon began but was interrupted by Tsuru.
"Dragon, this is an order," Tsuru emphasized.
With the navy ships retreating, Dragon watched the distant island erupt in explosions and thick smoke, his expression grave. It was evident that the World Government ordered the navy's withdrawal to avoid exposing certain things and to facilitate the island's cleansing. Undoubtedly, aside from the World Government's cleanup teams and the Celestial Dragons, the slaves and pirates remaining on that island would be slaughtered.
"Is this justice? No, this isn't the justice I want," Dragon muttered, questioning the true nature of the navy's justice for the first time.
Meanwhile, in the Pangaea Castle in Mary Geoise, a group of five figures sat discussing recent events.
"The navy handled this well," one remarked.
"Let's have Kong come over; it's time to consider new admirals. The strength of those two admirals is starting to decline," another suggested.
"This time, let's offer three logia-type devil fruits to the navy. The seas will be turbulent for a while, and the navy needs reinforcement," another proposed.
"How's the investigation into the Sea King and Pluton going?" one inquired.
"We haven't heard from the Sea King side yet, but there's some progress with Pluton. The Nefertari family that left with Pluton is a royal descendant, so we can't force them. However, the capital of Pluton, the Seven Water Capital, has been repeatedly purged, and hardly anyone knows about Pluton's whereabouts now. However, the missing blueprints are still unaccounted for; I suspect they're still within the Seven Water Capital. The CP department is currently investigating," one reported.
"And what about Karakuri? It seems a scientific genius has emerged there; we need to keep an eye on that," another added.
...
[Author's note - sorry i didn't make the destruction of god valley grandiose enough, need to start Dragon's arc somehow]
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