Pirate: I was just slacking off, do you really think I'm bad?

The next day, before the sun had even risen, newspapers that had been up all night were placed into the newsbird's backpack.

This time, the Navy also mobilized its own propaganda forces and reached a deal with some well-known newspapers, using a lot of propaganda resources to publicize this matter.

Sora, Sengoku, Garp, and the others have returned to Marineford.

The Redfield Navy suffered almost zero casualties in this raid, except for Karp who was seriously injured.

Given Garp's physique, those injuries would only require a few days of rest before affecting his combat effectiveness.

Kong can also take this opportunity to present a satisfactory answer to the world regarding his retirement.

Because of the need to establish authority, Garp and Raleigh were not included in this promotional material; only Sora and Sengoku appeared in the photos.

Kong was also quietly building momentum for the Warring States period.

Even the news headlines were unabashedly proclaimed, such as "Two Generations of Navy Join Forces!"

Anyone who gets their hands on this news article can glean the identity of the Warring States period from the details.

"Marshal Kong, this is what happened in the world this month."

Zhan Guo walked into the marshal's office carrying a thick file. The office was very quiet at the moment, with people drinking tea and smoking expensive cigars.

If it weren't for the marshal's uniform he was wearing, one would definitely mistake him for a retired old man.

"Warring States period, didn't I already tell you?"

You can handle these things yourself from now on. I'm getting old, and the responsibility of the navy will be handed over to you.

Kong was absolutely unwilling to sign documents; he simply disliked doing paperwork.

He's a tough guy who's been through fire and water. He became the Fleet Admiral of the Navy by fighting his way up with his iron fists and steel-like body. If he were to capture pirates, he wouldn't be afraid of any pirate, no matter how powerful they were.

But when he sees files that require his signature and approval, he feels like his head is about to explode.

Master, you are still in your position, and I cannot overstep my authority.

Sengoku placed the file on the empty desk and said calmly.

He was not in a hurry to take control of the navy as soon as possible.

After all, his current power is no less than that of Kong; only the power to sign documents remains in Kong's hands.

In the navy, no one could rival Sengoku for the position of Naval Commander.

Of the remaining admirals, only Sengoku remains. Zephyr, who once held some prestige, became disheartened after suffering setbacks and chose to enter a military academy, where he taught naval officers while taking care of his only son.

Garp was a lieutenant general and a staunch supporter of Sengoku, and his personality made him less inclined to spend long periods of time in the office dealing with these issues.

Therefore, there was no need for the Warring States period to rush things. He only needed to ensure that he would not make any mistakes or leave any evidence against him.

Kong pinched the space between his eyebrows, internally encouraging himself.

It's alright, I've already reported it to the Five Elders, so Sengoku will probably take over completely in a few days.

"We've endured this for over a decade, what's a few more days? We have to pull through."

However, he still came up with a new idea;

"Warring States Period, you can review these files in my office. After you've finished reading each one, write down your solution and then bring it to me."

Sora had already made up his mind that he would agree to whatever annotations Sengoku made.

"guard.

Go and move the desk of the Warring States general to my place.

Before Sengoku could refuse, Sora immediately ordered the guards at the door to move Sengoku's desk over.

He didn't want to wait a moment longer.

Zhan Guo sighed and said nothing.

After all, this was the Fleet Admiral, and what could he possibly say?

Let them move in then, anyway, Sengoku doesn't care where he works.

Then, a mysterious scene unfolded before our eyes.

In the Marshal's office, another desk appeared next to the Air Marshal's desk, where Sengoku, known as a wise general, was writing furiously.

After Zhan Guo finished annotating each document, he would hand it to Kong, who would always sign his name without hesitation.

He spent the rest of his time reading books he enjoyed.

Sengoku shifted his attention from Sora to the archives.

He needs to process this pile of files as soon as possible, otherwise new files will be sent over soon.

Meanwhile, on Raleigh's side...

He was leading his soldiers, escorting Red Earl Redfield to the Fortress of Assault. After the battle, Sora and Sengoku needed to return to Marineford to handle matters, but Garp was seriously injured and unable to return.

