Chapter 282: How Long Have You Ignored Dressrosa?

Sengoku wore a look of helplessness on his face, as he had already anticipated this outcome. The World Government, after seeing such a thing, surely wouldn’t remain indifferent. Of course, they would be tempted.

Now that they’re placing orders, it’s likely for Vegapunk to study.

To be honest, Sengoku was also tempted, but as the Navy, they are supposed to be the good guys.

If they were to get involved in something like this, the Navy’s reputation would plummet.

Of course!

They could still help the World Government and join the fray.

When the World Government directly allocated funds, Sengoku couldn't help but feel tempted.

“The World Government probably wants Vegapunk to reverse-engineer and create their own version.”

“They might think what Dressrosa produces isn’t good enough. After all, that group desires eternal life.”

“Even though they’ll turn into something between a human and a monster, they’d probably accept it. The people in the World Government have likely been coveting this for a long time,” Tsuru said softly, after Sengoku hung up the phone.

She clearly remembered the commotion caused by the Op-Op Fruit on the seas back then.

Even the Celestial Dragons and the Five Elders eventually cooperated with Doflamingo, who had obtained the fruit.

The allure of eternal life is too great, and many across the seas must be eyeing it.

Dressrosa’s decision to reveal this now is really poorly timed. If they had just given a heads-up, it could have been different.

“This won’t be easy! I’m not optimistic about Vegapunk’s chances!” Sengoku’s eyes flashed. He felt Dressrosa wasn’t afraid of anyone trying to copy them.

Dressrosa’s technology was nothing to scoff at either. After all, they were capable of producing lineage factors. They were even cloning people and reportedly recruiting shipwrights.

Soon enough, Dressrosa might catch up.

But!

Dressrosa’s alliance was with the World Government, not the Navy.

That made things difficult for Sengoku.

The Navy relied on the World Government for its resources, while Dressrosa could sustain itself entirely on its own. This made the Navy a little envious.

“Dressrosa isn't the type to just take losses! Sengoku, how long has it been since you’ve taken a close look at Dressrosa?”

“Since Garp and Zephyr went there, you probably haven’t paid much attention to what’s really going on, right?”

Tsuru’s sharp gaze turned to Sengoku.

As the Navy’s Chief of Staff, she was always on top of intelligence. Nothing on the seas escaped her watchful eye.

But Dressrosa’s peaceful development had even taken her by surprise.

Neither the Navy nor the World Government had made a move against Dressrosa.

And that’s the truly terrifying part.

If this continues, it’ll be too late to do anything.

“What are you trying to say?” Sengoku asked Tsuru, his voice heavy.

“Here’s the thing—Dressrosa has built an intricate network. Their influence has become incredibly complex, and they’ve woven connections throughout the seas.”

“They’ve got ties to the Navy, the Four Seas, the major pirate forces, and even the underworld.”

“After gaining the position of Warlord, they didn’t just sit still like the others.”

“Although they’ve used the Warlord status to further their own schemes, it doesn’t pose a direct threat to the Navy. But Dressrosa is different. They’ve used the title to expand their influence far beyond.”

“Their ships travel through the Four Seas, and they’ve solidified control over the underground markets.”

“They’ve squeezed out a lot of the underground emperors, too.”

“As for the New World, they’ve established ties with Fishman Island, Big Mom, and the Beast Pirates.”

“There’s no denying that Dressrosa has now become a formidable power,” Tsuru remarked in awe.

Others might not understand Dressrosa as well as Tsuru did, but she had witnessed firsthand how they seized control of the country.

That group was full of ambition. They could become the Navy’s biggest threat in the future.

Forget about cooperating with Dressrosa—they were far from the noble type!

They had no intention of helping the Navy spread justice. If anything, it was a miracle they weren’t outright pirates yet.

Tsuru always believed there would be people in the Navy who would be more cautious about Dressrosa. But to her surprise, no one seemed to be preparing for the threat.

