The most courageous pirate hunter

Should I have toned it down a bit?

It's no wonder Hermes was a little scared. If it wasn't just the Navy, but other agencies of the World Government together, who knows what kind of abilities were hidden inside.

If there are Devil Fruit users or technological powers capable of tracking, locating, or cursing him, he's definitely doomed and will have no choice but to hide in outer space.

Fortunately, their perspectives were dictated by their positions, and the Five Elders did not resort to a fight to the death, but instead reconnected.

Bulu bulu.

When the phone rang, Hermes breathed a slight sigh of relief. Just as the Five Elders had guessed, his goal was simply to secure more benefits in the upcoming negotiations.

"Jie Jie Jie~"

"Jormungandr, state your terms!"

"We're all smart people, so there's no need to beat around the bush!"

Before Hermes could finish laughing, the Five Elders spoke up.

Four conditions.

"First, 10 billion peles."

"Second, return my Death Ship, and while you're at it, inlay the bottom of the Death Ship with Seastone. Also, put the money that originally belonged to me back in its original place."

"Third, thirty Devil Fruits."

"Fourth, I want the dog's head from the Warring States period."

Hermes pondered for a moment and reluctantly made four requests.

Originally there were five, including the location of Amazon Lily, but thinking about it, it's a bit unreliable. Asking the Five Elders for the location of Amazon Lily would just be telling them that you're going to Amazon Lily.

It would be dangerous if someone were to ambush him from above.

Anyway, there's no rush to cause trouble for that woman; he doesn't believe she'll stay holed up on Snake Island forever.

"You're asking for an exorbitant amount."

"First, we can only give 50 billion pegories."

"Secondly, we can agree to that."

"Third, the fifth Devil Fruit."

"Fourth, impossible, choose another one."

"Negotiations must be grounded in reality!"

This time, the Five Elders were not angry; they simply refused calmly.

Negotiations are about give and take.

"Jie Jie Jie~"

"One hundred billion, the Death Ship, and ten Devil Fruits—make Sengoku bow down and admit his mistakes to me. If it works, great; if not, forget it!"

Hermes did not push his luck; on the contrary, he made significant concessions.

In his eyes, a Celestial Dragon is nothing but trash; he would be making a profit no matter which of the above he could exchange for!

Anyway, capturing this Celestial Dragon was an accident.

Hermes even speculated that the Celestial Dragons weren't that important to the Five Elders; they were simply afraid that Hermes would actually sell Inevit Palace to become a geisha.

If this gets out, it will be a very serious matter.

Anyone with a modicum of intelligence understands this!

Moreover, while there have been Celestial Dragons killed in the past 800 years, none have ever been threatened and humiliated like Hermes. It's even more infuriating than simply killing them.

Moreover, the above conditions will definitely be borne by Inevitori Palace herself or her family, without needing to draw funds from the World Government.

The Five Elders wouldn't have made that call if it weren't for pressure from the Inevit Palace family.

The world is in a terrible state now, and the world government's rule is facing the greatest crisis in its history. Therefore, it is imperative to preserve the last fig leaf and the guiding principle of faith!

Chapter 190 [The Hasty Removal of the Sengoku Period]

Bulu bulu.

"This is the Warring States period!"

this day.

Sengoku was engrossed in his work, pouring his heart and soul into it, when a Den Den Mushi (a type of electric scoop) rang, making him look serious.

"I am the Five Elders."

On the other end of the phone, a somewhat aged and hesitant voice sounded, and the person hesitated for a few seconds.

"Warring States, you have always done a good job, which is evident to the World Government and all of humanity. However, your only mistake was provoking the Hunter King. Most importantly, you did not kill him in one go, which led to the current situation."

You know the news that the Palace of Inevitli has been captured by the Hunter King, right?

Sengoku felt a chill run down his spine at the words of the Five Elders. First, they affirmed his work, and then they pointed out his mistakes. It seemed that his career was facing a challenge!

However, the Warring States period was not alarmed.

He lived a life of integrity and upright conduct, worthy of justice, the Navy, and the World Government.

"I know, a general has been dispatched to rescue them, but there's still no news."

"We have spoken with the Hunter King by phone, and he has made four demands: 10 billion, the return of the Death Ship, the installation of Seastone at the bottom, ten Devil Fruits, and your apology."

The other party is very malicious; they even want to sell the Inevit Palace into geisha and then announce it to the world. The World Government is in a bad situation and has lost face, so the bottom line of the World Nobles must not be tainted.

The Inevit Palace family will take care of the first three requests; you just need to call them and apologize.

As a naval admiral, one must be able to take things on and let them go.

The Celestial Dragons are currently exerting pressure, but one thing is certain: the Hunter King must die; it's only a matter of time.

It's hard to come by.

The Five Elders spoke at length, their words filled with reassurance.

There might be some blame placed on the Warring States period, but not much.

The main point is to affirm Sengoku's work, even though everything was due to one wrong decision by Sengoku. If we were to truly condemn him, Sengoku would definitely not be able to serve as the admiral of the navy again.

However, investigations revealed that Sengoku had excellent ratings and work ethic within the navy and the World Government, and even had people like Kugo who spoke on his behalf.

In addition to his many years of hard work and loyalty to the World Government, the Five Elders should trust him again, rather than erasing all his achievements with just one mistake.

Think about it.

The sheer scale of the Hunter King's actions—the destruction of numerous fortresses, Impel Down, and Marineford, the announcement of the Six Powers and Haki training methods, the creation of the Ancient Weapon Pluton, and the bounty on the Navy—each of these constitutes a major problem for the World Government.

It even alarmed Lord Im, who personally ordered the lights to be turned off.

It is easy to imagine the seriousness of the matter, and all of this was because the Warring States period did not make a careful decision. Tracing the source of all the trouble, it was the Warring States period's decision-making error.

Perhaps he's used to being high and mighty. As a powerful figure and a Marine Admiral, how much trouble can a mere pirate hunter cause? After all, he could easily crush him.

But to everyone's surprise, this small wave quickly turned into a tsunami.

This was something no one had anticipated.

"I will contact them."

Sengoku's face was tense, revealing nothing of his thoughts, but the hand under his desk was clenched so tightly it turned white. He, Sengoku, who had roamed the seas for so many years, had actually been driven to this point by a beast.

But then came helplessness.

It has to be said that he currently has no way to deal with the other party; it would be much simpler if it were a one-on-one situation.

End the call.

In Mary Geoise's office, the Five Elders frequently glanced sideways.

"The Warring States period is still trustworthy."

"It's just one mistake. Hasn't the world government weathered enough storms already?"

"A mere grasshopper can't jump for long!"

Currently, the five elders seem quite satisfied with Sengoku and have no intention of dismissing him or holding him responsible for these events.

There are many issues involved here.

The most important point is that Sengoku was a very good subordinate.

Upholding justice and ruling the world, he has believed in the government's orders since his youth. He has climbed to his current position by reliably completing his missions. He attacks anyone who doubts the government, even his own comrades, which shows how high his loyalty is.

In his mind, anyone who disobeys government orders is not a member of the navy; his thinking is incredibly stubborn!

But this is exactly what the Five Elders like best.

What's wrong with a capable and loyal subordinate making mistakes occasionally?

In addition, other aspects are also involved.

Given the current situation, it's not advisable to change generals on the eve of battle, and none of the three generals are capable of serving as marshal, at least not at the moment. Furthermore, Sengoku has already grown strong and deeply entrenched in the naval system.