Only Raleigh is qualified to send Redfield to Impell.

His abilities are too dangerous; anyone whose thoughts are overheard could have their psychological defenses breached by him.

Only Raleigh had the power to subdue the injured Redfield. Raleigh didn't care about Redfield's physical condition at all. After deciding that he would be the one to escort him, he didn't hesitate to break his limbs. He didn't know how other marines escorted prisoners, but for him, as long as he was still alive and could be delivered to Impel Down, the mission was considered complete.

He's back to his usual lazy self, happily lounging on the sun lounger.

Brother Raleigh, this Redfield is something else.

After feeding Redfield, Enel returned to the deck and ran to Raleigh's side.

His talent is also Observation Haki, which gives him the ability to see into people's hearts.

When they met Redfield, the two could communicate without even saying a word.

"Yes, his abilities are similar to yours, but he's stronger."

Raleigh knew Enel's abilities, so he naturally spoke up directly.

"This guy kept trying to tempt me to reattach his limbs. He's a terrifying person."

"If I weren't also able to read his mind, anyone else might have already fallen for it."

Enel continued.

Raleigh said irritably:

That's why I arranged for you to deliver his food. Otherwise, if it were someone else, who could guarantee that Redfield wouldn't change his mind?

Enel grinned, his mouth wide open!

"Isn't there you, Brother Raleigh?"

"The only person on this ship who can't be turned."

Raleigh did not question it.

He wasn't afraid of Redfield reading his mind; on the contrary, if Redfield knew what Raleigh was thinking, he might as well not read it at all.

Raleigh's secret was terrifying; even a fleeting thought could frighten Redfield.

"He needs to be fed on time; this will gradually weaken him."

Raleigh prepared a very lavish meal for Redfield, with meat, vegetables, and fruits all meeting his nutritional needs.

Each one was laced with a poison developed by Vegapunk.

A poison that can continuously weaken the strength of powerful individuals.

The side effect is that it will result in 4-8 hours of forced sleep.

So Redfield would eat, sleep, and then eat again on the Raleigh ship.

Redfield was completely speechless.

He realized that if he fell into the hands of others, he could be treated as a human being, but if he fell into Raleigh's hands, even being alive would be a favor. In this situation, he gave up on the idea of ​​escaping and only hoped to get to Impel Down as soon as possible. A news bird flew across the sky, and Enel waved before landing on the warship.

After handing over 100 Berries, Enel took a newspaper from the newsbird's pocket. "Brother Raleigh, why isn't there a picture of you?"

This news was propaganda for Sora and Sengoku joining forces to subdue Redfield. Raleigh glanced at it and said with a sneer.

"This matter has nothing to do with me in essence; it's just an attempt to ease the tension between me and Garp."

The most important thing was to convey to the world that Sengoku was about to take over as the Fleet Admiral.

"I'm not even a supporting character, so naturally there are no photos of me."

Enel took the newspaper, read it aloud, and then spoke.

"I see. So, Brother Raleigh, when will you become a marshal?"

Raleigh didn't say anything.

He was still considering whether or not to become a naval admiral.

As is well known, although admirals wield great power, they have significantly less freedom and are required to be stationed at Marineford.

However, he thought that if he became a leader, it would definitely be a great boost to the naval soldiers who supported his side.

The reason why Rat and Cleveland were willing to work for Raleigh was that they saw true justice in him.

If Raleigh doesn't become the general, it's no exaggeration to say that some of them might waver in their beliefs. In this semi-feudal world, the rank of a leader can indeed influence the opinions of others.

Raleigh couldn't replace all the naval soldiers with his own men, and even in twenty years, he probably wouldn't be able to.

But if he becomes an admiral, he can use his influence to attract neutral navies to his side.

This is not an exaggeration.

Even Borsalino, who adheres to ambiguous justice, and Kuzan, who embodies lazy justice, have a large number of supporters within the Navy.

The navy is rife with factions, but they can never escape the three main forms.

Hawks, doves, and centrists, regardless of whether they agree with a particular person in the general's position, can only unconditionally support the leader of their faction.

