Finn possessed unique insights on many topics related to the ocean's power dynamics and strategic situations.
Chief of Staff Tsuru was also recognized as one of the few truly wise strategists within the entire Marine organization, her tactical acumen legendary.
Therefore, whenever they had free time during Finn's visits to Headquarters, they'd naturally gravitate together to discuss developments across the seas, analyzing threats and opportunities with the easy familiarity of old colleagues.
Here in Tsuru's office, Finn and the Chief of Staff were engaged in pleasant conversation when Admiral Sengoku knocked politely and entered from the hallway outside.
Seeing Finn comfortably seated on the sofa, Sengoku paused with momentary surprise. "You haven't returned to G-7 yet?"
Finn rolled his eyes dramatically. "Admiral, can you show a bit more consideration for your subordinates? You just extorted a massive amount of gold from me, then immediately sent me out to fight for my life against Charlotte Linlin. I finally make it back to Headquarters and haven't even had a proper chance to rest, and you're already trying to kick me out? How heartless can you be?"
Internally, Finn added with amusement: Am I disturbing you from having alone time with Chief of Staff Tsuru? I've suspected for years there's some romantic history between you two that needs proper telling. You think I'm an eyesore here, don't you?
Admiral Sengoku had absolutely no idea Finn was secretly mocking him with these thoughts. He couldn't help but smile at Finn's complaints, finding the young man's casual tone endearing rather than disrespectful. "There's so much administrative work happening at G-7 Base right now. I assumed you'd be rushing back to handle everything. What do you mean 'kicking you out'? If you genuinely don't want to return yet, I can transfer you back to Headquarters permanently instead."
"Forget it," Finn said quickly, waving one hand dismissively. "I'm doing perfectly fine at G-7. I'd be even better if certain admirals would stop robbing me of my hard-earned treasure."
"Hahahaha! You're remarkably vindictive for someone who claims not to hold grudges," Sengoku laughed genuinely, clearly amused.
He didn't take Finn's complaints to heart whatsoever. After all, he maintained an excellent impression of this particular Vice Admiral. The way Finn spoke demonstrated their close relationship rather than disrespect. Not only was Sengoku not angry, but he actually felt a warm sense of paternal pride. This young man felt comfortable enough to joke with him like family.
After the laughter subsided, Finn continued more seriously, "Actually, at this current stage, Gion and Doberman are both helping me manage G-7's daily operations effectively. There's nothing particularly urgent requiring my personal attention right now. I'll have substantial work once the new recruitment cycle concludes and we begin our Calm Belt development initiatives. Until then, I'm mostly waiting to see if those geological survey experts can bring me promising news about viable island locations."
"I hope they succeed," Sengoku nodded with genuine interest. "We're all looking forward to your achievements on that front. This isn't just beneficial for you personally. Successful Calm Belt development could revolutionize Marine logistics and strategic positioning across the entire organization."
This was genuinely valuable to the entire Marine organization, not merely Finn's personal ambitions.
If Sengoku weren't worried about making overly aggressive moves that might draw unwanted attention from the World Government, he would have wanted to pursue these development initiatives himself years ago.
At the same time, Chief of Staff Tsuru interjected with curiosity, "So what brings you here today, Sengoku? Is something urgent happening?"
Sengoku nodded, settling into one of the comfortable chairs. "I was planning to ask you to come to my office for a strategic discussion, but then I realized you might be busy with your own work. I'd nearly finished my immediate tasks anyway, so I decided to come here instead. I didn't expect to find Finn present as well, but his presence is actually perfect. He can offer some strategic advice on this matter."
Chief of Staff Tsuru nodded encouragingly. "What's the situation?"
"Nothing immediately catastrophic, but we need to address it properly and decisively," Sengoku said as he made himself comfortable on the sofa.
Although Finn frequently complained internally about the old admiral who'd "robbed" him of treasure, as soon as Sengoku sat down, Finn naturally and automatically poured him a cup of tea without being asked. The gesture was so smooth and practiced it spoke to genuine respect beneath the playful complaints.
Sengoku nodded with satisfaction at this small courtesy, then began explaining the situation. "Kuzan attempted to capture Crocodile recently, but the mission failed."
