At Naval Headquarters, Marineford, the Prometheus had docked once again, bringing Cudius to witness a major transition in Marine's leadership. Marshal Kong had already departed for Mariejois to assume his new role, while Sengoku was set to officially bee the new Marine Fleet Admiral.

  Today was a historient, not only because of Sengoku's promotion but also due to the reanization of Marine's highest bat force. For the first time in years, the long-vat positions of the "Three Admirals" were about to be filled.

  In the Fleet Admiral's office, Cudius sat casually, sipping tea as he spoke with Sengoku.

  "Hahahaha! gratutions, Sengoku! Or should I say, Fleet Admiral Sengoku now?" Cudius said with a hearty ugh.

  Sengoku chuckled, his tone rexed but filled with pride. "Not quite yet. The inauguration ceremony still o be pleted. Ohat's dohen I'll truly hold the title of Fleet Admiral."

  "After all these years of hard work, you've finally made it," Cudius said, smiling warmly.

  Sengoku nodded, a trace of nostalgia crossing his face. "Yes, it's been a long road, but I've finally reached the top."

  "And the Three Admirals? Has the sele been finalized?" Cudius asked.

  Sengoku's expression softened further. "Yes, it's all set. With my promotion, the Admiral ranks were left vat, so we're replenishing all three positions at once. Fortunately, Marine has no she of talent. We've been preparing for this moment for years."

  "That's true. Sakazuki, Borsalino, and Kuzan, right?" Cudius inquired knowingly.

  Sengoku nodded, his tone proud. "Exactly. All three are Logia users, and their strength is top-tier even by the standards of this sea. Over the years, we've focused heavily on developing their abilities. Now, they're more than qualified to serve as the faarine's highest bat power."

  "With a new Fleet Admiral and a fully replehree Admirals, Marine must be eager to make a statement aablish its authority," Cudius remarked.

  "You're n," Sengoku admitted. "But we're still figuring out where to start. Do you have any suggestions, Yhness?"

  Cudius smirked. "What do you wao say? Go take down Whitebeard?"

  Sengoku's expression turned wry. "Starting with something that big would be... ambitious."

  "If you're not aiming high, how are you supposed to demonstrate your prowess as Fleet Admiral Sengoku?" Cudius teased.

  "Yhness, please don't mock me. The Whitebeard Pirates are a serious matter, and we're not ready to take them ohe timing just isn't right," Sengoku said, shaking his head.

  "Timing, huh?" Cudius murmured thoughtfully.

  Marine was clearly biding its time, waiting to solidate its strength under Sengoku's leadership. With the hree Admirals in pd ongoing colboration with CP-X, it was clear that Marine was ying the groundwork for future a.

  "You're waiting, but so are the pirates in the New World. Doesn't that make the situation worse?" Cudius asked.

  Sengoku sighed. "You're right. The Big Mom Pirates and Kaido's Beasts Pirates are growing rapidly. They're ing closer to Whitebeard's level, almost like rival emperors.

  "Initially, we thought Whitebeard would suppress them, that the New World wouldn't tolerate more than one ruler. But e hasn't reacted at all. It seems as long as they don't provoke him, he has no iion of taking a."

  "Iing. And frustrating," Cudius mused. He raised an eyebrow and asked, "What about CP-X? You've been rather quiet tely. Do you have any pns for the New World? If you do, perhaps we could colborate on something."

  Cudius smiled faintly. "We've been busy enough w alongside Mariely. As for new pns... I've been a bit aimless tely. I'm not quite sure what I want to do ."

  Sengoku chuckled. "Yhness, aimless? That's a rare sight. I thought you were the type who always had a pn."

  "e now. Who isn't a little lost in this chaotic world every now and then?" Cudius replied with a shrug.

  "Fair enough," Sengoku said, nodding in agreement.

  After a moment of ption, Cudius suddenly asked, "What about Kaido? Should we go after him?"

  Sengoku blinked, surprised by the suggestion. His brow furrowed as he sidered the idea. "Kaido... He's troublesome. Holy, Kaido is one of the easiest targets to capture. Marine has arrested him numerous times before. The problem is, he's almost impossible to kill, and equally impossible to keep locked up."

  "Immortal, huh?" Cudius mused, his curiosity piqued. "Just how strong is he, anyway?"

  "In terms of strength, he's formidable. Very formidable," Sengoku admitted. "Although Kaido has lost to Whitebeard several times, there are persistent rumors that Kaido is the stro in single bat."

  "Whitebeard has beaten him multiple times and still gets called the stro man alive. Are those rumors just pirate nonsense, or is Kaido relying on gang fights to get his reputation?" Cudius asked skeptically.

  Sengoku chuckled. "When Whitebeard was in his prime, there was no question he was stronger. But now he's in his sixties. He's aging, and his health is deing. Kaido, oher hand, is still in his prime—his peak, really.

  "As for the rumors, let me ask you this: do pirates care about how they win or lose? The Whitebeard Pirates are famous for their unity. It's practically their trademark. A group fight is nothing unusual for them."

  Cudius smirked. "That doesn't sound great for e's reputation."

  Sengoku shrugged. "It's not as bad as you think. Kaido oftes to sneak attacks, and many of his defeats against Whitebeard started that way. Let me ask you this: if someone unched a sneak atta you, would you insist on a fair one-on-one fight?"

  "I'm not that foolish. If I had the opportunity, I'd crush Kaido in the quickest, most effit ossible," Cudius said, grinning without a hint of shame.

  Sengoku nodded approvingly. "Exactly. And that's why Kaido remains a mystery. Even if ture him, we don't know how to kill him. If we did, we'd have do already. His immortality is the real problem."

  "What about Devil Fruits?" Cudius suggested. "Couldn't you force him to eat a sed one and have him explode? That's supposed to kill anyone, right?"

  Sengoku's expression turhoughtful. "We tried that the first time tured him. But it didn't work."

  "Why not? Are you telling me no one in Marine was strong enough to force him to eat one?" Cudius asked, amused by the thought.

  Sengoku shook his head. "It's not that. Kaido's body is... different. His internal ans are structured in a way that allows him to resist. If he doesn't want to eat something, his body won't 'digest' it. It's like the Devil Fruit ced in a sealed tainer inside him, it doesn't activate."

  Cudius stared at Sengoku, dumbfounded. "That's... ridiculous. There's actually a defense like that?"

  ***

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