“Ugh, I’ll talk to Zephyr about this when I get the chance. Zephyr has been with Uchiha Raijin for a while now, so he should know something,” Sengoku rubbed his forehead. He hadn’t realized just how powerful Dressrosa had become.

After all, Dressrosa used to control only a few territories in the New World.

Though the kingdom was prosperous, it didn’t seem like it had much power to offer.

But while everyone’s focus was on the New World, Dressrosa had been quietly expanding across the Four Seas.

Sengoku had also noticed that Uchiha Raijin wasn’t like other powerful figures of the sea. This guy seemed more focused on development than combat.

In fact, unless absolutely necessary, Raijin didn’t even seem interested in fighting.

“No! Don’t ask Zephyr anything—he’s already one of Dressrosa’s people!”

“Sengoku, wake up! Haven’t you noticed? Zephyr has changed ever since he went to Dressrosa.”

“First, he started gathering old Navy soldiers to retire there. Then he lured Garp over as a teacher.”

“He’s even pulled in Borsalino, and now Sakazuki and Kuzan are getting dragged into this mess too.”

“Zephyr has changed! He’s no longer the ‘Black Arm’ Zephyr we once knew. Now he’s acting more like a cunning pirate.”

Tsuru raised her hand, stopping Sengoku from continuing down that train of thought.

Sengoku’s heart was in the right place. He wanted his old comrades to have a peaceful retirement.

But Dressrosa had sinister ambitions! They were reaching out to every major power.

And the scariest part was that no one knew just how strong Dressrosa had really become.

Zephyr had been there for a year now, and Uchiha Raijin trusted him deeply.

But had Zephyr sent any useful intel back to the Navy? No!

Instead, he was pulling more Navy personnel into the swamp.

Zephyr...

He should have a bounty on his head. Let the bounty hunters take care of him.

Tsuru sighed helplessly.

The Navy was on the verge of being absorbed by Dressrosa.

“Ahem!”

Sengoku had just taken a breath and a sip of tea when Tsuru’s words made him spit it out.

Was the Navy really in such dire straits?

Zephyr had fought alongside them for years. How could he side with Dressrosa?

Besides, wasn’t he sending talented recruits to the Navy?

The soldiers they’d received were skilled—intelligence, assassination, you name it.

They were even better spies than the CP0 agents.

Spies?

Sengoku was momentarily stunned.

"Could these ninjas have been sent by Dressrosa as spies?"

Sengoku exchanged a glance with Tsuru, and in her eyes, he saw a hint of relief.

It seemed like she'd been waiting for this moment, as if Sengoku’s long-clouded mind had finally cleared.

Sengoku had been deceived for far too long! Now, he was finally starting to feel like a true strategist again.

"Sigh! What can we even do? What can the Navy accomplish at this point?"

"It’s better to let them develop for now. When things get out of hand, the World Government will have to step in!"

Sengoku wiped his face and spoke helplessly.

Even if he wanted to take action, he wasn’t sure if he had the power to do anything about it.

Did they really expect him to handle everything by himself?

At this point, Dressrosa's influence within the Navy was likely stronger than his own, even as Fleet Admiral.

The three Admirals were all siding with them now, so what use was his position?

Though Sengoku had grown wary of Dressrosa, he still couldn’t defy the World Government’s orders.

So, Sengoku immediately headed to Dressrosa.

Even though there were two Admirals stationed nearby, Sengoku didn’t want them involved in this situation.

He wasn’t about to let the 30 billion Berries provided by the World Government fall short of buying a ghost transformation potion.

Sengoku wasn’t sure if Aokiji would stoop to corruption.

But Kizaru—despite once opposing Dressrosa so strongly—was now deeply loyal to them.

These guys…

Honestly, Sengoku didn’t know how to handle it anymore.

At this point, it wasn’t his concern to deal with.

