Although the young blind man occasionally found himself at a disadvantage, Barrett and Gnaly were already formidable fighters with immense strength. From this alone, it was clear that the young blind man's power and potential were truly remarkable.
This realization gave the Navy a serious headache.
What troubled them the most was the apparent increase in strength within the Caesar Pirates.
At Marine Headquarters, inside the Marshal's office, Steel Bone Kong sat with a deep frown, his expression grim.
However, this alone was not enough for them to make a conclusive judgment.
After all, the Navy was well aware that the Caesar Pirates had a long-standing practice of training together through real combat.
In particular, Caesar himself had been observed multiple times engaging in sparring sessions with the strongest members of his crew.
As one of the world's top combatants, Caesar was determined to strengthen his crew, and sparring was the most effective method to achieve that goal.
This left the Navy deeply concerned—what if Caesar trained another monster like Barrett or Gnaly?
The thought made Steel Bone Kong's expression darken even further. Without hesitation, he picked up two Den Den Mushi and made simultaneous calls.
"Purupurupu… Purupurupu…"
"Click."
"Hey, this is Steel Bone Kong!"
Aboard a massive Marine battleship in the New World, Sengoku answered, his voice sharp and alert. "Marshal Steel Bone, what's the situation?"
On another line, Garp's familiar voice came through, casual as ever. "Oh? It's the Marshal. What's the mission?"
"Urgent orders—cease pursuit of Whitebeard and Roger!"
"We've received intelligence that Caesar has recruited a powerful blind young man!"
"Turn your ships around immediately. Regroup and assess the situation!"
Steel Bone Kong wasted no time with unnecessary explanations—his orders were swift and direct.
Compared to Whitebeard and Roger, the Caesar Pirates posed a greater threat. The key issue was that their entire crew consisted of young, powerful fighters.
Whitebeard's ship was filled with rookies, many still in their early stages of growth. Their strength had not yet reached its peak.
Meanwhile, Roger's crew remained unchanged, maintaining their original lineup with no new recruits.
But the Caesar Pirates…
Every time they added a new member, their potential was staggering.
And with Caesar personally training them through constant sparring, their growth rate was terrifying. The Navy needed detailed intelligence—immediately.
Sengoku frowned slightly but quickly regained his composure. "Understood, Marshal Steel Bone!"
Garp, on the other hand, sounded irritated. "Huh? You want me to head toward Caesar?!"
"I'm this close to catching up with Roger! I was about to have a real fight!"
At first, Sengoku himself was puzzled by the order.
They had spent so long chasing Whitebeard, and now they were suddenly abandoning the mission to focus on Caesar? It felt like all their previous efforts were being wasted.
But then, he understood Steel Bone Kong's reasoning.
With the constant emergence of powerful new threats across the sea, the Navy had to prioritize carefully.
He quickly realized how crucial it was to monitor the new members of Caesar's crew.
They couldn't allow the Caesar Pirates to roam unchecked, growing stronger without interference. By engaging them now, the Navy could both gather intelligence and suppress their momentum.
However, Garp continued grumbling over the Den Den Mushi, still eager to chase Roger.
Steel Bone Kong wasn't interested in arguing.
"This is an order!"
With that, he abruptly ended both calls.
Aboard the Marine warship in the New World, Garp stared at the silent Den Den Mushi, visibly annoyed.
He had been right in the middle of an exciting chase, finally closing in on Roger. He had been looking forward to a heated battle… only to be told to abandon it at the last moment.
But orders were orders.
Muttering complaints under his breath, he begrudgingly gave the command.
"Turn the ship around. Head toward the last known location of the Caesar Pirates!"
On another warship, Sengoku stood at the bow, his expression stern.
"This is dangerous…"
Beside him, a young Marine officer with a saber at his waist and a lazy demeanor smirked. "Scary, huh? So… we're going after the Caesar Pirates?"
Though his words suggested fear, his eyes gleamed with anticipation.
"Caesar Pirates? Just what I wanted!"
On the other side of Sengoku, another young officer stood with a cold expression. He wore a hood over his head, as if trying to hide his face, but his eyes burned with intensity. Clenching his fists, a crimson glow flickered around him as white smoke rose from his knuckles.
"That's right. Orders from headquarters—we're to meet up with Garp and investigate Caesar's crew."
"I hear… he's recruited yet another monster."
Sengoku glanced at the two rookies beside him, freshly graduated from Zephyr's elite training program.
He could see their excitement.
No normal person would be eager to face a monster like Caesar.
But these two were far from ordinary.
"New crew members, huh? Caesar really is terrifying~"
"Hmph. They are criminals. They must be eradicated as soon as possible!"
These two young men were none other than Rear Admiral Borsalino and Rear Admiral Sakazuki—future pillars of the Navy.
Neither of them were strangers to Caesar.
Especially Borsalino.
Before joining the Marines, he had met Caesar once. At the time, Caesar had invited him to join his crew—but Borsalino chose the Navy instead.
Now, they were about to meet again, much sooner than he had expected.
He still had no idea what that golden Devil Fruit, the one he had refused, truly was.
As for Sakazuki, his reason for knowing Caesar was simple—the man had become the Navy's most dangerous enemy.
Driven by his belief in absolute justice and wielding the power of the Magma-Magma Fruit, Sakazuki gazed out over the sea with unwavering determination.
His only thought: eliminate all evil from this world.
The two had been deployed alongside Sengoku both as part of their training and because their combat abilities had reached a level where they could participate in real battles.
Initially, they had been assigned to chase Whitebeard.
But now, fate had taken them toward Caesar.
In recent years, the Navy had aggressively expanded its forces, recruiting more powerful individuals to counter the ever-growing threats across the sea.
Whether it was Borsalino, Sakazuki, or the mysterious third "monster" capable of freezing the ocean, the Navy was making bold moves.
Their urgency to build strength showed just how much they feared Caesar and the shifting tides of the world.
Since the fall of the Rocks Pirates, new powers had risen rapidly.
And now, with Caesar's crew gaining yet another formidable warrior, Steel Bone Kong felt like he was sitting on a ticking time bomb.
Though he hoped Sengoku and Garp could achieve something, deep down, he knew the truth.
They wouldn't be able to stop Caesar.
At best, they could gather intelligence and suppress his growing reputation.
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