Fortunately, thanks to Raleigh's efforts over the years, he has been branded as a hawk.

As long as Sengoku is promoted to Genji and becomes an Admiral, he will automatically become the new representative of the hawks. Although Sakazuki will take away some of the support personnel, they will still unite as one when facing pirates.

The current leader of the hawks is Sengoku; the Fleet Admiral doesn't belong to any faction, he holds the position of arbiter.

After thinking for a while, Raleigh slowly said:

Why think so much?

Even after being promoted to Grand Marshal, the great general of the Warring States period could remain in that position for a long time. Who knows what will happen in the future? Maybe Sakazuki's brother will become the Grand Marshal.

Enel thought of the Iron-Blooded Sakazuki and couldn't help but stick out his tongue.

He was a key lieutenant of Raleigh, and naturally had met Sakazuki several times.

Enel was still somewhat afraid of Sakazuki.

The reason was that Enel heard from Miles that Sakazuki's warships were very strict about rules, and everyone had to obey military orders.

Someone as erratic as Enel would definitely be targeted on Sakazuki's warship.

However, this does not diminish Enel's respect for Sakazuki.

Huayi learned from rumors and contacts that

Always exceptionally wide and fleshy!

Aside from disliking deserting soldiers, he would do his best to protect them during battles against pirates.

Of course, when faced with potential casualties, he wouldn't even flinch at the death of a soldier; instead, he would send even more soldiers to tackle the tough challenges.

Such a general doesn't fit Enel's personality at all, but he does resemble Barrett somewhat inexplicably.

"By the way, Brother Raleigh, it's been a long time since I've seen Barrett. What's he up to?"

Enel suddenly realized that he hadn't seen Barrett in a long time.

"Well, I have a special task for him. Let him go and carry it out first."

Raleigh didn't explain in detail to Enel.

It's best to keep as few people as possible aware of this matter until it's completed.

Enel's eyes darted around a few times before he said:

"Brother Raleigh, after we send him to Impel Down, can we go somewhere else to play for a couple of days?"

Enel was full of energy and wanted to release it.

Raleigh thought for a moment and said:

Let's go to Alabasta then, I happen to know someone there.

Yes, this is the territory of Crocodile, one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, whose left arm was severed by Raleigh.

Raleigh, who hasn't seen Crocodile in a long time, needs to go check if he's grown some kind of wildness he shouldn't have.

Raleigh will always consider the Seven Warlords of the Sea as his enemies.

Every one of them, except for Hancock, Jinbe, and Kuma, harbored ambitions of becoming a powerful figure.

They were all people with Conqueror's Haki, how could they tolerate being in a subordinate position for so long? Time flew by, and after a long journey, Raleigh's military aircraft arrived at Impel Down, located in the Calm Belt, covered in dust.

Enel looked at the prison that was now visible above the sea and muttered to himself:

It's not as big as I imagined.

In Enel's mind, the supposedly insurmountable fortress should have elite troops and a large number of fortifications and artillery pieces.

However, Enel was somewhat disappointed by Impel's appearance.

"The main body of Impel Down is in the sea; the buildings that rise above the water are merely naval offices and the first level of prison."

Enel asked curiously:

Brother Raleigh, I don't see why Impel Down is so formidable, why it's called an insurmountable fortress.

Raleigh waved, and Enel stepped forward.

Raleigh pointed to the sail and said:

"First of all, this is the doldrums."

Few forces possess the ability to navigate in the calm zone. Before Dr. Vegapunk developed new types of warships, the navy often relied on manpower for propulsion.

Only ships belonging to the Fish-Men and a portion of the Amazonian Kingdom can travel through this area, and then there are a few users of special Devil Fruit abilities who can reach this place.

The threat of the Calm Belt alone is enough to leave the pirates helpless.

Raleigh was really curious about how Impel Down was built. Was it possible that the prison was built by the fish-men?

And Raleigh knew just how vast Impel Down's sixth level was; it could even hold something like the San Juan Wolf.

Raleigh couldn't help but feel a sense of anticipation for this journey to Impel Down.