Sengoku was now unable to understand Ianâs intentions, so he simply said to Gion, âAlright, I understand. I will handle this matter. You can return to your post for now.â
However, Vice Admiral Gion stood at attention and saluted. âAdmiral Sengoku, I request to be transferred to the Edd War area to participate in this battle.â
âHmm?â Sengoku was taken aback. âWhy?â
âThis is my first failure mission!â Gion said with some reluctance. âAnd I failed so easily. Ian escaped under my watch, so itâs necessary for me to capture him personally. Since thereâs speculation that he might intervene in this war, I plan to wait for him to appear on the battlefield!â
Sengoku immediately understood upon hearing this.
Vice Admiral Gion, being from a prestigious naval family and possessing considerable strength herself, had always had smooth sailing. Even her career advancement had never encountered any obstacles. This time, however, she finally encountered the first setback in her life, such a thorough failure, naturally leaving her feeling unwilling to accept it.
If it were anyone else making such a request, Sengoku might have immediately agreed. But considering Vice Admiral Gionâs status, he had to carefully consider it.
The war with the Whitebeard Pirates was definitely a major battle. Now, not to mention the Navy, even the other Four Emperors seemed to be stirring. Sengoku didnât know what kind of risks might arise on the battlefield. If Gion made any mistakes in the midst of it, he wouldnât be able to explain it to former Fleet Admiral Kong!
So after some thought, Sengoku had no choice but to refuse, âNo need. The defense of the Marine Headquarters is also weak right now. You should stay here and strengthen the defense of the headquarters. Remember, behind Marineford, there is a small town where the families of the Marines reside. Itâs the spiritual support for the soldiers fighting abroad. We canât afford any accidents!â ÆreewebÉłovel.com
Although Gion knew that Sengokuâs reason was an excuse, she couldnât oppose it at all, so she had to reluctantly agree.
However, just as Gion was about to leave, she suddenly heard a commotion outside.
Peeking out the window to take a look, she found that a large number of journalists had gathered outside the baseâs gate at some point!
The Marines were currently holding them back. Although the journalists didnât dare to barge in, they bombarded the Marines with questions. There were too many people, and the noise was deafening, so Gion couldnât hear what they were asking. She could only see the Marines sweating profusely, looking nervous.
âWhatâs going on!?â Sengoku also got up and went to the window to take a look.
Fortunately, a Marine lieutenant commander soon came in panting to report. However, the news he brought was not good for Sengoku.
âSir Fleet Admiral! Itâs bad news!â The lieutenant commander said anxiously, âI donât know how, but the news of the breach of Impel Down has somehow reached the journalists. The reporters outside the base gate have all come to interview about this matter, and it seems that more journalists are continuously arrivingâŠâ
âWhat!?â Sengoku couldnât help but pound the wall and shout, âWhatâs going on!? Who leaked this out!? Is there no sense of secrecy at all!?â
The breach of Impel Down, the prison riot, such a major event, the Marines surely had to keep it under wraps. Otherwise, it would cause panic among the general public! You see, inside were all the infamous pirates and criminals. People could only feel safe when they were locked upâŠ
But now, who knows which link was neglected, leading to the disclosure of the Impel Down riot.
Sengoku was furious at this point, itching with anger.
After he calmed down, he started thinking about how to handle the aftermath of this incident. He returned to his desk, sat down on his chair, closed his eyes for a while, then looked at Vice Admiral Gion and said to her, âGion, you go out and deal with these journalists. Tell them that the Impel Down incident is real!â
âHuh!?â Gion looked at Sengoku in surprise, not understanding why he would do this.
Sengoku rubbed his forehead with a headache, âThis matter canât be kept hidden. Since itâs leaked now, itâs better to just make it public. Keeping it hidden will only cause greater panic. So, letâs just push all the blame onto Ianâs head. Itâs a good opportunity to release the news about stripping Ian of his Warlord title!â
Yes, when Ian escaped from Marine Headquarters, although the Marines had already stripped him of his Warlord title, there wasnât a corresponding excuse to announce it publicly at that time. After all, the title of Warlord was given by the World Government. Without solid evidence or an excuse, it wasnât easy to strip someone of their Warlord status, as it would make the world think that the World Government was inconsistent and losing credibility.
Now, Sengoku had official evidence to announce to the public: Ian attacked Impel Down, causing the inmates to riot. With such a reason, he believed it would be convincing enough for the world.
Gion nodded, saying, âSo, since Ianâs Warlord title has been revoked, it means he will once again become a wanted criminal. If the journalists ask, should we use his original bounty?â
ââŠNo!â Sengoku considered for a moment, reclining in his chair and sighing, âIf the journalists inquire, tell them that the current bounty on Black Dragon Ian is⊠one billion berries!â
âOne⊠one billion!?â Even Gion couldnât help but feel stunned upon hearing this amount.
How long had it been since the Marines last issued such a staggering bounty? Three years or four?
A bounty this extraordinary wasnât a good sign; it meant the Marines had gained an incredibly powerful enemy.
It took Gion a while to snap out of her daze. She asked Sengoku with some concern, âFleet Admiral, do you think Ian could be the next Shanks?â
âA Yonko?â Sengoku pondered, shaking his head, âIâm not sure. In fact, Iâve been suspecting all along whether Ianâs involvement in this war between the Marines and Whitebeard is about his relationship with Whitebeard or if heâs coveting Whitebeardâs position as one of the Four EmperorsâŠâ
âWhat!? Is that even possible!?â Gion was even more surprised.
âThatâs why I think itâs best to pray itâs the former!â Sengoku said with a headache, âIf itâs the latter, then itâs troublesome. Perhaps even if the Marines defeat Whitebeard, it will only be paving the way for IanâŠâ
âThisâŠâ Gion didnât know what to say.
âYou go and explain this to the reporters!â Sengoku said somewhat helplessly to Gion, âAlso, if the reporters ask about the mastermind behind this prison break, tell them itâs two people, one is Ian, and the other is the pirate Buggy!â
âBuggy!? Why is that?â Gion asked, puzzled.
âBecause the pirate Buggy was once on Gol D. Rogerâs ship!â Sengoku sighed, âWe just found out through investigation. Not only was he one of Gol D. Rogerâs crew, but heâs also Red-Haired Shanksâ associate⊠How many prisoners with such deep backgrounds are hidden in Impel Down?â
Gion was bewildered by this series of astonishing news. She couldnât even figure out how she managed to get out, surrounded by reporters. She merely passively answered their questions, revealing what Sengoku had instructed her to disclose.
Watching the stunned reporters outside the base gate as they absorbed Vice Admiral Gionâs account, Sengoku felt a sense of powerlessness enveloping him. In fact, he had another piece of news he hadnât told Gion yet: just yesterday, there was unsettling news from the Edd War region. Teach, who had recently become a Warlord, had also disappeared under the noses of a group of Marines, and nobody knew where he had gone.
Sengokuâs intuition told him that Teachâs disappearance certainly concealed some unknown conspiracyâŠ
Now, regarding the outlook of this war, Sengoku was truly at a loss. After this war, he had no idea which direction the world would takeâŠ
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