“It won’t be easy to break their alliance.”
The foundation of pirate alliances is actually quite simple: profit.
Whether it’s joining forces to plunder more, borrowing each other’s strength, or banding together for survival in the New World, all of it comes down to self-interest.
The weak seek protection, the strong collect returns. Overall, it’s just an exchange of interests.
Of course, there are a few who act out of genuine camaraderie or repay favors without hesitation, but those cases are extremely rare.
Pirates band together because of profits, so the best way to break such a group is to destroy their interests, or make the distribution of profits uneven.
“Come to think of it, Roger’s One Piece should only be one of a kind, right? If they’re joining forces for the One Piece, then once they obtain it, they’ll eventually have to divide the spoils.
When that time comes, they’ll definitely fall into internal conflict. Why don’t we wait until they start fighting among themselves before making our move?”
The Marine meeting was not a one-man show. These Headquarters’ Vice Admirals were the backbone of the Marines, and some of them understood the situation in certain seas even better than Headquarters. At this moment, they were all voicing their own opinions.
“I think that’s a good idea. Since they’ve only just formed the alliance, their relationship is probably very close right now. Fighting three Emperors of the Sea simultaneously on their own territory would be far too difficult.
Their vice-captains are also extremely powerful, and the Revolutionary Army is already tying up a large portion of our forces. If we act rashly, our casualties will be severe.”
“You’re missing the point. What we’re discussing is how to break their alliance, not calculating casualties.”
“That’s something we must consider! Our soldiers can’t be sent to die for nothing! Out on the sea, numbers mean nothing against them!
Don’t forget how many of them can fly. Leave aside Kaido and Big Mom, even someone like King under Kaido, if left unchecked, would be too much for our soldiers to handle!”
“Then what do we do? We’re Marines, are we really supposed to just sit back and let those pirates join forces to seize the so-called One Piece?!
A single Roger already turned the seas upside down and threw the world into chaos.
If another group of pirates obtains the One Piece, how many more pirates will rise across the seas?!”
The voices in the meeting room grew louder. Different officers held different views, and eventually they split into two main factions.
One insisted on stopping the alliance at any cost.
The other advocated letting the alliance form and striking when they fell into internal conflict.
Both sides had their own reasoning and pointed out the weaknesses in the other’s approach. For a time, neither could convince the other.
“Enough!”
A sharp shout cut through the argument, but this time, it wasn’t Akainu. It was Tsuru.
“What kind of behavior is this? You are Vice Admirals of Headquarters. You were called here to discuss strategy, not to bicker like this.”
“Staff Officer Tsuru…”
When it came to major strategic operations, the Marines still followed Tsuru’s lead. Even with Sengoku and Akainu present, Tsuru was the one presiding over the meeting.
“We prepare for both possibilities. We will attempt to break their alliance, but if we fail, we must also be ready to deal with the consequences. This is no longer just a Marine matter, the World Government has also sent personnel to assist. They should be arriving shortly.”
As soon as Tsuru finished speaking, a door suddenly opened in the air beside them. Blueno, who had now risen to CP0, stepped out along with several other CP0 agents.
“Apologies for the interruption, everyone. We have been dispatched by the World Government to assist in carrying out this mission.
My name is Blueno, the user of the Door-Door Fruit. As you can see, I can open doors anywhere, including in the air.
I will be responsible for your infiltration and evacuation.”
Blueno adjusted his clothes as he continuously opened doors in midair.
Sliding doors, revolving doors—various types of doors appeared in the air, demonstrating the convenience of his ability.
“Hmph. Agents of the World Government really do have their freedoms… even the way you enter and leave is so unusual.”
The appearance of CP0 drew the attention of all the Marines present, though most of those gazes were far from friendly.
Logically speaking, both CP0 and the Marines were part of the World Government—two different military arms with separate responsibilities—so they should have been considered colleagues.
However, their relationship was far from harmonious. Many Marine officers disliked CP0’s way of doing things, and their arbitrary actions had disrupted Marine operations more than once.
Akainu even stood up from his seat and walked over to them, speaking with clear displeasure.
This was a meeting room where the top Marine brass had gathered, yet these CP0 agents moved through it as casually as if it were their own living room. Such behavior was undoubtedly a sign of disrespect toward the Marines.
“Fleet Admiral Sakazuki, please understand, this is simply to better demonstrate our capabilities, so that the officers and soldiers carrying out the mission can feel more at ease.”
Blueno gave a slight bow, seemingly expressing apology, though Akainu did not sense any sincerity in it.
“Forget it, Sakazuki. It’s nothing worth getting worked up over. After all, the enemy this time is too scary, even I feel uneasy.”
Kizaru leaned against the wall, trimming his nails with a clipper. As if unsatisfied with how they looked, he quietly activated Seimei Kikan, regrew them, and began trimming them again.