Finn smiled with easy reassurance. "That's not particularly concerning, is it? It's completely normal to experience occasional mission failures. Besides, Crocodile has been building his reputation for quite some time now. He's no pushover."
At this current stage in the timeline, Crocodile wasn't extraordinarily powerful yet, but he'd already become somewhat famous for his peculiar ability to seemingly fight anyone to an apparent standstill. Once his mysterious "50-50" combat aura activated, it didn't seem entirely unreasonable that he could force even Kuzan into a tactical draw, did it?
"I don't consider the failure itself particularly problematic," Sengoku agreed. "But Kuzan's mission failed due to external interference from an extremely dangerous individual: Douglas Bullet. That man appeared in the first half of the Grand Line, seemingly out of nowhere. Currently, he's behaving like an absolute madman, acting even more recklessly and destructively than he did during his time with Roger's crew. He's already destroyed half of the Kingdom of Jerichos, forcing the entire royal family to seek emergency refuge in Mary Geoise. Then he encountered Kuzan and Crocodile during their confrontation and interfered violently in their battle, transforming the entire Winwell Island into a devastated wasteland. Crocodile seized the chaotic opportunity to escape, and Kuzan failed to apprehend anyone at all."
Sengoku's tone carried genuine frustration and concern as he explained the situation.
Douglas Bullet, the man known as the "Devil's Heir," was a former member of Roger's pirate crew. He possessed genuinely formidable combat capabilities. Rumors suggested that during his time aboard Roger's ship, he'd frequently challenged Roger himself to duels. Although he'd been defeated every single time, he was supposedly capable of fighting on relatively equal terms with the Pirate King's right-hand man, Silvers Rayleigh himself.
Of course, that claim was ultimately just a rumor.
Finn didn't believe it for a second. Neither did Admiral Sengoku, Chief of Staff Tsuru, or any of the other Marine leadership who understood power levels realistically.
They all agreed that particular story must have been significantly exaggerated through repeated telling.
Perhaps Douglas Bullet had indeed fought against Rayleigh at some point during their time as crewmates. But claiming he could force a genuine 50-50 draw with Rayleigh at this stage of the Dark King's career? That claim fundamentally lacked credibility.
As everyone familiar with Roger's crew understood, there was almost no significant difference in combat capability between Rayleigh and Roger himself. Vice Admiral Garp could testify to this fact personally, having fought both men repeatedly over the decades.
Rayleigh might be slightly inferior to Roger in pure combat power, but he was definitely one of the absolute top-tier masters on the ocean at this stage.
Douglas Bullet had challenged Roger many times throughout their association, failing decisively every single time. This proved conclusively that a substantial gap existed between Bullet's strength and Roger's capabilities.
Yet people claimed he could turn around and fight Rayleigh to a complete standstill? Was this some kind of joke?
Finn suspected Rayleigh had probably been deliberately holding back significantly during their sparring matches, showing mercy to a younger crewmate who needed experience rather than humiliation.
What's more, Bullet had apparently just fought Crocodile to a draw as well. According to this comparison logic, did that mean Crocodile at this stage possessed strength comparable to Silvers Rayleigh himself?
That was impossible no matter how anyone analyzed it.
If Crocodile genuinely possessed that level of capability, he would have already established himself as an Emperor of the New World by now. With his notorious arrogance and ambition, would he have tolerated Charlotte Linlin and Kaido stepping forward to claim territories and influence?
Those supposed equals would have been challenged and potentially defeated long ago. The power structure would look completely different.
Chief of Staff Tsuru and Finn both remained silent, not interrupting as Sengoku continued his strategic briefing.
After a brief pause to collect his thoughts, Sengoku continued with increased gravity. "Based on our current intelligence assessment of Douglas Bullet's psychological state and behavior patterns, he's clearly spiraling out of control. Perhaps he's deliberately letting himself descend into madness. I personally believe Roger's death dealt him a catastrophic psychological blow, causing him to completely lose his sense of purpose and direction. Now he's simply wreaking indiscriminate havoc across the seas. Therefore, given his current unstable mental state combined with his immense personal combat strength, he represents a significant and growing threat to civilian populations and World Government stability."
