Kapitel 25: Chapter 25: Shakky and Gathering Information
"Arrogant!"
The Five Elders quickly received the news of Sanders' refusal.
The bald elder furiously slammed the Den Den Mushi onto the ground, his face filled with anger.
"Who does he think he is? How dare he threaten the World Government!"
"Order Sengoku to send an admiral to arrest him immediately!"
The elder with white hair and a curled beard, however, remained calm. "This is something we anticipated, isn't it? There's no need to get angry over an arrogant brat."
"So what should we do now?"
"With Sanders' strength, he poses a significant threat to the World Nobles outside the Holy Land. Are we really going to let them stay holed up in Mariejois forever?" the bald elder said coldly.
"Inform the Navy of Sanders' presence on Sabaody Archipelago. As for whether to send an admiral to capture him, we'll leave that decision to Sengoku," the white-bearded elder replied.
"The New World's power balance has been disrupted with Red-Haired Shanks becoming an Emperor. The Navy is incredibly busy right now, especially with Magellan severely injured. It's unlikely they can spare the forces to capture Sanders," added the balding elder.
Though they could dispatch an admiral, it would take time.
By the time an admiral arrived, Sanders might have already left Sabaody.
And from Magellan's description, Sanders' strength was definitely on par with an admiral.
Capturing someone with the Rumble-Rumble Fruit (Goro Goro no Mi) would require at least two admirals.
Even then, there was no guarantee of success.
At that level of power, capture was nearly impossible.
If it were that easy, the New World wouldn't have Pirate Emperors.
The bald elder's suggestion was unanimously agreed upon by the others.
Soon, Sengoku was informed of Sanders' whereabouts.
"Suru, do you think I should gather the admirals to capture Sanders on Sabaody?"
In his office, Sengoku looked at Vice Admiral Tsuru.
"According to Magellan and Kizaru, Sanders is already at admiral-level strength. Capturing him would require at least two, possibly more, admirals. And if a battle breaks out, most of Sabaody Archipelago would be destroyed. Who knows how many would die in the process," Tsuru said slowly.
She didn't give a direct suggestion but instead analyzed the pros and cons.
Sengoku sighed, understanding her point.
He knew deep down that after Sanders escaped from Impel Down, it was nearly impossible to capture him again.
The destruction of Sabaody was a price they couldn't afford.
"Are we really just going to let this slide?"
"This might be our last chance to capture Sanders."
Sengoku was still unwilling to let it go.
With Sanders' strength, it wouldn't take long for him to establish a significant power base.
Another Emperor would arise, putting even more pressure on the Navy.
"If only that incident hadn't happened..."
Sengoku had been thinking the same thing every day recently.
If Sanders' adoptive father hadn't died, the Navy wouldn't be in such a difficult position now.
"Sander's rise might not be a bad thing," Tsuru said.
"The New World can't hold that many Emperors."
The New World was only so big.
Another Pirate Emperor would mean less territory for the others.
And the current Emperors wouldn't give up their domains so easily.
Conflict was inevitable.
At that point, the Navy might even benefit from the situation.
"Let's hope so," Sengoku sighed.
In the end, the Navy decided not to dispatch the admirals to hunt down Sanders.
Every admiral had responsibilities elsewhere, and with Magellan seriously injured, Kizaru had to temporarily oversee Impel Down.
Meanwhile, Sanders couldn't care less about what the World Government and the Navy were planning.
He continued to leisurely wander around Sabaody Archipelago, but still found no trace of the Celestial Dragons.
After buying a bouquet of flowers to pay respects to his adoptive father, he made his way to Shakky's Rip-Off Bar.
The moment he entered, the noise of the bar reached his ears.
He glanced around, seeing groups of pirates sitting and chatting loudly, each holding a glass of alcohol.
Behind the bar sat a tall woman, smoking a cigarette.
"Oh my, we have quite the visitor," Shakky chuckled softly, immediately recognizing Sanders.
"What will you have?"
"A beer. Where's Rayleigh?" Sanders asked casually as he sat on a stool at the bar.
"No idea. Probably at the slave auction house, trying to trade for more drinking money," Shakky replied, handing Sanders a glass of beer.
She didn't seem surprised that Sanders knew Rayleigh frequented her bar.
Silvers Rayleigh, the right-hand man of Pirate King Gol D. Roger, now worked as a coating craftsman on Sabaody Archipelago.
He had a habit of selling himself into slavery to earn some extra cash.
"He's probably not there. I just came from the auction house and didn't see him," Sanders shook his head.
If Rayleigh had been there, Sanders' Observation Haki would have sensed him.
"Then I don't know. Maybe he's off working somewhere," Shakky shrugged.
"Are you looking for him for something?"
"Want to challenge him to make a name for yourself?"
Sanders shook his head. "I have no interest in challenging a retired old man."
"I'm here for you."
"For me?" Shakky raised an eyebrow, slightly surprised.
"I need some information," Sanders said.
In addition to owning the bar, Shakky also dealt in information brokering.
"What kind of information? My prices are high," Shakky replied, lighting another cigarette.
"There are plenty of pirates' heads out there with bounties. Don't tell me you don't have a way to collect on them through the Navy," Sanders said with a smirk, gesturing to the pirates in the bar.
Bounty hunters didn't always have to deliver the heads themselves.
Many bounty hunters and even some pirates would hire intermediaries to turn in bounties on their behalf.
For some stronger pirates, collecting bounties from other pirates was quicker than looting villages.
"Alright then, what do you want to know?"
"Have there been any sightings of Celestial Dragons nearby?"
"I took a stroll around the auction house, but didn't run into a single one."
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T/N:
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