Chapter 292: Is Smoker a Spy?

The incident in New Marineford was quickly reported to the Five Elders by Admiral Sengoku.

Mary Geoise, the holy land of the World Government.

In the spacious, well-lit chamber of power, Satan Saint sat alone on a single sofa, fingers interlaced supporting his chin.

"How could the Four Emperors know Blackbeard was captured alive?"

Only the Five Elders and Admiral Sengoku knew Blackbeard had been captured and transported to Marineford; even Akainu and Kizaru likely had no prior knowledge.

"Is there a spy from the Four Emperors aboard Kuzan's ship?"

Beyond this, Satan Saint could think of no other reason for the leak.

And just one moment after the ship carrying Blackbeard arrived at Marineford, the Four Emperors arrived together at New Marineford.

All signs indicate—

The Four Emperors received word the moment Kuzan captured Blackbeard, and a mole continuously relayed intelligence throughout.

This ultimately led the Four Emperors, rarely united, to cooperate and journey to New Marineford to rescue the son of the former captain, Rocks.

As a firsthand witness of the God's Valley, Satan Saint had personally seen: Rocks, Whitebeard, and Kuma fight side by side,

and thus knew the Rocks Pirates were not, as the outside world claimed, a disorganized rabble.

Only the inclusion of Golden Lion was somewhat surprising.

But when Satan Saint recalled that Golden Lion had once rampaged through Marineford and was captured and imprisoned by Sengoku and Garp, he instantly understood.

Golden Lion is preparing for revenge.

Wuquli Saint took up the thread.

"It must be a spy aboard Kuzan's ship who leaked the information; Sengoku must be ordered to investigate thoroughly."

"However, the current top priority of the World Government is dealing with the Revolutionary Army's widespread unrest; the Navy must not declare war on the Four Emperors at this time."

The other three Five Elders nodded in unison.

"Agreed." x3

"Then—"

Pit Saint, rarely speaking, speaks: "To what extent should the Navy negotiate with the Four Emperors?"

There was no choice—recently, Somaz Saint had complained via Den Den Mushi: the outside world knew only Satan Saint, and had no idea who Pit Saint was.

His clan's complaints finally pushed Pit Saint to resolve: he must seize the power of speech.

This unusual behavior,

Satan Saint and the others naturally noticed.

After all, Pit Saint—who had spent the past half-year uttering fewer than a hundred words—suddenly speaking was impossible to ignore.

Normally, Satan Saint would have immediately reclaimed control.

But now, during Imu's Lord's fishing enforcement period, Satan Saint adhered to the principle that doing nothing means making no mistakes, and was perfectly content to see Pit Saint take initiative.

The more he does, the more mistakes he makes.

Even to make the act more convincing, Satan Saint occasionally flipped through the dossier in his hands—on the surgical fruit user, Phoenix.

Seeing this, Wuquli Saint spoke.

"The Four Emperors can be dealt with anytime,

but if there are no more pirate threats on the seas, the Sky Gold will be hard to collect."

The World Government's ability to smoothly collect Sky Gold from its many member nations was precisely the result of years of deliberate orchestration.

All Five Elders understood the true reason pirates endlessly emerged on the seas—if one could survive peacefully, who would choose to become a pirate?

How many truly ambitious men are there on the seas?

Pit Saint set the standard for the Navy's negotiations.

"Maintain the current status quo."

"Agreed." x4

The plan formulated by the Five Elders for the Navy's negotiations with the Four Emperors was swiftly transmitted to Sengoku via Den Den Mushi.

Seeing the Five Elders' order to thoroughly investigate Kuzan's crew, Sengoku finally realized.

Why had the Four Emperors, so rarely united, coordinated an attack on Marineford precisely as Blackbeard was being delivered to New Marineford?

There was a spy among the accompanying personnel.

So who was the spy?

In all previous missions Kuzan had undertaken, no intelligence had ever been leaked—only this time did Smoker voluntarily request to accompany him.

The spy was obvious.

Sengoku sighed, rubbing his increasingly thinning hair,

Smoker, a man with thick eyebrows and bright eyes—he had once been thought the Navy's future hope, yet turned out to be a spy sent by the Sihuang Sect.

But it was only natural.

His own former spy, Shokan, had now become the acting Great Drought of the Beasts Pirates.

Sengoku did not immediately order Smoker's arrest; the negotiations with the Four Emperors were the top priority,

and a known spy was preferable to the Four Emperors continuing to send new ones.

"Gentlemen, within the next five years, the Navy will establish only five branches in the New World..."

Kuma immediately interrupted.

"Five branches? Do you know what you're saying? Most of the New World is our territory."

"You plan to establish branches in our domain?"

Before, when the Four Emperors hadn't come to Marineford, Kuma didn't care what the Navy did; now that they had come, and the Navy still planned five branches, had they come for nothing?

"Impossible. Absolutely impossible."

Sengoku sat in the central main seat, glancing at the Four Emperors on his left, and Akainu and Aokiji on his right.

"Those... four branch offices?"

"At most two!"

With the other three Emperors of the Sea backing him up, Kaido felt fully confident and immediately cut Sengoku's proposed number of branch offices in half.

"And—

Do not establish branch offices near our territory. That G5 branch of yours, I find it annoying just looking at it."

The G5 branch is the Navy's only branch office in the New World, conveniently located near Dressrosa.

And while Dressrosa is ostensibly run by the escaped Celestial Dragon Donquixote Doflamingo, in reality, Doflamingo is a puppet propped up by Kaido.

Sengoku clenched his fist, fell silent for a moment, and then seemed like a deflated ball.

"Fine, two it is."

Establishing two branch offices in the New World seas within five years is already a great victory for the Navy.

Who else could it be but the Four Emperors working in unison now, giving the Navy no chance to defeat them one by one?

Sengoku always felt that the Four Emperors gathering at New Marineford was strange in every way, as if a giant hand were pushing all of this from behind.

Is it Barzab Seven?

At this moment, Charlotte Lingling remembered the food processing factory she had opened with Barzab Seven and hurriedly added another clause to the agreement.

"In addition, the Navy must not actively attack pirate ships under the Four Emperors' command."

"Of course, the pirates under our command will not actively attack Navy warships either."

Hearing this, Sengoku felt surprised, but after pondering for a moment, he nodded.

"No problem."

If the Four Emperors could keep their promise, the Navy would have more energy to deal with the other pirates on the great seas; Sengoku vowed to guard the gate to the New World.

Not a single pirate shall enter the New World.

Without new pirates to replenish their ranks, the Four Emperors' pirate crews will eventually face a day of dwindling talent; then we will settle this score all at once.

Even if Sengoku might not live to see that day, as long as the Navy can wait until then, it is enough.

He will bear all the humiliation himself; there will be successors within the Navy who will wipe away the humiliation the Four Emperors brought to the Navy today.

"Everyone,

If there are any other conditions, state them all at once." Sengoku seemed to have adopted a "let it all go to hell" attitude.

Whitebeard shook his head.

"I am old; I only wish to maintain the status quo."

"If it were not for your Navy acting so excessively before, I would be having a grand banquet on my ship right now."

Upon hearing this, Shiki almost laughed out loud.

Old White... truly cunning.

Having already obtained the Pure Gold Ring, he deliberately pretended to have no ambition.

Old Silver is undoubtedly worse.

The day the Navy discovers the truth will certainly be very interesting.