"Baroric Redfield, the Red Earl, the Lone Red, do I need to describe him in more detail?"
Sengoku's surprise was within Oran's expectations. Putting himself in Oran's shoes, he would have reacted the same way if he were in the Navy and heard that Redfield had been recruited.
The monsters of the same era as Red Earl have gradually died out, and there are fewer and fewer ships in the New World that can carry them. Now, only Whitebeard remains as their equal.
Sengoku would find it hard to believe that someone like that would accept the position of Shichibukai, let alone be recruited by the other Shichibukai.
The name and nickname matched perfectly; at this point, Sengoku's thought was...
"Doctor, you haven't been tricked by some pirate, have you?"
Impersonating someone else is sometimes seen as being a low-class pirate, but the pirate community itself is full of countless scumbags. Those pirates who want to dominate the New World might have such thoughts, but the despicable pirates in small places wouldn't care.
Impersonating someone else to achieve one's own goals is not uncommon. Rather than believing Redfield was recruited into the government, Sengoku is more inclined to believe Oran was scammed; after all, the whole thing seems a bit surreal.
It's because Redfield's public persona is one of aloofness.
The others had no idea what Redfield was thinking; they only felt that he was a loner. Sengoku found it strange that a pirate without subordinates or followers had joined someone else's crew.
"Your Excellency Oran, let me tell you, this matter is indeed somewhat unbelievable."
As a different voice came through, the expression on Sengoku's Den Den Mushi began to change, eventually resembling Redfield's seven or eight parts.
"Sengoku, you still remember my voice, right? Now you should believe me."
"Redfield!"
"Hmm, it seems you haven't reached the point of senility yet. I have now decided to join His Majesty Siddiel's ranks and become a member of Piltover, that is, a member of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Is that clear enough?"
"Someone like you would actually join someone else's team?"
"Hahaha, Sengoku, pirates are free. The reason I did this is because I wanted to. I'm no longer in the mood to play games with the Navy. It's not bad to have a comfortable place to live."
Redfield didn't mind being called "under" or "joined," nor did he mind using honorifics when addressing Oran.
Verbal address cannot change reality, but these words confirmed Sengoku's understanding of the situation in Oran.
"Dr. Sidier, you always manage to surprise people."
When the Den Den Mushi returned to Oran's hands, Sengoku's brows were already furrowed. He had initially thought it was just some newly arrived pirate who had stumbled into Oran's possession.
Those newcomers who had just entered the Grand Line were naturally no match for Oran's subordinates, so it was only natural that Oran would take a liking to them and want to recruit them. As a result, Oran quietly pulled off a big surprise.
When the Seven Warlords of the Sea were first established, no one expected that those monsters would make such a choice.
"That's the situation. Please inform the World Government later, General Sengoku."
"I understand, but Doctor, I have a question: how exactly did you get him to join your ranks?"
Money, power, fame—Sengoku couldn't understand how Oran had managed to do all that.
"Well, that's probably because of pen pals and being a fan of celebrities."
"ha?"
After hanging up the phone, Sengoku was still deep in thought. According to Oran, Redfield, this aloof red, was actually a fan of celebrities?
Sengoku didn't think Oran needed to fool him about this, and he was still thinking about it even after Tsuru walked into his office.
"Warring States Period, what happened?"
"Xiao He, I remember you have a granddaughter, right?"
Seeing the crane walk in, Sengoku suddenly asked another question that seemed completely unrelated.
"Peacock? What happened to her?"
"Do you think we should consider having her debut as an idol?"
"I think you've gone mad. What nonsense are you spouting? Is it because there are too many pirates lately, or did Garp infect you?"
Others may not know the true nature of the Warring States period, but He, as a comrade-in-arms from the same period, certainly does.
This kid is just as unruly as Garp, but Sengoku is better at restraint and can keep it hidden from others in his position.
"Nothing, just some incredible things happened."
Judging from Redfield's words, he clearly intends to retire, which is a great thing for the Navy.
Redfield had no subordinates and no territory, which meant he had no ties.
At the same time, unlike Barrett, Redfield did not stir up trouble everywhere and make enemies everywhere. Outsiders were also unwilling to offend this lone wolf for no reason, which made it extremely difficult for the Navy to capture him.
To block Redfield's escape route would require tremendous effort and the mobilization of a large number of high-end combat forces to eliminate any possibility of his escape.
If such forces are concentrated in the ocean now, problems may arise in other places.
However, Redfield had an extremely high bounty, and the Navy could not ignore him.
