Sengoku paused and tinued, his tone growing more serious. "We all know that the Wover ot allocate more financial resources to support Marine Headquarters. It's not that they don't want to—it's that they 't."

  Fleet Admiral Kong nodded in agreement. "Exactly, Sengoku. Since you know that the Wover is stretched thin, and our military budget is far from suffit, then what's with these grand pns of yours?"

  Sengoku met Kong's gaze and replied fidently, "The Wover 't provide the funding—but someone else ."

  The room fell silent. Every Marine officer present, from Garp to Sakazuki, stared at Sengoku with puzzled and wary expressions. Only Tsuru, ever posed, calmly took a sip of tea, clearly already aware of where this was going.

  The idea of anyone else funding the Marines was unheard of. While some of the Wover's franchise tries might occasionally offer additional resources for their prote, the Marines had never formally accepted such tributions. Opening this door was unpreted.

  "Sengoku!" Kong's voied with uncharacteristic sharpness.

  But then, softening slightly, he added, "I uand the urgency. We're all struggling in this chaotic era, but we 't cross certain lihe Mariand for justice—how t what is essentially bck money?"

  Hearing this, Sengoku sighed in exasperation. "Bck money? Do you really think I'd suggest something that undermines our iy? I've walked the path of justice my entire career. Don't insult me, Kong."

  Before Sengoku could tinue, Garp picked at his nose and chimed in, "Bck money or not, as long as it's used to build warships and bases, what's the big deal? If it were up to me, I'd have taken it already and spared us the debate."

  Kuzan g Garp, clearly flicted. He waue but found himself relutly agreeing with Garp's pragmatism.

  Oher hand, Sakazuki spoke without hesitation. "I fully agree with Garp. If it's for the sake of justid tthen our power, we should do whatever it takes. Justice must prevail at all costs."

  Sakazuki's view of justice was unpromising, evereme. He didn't care about optics or reputation; as long as the results aligned with his vision of justice, the methods were irrelevant. His unwavering belief in his cause ofte him apart from more flicted figures like Kuzan.

  Borsalino, as usual, shrugged indifferently. "Well, if it means my paycheck gets a little fatter or my pensios a boost, I won't pin. You big shots figure out the rest."

  Gion, meanwhile, g her mentor, Tsuru. Seeing Tsuru's calm demeanor, she decided it was best to stay silent ahe senior officers hash things out.

  Kong frowned deeply, clearly torn. While he wao see the Marines grow stronger, he also uood the potential risks of stepping into such murky territory.

  After a long silence, he finally spoke. "No. This crosses a line. If the Wover finds out, there will be sequences. You know how strict they are when it es to the Marines' autonomy. And if the CP agencies catch wind of this, we'll be the ones in hot water."

  Sengoku, unfazed, smiled faintly and said, "Kong, let me ask you something. CP-X's administrative level—it's teically higher than Marine Headquarters, correct?"

  Kong looked at Sengoku, puzzled by the sudden ge in topic. "In theory, yes. CP-X operates directly uhe Five Elders and doesn't ao the ander of the Army. So their administrative rank is, in a way, above ours. Why do you ask?"

  Sengoku nodded, his smile widening. "And the Marines? We're tasked with proteg the Celestial Dragons and ensuring their security, correct?"

  Kong's fusion deepened, but he nodded again. "That's correct. We're bound to protect the Celestial Dragons as part of our duties."

  "Then, if we receive resources from a Celestial Dragon as part of a colborative effort with CP-X, it's perfectly legitimate, isn't it?" Sengoku asked casually, his tone almost i. "After all, we're just following orders from a higher authority. It's not bck money, it's funding for research, development, and justice itself."

  Kong blinked, struggling to follow Sengoku's logic. "What are y to say?"

  Instead of answering directly, Sengoku closed his notebook and pulled out a stack of dots. He handed copies to everyone in the room.

  "Take a look," Sengoku said simply.

  The room fell silent as the officers read through the dots. Kong's expression shifted from fusion to shock, while Garp—normally carefree—frowned deeply, as if trying to process what he was seeing. Even the usually unfppable Borsalino raised an eyebrow.

  When the room finally settled, Kong pced the dots ba the table and looked at Sengoku. "So… you've been w with Saint Cudius on this all along?"

  Sengoku nodded. "Yes. And in my opinion, this initiative is far more important than the World Summit or even dealing with Whitebeard. Don't you agree?"

  The room remained quiet for a moment before Zephyr broke the silence. "pared to this, everything else feels trivial," he said with a smile.

  Kong stroked his thoughtfully, repying Sengoku's earlier words in his mind. It was true—the Marines would merely be cooperating with a higher authority, fully within their jurisdi. From a procedural standpoint, everything was airtight.

  Finally, Kong asked, "What do the rest of you think? Is this feasible?"

  Sakazuki was the first to respond, his voice firm. "Absolutely. I support it 100%."

  Garp leaned back with a grin. "For once, I agree with Sakazuki. t me in."

  Zephyr chuckled. "As long as His Highness has our backs, I see no reason not to move forward."

  Sengoku's smile widened. "Trust me. Saint Cudius will make sure we're covered."

  Seeing the growing sensus, Kong couldn't help but feel tempted. The proposal promised hundreds of billions of Berries—a sum that could transform the Marines.

  After a long pause, Kong finally relented. "Alright. If this funding is ing from a higher-level agend is in lih our duties, there's no reason to object. However, there will be no written records of this arra. Keep everything discreet. Uand?"

  Sengoku nodded fidently. "Of course. I'll handle everything personally. You t on me."

  With that, the Marine leadership reached a unanimous decision, they would proceed with the pn in colboration with Cudius.

  AnnouChey new books:

  ☆DC: Rise Of The Kryptonian Tyrant

  ☆GOT/ASOIAF: Ruler Beyond the Ice

  ☆Drift Of The Multiverse

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