"Vice-Admiral Raleigh! An urgent call from Headquarters!"
A Marine soldier hurried over carrying a secure Den Den Mushi, his face completely pale as if he had been frightened half to death by the voice on the other end.
"What is it?"
Raleigh, who was lying comfortably on a sun lounger on the deck of his warship, casually took the snail from the trembling soldier.
He immediately heard Fleet Admiral Kong's booming, furious roar blast through the receiver, forcing Raleigh to quickly hold the Den Den Mushi farther away from his ear.
He was seriously concerned his left eardrum might burst from the Fleet Admiral's shouting.
After a long while, when Raleigh felt Kong had finally finished venting, he brought the receiver closer to his ear again.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, this is Raleigh," he answered with a hint of feigned trepidation.
"Shut up! I already know you are Raleigh!" Kong barked. "You brat, let me ask you—weren't you specifically ordered to recruit Dracule Mihawk?! Why does the after-action report say you ended up killing him and cutting off his head?!"
Fleet Admiral Kong was clearly furious!
The world situation was currently highly unstable, and the Navy desperately needed more external strength to maintain the balance of power on the seas.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea plan was proposed by the World Government and strictly supervised by the Navy for implementation.
Mihawk had been one of their most highly prioritized candidates.
Although the Navy wasn't entirely satisfied with his history, compared to other notoriously destructive pirates, Mihawk's collateral damage was relatively low.
He was a lone wolf, not a conqueror.
Hearing Kong's anger, Raleigh couldn't help but complain loudly in return.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, I wanted to ask you about this! Who exactly at Headquarters came up with the brilliant idea to recruit Mihawk into the Warlords in the first place?! Did those bureaucrats not know his nickname is the 'Marine Hunter'?"
"As soon as I found Mihawk, I watched him slaughter an entire squad of our soldiers stationed at the port! How could I possibly tolerate that? If I didn't execute him on the spot, how could I continue to lead my own subordinates? Wouldn't they completely lose faith in my justice?"
After listening to Raleigh's impassioned explanation, Fleet Admiral Kong found himself completely unable to voice the harsh reprimand he had prepared.
From the Navy's internal perspective, Raleigh's actions weren't actually wrong.
Mihawk was indeed powerful, with combat abilities already rivaling an elite Vice-Admiral, and his strength was continuously improving.
It wouldn't have been difficult for him to reach Admiral-level someday.
But the fundamental problem was—Mihawk was not on the Navy's side.
Even if he joined the Seven Warlords, he would just be a pirate with special legal privileges.
No matter how strong he became, he would remain a potential enemy. And no matter how weak the local Marine soldiers might be, they were still Raleigh's allies.
Fleet Admiral Kong had his own calculations about what ultimately mattered more for unit cohesion.
Raleigh only heard a heavy, exhausted sigh from the Den Den Mushi.
"Can't you just stop causing these massive complications?" Kong grumbled.
"You have only recruited two Warlords so far. One had his left hand cut off by you, and although he technically joined the Warlords, Crocodile is still lying in a hospital bed unable to actually fight pirates! And now, you have directly killed our next candidate. How will other powerful pirates around the world view this? They might think the Seven Warlords invitation is just a scam to lure them into an execution!"
Hearing this, Raleigh couldn't help but retort coldly. "Fleet Admiral Kong, pirates will always be pirates—you cannot teach an old dog new tricks. Even if we give them privileges and make them legally responsible for hunting other pirates, do you really think monsters like that will put their hearts into it?"
"If you ask me, what the Navy needs aren't powerful pirates... we need obedient ones. Those unwilling to submit to the Navy's absolute authority should be eliminated on sight. Those who are willing to obey like good dogs can be enlisted into the Warlords and used as cannon fodder to tackle the tough targets."
"Look at Crocodile! Wasn't he initially too proud to become the Navy's dog? After I beat him half to death and took his hand, he started wagging his tail and surrendered. So I say, recruiting the Seven Warlords should continue to be done my way."
After hearing Raleigh's ruthless logic, Fleet Admiral Kong felt something wasn't quite right morally, yet he found himself strangely intrigued by the brutal efficiency.
He even felt that Raleigh made some highly valid tactical points.
If the Navy followed Raleigh's terrifying approach, the pirates who managed to survive the "recruitment" process would surely fight desperately just to prove their worth and stay alive.
If they ever wanted to rebel, it was simple—just send a few Marine Admirals to suppress them permanently.
"Good lad... your twisted reasoning almost convinces me," Kong sighed again. "But right now, we have lost a highly powerful figure. You must find the next Warlord candidate for me. Also, why not consider that Douglas Bullet by your side for the position?"
Raleigh stood up from his lounger, glanced through the window at Bullet lifting massive weights in the practice room, and shook his head.
"Bullet is far too bloodthirsty. Right now, only I can control him. Letting him become one of the independent Warlords wouldn't be a wise choice. Besides... I do have someone else in mind who might fit the role perfectly. I will go seek him out soon."
Kong was surprised, detecting a rare note of genuine approval in Raleigh's tone.
"Oh? Who are you referring to? Someone you actually think highly of?"
Raleigh pictured a stout, incredibly honorable Fish-Man in his mind. "He is a master martial artist from the Fish-Man tribe. His crew hasn't officially become recognized as pirates yet, so I believe there is still a chance to guide them before they cross the line."
Indeed, the person Raleigh had in mind was Fisher Tiger, the future leader of the Sun Pirates.
To be frank, Fisher Tiger was like a brilliant spark igniting the flames of global resistance against the Celestial Dragons.
However, Raleigh absolutely did not want the honorable Fish-Man to die prematurely for his ideals, as he had in the original timeline.
Back then, Fisher Tiger had miraculously scaled the Red Line and freed thousands of slaves—including the future Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock—but his subsequent death hadn't significantly impacted the actual world order.
If Tiger joined Raleigh's secret ranks instead, Raleigh would instantly gain a powerful, fiercely loyal underwater force!
Moreover, Raleigh firmly believed that given Tiger's righteous character, once he acknowledged Raleigh's true goal of overthrowing Imu, everything else would fall into place.
As seen with Jinbe, some Fish-Men strictly adhered to chivalrous principles.
Tiger's inclusion would guarantee the Sun Pirates' absolute allegiance, and the future Warlord Jinbe would inevitably follow.
Gaining at least two Warlord-level experts would massively strengthen Raleigh's hidden influence—though these were treasonous details he certainly wouldn't share with Kong.
"You are not talking about Fisher Tiger, are you?" Kong asked sharply.
Hearing Raleigh mention the Fish-Man tribe, Kong quickly made the connection.
He had long reviewed Fisher Tiger's intelligence profile.
Frankly, if not for political concerns about the deep racial tensions between Fish-Men and humans, Kong had already considered recruiting Fish-Men into the Marines.
Besides, intelligence indicated Fisher Tiger was highly trustworthy in character.
"Yes, him. How did you know, Fleet Admiral?" Raleigh asked, genuinely somewhat surprised Kong knew of the man before he even became a pirate.
"Hahahaha! You rascal! I am the Fleet Admiral of the Navy! There aren't many strong fighters in this world I am unaware of," Kong chuckled proudly.
"Moreover, Fisher Tiger is immensely powerful and never hides his strength. He has been on our radar for a while, but the political divide made us hesitant to pursue him. Since you brought him up, you handle it. I would actually be delighted to see Fisher Tiger fighting on the Navy's side."
---------
Read 40 chapters ahead and support me on patreon.
patreon (.)com/Newbietranslator