One Piece: Blue Scale Admiral

"Sengoku, you're already so old, why are you arguing with these young people? Young people have their own thoughts, their own perspectives, and their own understanding of justice, which are not the same as those of us old guys who have been eliminated by the times. We can't interfere too much. Otherwise, won't the navy be repeating those hopeless futures again?"

Sengoku snorted coldly, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and looked at Luo Xia with displeasure.

"Little Crane, it's not that I want to hold a grudge, but this kid is too much of a troublemaker. I've realized that if he stays in Marineford, at most I'll just have a nervous breakdown from all the noise."

If I let him out, I'll be living in constant fear and it'll drive me insane.

"I'm always worried he'll become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, or that he'll take on the Four Emperors, or that he'll interfere in the internal affairs of those member states. You be the judge, is being the Fleet Admiral easy for me?"

Enel and Law, who were standing nearby, nodded in agreement.

Yes, that's right, that's exactly what that kid is like.

Lieutenant General He shook his head and chuckled upon hearing this.

Sitting next to her, Tina was also pursing her lips, trying to suppress her laughter along with Hibari.

They had never seen anyone in the Warring States period so angry.

As expected of Rorschach, he truly deserves the title of the leader of the new generation of naval officers.

"Rorschach, why don't you apologize to your grandfather Sengoku? Don't be so willful next time, you know? Sengoku is just concerned about you." Lieutenant General Tsuru smiled as he looked at Rorschach, whose face was bruised and swollen.

Luo Xia nodded weakly and said, "Grandpa Zhan Guo, I'm sorry, I won't mess around like this next time."

What he said was the truth.

There are only a few Shichibukai in total. Two of them are missing, and the rest are not easy to mess with. The key is that they haven't had any conflicts with me, so it's not good to deliberately provoke them.

As for the others, forget about them. Next time, at most we'll go to the New World and mess with Doflamingo.

Sengoku snorted again and picked up his teacup once more.

Seeing that he had calmed down, Luo Xia finally found an opportunity and asked in a low voice with suspicion, "Grandma He, what's going on at headquarters? Why are so many people gathered here so late at night? Could it be that they really discovered the Golden Lion's appearance?"

If the Golden Lion were to reappear on the sea, the Navy would likely face an unprecedented and massive war.

This is no child's play; it could lead to huge casualties.

Lieutenant General Crane shook his head upon hearing this:

"Our navy hasn't received any news from Golden Lion yet. That old guy definitely deserves our close attention, after all, Rose was indeed a woman he once valued highly."

However, the naval soldiers who had gathered from surrounding naval branches were not there to prepare for a possible war, but rather because the World Conference was about to convene.

"World Conference?"

Rorschach was stunned.

The World Conference is a meeting of member states of the World Government Organization, and it is usually held every four years.

The meeting was held in Mary Geoise, a sacred site on the Red Line.

The World Government has more than 170 member states, and not every member state is invited to the meeting.

Only those countries that actively pay heavenly tribute, possess strong national power, and have a huge influence on the world stage are invited to the Holy Land to participate in the World Conference.

For example, the Kingdom of Dressrosa, the Kingdom of Alabasta, and the Kingdom of Goa.

"But it seems like it's still 17, right? Is the conference going to be held earlier than planned?" Luo Xia asked, somewhat puzzled.

"No. This is just going through the normal meeting convening process. The member states of the World Government are scattered all over the world, and it would take a lot of military force and time to gather those kings together."

Tina explained, "With less than two months until the New Year, in order to prepare for the upcoming 18 World Conference, the World Government has instructed our navy to redeploy a portion of its forces to escort the kings of the member states around the world."

Lark's eyes lit up. "Will Alabasta also send someone to the World Conference?"

“Of course, the Kingdom of Alabasta is one of the world’s leading superpowers, and the Nefertari family attends every World Conference,” Vice Admiral Tsuru said with a smile.

"That's great! Then we can see Vivi again right away!" A joyful smile appeared on Yun Que's face.

But Rorschach couldn't quite manage a smile.

He frowned, looked up at Sengoku opposite him, and solemnly asked, "Grandpa, how many of our naval forces will be depleted for security at the World Conference?"

Chapter 371 Prepare for the worst

"How many troops were withdrawn? Why are you asking that?"

Sengoku looked at Luo Xia, who had asked the question, with some confusion.

If a regular naval officer were to bring up such a confidential matter concerning the Navy, it would likely immediately attract a thorough investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigation Bureau.

"I'm just thinking about the potential arrival of the Golden Lion. If our navy is forced to withdraw too many troops due to the World Conference, and becomes unable to cope with a possible massive war, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Luo Xia answered the Warring States period's question very seriously.

Upon hearing Luo Xia's answer, both Sengoku and Lieutenant General Tsuru felt a chill run down their spines.

Rorschach's point wasn't entirely unfounded.

Regardless of whether the Golden Lion problem will occur, as the highest decision-making body of the Navy Headquarters, they must take into account this most difficult possible predicament.

Sengoku immediately thought for a moment before saying, "The World Conference usually invites about fifty member states to participate. Apart from powerful countries like the Flower Country and Dressrosa, which do not require our navy to send troops to escort them, each of the other member states basically needs to send a rear admiral and two warships to escort them."

"In addition, two admirals from the navy will be assigned to the guard duties in the Holy Land of Mary Geoise..."

"Absolutely not!"

Before Zhan Guo could finish speaking, Luo Xia interrupted him.

Sengoku, interrupted, frowned in displeasure. "You shouldn't be saying things like that, Rorschach. Whether or not to send a Marine Admiral to protect the Holy Land is a decision only the World Government can make. Don't be so capricious!"

