Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Inside the solemn and grand Marine building, which symbolizes justice.
"Marshal Sengoku, urgent news just came from CP. The Sun Pirates have recently been recruiting heavily on Fish-Man Island, and Jinbe has been continuously giving passionate speeches on Fish-Man Street for the past few days, causing a huge sensation. Countless Fish-Men are willing to join the Sun Pirates..."
In the Marshal's office, the Den Den Mushi on the desk transmitted the somewhat anxious and shocked voice of a Marine intelligence officer: "And, it's simply unbelievable. In just a few days, the number of recruits for the Sun Pirates has... has even exceeded ten thousand Fish-Men!"
"What!?"
Sengoku the Buddha, who was listening to the report and reviewing documents, couldn't help but change his expression.
"Didn't that bastard Jinbe lose his memory? Suddenly making such a big move, what exactly does he want to do?"
Sengoku, realizing the situation was somewhat serious, directly grabbed the Den Den Mushi, and asked in a stern voice, "Did you clearly investigate his objective?"
Fish-Men are born with ten times the arm strength of humans. With a little training, they become excellent warriors. The Sun Pirates suddenly recruiting tens of thousands of Fish-Men is not a good thing for the Marines. No one can guarantee that these guys won't cause trouble in the future.
"Sea Knight" Jinbe, a former Warlord of the Sea, could be said to be the most law-abiding of the Warlords. After becoming a Warlord, he basically never abused the privileges granted by the World Government to actively stir up trouble. But now that he has lost his memory, who knows if his ideology will change due to certain influences?
"According to the report from CP, it is said that even under the protection of the Whitebeard Pirates, human slave traders and pirates, and even adventurers, have repeatedly tried to capture Fish-Men and mermaids.
Warlord of the Sea Jinbe, in a fit of rage, directly decided to form a Fish-Man fleet, specifically to hunt down those pirates and strike at the invaders who violate Fish-Man Island. This move seems to have received the tacit approval of the Ryugu Kingdom, and the Neptune Army has not stepped forward to interfere!"
"And recently, Fish-Man Jinbe has completely changed his previous gentle style, leading the Sun Pirates to powerfully kill quite a few pirates causing trouble on Fish-Man Island, gaining the recognition and respect of most Fish-Men and mermaids on Fish-Man Island..."
"Damn it! That bastard!" Sengoku's face instantly darkened.
(ahag) Fish-Man Island is one of the allied nations of the World Government, and Jinbe is a Warlord. Under circumstances where he hasn't violated World Government regulations, the Marines simply have no authority to intervene and stop him, unless the Ryugu Kingdom files a protest with the World Government.
But very clearly, the Ryugu Kingdom and Jinbe are in complete agreement.
The Warlord articles listed by the World Government do not explicitly prohibit Warlords from recruiting subordinates. If Jinbe did not actively violate the agreement, the Marines would have no right to punish him, nor any excuse to strip him of his Warlord title.
No one expected that Fish-Man Jinbe would suddenly become so crazy, directly recruiting tens of thousands of Fish-Men. It was simply outrageous.
"The headaches he'll cause you are probably far from over..."
Vice Admiral Tsuru walked in, apparently having just learned of these matters as well.
"Closely monitor the situation on Fish-Man Island, and report any anomalies immediately!" Sengoku ordered with a deep voice, then hung up the Den Den Mushi.
"Tsuru-chan, is there something else?"
Looking at Vice Admiral Tsuru who walked in, Sengoku asked with a frown.
From what Vice Admiral Tsuru just said, it clearly wouldn't be good news.
"That 'Sand Crocodile' is constantly developing its business under its command, amassing wealth. Not only has it recruited several giant warriors, but two pirates with bounties exceeding fifty million Belly have also joined its ranks..."
With a hint of helplessness, Vice Admiral Tsuru held a document and handed it to Sengoku: "News just came from the Drum Kingdom. 'Sand Crocodile' Crocodile has personally gone to the Drum Kingdom. It is said that he is meeting with the current King of Drum Kingdom, King Wapol, to negotiate, seemingly intending to expand cooperation in the medical field."
In recent years, as the three major forces in the Grand Line gradually took shape under the World Government's deliberate cultivation, the situation of the sea gradually stabilized, and the enormous drawbacks of the Warlord of the Sea system began to emerge.
On the New World side, "Heavenly Yaksha" Donquixote Doflamingo constantly expanded his illegal dealings in the underworld, and his influence continuously spread to various parties. Since there was no evidence, and coupled with his former identity as a Celestial Dragon, the World Government's indulgence meant the Marines couldn't touch him.
In the first half of the Grand Line, "Sand Crocodile" Crocodile was not to be outdone. He vigorously developed his business, amassing wealth, expanding casinos, bars, and shipping businesses.
And now, he even wanted to enter the medical industry, while continuously recruiting subordinates to expand his forces. Yet, his commercial activities were legal, completely without any violation of agreements. The Marines could only watch helplessly, with no excuse to intervene.
And now, even Fish-Man Island's "Sea Knight" Jinbe, who had always been the most law-abiding captain of the Sun Pirates, began a large-scale expansion. He clearly intended to form a formidable Fish-Man fleet.
The world's greatest swordsman, "Hawk Eyes" Dracule Mihawk, came and went as he pleased. "Empress" Boa Hancock guarding her Amazon Lily and its small territory was somewhat better.
But with Gecko Moria replaced by the new Warlord, "Blackbeard" Marshall D. Teach, who had just entered the New World, was also clearly an ambitious individual, definitely not going to be law-abiding.
If this continued, these individuals, leveraging their authority and status as Warlords, would extend their influence globally. These marine scum, whose power was constantly growing, would directly become a force too big to control!
"Medical? Another highly profitable industry..."
Sengoku's face turned black, completely sinking.
With immense financial support, he feared that the forces under the "Sand Crocodile" would rapidly expand.
He, of course, understood. The World Government had these considerations in mind when establishing the Warlords in the first place.
As time went on, these pirates would only become excessively reliant on the power granted by the Warlords. Coupled with being under the strict supervision of the World Government, they would have no choice but to compromise with the World Government, and even be unable to defy orders.
Because once they lost their Warlord status, these pirates, who were destined never to reach the peak, would suffer devastating blows to their many years of painstaking operations.
But the result was clearly not as good as the World Government had hoped, or rather, to fully achieve this expected goal, it would require too long of a transition to truly tame these unruly fellows.
Moreover, this was undoubtedly a double-edged sword!
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