Chapter Five: This Is the List

One cannot deny that even more than a decade after the Pirate King Roger’s death, his influence within the Navy’s upper echelons remains undiminished. Previously, many Navy officers—including those of a more pacifist persuasion—who leaned toward neutrality opposed rashly provoking the Whitebeard Pirates. Yet, when Fleet Admiral Sengoku revealed Ace’s lineage, exposing the dark bloodline of the Pirate King coursing through him, even Aokiji, one of the most dovish admirals, expressed no objection to Sengoku’s decision to publicly execute Fire Fist Ace. Naturally, this led to the preparation of the Summit War, targeting the Whitebeard Pirates. Ambitious as ever, Fleet Admiral Sengoku sought to seize this opportunity to completely eliminate the Whitebeard crew.

Though not the most ruthless among the Four Emperors, Whitebeard’s strength and influence made him a thorn in the Navy’s side. But what did this have to do with Borosalino, the so-called “salary thief”? He figured that once the Summit War commenced, a few swift moves in battle would be enough to justify his paycheck. Ideally, he’d prefer to pick a target that felt just right to strike—a punching bag he could taunt with warnings of the target’s terrifying potential and future threat, so no one could accuse him of lacking effort.

“Borosalino… Borosalino!”

What Borosalino didn’t anticipate was that just as he was preparing for a low-effort participation in the Summit War, even planning a long vacation afterward with Nami, the ‘black-hearted’ Fleet Admiral Sengoku set his sights on him. Even among the Navy Admirals, known for their independence, Borosalino—dubbed the “Ageless Admiral”—was one of the most eccentric. Unlike Akainu and Aokiji, who adhered strictly to their own sense of justice, or Vice Admiral Garp, who often disregarded government orders at will, Borosalino generally respected the authority of the Five Elders and the World Government. If one had to describe him in a single phrase, calling himself a “salary thief” seemed quite fitting. No matter the mission, if he could exert even a third of his strength, Borosalino wouldn’t bother giving any more. Despite possessing power that subtly surpassed even the other three admirals, he was never seen giving his all.

At the thought of soon seeing Borosalino’s characteristic “slacking off” on the battlefield, Sengoku felt a pang of nausea. Sharing a glance with Vice Admiral Aokiji, his resolve hardened as he stopped Borosalino just as the admiral was about to leave.

“Hmm? What’s the matter, Fleet Admiral Sengoku?”

Borosalino held deep respect for Sengoku, a venerable man burdened with the weight of the Navy’s highest command, who secretly dyed his white hair black to avoid showing age to the enlisted men.

“The Summit War requires summoning the Seven Warlords to fight. Considering they’re a bunch of unruly individuals, the Navy needs to dispatch someone of sufficient gravitas to recruit them.”

Sengoku’s lips twitched with a barely contained smile. Every time the others worked hard upfront, Borosalino would slack off behind the scenes, and now he had finally caught him at last!

The Seven Warlords guarded the seven main routes of the Grand Line. Ideally, rounding up all seven would mean traversing nearly the entire first half of the Grand Line. Sengoku knew this task perfectly hit the one point Borosalino loathed most. If it were any harder or more troublesome, Borosalino would surely find every excuse to pass it on or dawdle.

“Ah, well…”

Just as Sengoku predicted, such an ambiguous assignment deeply troubled Borosalino. By the time he thought up an excuse to decline, he found the Fleet Admiral had already walked away.

Damn! He’d switch Sengoku’s hair dye to green next time!

“Mr. Borosalino, the meeting has concluded. It’s time to get to work, isn’t it?”

Nami produced a thick stack of schedules, all tasks requiring the admiral’s personal attention. From meeting with meritorious subordinates to quelling a marine mutiny, the dense list nearly gave Borosalino a fear of crowded spaces.

“This is too much… Nami, help me make a checklist. I’ll start with the urgent matters first…”

Rubbing his temples, Borosalino knew even a salary thief couldn’t shirk all work. He’d do it in consideration of Sengoku’s hair dye alone.

“But this is the checklist!” Nami said with a sour expression.

If Borosalino hadn’t been so lazy and idle, he wouldn’t have accumulated so much work. Hearing this, Borosalino froze—the tasks would take at least half a month to complete with his usual pace.

“Nami, can I trust you completely?”

Suddenly, Borosalino grasped Nami’s shoulders, staring unblinkingly into her eyes as if trying to discern something from their depths.

Though Nami had served beside the “Ageless Admiral” for nearly two years, this was the first time she saw such a sincere look from him. The Navy veteran who had created the “Life Return” technique surely never imagined someone shamelessly using it just to look more attractive and flirt with young girls.

Faced with Borosalino’s unabashed gaze, Nami felt a faint blush and instinctively pushed him away.

Stay calm! Don’t be fooled by this guy. Though he saved Bellemere and was handsome, he was still a man in his fifties!

At that moment, two little versions of Nami seemed to emerge in her mind—one with angel wings praising Borosalino’s virtues, the other with devil horns urging caution.

“Of course you can!”

Nami breathed deeply, forcing herself to remain composed. This was Navy Headquarters; she couldn’t let Borosalino say anything reckless.

“Good. I’m counting on you to handle these tasks. I’m off to carry out the assignment Fleet Admiral Sengoku gave me!”

Satisfied, Borosalino stuffed the thick schedule into Nami’s hands. Nowadays, where could one find a superior so willing to nurture subordinates?

If you don’t believe it, ask Akainu’s adjutant—usually stuck with only office chores and the like.