Sengoku's tone was rather harsh, making Hibari and the others, except for Luo Xia, a little nervous.

Even Kizaru, who was half asleep, was woken up. He opened his sleepy eyes and looked at the large group of people who had suddenly appeared, puzzled.

"Oh, it's Rorschach. You're back?" He stretched, yawned, picked up the teacup in front of Rorschach, and took a big gulp.

Luo Xia didn't speak, but looked intently at Sengoku, who was frowning.

"Grandpa, I'm serious."

"I'm serious! Let's leave this topic here. It's too late, you should all go back and rest." Sengoku directly gave them the order to leave.

It seems he's genuinely a little unhappy.

Lieutenant General He winked at Luo Xia and said with a smile, "I suggest we hear Luo Xia's thoughts first."

"what idea?"

Sengoku frowned. "Every Holy Land defense operation requires the Navy to dispatch two Admirals to protect it. It's the same every year. Oh, so he says it's not okay? There's a limit to being willful! This kind of major decision-making power is in the hands of the World Government. Let alone a mere Rear Admiral, even an Admiral, even I, the Fleet Admiral, can't disobey orders."

He looked at Kizaru, who looked like he hadn't woken up yet, and said, "Sakazuki needs to stay in the New World to control the situation there, so Borsalino and Kuzan will be responsible for the security of this World Conference."

"What if the Golden Lion attacks during this time?" Rorschach asked bluntly.

"Huh? The Golden Lion has attacked? When did this happen? This is terrifying! I was only asleep for a short while, how could the world have changed so much?" Kizaru was completely bewildered.

Sengoku ignored Kizaru's strange cries, leaned forward, and looked at Rorschach, saying, "Even if Shiki attacks, Garp and I will be there to fight him! We were able to take him down 20 years ago, and he won't be able to cause any trouble 20 years later!"

The Warring States period's voice was firm and resonant; everyone could hear the powerful confidence contained in his words.

As the Fleet Admiral of the Marine Headquarters, and formerly known as the Admiral Sengoku, Sengoku, who believed in the justice of ruling the world, was one of the few strongmen in the Marines who possessed Conqueror's Haki.

The Warring States period, who possessed Conqueror's Haki and truly lived up to the title of "ruler of the world," was undoubtedly the pinnacle of the sea with his Conqueror's Haki.

Although he hadn't personally taken action for many years, Sengoku still had immense confidence in his own strength.

His eyes, filled with the imposing authority of someone long accustomed to high office, were enough to instill fear in anyone who looked into them.

But Rorschach met his gaze without flinching and said in a deep voice, "I believe that you and Garp are still as sharp as ever and can defeat Shiki once again. But what if this time it's not just Shiki attacking alone?"

"What do you mean?" Zhan Guo frowned.

"Since you keep emphasizing that as the Navy's decision-making body, you need to always consider the worst-case scenario, then think about it: what if it wasn't Golden Lion Shiki or his Flying Pirates that came this time, but rather the Rocks Pirates?"

The moment Rorschach uttered the words "Rocks Pirates," even Sengoku's expression changed.

"Where did you hear about the Rocks Pirates from...?"

"That's not important!"

Rorschach interrupted Sengoku's question again, and continued:

"Think about Rose's identity, think about Shiki's identity, think about Kaido's defeat in Alabasta, think about losing face at the hands of Admiral Akainu, losing the Heavenly Dragon Spear, and losing a capable subordinate, Wang Zhi, in the Spring Queen's Castle."

These people are all members of the Rocks Pirates! If I were Shiki, I would definitely unite with all of them to wage a massive war against the Navy that would determine the course of the world!

Moreover, and not only that…

He glanced around at Sengoku, Vice Admiral Tsuru, Kizaru, and Hibari, whose expressions had all turned serious, as well as Hibari and the others who, although they didn't quite understand, realized the gravity of the situation.

"If I were Golden Lion, I would also contact Whitebeard, Charlotte Linlin, Shanks, and every pirate I could reach. While the World Government and the Navy are busy with the 18 World Conference, we would launch a devastating attack on the Navy, which has had a portion of its forces depleted! At that time, old man, do you think we could stop them?"

"Impossible!" Sengoku slammed his right hand on the table. "Whitebeard and Shanks would never choose to join forces with Shiki. What they care about isn't conquering the world..."

"Then eliminate them!"

Rorschach raised his voice and looked directly at Sengoku, "The remaining Golden Lion, Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, and Wang Zhi are enough to give us a run for our money."

Grandpa, although my predictions may not come true, as long as we prepare for the worst, we won't panic when things actually happen.

Therefore, we absolutely cannot send two naval admirals to guard the Holy Land.

Especially Admiral Kizaru, who has the greatest mobility, and Admiral Aokiji, who has the greatest control over the battlefield.

As long as we have three admirals—Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji—on our side, we can effectively block the enemy's offensive, at least against area-of-effect attacks of a catastrophic scale.

“You can send two different people, like Grandpa Garp, Teacher Zeff, or you can go yourself…”

Before Luo Xia could finish speaking, he received a sharp shovel to the head.

"What do you mean, brat! Are you looking down on us old ghosts? Huh?"

Rorschach gasped, clutching his head, tears welling in his eyes. He turned his head and saw that Garp, who had been snoring just a second ago, was now sitting up, his large, knuckled fist raised in the air, ready to strike.

"Good beating! This brat has no respect for his elders, he deserves to be taught a lesson." Sengoku grinned.

Garp, his face sour, glared fiercely at Rorschach. "Explain yourself, or I'll let you taste the full power of the Fist of Love."

Luo Xia shrank back and said with a wry smile, "Grandpa, I really didn't mean that."

"So what do you mean?"

They said they wanted me and Zeffa to replace Borsalino and Kuzan.