Chapter 525: The Fourth Marine Admiral
Sengoku felt a headache coming on again, worse than ever before. While Ian's actions often gave him headaches, this time it was unprecedented in its severity.
Sengoku was well aware that the only things in Impel Down that could attract Ian were the Seven Warlords, Sea Knight Jinbe and Crocodile. But the key issue was, he couldn't figure out for the life of him why Straw Hat Luffy, the guy who had toppled Crocodile, would be mixed up with Ian and appear at Impel Down...
Garp's grandson, Dragon's son, and sworn brother to Pirate King Roger's son, Ace. Was it really just a coincidence that someone like that was showing up with Ian?
"Your Excellency the Fleet Admiral!" While Sengoku was still thinking, the intelligence officer who had come to report interrupted him, saying, "The warship dispatched from Enies Lobby has found Vice Admiral Momonga and is now carrying him back on the return voyage. According to Vice Admiral Momonga, he was suddenly attacked last night. The assailant used some unknown method that directly put him to sleep!"
"Hmph, a Devil Fruit user!" Sengoku snorted upon hearing this. "Exactly the same as how Aokiji was taken down. It was definitely that brat Ian's doing!"
"Also, Pirate Empress Boa Hancock has sent a message, asking when exactly we'll send a ship to Amazon Lily to pick her up..." the intelligence officer said cautiously.
Hearing this, Sengoku nearly ground his teeth to dust. How could he not see the trickery here? Boa Hancock had just applied to go to Impel Down, and that very night, Vice Admiral Momonga was attacked and his warship stolen. Then Ian appeared at Impel Down, along with a fake Pirate Empress. If Boa Hancock wasn't involved in this, that would be the real miracle!
But the problem was, Ian had executed this flawlessly. Even though Sengoku was ninety percent suspicious of Boa Hancock, he couldn't find a single shred of evidence against her!
Because Boa Hancock was still waiting on Amazon Lily...
The thing Sengoku least wanted to see had happened. He could no longer trust even Boa Hancock. Although Sengoku knew that Boa Hancock might still be useful in the war against Whitebeard, once Ian appeared on the battlefield, there was no telling what Boa Hancock would do...
Because of Ian, the combat strength of the Seven Warlords under the Marines had been cut by more than half. Even Sengoku hadn't expected Ian's influence to be this great...
"Have Vice Admiral Momonga's ship go to Amazon Lily again and bring Boa Hancock back!" Sengoku said after some thought.
That woman was formidable—that was Sengoku's assessment of Boa Hancock. Even though he knew she wasn't trustworthy, given the current state of the Marines, he couldn't afford to push another Warlord toward Ian's side. Since Ian and Boa Hancock had covered their tracks so perfectly, it showed that Boa Hancock still valued her Warlord title. Sengoku also needed her strength now, so it was better to maintain a tacit understanding where both parties knew the score.
As for how to deal with Boa Hancock later, it was simple: just keep Ian off the battlefield!
Sengoku had always been known as the "Tactical Commander." At critical moments, he dared to make decisions. Just like when he failed to place Ian under house arrest, he decisively revoked Ian's Warlord title.
Good strategy required good judgment. Sengoku excelled in this regard. Despite his headache, he quickly made a decision, intending to fully suppress Ian and his group.
"It looks like I'll have to use the reserve forces!" Sengoku sighed.
He knew the situation at Impel Down well. If Ian managed to rescue Jinbe and Crocodile, it would be very troublesome. Sending more ordinary Marine Vice Admirals would be useless.
Momonga, Fighting Dog—these Vice Admirals had all suffered losses at Ian's hands. Sending them to Impel Down would be pointless. What Sengoku needed now was combat power higher than that of a Vice Admiral.
At the very least, strength comparable to the Marines' top combat power, the Admirals...
"Tsuru, I need to borrow someone from you!" Sengoku picked up the Den Den Mushi on his desk and called Marine Chief of Staff Vice Admiral Tsuru.
"Oh? Is it to deal with that brat Ian?" Tsuru asked. "Who do you want to borrow?"
"I want to borrow Donna!" Sengoku said.
"..." Tsuru fell silent for a moment upon hearing that name. After a long pause, she spoke, "Are you sure you want to deploy her? You know, if that brat Ian doesn't know his limits and hurts her, the consequences will be severe..."
"Quality over quantity!" Sengoku said concisely, then added, "Besides, I don't need her to do much. Just forcing Ian to retreat from Impel Down will be enough..."
"Alright!" Vice Admiral Tsuru said. "I'll notify her. My staff department can also allocate some warships for her to take along."
After hanging up, Sengoku leaned back in his chair, letting out a slight sigh of relief.
The name he had mentioned to Vice Admiral Tsuru might be unfamiliar to outside pirates, but within Marine Headquarters, it was a different story.
That name was like thunder in the ears—it was impossible not to know it.
Donna, full name Salamander Donna, was a famous female Marine Vice Admiral with a nickname: Momousagi!
If most people in the Marines came from humble backgrounds, then Vice Admiral Momousagi was a true scion of a prestigious family!
She was the granddaughter of Kong, the Supreme Commander of the World Government's armed forces! Even her parents were Marine Admirals from the same era as Black Arm Zephyr!
Although she was not old, Donna had already reached the rank of Marine Vice Admiral, and she was among the top tier.
In particular, Marine Headquarters had always been grooming her as a future Admiral candidate. The Marines had a tradition where the nicknames of the three Admirals were usually associated with colors.
And Donna's nickname, Momousagi, was a color-based nickname... The implication was obvious.
There were only three Admirals. Only when a previous Admiral resigned, retired, or met with an accident, like being killed in battle, would a candidate be promoted to fill the vacancy. However, the current three Admirals—Kizaru, Akainu, and Aokiji—were all in their prime, so Momousagi had no hope of becoming an Admiral for now.
But although her rank was Vice Admiral, that didn't mean her strength was only at that level. If a comparison were made, Momousagi's current strength was probably on par with the youngest Admiral, Aokiji!
If she faced Ian, she would definitely be able to put up a fight!
In fact, besides Momousagi, Marine Headquarters had two other Admiral candidates with strength equal to hers.
Having controlled the seas for hundreds of years, the Marines' foundation was far more than what was visible on the surface.
Sending her out carried some risk for Sengoku. Vice Admiral Momousagi had a very close, cross-generational friendship with Vice Admiral Tsuru, so she had always been stationed in the staff department and rarely took on combat missions. Ordinary pirates had never heard of her name, which was actually a form of protection for these Admiral candidates.
After all, even the former Admiral Black Arm Zephyr had been targeted for revenge by pirates. How could the Marines not take protecting these candidates seriously? If something happened to them, it would mean a break in the lineage of Marine Admirals, leading to a gap in succession—something absolutely unacceptable.
Add to that Momousagi's noble background, and if anything went wrong because Sengoku deployed her this time, he would bear the responsibility and have trouble explaining it to Kong.
But Sengoku had no choice. Aokiji and Kizaru had already set out for the New World. The only ones at Marine Headquarters with Admiral-level strength were probably himself, Garp, and Tsuru. But Sengoku couldn't go personally. Tsuru needed to participate in formulating the war plan against the Whitebeard Pirates. And sending Garp was too risky, because Garp knew Ian and was also Straw Hat Luffy's grandfather. If Sengoku sent Garp, the outcome was hard to predict...
So, Sengoku had no choice but to borrow someone from Tsuru...
Not long after, five warships set out from the crescent-shaped port of Marine Headquarters, Marineford. These five ships were fully loaded with soldiers. After leaving the harbor, they entered the World Government's dedicated sea current and headed toward Impel Down...