One piece: I,Akaino will not die easily

The Fishman race possesses both human and fish-like traits, allowing them to walk upright. They breathe through lungs on land and use gills underwater. Fishmen have more than ten times the arm strength of an average human and are naturally born experts in naval warfare.

"Are you serious, Sakazuki?!"

Since Golden Lion Shiki escaped from the deep-sea prison Impel Down, Sengoku had been frowning constantly. Now, his brows were so furrowed that they were practically twisted together. He straightened his back from the soft sofa and said, "Stationing troops on Fishman Island?! Have you caught Garp's occasional bouts of madness?!"

"Oi!! What do you mean by that, Sengoku?" The Marine Hero, who was lying down, suddenly sprang up, grabbing his seated comrade while spitting in protest.

Ignoring the two old comrades who had started bickering and getting physical in the solemn Marine Headquarters Fleet Admiral's office, Kong looked at the tall, upright young Vice Admiral standing a few steps away.

"I cannot approve the 'Four Seas Purge' plan you previously proposed, at least for now. The Marine forces are already stretched thin! We simply don't have enough manpower to allocate troops across all four seas for periodic pirate hunts."

"Fleet Admiral Kong, I am, of course, aware of this," Sakazuki responded without any change in tone.

"The Five Elders would never agree to us abandoning the seven routes of the Grand Line, letting the pirates flood in unchecked, and shifting our focus entirely to the Four Seas. The only reason the pirates in the New World haven't acted recklessly is precisely because the Marine Headquarters has concentrated its forces there," Kong continued.

"If the New World pirates launch a counterattack on Mary Geoise, those Celestial Dragons won't sit still," Sakazuki sneered, an extremely rare expression on his face. "I have no intention of putting Marine Headquarters in a difficult position. Stationing troops on Fishman Island is merely the preliminary phase of the 'Four Seas Purge' plan."

Sengoku adjusted his uniform, which had been messed up by Garp, then turned to stare at his subordinate. "The Sakazuki I know is not a reckless man. Explain your plan in detail."

Sakazuki saluted before walking over to the large war table, where a massive world map was laid out. "Gentlemen, please step forward. Fishman Island is located 10,000 meters beneath the sea, directly under the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. It is a mandatory passage to the New World and also the birthplace of most Fishmen and Merfolk."

With his hands in his pockets, Garp carefully studied the location that Sakazuki was pointing at. Though he usually acted carefree, it did not mean he was unintelligent. "To reach Fishman Island, one must pass through the Sabaody Archipelago, where coating mechanics apply a bubble coating to ships. You could say that Fishman Island and Sabaody Archipelago are closely connected."

"You mean to station Marines at this checkpoint—Sabaody Archipelago and Fishman Island—working alongside the island's permanent residents to block all pirate crews that have fought their way through the Grand Line?" Sengoku picked up the conversation. "It's an excellent idea, but have you considered the complex and sharp tensions between Fishman Island and us?"

Sakazuki glanced at his superior and cautiously replied, "If I recall correctly, Fishmen and Merfolk were once classified as 'fish' by humans and suffered extreme discrimination. It wasn't until 200 years ago, when the Ryugu Kingdom became a member nation of the World Government, that they began forming friendly relations with humans, and their king was allowed to attend the Reverie."

Kong nodded, confirming the information. "Even so, we cannot deny that most humans still hold Fishmen in contempt. This is the fundamental reason we are concerned about this plan. If we station Marines there, we will not only have to fend off relentless pirate attacks but also face retaliatory assaults from Fishmen and Merfolk who harbor deep resentment towards humans. We'd be fighting a war on two fronts."

Since the Fleet Admiral had laid things out so clearly, Sakazuki also spoke bluntly. "We could even say that the discrimination problem has not improved. On the contrary, it has worsened."

Ever since Roger's execution, the number of pirates had skyrocketed, growing at an explosive rate. Many of the pirates passing through Fishman Island had started abducting and pillaging Fishmen and Merfolk on a large scale.

Because young female Merfolk could be sold at high prices in human trafficking markets, there were frequent cases of human pirates kidnapping Mermaids upon arrival.

Sakazuki felt utterly ashamed. "I'm not sure if you're truly unaware, Fleet Admiral, or if the higher-ups of the World Government have forced you to turn a blind eye. But besides pirates, even some Marines pursuing pirates have joined in on the trafficking of Fishmen and Merfolk to please the Celestial Dragons!"

"..."

"!?"

"..."

Sakazuki genuinely loathed this behavior. He looked straight at the room full of Marine higher-ups. "We, as Marines, are actually capturing innocent citizens of a World Government member nation and presenting them as slaves to the Celestial Dragons?!"

Garp spat directly onto the floor and turned to glare at Kong. "Is this true? This is a disgrace to the Marines!!"

Although this had long been an unspoken rule between the Marines and the Celestial Dragons, Sakazuki was showing no mercy by putting the issue on the table. Kong, however, was unfazed.

"The Five Elders once called me directly, instructing the Marines to rescue Mermaids from pirates. But as for what happened to them afterward, we were ordered not to interfere."

"Since it was a direct order from the Five Elders, there wasn't much Fleet Admiral Kong could do." As an Admiral, Sengoku clearly had some understanding of the situation and tried to smooth things over.

"A soldier follows orders. When the government higher-ups and Celestial Dragons act recklessly, we have no choice but to take the blame for them," Sakazuki offered Kong a way out. Then, he shifted the conversation.

"But this plan presents an opportunity. The strategic importance of Fishman Island is self-evident. If I lead a fleet to garrison Fishman Island, we can prevent elite pirate crews from entering the New World, cutting off the growing strength of New World pirate factions. At the same time, the Five Elders have long coveted these naval warfare experts. Stabilizing the security of Fishman Island will also strengthen its ties with the government. It's a win-win situation—why wouldn't the World Government be pleased?"

In fact, the World Government's decision to recruit Jinbe into the Seven Warlords of the Sea had similar intentions. However, in the end, things did not go as planned, and he ended up boosting the reputation of the Straw Hat crew instead.

Sengoku remained silent. Sakazuki's argument was logical and deeply considered, with every point coming from the heart. Given the current situation, Marine Headquarters simply could not keep up with the overwhelming number of pirates. Some potential pirate threats were even using Marine pressure as a catalyst to push their strength beyond its limits. If they couldn't capture scattered pirates, at the very least, they could wipe them out when they gathered.

Kong stared intently at the locations of Fishman Island and Sabaody Archipelago on the map, without lifting his head.

"Then, what is the price, Sakazuki?"

"A minor compromise on the Celestial Dragons' demand for 'pets.' Any other disputes or issues—leave them to my fleet to handle," Sakazuki said lightly.

"If we do nothing, the pirates in the New World won't remain idle," Sengoku supported his trusted subordinate's proposal. "For example, Whitebeard."

"Let me think about it, Sakazuki. Let me think about it," Kong muttered, already tempted.