One Piece: Crown of Darkness

Marineford.

"You've worked hard, Sengoku!" Kong clasped his arms, repeatedly nodding to Sengoku, who had finally gotten a chance to return to Marine Headquarters, expressing his appreciation and relief.

It was regrettable; this generation's Marine renewal could definitely be described as bumpy.

First, another Admiral, "Black Arm" Zephyr, became disheartened and retired to the second line due to the World Government and Marines' inadequate protection of his family, resulting in the tragic murder of his wife and child by pirates.

Later, "Hero" Garp repeatedly refused promotion to Admiral. Thus, the Marine's most crucial top combat force, the three Admiral positions, had been solely held by Sengoku.

To make matters worse, the "Pirate King's" carefully planned last words shocked the world, triggering a rampant pirate craze that swept through every corner of the world in an instant.

It was imaginable how daring Sengoku had to be and how busy his work was, with Kong as the Marine Fleet Admiral unable to act lightly, and Garp, despite his title of "Hero," being incredibly unreliable.

Inspecting branches across the four seas, holding vigil in the New World to deter the Four Emperors, recruiting soldiers, and cleaning up the messes made by the Celestial Dragons—all of it fell to Sengoku.

Fortunately, in the third year since the Great Pirate Era grandly began, under the World Government and Marine's all-out counterattack, although the number of pirates flooding the seas was still far greater than before the Great Pirate Era, it had at least been maintained and suppressed to a relatively low level and stabilized.

Only then did Sengoku have the time and leisure to return to the long-unseen Marine Headquarters for his report.

"It's no hardship, it's all what I must do," Sengoku rubbed his round, explosive hair, pushed his frog-shaped glasses up his nose, and sat on the sofa, panting with exhaustion.

Even though Sengoku's appearance was firm and his physique robust, he was, after all, human, not a perpetual motion machine; he wasn't a machine that could go sleepless. He would eventually feel tired.

Kong felt a slight pang of guilt and carefully said, "Just wait a little longer, patiently wait a little longer, Sengoku! The new generation of youngsters are beginning to emerge. Whether it's 'Akainu,' 'Aokiji,' 'Kizaru,' or 'Momousagi,' 'Chaton,' they are all exceptionally outstanding. It won't be long before they can share your burden."

"That's true." Sengoku nodded. After thinking for a moment, he suddenly said, "Oh, right! And there's Vergo, an excellent young man."

"Hmm~ Speaking of him, he recently single-handedly pursued pirates at 'G-5' Fortress again, including dangerous individuals with bounties exceeding 200 million Berries, but every pirate he targeted was caught without fail! So, combining his frequent white attire and habit of hunting pirates, everyone calls him 'White Anaconda,'" Kong was both pleased and troubled. "How old is he? Nineteen, twenty? I just promoted him to Captain, and he's already achieved so many merits. Should I really give him the rank of Rear Admiral?"

"Besides seniority, he has capability, strength, and achievements. Why not give it to him? It's good to put some pressure on those Admiral candidates, lest some of them become ridiculously lazy," Sengoku leaned back on the sofa.

Kong grinned. "'Kizaru' and 'Chaton' are too lazy, 'Aokiji,' tsk~" He sobered, his brows furrowed. "The 'Ohara Buster Call Incident' has left him confused."

"Let's not talk about them," Sengoku rested for a moment, then straightened his back, saying gravely, "Kong-Fleet Admiral, I want to talk about someone: 'Sea Scourge' Donquixote Doflamingo."

Kong subconsciously lit a cigar, his expression changing. "Recently, he's been frequently traveling between the Sabaody Archipelago, Mariejois, and the central New World combat tournaments. Yesterday, he made a new move: he inexplicably reversed the Grand Line. His purpose is unknown for now."

"A fallen Celestial Dragon, a Warlord of the Sea, 'Golden Lion's' partner, Big Mom's financier... even the Gorosei do business with him..." Sengoku clasped his hands together. "I've heard some unconfirmed rumors, but I believe they're not baseless. He's also a giant of the underworld, though the specifics are unclear."

Kong exhaled smoke, annoyedly saying, "His identity is truly complicated."

"We cannot, due to our fear of his Celestial Dragon bloodline, continue to ignore him and allow him to grow unchecked! Otherwise, the consequences will be unpredictable," Sengoku stated definitively.

Kong helplessly spread his hands. "How can we move against him? The Gorosei would be the first to object! The profits from his combat tournaments are astonishing, and the government places great importance on the 20% tax he pays. It's said to be a huge sum that affects the world economy, and the business the Gorosei do with him yields even more terrifying profits... We might find out in the future that the money we use to build warships, produce armaments, and construct fortresses is actually his money."

"At the very least!" Sengoku weighed his words. "At the very least, we must know his movements and understand what he's up to."

Kong stared at Sengoku in confusion.

"Rosinante, the child I adopted, he's Doflamingo's biological younger brother," Sengoku sighed. "I didn't expect it, but he confessed a few days ago, requesting that I send him back to his brother's side to help the Marines monitor his brother."

Kong's lips trembled for a long time. "Doflamingo killed his father, killed him without blinking an eye! He even carried his father's head to Mariejois, attempting to regain his Celestial Dragon status."

Whoosh!

The sliding door of the Fleet Admiral's office opened.

"Fleet Admiral Kong! Sengoku-san!"

Clap!

A tall, blond young man in a Marine uniform saluted.

"I apologize for the unauthorized interruption, Fleet Admiral Kong," Before Kong could speak, he earnestly said, "I'm not afraid! I hope the Marines can entrust this task to me, and only I am suitable to carry out this task! No matter what, I want to stop... stop Doflamingo from 'going berserk,' before he completely transforms into a monster, unleashing the extreme evil he was born with."

Kong was silent for a long time. "This mission will be one of the highest Marine secrets. Sengoku, you're in charge! Lieutenant Rosinante... If the situation turns bad, you are permitted to retreat immediately."

"Yes, sir!" Rosinante saluted again, his gaze resolute.

————————

Want to read ahead of schedule? Head over to my patreon —— patreon(.)com/EmperorGarus [remove the parentheses ( )]

There are 100+ advance chapters available for you to read!