"Hahaha, why did you call me to meet you? Zephyr is just hanging around doing nothing!" Garp, holding a snack in hand, casually walked beside Sengoku.

Sengoku's sudden trip to Dressrosa didn’t surprise Garp.

But being called to meet him personally? That left Garp puzzled.

"I wanted to discuss a few things with you."

Sengoku sighed.

"What’s wrong? You look all gloomy! Hasn’t the Navy been doing well in recruiting new soldiers lately?"

"And that guy Issho (Fujitora) has been doing a great job, right? He’s been working with the Navy to strike at the pirates."

"Plus, the medical team Tsunade set up has top-tier doctors on almost every ship by now, hasn’t it?"

Garp was a little confused by Sengoku’s reaction.

The Navy was doing so well, Sengoku should have been happy.

The Navy was growing rapidly, even Garp, who wasn’t at the base, knew that.

The Navy’s development had surpassed all expectations.

"I don’t really care about that! Garp, why don’t you bring your grandson and come back to the Navy with me?"

Sengoku was frustrated, knowing Garp was right.

The Navy looked like it was thriving, on the verge of a resurgence.

But only insiders understood what was really going on within the Navy.

Garp, that carefree fool, had no clue about the Navy’s internal affairs.

"Me? Hahaha, nah, I’m good. I’m planning to retire here."

"You don’t know this, but Zephyr’s recruited a few new students, and they’re all promising."

"He even assigned one of them to me. The kid’s a bit wild, like a beast, but definitely worthy of inheriting my fighting style. My iron fist will have a successor."

Garp laughed loudly and waved his hand. He genuinely liked Dressrosa.

He planned to retire here, spending his time with his grandson and occasionally visiting Makino’s bar.

Plus, he had plenty of old friends here!

Garp felt like he’d found paradise.

After a lifetime of fighting pirates, it was finally time for him to enjoy some peace.

"Ugh."

Sengoku raised his head and stared at Garp.

Even Garp had been won over by Zephyr.

But thinking about it, it made sense.

Garp was probably the easiest to convince.

Sengoku’s willpower deflated. At this point, even his old comrades had sided with the opposition.

Even if Sengoku wanted to resist, he’d need something to fight back with.

Otherwise, it would turn into a civil war within the Navy.

Dressrosa’s forces wouldn’t even need to act—they’d tear themselves apart from the inside.

"What about Uchiha Raijin? Is he planning to auction off that potion?"

Sengoku waved his hand, not wanting to talk about it anymore.

"That? Probably not."

Garp thought for a moment and shook his head, a trace of regret on his face.

But there was nothing he could do to stop it.

This sea was already sick.

Uchiha Raijin was merely adding a new disease to the mix.

"This stuff could cause some real trouble, so that kid Uchiha doesn’t plan to sell it openly."

"Instead, he’s treating it as a resource to be distributed, and there’s other stuff involved too… I’m not sure. You’ll have to see for yourself."

Garp scratched his head and led Sengoku to the palace.

When they arrived, they saw representatives from all the major forces of the sea were already there.

A group of people, like monsters, had gathered in one place.

But inside the meeting room, no one spoke. They were all quietly waiting for someone to arrive.

Sengoku, sensing the tense atmosphere, found a seat.

Click!

Uchiha Raijin entered the room, nodding to the crowd.

"Heroes of the sea, I know why you’re all here."

"But I’m afraid this trip will disappoint you. Dressrosa won’t be selling it to just anyone."

As everyone frowned, Uchiha Raijin continued.

"After all, none of you would want the whole world turning into monsters, would you?"

"This potion has serious drawbacks. If an ordinary person got their hands on it, an entire island could become a ghostly wasteland."

"So here’s my plan: only four pirate forces on the sea will receive it. Of course, if you can defeat one of these pirate crews, you can claim their share."

"For now and in the future, I plan to maintain some stability on the sea, keeping a few strong powers around. And for the underworld, I’ll set aside a share."

(End of Chapter)