At that moment, Saint Valrona's Den Den Mushi rang.
"Hello? Saint Charlos, what is it?" Valrona asked bluntly.
"I heard you've run into some trouble. Want me to lend a hand?" Charlos's smug voice came through. "As long as you share the spoils over there with me..."
Saint Valrona scoffed.
"Do it yourself. I've already paved the way for this. Why should I hand it over to you?"
"I'm not like you. I'm not some useless parasite."
In Valrona's eyes, Charlos was nothing more than a leech among the Celestial Dragons—completely incompetent and only capable of abusing his title to rob and plunder. Even among their own kind, Charlos was widely looked down upon. And Valrona was one of those who held him in contempt.
Charlos's voice sharpened, "I can summon the Celestial Dragon Guard once, you know. I'm sure you're aware what that means."
Valrona's expression shifted slightly. That offer had weight.
Though each Celestial Dragon had their own guards, the Celestial Dragon Guard under the World Government was on an entirely different level—mysterious, elite, and more formidable than even the CP organizations.
"If you can actually pull that off," Valrona said slowly, "I'll let you into this deal. I'll even hand over the sales channels of two kingdoms. But the rest... you're on your own."
"Deal!" Charlos replied without hesitation. "Wait for it. I'll make sure the Dragon Hunter Pirates disappear from the seas within a month."
With that, he hung up.
Valrona stared at the Den Den Mushi in silence, a trace of helplessness in his expression.
He too had the right to call on the Celestial Dragon Guard—but only once, freely. After that, any request would require layers of approval and justification. The World Government wouldn't dispatch them over a petty grudge. For personal vendettas like his, the answer was usually a firm no.
Borsalino watched from nearby, amused.
He kept filing his nails, utterly uninterested in the matter.
This was overtime—and he didn't give a damn about overtime pay.
Meanwhile, on the Navy's side, similar movements were underway.
The Dragon Hunter Pirates had stirred up trouble again, and now the Whitebeard Pirates were back on the Grand Line too. It was giving Sengoku a massive headache.
The crunching sound of Garp eating senbei echoed from the side, loud and annoying.
"Garp, why didn't you finish them off last time?" Sengoku snapped. He was clearly stressed, and Garp's carefree snacking wasn't helping.
"They took the Kingdom hostage," Garp replied casually. "If I pushed too hard, the entire kingdom would've been wiped out."
Sengoku nearly choked on his own breath.
"Forget it," he muttered, trying to calm down. "Do you think we should... work with Blackbeard?"
His voice held a mix of uncertainty and concern.
Blackbeard had stayed aboard Whitebeard's ship for years just to get his hands on the Dark-Dark Fruit—and he'd succeeded. Sengoku didn't trust him. He couldn't predict what Blackbeard was planning next, and that made him dangerous.
"Blackbeard, huh?" Garp mused. "You know, Ryuunosuke might be right. The Dragon Hunter Pirates haven't done anything truly insane. They only fought back when we hunted them first."
"So what are you suggesting?" Sengoku asked, raising an eyebrow.
"I'm saying maybe we should consider offering them the position of Shichibukai."
"Make them a Warlord of the Sea?" Sengoku repeated. "You think he'd even accept that?"
"With Crocodile gone, we need a strong enough pirate to fill that role," Garp said plainly. "And Ryuunosuke's crew fits the bill."
"I've fought him. You can ask Kuzan, too. They've got real power. Better to have them under some form of control than letting them run wild."
Sengoku rubbed his chin, deep in thought.
"If we could get Ryuunosuke to cooperate... the sea might become a little more stable. And maybe we could even use this to finally deal with the Whitebeard Pirates."
He glanced at Vice Admiral Tsuru.
"What's your take, Tsuru?"
"I don't like it, but I have to admit—Ryuunosuke fits," she said. "And let's not kid ourselves. Even if he becomes a Shichibukai, he might still attack kingdoms. Crocodile did. But Ryuunosuke's already doing that without the title."
"So either way, the risks are the same," she concluded. "Might as well gain something from it."
Sengoku nodded slowly.
"Communications officer," he said firmly. "Get me Blackbeard. Tell him we're accepting his proposal."
The officer stood and left immediately to contact Blackbeard.
Sengoku leaned back in his chair, another thought forming in his mind.
And once we've used Blackbeard... maybe it'll be time to get rid of him too.
Someone like him left unchecked was a ticking time bomb.
Decision made, Sengoku felt a rare moment of clarity.
"You want me to handle the recruitment?" Garp asked suddenly, grinning. "Ryuunosuke is my grandson, after all. Hahaha!"
Sengoku stared at him.
"Your grandson!? None of your grandsons are normal!"
Ace. Luffy. Ryuunosuke.
Every last one of them was a handful.
Still, Sengoku had to admit—Garp was the best person for the job.
"You go," he said. "And Garp—if negotiations fall through..."
"Don't worry!" Garp interrupted confidently.
Still munching on his senbei, he waved and left the room, laughing all the way.
Sengoku watched him go with a sigh.
Why do I feel is going to be a disaster...
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