Gorosei's Reaction (4/5)

"Hiss! This guy actually killed the Donquixote family!" As the first target of the operation, Drake naturally had already scouted out the Donquixote family compound, which was how he recognized the three heads at a glance.

"If you have that kind of power, why were you held captive and imprisoned before?" Drake couldn't help but ask.

Vergo looked at him with caring, retarded eyes, and said, "Because it was Doflamingo who caught me before, and now, he's gone to the Grand Line."

After that, Vergo turned his attention back to Longinus, "I've run out of places to go now, and just happened to see the scene where you killed the king, and wanted to join the marine because I admire your faith."

Afterward, the surrounding marines softened their gaze at Vergo, who turned out to be someone who, like them, had been captured by Captain Longinus's charms.

"The Marine will not turn away anyone willing to join in the cause of justice," Longinus said with a smile and an outstretched right hand.

Since Doflamingo likes to play endless games so much, ... will play along with him!

"It's surprisingly that simple." Vergo's eyes narrowed. Having witnessed the scene before, he naturally wouldn't consider the other party to be that reckless, "Is it because of extreme self-confidence, so much so that he doesn't even think anyone can make waves under him?"

"Yes, sir!" Virgo saluted seriously.

...

Marine Headquarters, in the Fleet Admiral's Office.

"That boy has always been reasonable and calm, but this time, why would he do something so impulsive?" Kong frowned tightly and sighed.

"Isn't that great? Letting that kind of bullshit king roll off the altar so that those innocent people can be saved is the kind of justice that a marine should really be guarding!" Garp laughed unconcernedly, "What that little guy did this time was so to the old man's liking!"

"I already knew that you shouldn't have been allowed to teach Longinus, you bastard." Kong said bitterly, "You don't look at the feats you've done, and if you hadn't made so many mistakes, you would have been the most likely person to take over my position as Fleet Admiral with your merits!"

"Hahahahaha!" Garp crunched and ate senbei, smiling carelessly, "That's thanks to the fact that I've made enough mistakes in the past, otherwise I would have been bored to death staying at the headquarters all day like you, Fleet Admiral."

"I'd rather give that seat to someone like Sengoku."

"What do you mean, my kind of person?" The veins on Sengoku's head were bruised and angry at Garp, a guy who would have been killed on the outside if he hadn't been strong enough.

Garp laughed without any self-consciousness, "Haha! Don't get me wrong, Sengoku, I'm just praising you!"

"Idiot!" The corners of Sengoku's mouth twitched slightly, then he took a deep breath and said, "Regarding this matter of Longinus, Fleet Admiral, there's actually no need for you to worry at all."

"No need, why do you say that? As I recall, you're a big fan of that little guy, aren't you?"

"I've got a rough idea of what happened in Flevance, that country was actually on the verge of collapse long ago, and even without Longinus exposing it to the world, things would still be irreversible in a year or two at most."

Sengoku continued, "It's also clear from the way the government reacted in the papers that they've long been entertaining the idea of putting all the blame on the Crown. Now that they have Longinus to help them clean up the mess, they can't be happy enough!"

"Well, is that so?" Kong suddenly a little tired. No wonder Garp is not even willing to serve as an Admiral. Everything has to guess what people think, who can stand up to this!

Sengoku nodded and replied, "Those high-ups in the government, their reaction should be more or less the same. As for Gorosei, what they value is position, and being able to actively defend the government's prestige, that alone is already enough to overshadow the rest."

"Is that so? It's good, at least we don't have to be annoyed." Kong sighed a bit. Compared to Sengoku, he'd been a fleet admiral for more than a decade, but he'd lived all over the dog!

...

Mariejois, in the Room of Authority.

"So, the subject of today's discussion is just a Marine Captain?" Gorosei, with a head of white curly hair and a scar on the left side of his face, asked.

"No, what we're discussing today is the future of the Marine Corps!" Dressed in a dark blue suit with long, straight hair, another Gorosei said with narrowed eyes.

"That's true, whether it was Impel Down incident or the New World War, that man behaved quite perfectly, and indeed he cannot be treated as an ordinary marine captain." Gorosei, with two curved, eight-fold beards, nodded his heads in appreciation.

"That one called Longinus is a marine that has the potential to be a supreme fighting force, and with the trend towards a more powerful marine, we need to find a spokesperson that is more in line with the interests of the government."

"The Marine is indeed overly powerful, which is why a stable internal environment is especially important. Otherwise, vicious incidents like the one in Dragon might keep sprouting." Gorosei, wearing a crimson suit and blond hair and beard, said with a solemn face.

"When Kong stepped down from his position as Fleet Admiral, the only person who could replace him was Sengoku, and that would be a pretty reliable man. However, the generation after Sengoku is full of troublesome people." The bald Gorosei wearing white robes and holding a long sword in their hands said.

"Sakazuki's justice is perfect for these troubled times, but he's too tough to control."

"And Kuzan?" The curly-haired white Gorosei asked.

"Too mild and lazy, and he's too close to dangerous people like Dragon."

"Borsa... Forget it, forget I asked." The curly-haired white Gorosei said and stopped himself with a shake of his head.

"All three of them have been characterized in their thinking and are difficult to change, but Longinus has the potential to build. Crucially, he has shown the most important trait for the government - compromise," The blonde Gorosei said.

"Indeed, compromise ... is a sign of maturity!"

"But he killed a king, after all, and he's still not stable enough."

"A mere king, don't forget that Vinsmoke Judge of the North Blue killed four kings declaring war a few years ago." Gorosei of the eight-fold beard retorted.

"So, you're optimistic about that guy?"

"It's just a matter of picking the tallest of the short ones, and compared to the other three, he does have more value to nurture."

"It's too early to say, and it will be at least 20 years before they get on stage this term."

"But some tests can be given in advance to test their loyalty to the government."

"Then this matter is settled."