Bang!
The table shook from the impact.
"What?!"
"Kuzan, are you sure you're not joking?"
Sengoku slammed the table and shot to his feet, staring at Aokiji in disbelief. His usually wise eyes were filled with fury and agitation.
Rosinante—Corazon—had been his most beloved and most promising adopted son. He had treated him like his own child. His death many years ago had left Sengoku heartbroken beyond words.
"Kuzan, stay out of this. This matter concerns me."
After thinking it over, Sengoku had made up his mind. Now that he knew who the culprit was, he would personally avenge Corazon.
"Huh?"
Aokiji froze. He wondered if he had misheard.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, it wouldn't be good for you to leave Marineford, would it?"
Sengoku was not a Marine Admiral who could leave Marineford from time to time. As Fleet Admiral, he had to remain stationed at Marineford most of the time, or otherwise head to the Holy Land, Mary Geoise.
"Tsuru, while I'm gone, I'll leave headquarters to you. Let me be selfish just this once," Sengoku said, shaking his head before turning to Aokiji.
As an old comrade-in-arms, he trusted Tsuru's abilities. Besides, with so many powerful people still at headquarters, nothing should happen.
"Go with peace of mind, Sengoku. I'll handle things here," Tsuru said with a smile.
"Kuzan, how well do you know the person who contacted you?"
Although Sengoku was not weak, if he were surrounded by powerful enemies on his level, he would still suffer greatly. Even if they could not keep him there, they could injure him.
"I suppose I know him somewhat. There's no need to worry that they set up an ambush there. I followed them all the way here."
After their previous meeting, Aokiji knew Koji was not some heinous villain.
"Good. There's also another matter. An unknown Marine Vice Admiral is an undercover agent..." Sengoku's expression darkened and shifted.
With his intelligence, he could already analyze that Corazon's death must have been connected to that undercover agent.
To climb to that position, the person's ability was clearly no small thing.
"Sengoku, just go. Once we know who the undercover agent is, I'll have Garp make a trip and settle the grudge."
"Tsuru-san, I think I should go instead," Aokiji volunteered.
If it was an ordinary Marine Vice Admiral, their strength would only be so-so. Not every Vice Admiral was a monster like Garp. If Garp-san took action, one punch might very well kill the other party. Aokiji was more suitable. He could simply freeze the person solid.
"That works too."
Tsuru nodded. If Kuzan acted, he could bring the undercover agent back alive. If Garp acted, he might not know how to hold back.
...
Sengoku quietly left Marineford aboard a warship and headed straight for Punk Hazard.
Although he had decided to go, he was still the current Fleet Admiral of the Marines. One movement from him could affect the whole situation, so if he could keep things low-profile, he would.
Marine warships had more advanced propulsion than pirate ships, so it did not take long for him to arrive at Punk Hazard.
The moment he saw Koji, Sengoku could not help sighing inwardly. So young. He was looking at the youth that old men like him had long since lost.
"Aokiji was slacking off, so he sent you, the Fleet Admiral, here instead?" Koji said with a smile.
He had originally thought that having a Marine Admiral come would already be good enough. He had not expected the Fleet Admiral to personally make the trip.
"Haha, Kuzan is indeed a little lazy, but he still can't compare to Borsalino," Sengoku said with a smile.
Before Ohara, Aokiji could be said to have been the best candidate for Fleet Admiral. There was nothing wrong with his personality. Afterward, however, Aokiji became somewhat lost and turned lazy. Borsalino, meanwhile, had always been a slacker, and Sakazuki was far too extreme.
They were clearly the Marines' three top fighting forces, but their personalities were truly hard to put into words. Not one of them made people worry less.
"Vergo. His true identity is an undercover agent Doflamingo planted in the Marines. He climbed step by step until he reached the position of Vice Admiral. As for Corazon, the information that he was one of your people was ultimately passed to Doflamingo by him," Koji said.
"Vergo?"
Sengoku frowned. He knew that man and had some understanding of him. His reputation was not bad either. The people under him all called him an amiable, approachable leader. His strength was also quite good, and he was proficient in two types of Haki.
After sorting through the sequence of events, Sengoku's face turned gloomy.
Before this, he would never have suspected a Marine Vice Admiral. But once Doflamingo was involved, the inconsistencies around Vergo began to reveal themselves.
He had acted so actively in order to attract their attention, which gave him the opportunity to climb even higher.
As for ability, Vergo did indeed have it. He had managed to become a Marine Vice Admiral, after all.
"Tsuru, you heard that, right...?"
Sengoku took out a Den Den Mushi. It had been kept connected the entire time.
"I heard. Vice Admiral Vergo of G-5. Kuzan has already set out."
This was an opportunity. Once it was confirmed, Doflamingo's status as a Warlord of the Sea and former Celestial Dragon would no longer make the matter so easy to resolve.
This time, it would not be only Tsuru putting pressure on him. Sengoku, the Fleet Admiral himself, would not let Doflamingo off either.
The entire Marine force might even be shaken. A Vice Admiral being an undercover agent was far too significant. Even if the World Government looked down on the Marines, they probably would not speak up for Doflamingo this time.
"Thank you for providing this information," Sengoku said, clenching his fist.
He now knew how Corazon had died. But Corazon was already dead. Even if he killed Doflamingo with a Buddha shockwave right now, it would not bring Corazon back to life.
Doflamingo was truly a cunning pirate. The undercover agent he had arranged had actually managed to climb so high.
"It's nothing. There are also many children here who were used for human experimentation. Vergo covered for this place and changed the reports of those kidnapped children into maritime accident cases."
The Marines and Doflamingo had both planted undercover agents in each other's organizations, but in the end, Doflamingo had come out ahead.
"I understand. The Marines will properly settle them."
Sengoku's face was dark. Human experimentation. One could imagine how cruel it must have been.
With Vergo, a Vice Admiral, backing those reports, no one would put serious effort into investigating maritime accidents.
However, since Vergo was involved, there would definitely be related evidence. Vergo would not be able to escape this time.
"Caesar is dead. I shouldn't need to make a statement about that, right?" Koji asked.
Sengoku shook his head.
"No need. He was just a wanted criminal. If he's dead, then he's dead. He wasn't a good person anyway."
The Marines had Vegapunk on their side. Naturally, they had no need for Caesar, a man covered in wrongdoing.
Under Fleet Admiral Sengoku's command, the Marines on the warship headed to the research facility and took control of the place.
"Give me a Den Den Mushi that can contact Vice Admiral Garp. That should be fine, right?"
"Oh, of course. No problem."
(End of Chapter)
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