Chapter 4: 4: Prelude to Summit War
[Jotaro Kujo]: …You can call me JOJO. @Borsalino, can you help me when the time comes? I'm willing to offer any reward you want.
Given Jotaro Kujo's personality, under normal circumstances, he would never rashly seek help from a stranger, even when facing a powerful enemy like Dio Brando.
But this battle was tied to his mother's life. To completely break the curse, he had to eliminate Dio Brando.
Although the JoJo's Bizarre Adventure Part 3 uploaded to the group showed him defeating Dio in the end, why refuse a safer approach if it's available?
[Borsalino]: Ah, of course. After all, I'm a Marine who bears the name of justice. As for the reward, I'll settle for keeping the spoils of battle.
[Jotaro Kujo]: Deal! When can you come?
[Borsalino]: When you arrive in Egypt, just post the task in the group, and I'll be there.
In the One Piece world, Borsalino, who had been slacking off throughout the meeting, yawned.
He glanced back slightly at Nami, who was furiously scribbling notes behind him, and couldn't help but look forward to the prospect.
Having the chance to travel to JoJo's Bizarre Adventure and beat Dio Brando to a pulp sounded far more exciting than dealing with strange pirates.
Of course, the main point was that defeating pirates only earned a bounty. For Borsalino, that wasn't particularly motivating.
[Orochimaru]: @Borsalino Heh, Kizaru, if you capture Dio Brando, could you leave me part of his flesh and body tissues before completely destroying him? In exchange, I'll offer suitable compensation.
[Borsalino]: Sure, just have your payment ready.
Borsalino wasn't worried about Orochimaru failing to provide something valuable.
Although he didn't know which point in time this Orochimaru was from, as long as it wasn't his childhood version, he was sure Orochimaru had plenty of treasures.
At worst, he could wait until Orochimaru acquired something valuable and then demand the compensation.
[Random Guy Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails]: This is perfect. With Admiral Kizaru helping, there's no way Dio can escape no matter how cunning he is.
[Haibara Ai]: Are you really that confident?
[Random Guy Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails]: Let me put it this way—if Admiral Kizaru came to your world, as long as he wanted to, he could turn Tokyo into a pile of rubble in the time it takes you to enjoy afternoon tea.
[Haibara Ai]: You make it sound like he's one of those alien kaiju from fiction…
[Random Guy Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails]: In a way, compared to Admiral Kizaru, most kaiju would pale in comparison.
What followed was a series of praises for Admiral Kizaru.
Even though Borsalino himself had hardly said a word, his status in the hearts of the group members kept rising.
In truth, Random Guy Who Wants to Ride Luo Feng's Coattails wasn't merely being a fanboy or blindly praising Kizaru. He had his reasons. In his mind, hyping up Admiral Kizaru now would make it harder for the admiral to turn him down if he were in danger later.
Even in a late-game, high-power world like Swallowed Star, Admiral Kizaru could dominate during the early stages. If he could latch onto someone this powerful, his survival would be much more secure.
But alas, this Borsalino wasn't the real Admiral Kizaru. If it had been the actual Kizaru, perhaps he might have begrudgingly offered a helping hand out of politeness. However, this version of Borsalino wasn't so easily moved.
While Borsalino was slacking off and multitasking between conversations, the meeting at Marine Headquarters started getting to the main topic.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, is it truly wise to risk war with the Whitebeard Pirates over someone like Fire Fist Ace?"
A Marine Vice Admiral seated not far from Admiral Aokiji raised this question.
Not all Marines were like Admiral Akainu, who was hell-bent on eradicating pirates at any cost.
Even within Marine Headquarters, an organization that claimed to represent "justice," there were clear divides between those with hawkish and dovish stances on pirates.
The hawkish Marines believed all pirates were irredeemable scum and advocated for the harshest measures to exterminate them, even if it meant civilian casualties.
In contrast, the dovish Marines argued that the Navy's duty was to protect the populace and uphold justice. Sacrificing civilian lives in the pursuit of eliminating pirates was, to them, an irresponsible and unjustifiable act.
The hawks were led by Admiral Akainu, while the doves were represented by Admiral Aokiji. Those who sided with neither group and preferred neutrality had Admiral Kizaru as their figurehead.
Privately, or at least in Nami's presence, Borsalino jokingly referred to his faction as the slacker faction.
At this moment, the Vice Admiral who spoke was part of the doves. They weren't against taking action against pirates, but in their view, provoking an all-out war with the Whitebeard Pirates over Fire Fist Ace was unwise.
With the Whitebeard Pirates' strength, what would happen if they launched a full-scale retaliation in the New World against the Navy?
Even if the New World naval branches could withstand the Whitebeard Pirates, what guarantee was there that other pirate crews wouldn't seize the opportunity to create further chaos and trouble for the Navy?
"This is exactly what we're here to discuss next..."
Fleet Admiral Sengoku took a deep breath. Even though over ten years had passed, his voice instinctively grew serious as he brought up that man's name once again.
"The true name of Fire Fist Ace, the Second Division Commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, is Gol D. Ace! He is the descendant of the Pirate King, Gol D. Roger! The blood of sin flows through his veins!"
The moment his words fell, the previously quiet meeting room exploded into chaos.
Even Akainu and Kuzan displayed expressions of shock.
The Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!
Even after more than a decade, the man who single-handedly ignited the Great Pirate Era remained a taboo-like presence in the minds of many Marines.
And now, Fleet Admiral Sengoku revealed that Fire Fist Ace was Roger's own bloodline. Coupled with the fact that Whitebeard, once both a rival and ally to Roger, now had Ace as his Second Division Commander, it was impossible not to let imaginations run wild.
"The Pirate King, huh..."
Even Borsalino felt a twinge of emotion. He hadn't expected Vice Admiral Garp's long-kept secret to finally be exposed.
"Mr. Borsalino... do you think Fire Fist Ace knows where the Pirate King's treasure is hidden?"
While the Marine officers were busy murmuring among themselves, Nami cautiously leaned closer to Borsalino. Her large, sparkling eyes had somehow already turned into treasure-shaped symbols.
"Uh... I don't think he knows," Borsalino replied, the corner of his mouth twitching. Internally, he made a note to keep a close eye on this greedy little thief.
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