Ryokugyu and Fujitora were both out on campaigns; Ryokugyu dealing with the Revolutionary Army, Fujitora handling pirates. Kizaru remained at Marine Headquarters, ready to support any front, making him the only Admiral currently available to attend the meeting in person.
“Borsalino, now isn’t the time for that.”
“I know, I know. I just thought you all looked too tense, so I wanted to help you relax. Or maybe we could speculate about what the One Piece actually is.
Come to think of it, what do you think Roger found there? If it was something left behind by people of the past… maybe it’s just a pile of Berries.”
With Kizaru’s joking tone, the faint tension between Akainu and CP0 dissipated, though his topic left the Marines puzzled.
“How much money would it take for Roger to say something like that…?”
“Maybe it’s old currency,” Kizaru continued. “You all know Berries have devalued quite a bit over time. Maybe there’s only a million Berries there, but centuries ago, that amount could’ve bought the entire world.
But now? It’s not much at all. A farmer in the Four Seas could earn that in a year.
If you think about it that way, maybe the so-called One Piece isn’t that scary after all.”
Kizaru was still trying to lighten the mood, though it came off more like a bad joke.
After he finished speaking, the temperature in the meeting room seemed to drop.
“Hahahaha! Not a bad guess, I think it’s possible too!”
Just as everyone was unsure how to respond, Garp suddenly burst into laughter, agreeing with Kizaru and easing much of the tension.
Smack.
Tsuru, holding a notebook, smacked Garp across the face with it.
“That’s enough. The meeting will continue. CP0, do you have anything to add?”
“No. The World Government’s orders are for us to cooperate with Marine operations. These are the abilities of the few of us here, you may assign us as you see fit, Great Staff Officer.
If necessary, we can also demonstrate them on the spot.”
Blueno and the other CP0 members quietly took seats in a corner. The World Government had indeed given them other tasks, but there was no need to inform the Marines of those. They would decide for themselves whether or not to carry them out.
And Tsuru didn’t take Blueno’s words at face value. She knew very well what CP0 was like. There was no way these people didn’t have their own secrets.
Treating them as reliable combat forces would only introduce uncertainty for the Marines, though Blueno’s Door-Door Fruit ability was indeed something that could be utilized.
“Alright, everyone. Now for the main topic of this meeting. Among the three pirate crews, the Beasts Pirates are the strongest—both in top-tier combat power and in their core officers. At the same time, they are currently the largest pirate crew in terms of numbers, having already surpassed the Whitebeard Pirates at their peak.
Kaido, Arceus, and Yamato—these three form the trident of that crew. It can be confirmed that for an alliance of Emperors, Kaido himself will definitely appear.
As for who will remain in Wano Country and who will accompany him, that remains unknown.”
Tsuru paused for a moment before making a decision.
“There is also one more person we must take into account.”
She nodded toward Brannew. Even though Tsuru was the one in charge this time, she still needed the assistance of this “King of Meetings” by her side.
Receiving her signal, Brannew pressed a button on the projector, and an image of Kuzan appeared.
“Although we may not want to face it, we must acknowledge this fact: former Admiral Aokiji is no longer a member of the Marines, but an officer of the Beasts Pirates.
During the previous Egghead incident, Kuzan was one of the participants. What role he will play this time is unknown.
If he truly commits to this course of action, then, without considering other factors, we would need at least four Admiral-level combatants just to hold these people in check.
And with our current manpower, that is simply not possible.”
“Garp, yet another one connected to you.”
“How was I supposed to know he’d go down this path? Back when he was training, he was so serious… sigh…”
His son became part of the Revolutionary Army, his grandson became a pirate, and now even his former prized student had left the Marines—none of this was good news for Garp.
As high-ranking Marine officers, they also understood that Tsuru’s estimate was conservative. Four Admirals wouldn’t be enough.
“Red Hair Pirates—the most balanced crew in terms of officer strength. Their vice-captain, Beckman, is a fighter on par with Red Hair himself, and their officers are far from weak. Their base of operations is backed by Elbaf, the Kingdom of Giants.
Red Hair himself possesses not only powerful Haki but also top-tier swordsmanship on par with Hawk Eyes. For some reason, he has recently entered a ‘honeymoon period’ with Kaido, making him equally troublesome to deal with.”
Tsuru paid no mind to Garp’s episode, or rather, she had long since grown used to it, and continued analyzing the potential alliance.
“Without a doubt, these people are monsters of the sea.
The Big Mom Pirates, captained by Charlotte Linlin, the only woman among the three, and the earliest to rise to fame. Though she is known as the ‘Iron Balloon,’ she is also the biggest weak point.
Among them, Charlotte Linlin is the most unstable, and her eating disorder is her greatest vulnerability.
From a family standpoint, the Charlotte Family is indeed the strongest, but also the easiest to break through. If things go well, the breakthrough for this operation will lie with her.”
In the time that followed, the Marines began planning a covert operation targeting Charlotte Linlin. As the weakest link in this not-yet-formed alliance, she ultimately became the chosen point of attack.
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