Sengoku's expression turned more serious. "I'm seriously considering whether we should mobilize resources to eliminate him as quickly as possible, before his destructive rampage escalates further."
On this ocean, the Marines didn't fundamentally worry about how powerful individual pirates might become, because no matter how strong any single pirate grew, they could never surpass the Marines' collective institutional power. Look at the historical evidence: Roger, Shiki, and countless other legendary pirates had all ultimately fallen for various reasons, hadn't they?
As Finn frequently reminded himself, the genuine overlord of these seas had always been the Marine organization. That fundamental truth never changed.
The Marines' institutional foundation remained unshakeable. They could afford to make mistakes, even numerous serious errors, and those failures wouldn't meaningfully hurt their fundamental strength. But if a pirate made even a single critical mistake? They might fall into the abyss immediately and be reduced to ashes without hope of recovery.
However, the Marines genuinely feared when powerful pirates transformed into genuine lunatics who'd abandoned all rational self-interest. Kaido represented the perfect example of this terrifying category.
That monster claimed to be immortal and had been causing catastrophic trouble across the seas for years. Only in recent times had he finally settled down somewhat in Wano Country, establishing a permanent base.
In previous decades, Kaido had caused tremendous headaches for Marine strategic planning with his unpredictable rampages.
As for the story behind his supposed immortality? Finn personally suspected it was probably just clever propaganda and reputation manipulation. Another method of becoming infamous through carefully cultivated mythos?
But certain undeniable facts existed that supported the legend to some degree. Kaido had been captured multiple times by both Whitebeard and Marine forces over the years, yet in the end, he'd never actually died. He'd even managed miraculous escapes from seemingly impossible imprisonment situations.
It was absolutely outrageous when examined objectively. And precisely because of these incomprehensible incidents, many people across the ocean genuinely believed the rumors of his immortality.
Countless pirates and civilians alike subscribed to the popular saying: "In a one-on-one fight, always bet on Kaido's victory."
Now that Kaido had temporarily disappeared into Wano Country's isolation, Douglas Bullet had apparently inherited the role of "destructive lunatic pirate who gives Marines constant headaches."
When this particular individual went completely insane, his destructive potential actually exceeded even Kaido's capacity for causing chaos and tragedy.
If Bullet continued along this current trajectory, he'd destroy a World Government member nation or obliterate some populated island every few weeks. Who could possibly tolerate that level of wanton destruction?
That's precisely what terrified the Marines about these particular types of unstable, powerful lunatics.
Their destructive capacity was simply too immense. They could create horrific tragedies anywhere on the ocean at essentially any moment, often with minimal provocation or rational motivation. The unpredictability made them impossible to adequately defend against. Therefore, their threat assessment level naturally escalated far beyond what their pure combat capabilities alone might suggest.
Consequently, when dealing with such dangerously unstable individuals, the Marines always prioritized finding methods to eliminate them as rapidly as possible, before their destructive rampages could escalate further.
Otherwise, it became extremely difficult to maintain credibility with the civilian populations the Marines were sworn to protect.
"We absolutely should find a way to eliminate him," Finn nodded with firm agreement. "Otherwise, he'll create massive problems every few days, causing massacres and other catastrophic tragedies indiscriminately. In the long term, allowing that pattern to continue would be tremendously detrimental to the Marines' reputation and public standing. It would steadily erode the organization's hard-earned credibility with civilian populations across all the seas."
"I reached the same conclusion," Sengoku acknowledged. "But this man operates completely alone, exactly like Patrick Redfield did before we captured him. Bullet has no permanent base, no fixed territory, and no predictable patterns. He simply wanders wherever his destructive impulses take him. This makes it extremely difficult for us to locate him proactively and execute effective targeted capture or elimination operations."
Sengoku leaned forward slightly with genuine interest. "I came here specifically to consult with both of you. Do either of you have strategic suggestions for how we might address this threat more effectively?"
Finn said nothing immediately, instead glancing toward Chief of Staff Tsuru to give her the opportunity to speak first. She was his superior officer and deserved that courtesy.
