Chapter Nineteen: Dorag

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It wasn’t that Fleet Admiral Sengoku feared the strength of the Whitebeard Pirates; rather, it was out of a sense of duty to the Navy that he wanted everything to be flawless.
Ideally, the Navy's upper echelon would emerge from this conflict unscathed, having completely eradicated Whitebeard and his crew.
“Ah, I’ve already convinced the Empress and am preparing to approach the remaining members...”
Borsalino spoke lazily. If asked how he managed to persuade her, naturally it was through heartfelt appeals and rational argument, appealing to a sense of justice and duty.
“Excellent. Expedite the recruitment of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Once this war concludes, I will personally approve a month’s leave for you.”
Fleet Admiral Sengoku was somewhat surprised; he hadn’t expected the famously laid-back Borsalino to show such diligence.
Nevertheless, to be safe, the summoning of the Seven Warlords needed to proceed as quickly as possible.
To that end, Sengoku personally promised Borsalino a vacation once the Summit War ended.
To a man like Sengoku, who practically lived by the Navy’s relentless 996 schedule, this was almost unimaginable.
“Hm? Such urgency? Has something happened with Fire Fist Ace’s side?”
Borsalino found it hard to believe.
The Fleet Admiral, who usually pushed them hard, was now voluntarily offering him time off.
For a moment, Borsalino almost thought Sengoku had lost his mind and mistaken him for Sakazuki, the workaholic.
Fortunately, Borsalino soon considered another possibility: the Navy’s plans for the Summit War were all centered around Fire Fist Ace.
If the plan needed to be moved up, it likely meant Ace had already fallen into Navy hands.
“Blackbeard has already delivered Fire Fist Ace to the G-6 branch. Although the information hasn’t leaked yet, if Ace remains missing for too long, the Whitebeard Pirates will likely become highly alert...”
Sengoku said gravely. When facing the Whitebeard Pirates, it’s impossible to be too cautious.
This generation of Navy leadership had witnessed the rise of the Whitebeard Pirates firsthand. Even compared to the Pirate King Roger, Whitebeard’s renown on the seas was no less formidable.
To completely eliminate the Whitebeard Pirates, even the Navy’s full strength must be unleashed!
“Understood. I will expedite the recruitment of the Seven Warlords.”

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Borsalino scratched his head, realizing his leisure time was once again severely curtailed. Although he could slack off at Navy Headquarters, it was nowhere near as enjoyable as the Amazon Lily.
Still, he couldn’t afford to offend Fleet Admiral Sengoku, who was, after all, his superior.
If he angered Sengoku, he wouldn’t be able to happily continue shirking work while collecting his paycheck.
“Good. Once the task is complete, return to Headquarters as soon as possible. There’s no need to recruit all of them—four or five will suffice. Leave the rest to me.”
Sengoku knew well the nature of the Seven Warlords. Even a Navy Admiral personally intervening might not guarantee the cooperation of all of them.
He decided to set a more lenient target for Borsalino to avoid the absurdity of Navy Admirals fighting the Seven Warlords before the Summit War even began.
He knew these so-called “legitimate pirates” too well.
If the majority could be persuaded, the remaining unruly ones could be subdued by various means.
When isolated, even the Seven Warlords were merely stronger pirates, and under the pressure of the Navy Headquarters, they would soon bow.
“Alright, leave it to me... sigh, life is tough...”
After hanging up with Sengoku, Borsalino basked in the sun for a while before picking up his Den Den Mushi again.
“...Borsalino?”
The person on the other end seemed surprised Borsalino had called. In a sense, the two had gone their separate ways, and given their current positions, calling each other enemies wouldn’t be an exaggeration.
“It’s me. How have you been lately, Dragon?”
Borsalino spoke slowly.
Although it had been Dragon’s decision to leave the Navy and establish the Revolutionary Army, without Borsalino’s encouragement, Dragon might have stayed in the Navy for many more years.
“Haha, thanks to the World Government and the Celestial Dragons, the revolution is proceeding smoothly!”
Dragon held no grudge against Borsalino despite their differing stances. Strictly speaking, Dragon’s rise as the leader of the Revolutionary Army was inseparable from Borsalino’s guidance.
It was a pity Borsalino hadn’t continued down the right path, but Dragon didn’t mind.

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In Dragon’s view, anyone who could say that the Celestial Dragons should be held accountable to the same laws as commoners would, sooner or later, return to the path they were meant to walk.
When that time came, they would once again be comrades fighting side by side. With this thought, Dragon’s tone grew warmer.
“It’s just that we haven’t met in person. A few months ago, didn’t you mention your deputy? That young man named Sabo...”
Borsalino certainly knew what Dragon was thinking, but he was skeptical about the current Revolutionary Army and had no desire to be a pioneer risking everything against Imu.
“Sabo? He’s now the Chief of Staff of the Revolutionary Army. If you have the chance, you should meet him. Sabo excels in all respects.”
Dragon spoke proudly, as if boasting about his own child, eager to praise every strand of Sabo’s hair.
In his mind, Sabo was the best successor to lead the Revolutionary Army’s continued resistance against the World Government.
“Hm... I remember you once asked me to look into Sabo...”
Borsalino’s eyes narrowed slightly. Though Ace’s fate was not of great concern to him, a major event like the Summit War couldn’t be left solely to the Navy to handle.
If the enemy were only the Whitebeard Pirates, it would be the Navy’s duty to eliminate them, and the World Government could remain detached.
But if the Revolutionary Army was involved, the World Government had no reason to stand idly by.
The Five Elders loved to keep their trump cards hidden; it was time to force some of them to reveal themselves. With such a golden opportunity before him, Borsalino wanted to find a way to take down one or two of the World Government’s top fighters.
Otherwise, no matter how much Borsalino, this two-faced admiral, held back, mere pirates or revolutionaries would hardly be enough to draw out Imu or Imu’s trump cards.
It wasn’t that Borsalino lacked the time or patience to wait, but he didn’t want the gap to widen further. He couldn’t really expect Luffy to suddenly transform into a sun god.
“Hmm? You have a lead on your side?”
Dragon recalled that Sabo once asked him to investigate his amnesia, but when he couldn’t find any clues, he sought Borsalino’s help.