By choosing this legal way to cease activity, Redfield was able to save the Navy considerable effort.
Like Rayleigh, as Roger's first mate, he should theoretically pose a greater threat.
However, because he lived in seclusion in the Sabaody Archipelago, most people chose to ignore him.
Even though in the original timeline he directly confronted Kizaru to rescue Luffy, he was still able to continue living on the island.
Instead, Tom, who built the ship for Roger, was the one who was hunted down.
Because of Redfield's special circumstances, the Navy even held a small meeting about it.
"Redfield, bounty 3,731,110,000 Berries, this great pirate from the old era has now decided to join Dr. Oran's crew."
In the conference room, the famous meeting king, Brannew, had not yet begun his service at headquarters. Since this was a small meeting of high-ranking officials, Sengoku simply took charge of it himself.
At this point in time, a bounty of over 3.7 billion Berries, while not comparable to Roger's monster crew, is still among the top in the high seas. After all, Redfield doesn't have any subordinate forces and his actions are relatively stable, so these bounties are almost a recognition of his personal strength.
"It's said that his reason for doing this was because he was a fan of celebrities. Although it's hard to believe, that's what the doctor really conveyed."
"Hahaha, that guy actually likes to follow celebrities? It's unbelievable that such a reclusive person would have this kind of hobby."
"Garp! Be serious!"
"Do you need to be so nervous, Sengoku? Although he is an old monster from the same era as Roger and Whitebeard, compared to others, Redfield is not enough to leave his mark on history. You are too nervous."
"Hmph, don't forget his nickname is The Lone Red. He hates forming alliances and lives by the motto of solitude."
What does this mean? It means he's now on par with Whitebeard and Roger, all by himself. If someone like that suddenly changes their attitude, can you really be so careless?
Among the entire navy, Sengoku was probably the one who most recognized the strength of the pirates.
During the Marineford War, when facing Whitebeard, he stated that the latter had the ability to destroy the world, and he made similar statements to every great pirate.
Perhaps this is his caution, and the same applies to Redfield, who has already been granted amnesty.
"Didn't he choose to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea? Since this is a done deal, it's actually a good thing. We won't have to mobilize manpower to deal with Redfield anymore."
Speaking of which, Siddi Lil's crew is getting a bit overpowered these days. I remember he has some trade dealings with the pirates in the New World.
Kaido of Wano Country, Charlotte Linlin of Totto Land, and the giant robot Steel Oars—Zeff also has a good relationship with him.
Garp listed the general situation under Oran's command, including Project: Golden Lion, as well as many powerful family members.
"If Redfield is truly dedicated to working for him, then he would be the strongest force in the first half of the Grand Line besides the Marine Headquarters."
"Garp, first of all, Zephyr is not a pirate. He has just stepped down to the second line and is still a member of the Navy."
"Secondly, I think I've already reminded you of those things, there's no need to say it out loud, just knowing is enough."
"Finally, are you just bored? Why did you dye your hair and beard so black? What are you trying to do?"
Garp's rare seriousness was seen as excessive by Sengoku and Tsuru. Over the years, the Navy has maintained a tradition of not speaking or asking questions.
This is a tradition within the Navy, and also a tacit unspoken rule: the Navy can only pretend not to see the stains on the government by not asking or saying anything.
For example, slave shops in the Sabaody Archipelago enjoyed similar treatment in Oran.
The Navy was well aware that Oran had connections with many pirates in the underworld, but that didn't matter. After all, Oran provided the Navy with more and better quality supplies, while what was sold outside was mostly outdated stuff.
Moreover, they have no right to say that the Seastone has been bought by the World Government and pirates over the past few years. Without trading with Kaido, they really wouldn't be able to get such a sufficient amount of Seastone.
As long as Oran brings greater benefits to the Navy, this is something that can be ignored. If Garp were to bring it up during the conference, Sengoku would stop him in advance, since some things can never be brought to the forefront.
"Doesn't this make me look younger? Even I, an old man, sometimes want to try new things."
Realizing his slip of the tongue, Garp changed the subject.
He also had a secret deal with Roger, taking care of Roger's son, and therefore had no right to say anything about Oran.
To be precise, Oran is a rare and good comrade on the high seas.
"Speaking of which, you said Redfield chose to join them because he's a fan. Does that mean we're going to have to organize concerts for Sidi Lil in the future, just to keep Redfield in a stable position?"
Garp could always switch freely between serious and unserious, but when faced with this outrageous suggestion, Sengoku and Tsuru exchanged a glance.
This thing.
It seems to actually work.
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