"Red-Haired Shanks and Beasts Pirates' Kaido has made contact... No signs of battle detected..."
"Garp, something happened here. Be on standby at all times."
After hanging up the Den Den Mushi, Sengoku adjusted his expression. He was the Fleet Admiral of Marines—he couldn't afford to show his emotions too easily. If even he panicked, then the soldiers under his command would have even less confidence.
"Is the information accurate?"
"This intelligence just came in from the surveillance ship. There's no further update yet. The surveillance ship is attempting to get closer to them..."
"Notify all Vice Admirals and above to wait in the meeting room... Also, have people from the Intelligence Branch come over."
Sengoku felt as if he was under some kind of curse. No sooner had he complained about the Garp family causing him endless headaches that he encountered an even more troublesome family. At least with the Garp family, there was still a grandfather serving in the Marines.
But Kaido and his daughter? They were nothing short of a complete disaster.
While waiting for the others to arrive in the meeting room, Sengoku flipped through the latest reports on Kaido and Yamato.
As the Fleet Admiral of Marines, he had too many things to handle, so it was natural that he couldn't remember all the details.
Yamato's existence had been well concealed before. The outside world knew almost nothing about Kaido's daughter. But the moment she first appeared in the public eye, it became clear that she was a massive threat.
Her very first appearance saw her overpowering the supreme commander of Germa 66. A bounty of 170 million berries, in an era before inflation, was practically the highest initial bounty.
The initial bounty was determined by the World Government and the Marines based on the individual's perceived threat level. While Yamato's bounty undoubtedly got boosted from her association with Kaido, it also reflects the threat level of her own strength.
From 170 million to 1.78 billion—this rise came through numerous battles, with several veteran Vice Admirals losing at her hands.
The Marines' last record of her was from a year ago, when she easily retreated from a battle with Kuzan. Combined with the backing of the Beasts Pirates, this led to her receiving such a high bounty.
If it weren't for the fact that Golden Lion died without anyone knowing, her bounty might have been reevaluated once again.
As for Kaido...
The more he looked at that terrifying list of battle achievements, the worse Sengoku's headache became. Nowadays, Kaido is undoubtedly the most unpredictable person.
You could never predict where he would show up tomorrow—or what outrageous thing he would do next.
Under Sengoku's orders, all top-ranking officers had gathered in the meeting room, except for Garp, who was currently in East Blue; Kizaru, who was with Vegapunk; and Akainu, who was stationed at Mariejois.
And with them came a continuous stream of new intelligence reports.
"Report! The clouds in the sky nearby have split open—Kaido and Red Hair appear to be in conflict!"
Hearing this, the people in the room actually breathed a sigh of relief. A fight was better than no fight—ideally, the two would end up severely wounding each other or even perishing together. From the perspective of most Marines, the more pirates died, the better.
"Report! The shockwaves from the battle have disappeared—there are no signs of Kaido leaving."
Sengoku glanced at the clock on the wall. The minute hand had barely moved three ticks—three minutes was nowhere near enough time for those two to determine a victor.
A few minutes later, the surveillance ship sent its final message.
Kaido still hadn't left, but Red Hair's Vice-Captain, Beckman, had taken action and sunk the surveillance ship.
"Not long ago, East Blue's 8th Branch, Nelson's fleet, was completely annihilated. Three days later, the 16th Branch was attacked, and Captain Nezumi was killed. The one behind all of this was none other than Kaido of the Beasts's daughter."
"Now, Kaido is suddenly meeting with Red Hair. I trust you all understand what this could mean."
"It's not just the two of them—don't forget about Big Mom and Whitebeard. Whitebeard and Kaido have their conflicts, but Charlotte Linlin is different. Their pirate crews have always maintained contact in secret."
"If Kaido is truly planning something big, Charlotte Linlin will likely get involved as well. And if that happens, the New World will be thrown into utter chaos. Whitebeard won't just sit by and watch, either."
"The worst-case scenario… we may have to face all four of those monsters at once."
Tsuru's head was also starting to ache. Whitebeard wasn't likely to collaborate with Kaido, but he certainly wouldn't side with the Marines to take down another pirate either. He would act according to his own interests.
Facing a single Emperor of the Sea, the Marines wouldn't be overly concerned, though the aftermath would undoubtedly bring a host of problems. But facing four of them...
No one could handle the chain reaction that would unleash. It could even shatter the current order of the seas.
"Cancel all soldiers leave. All high-ranking officers must remain on standby. Tell Garp to get his ass back here immediately. Matters in East Blue can be put on hold for now—this is the real priority now.
"Tsuru, go and try to persuade Zephyr."
"Kuzan, order the spies within Red Hair Pirates and the Beasts Pirates—no matter the cost, find out what those two are up to!"
If Kaido was really planning something big, then the Grand Line and the New World would undoubtedly be the primary targets. Yamato's presence in East Blue, on the other hand, almost felt like deliberate bait. Sengoku didn't dare to spread his forces thin in this situation just to search for Yamato, who could be anywhere.
Ever since the destruction of the 16th Branch, Yamato had vanished without a trace, as if she had disappeared from the world. If Garp continued to linger there only to come up empty-handed, it would be a complete waste.
"Yes, sir!"
Prepare for battle—that was the only plan Sengoku could come up with. But what he didn't know was that Kaido's goal had already been achieved.
…..
Not long ago, within Red Hair's territory, a lively banquet was underway. As for the reason behind the banquet—well, that brat from Foosha Village had finally set out to sea and become a pirate. For the Red Hair Pirates, that was reason enough to party.
Besides, Red Hair had also run into Hawk Eyes.
Back when Hawk Eyes chased Krieg into East Blue, he had seen that familiar straw hat.
Later, he came across Luffy's wanted poster and decided to look for Red Hair.
Instead of retracing his steps, he simply crossed the Red Line straight into the New World.
As for his boat, that was an easy problem to solve.
Large ships can't cross the Red Line, but for a boat like this, all he had to do was carry it on his back. As long as he put away the sail, his coffin-shaped boat became a ready-made backpack. He had even gone out of his way to take a secluded route for this.
And it was while Hawk Eyes was being forced to drink by Red Hair that Kaido's Conqueror's Haki swept across the entire island.
Faced with the choice of "fight first, drink later" or "drink first, fight later," Kaido chose the former. If they drank first and fought afterward, the Marines might assume their negotiations had fallen apart, which would have ruined his previous plan.
Seeing Kaido appear here, both Shanks and Beckman shared the same doubts as Sengoku.
Neither of them could figure out why Kaido had suddenly shown up.
Although Uta is an artist under the Beasts Fruits, they aren't particularly close.
If Kaido had come to fight, Red Hair wouldn't have been surprised—but showing up with a bunch of wine jars? Now, that was certainly intriguing.
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