Tsuru considered the problem thoughtfully for several moments before responding. "Without reliable intelligence about his location and movement, direct action becomes nearly impossible. I don't have any particularly innovative tactical measures to suggest right now. The most practical approach is straightforward: strengthen the Intelligence Department's active tracking efforts regarding his movements. We should also utilize our nonexistent organization within the underworld's networks to issue substantial bounties for credible information leading to his whereabouts."
She spread her hands with realistic acknowledgment. "Beyond that systematic approach, we'll simply have to hope we eventually get lucky with actionable intelligence."
It was quite a standard response, but fundamentally sound with no obvious flaws in the reasoning. Sengoku nodded acceptance, then turned his attention to Finn with expectant curiosity. "You're quite clever when strategizing, young man. Tell me honestly: do you have any creative ideas for addressing this particular challenge?"
Finn smiled and shook his head modestly. "Situations like this can really only be handled through methodical, step-by-step intelligence gathering and patient waiting. I don't have any brilliant innovative solutions either. Unless I happened to be incredibly lucky and literally ran into him by pure chance during my regular duties."
He paused thoughtfully, then continued with more substance. "However, perhaps we could attempt to leverage the World Government's CP intelligence agencies more aggressively. Douglas Bullet's destructive behavior definitely isn't merely a headache for our Marine organization alone. He frequently launches devastating attacks against World Government member nations without discrimination. The World Government's leadership must desperately want him eliminated as quickly as possible as well, probably even more urgently than we do given the political pressure they face."
Finn's tone became more confident as he developed the idea. "If we send appropriate signals to the World Government through proper channels and mention this threat explicitly during strategic discussions, perhaps they'll arrange for their CP agencies to coordinate intelligence-sharing with our efforts. That would dramatically improve our chances of locating and eliminating Bullet."
"The CP agencies?" Sengoku murmured thoughtfully, stroking his chin with consideration.
As a Marine Admiral with decades of experience, Sengoku genuinely didn't maintain a particularly favorable impression of the World Government's CP intelligence organizations. He consistently felt those operatives behaved like rabid attack dogs, biting indiscriminately at whoever their masters pointed them toward without proper judgment or restraint.
However, regarding pure intelligence gathering and reconnaissance capabilities specifically? The CP agencies were undeniably far superior to the Marines' Intelligence Department. Their networks, training, and resources specifically designed for espionage operations gave them substantial advantages in that particular domain.
Sengoku had heard various rumors recently suggesting the World Government was undertaking major reorganization initiatives and establishing entirely new intelligence agencies with expanded authorities. However, the Marines possessed no official authority to interfere with or even formally inquire about those internal World Government matters. Sengoku only knew fragmented details thanks to Fleet Admiral Kong's personal relationships with some higher-ranking World Government officials.
After considering the strategic implications for several moments, Sengoku finally nodded with decision. "Things have reached a critical point where we genuinely cannot allow Douglas Bullet to continue his destructive rampage unchecked any longer. You make an excellent point, Finn. This represents a shared threat requiring coordinated response. I'll discuss the possibility of formal CP cooperation with Fleet Admiral Kong later today."
After that brief pause, Sengoku looked directly at Finn with calculating assessment. "Speaking of which, that man's Devil Fruit abilities are particularly formidable and dangerous. However, your gravity manipulation powers might serve as an effective natural counter to his power. If an opportunity to confront him ever materializes, I may need to arrange for you specifically to lead the operation against him."
Finn felt momentary surprise, then smiled with confident acceptance and nodded firmly. "Understood, Admiral. If I encounter Douglas Bullet, I'll make every effort to eliminate him permanently."
Seeing this decisive response, Sengoku nodded with satisfaction and approval.
He'd personally reviewed Borsalino's detailed mission reports, and had also examined video footage recorded aboard the warship during Finn's confrontation with Charlotte Linlin. Based on that documented evidence, Sengoku could confirm that Finn had indeed fought against a pirate of Charlotte Linlin's caliber for an extended period without suffering decisive defeat or falling into significant disadvantage.
Therefore, he didn't doubt Finn's bold claim just now. The young man possessed the strength to back up his confidence.
Douglas Bullet was formidable, certainly. But so was Finn.
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