Unlike Garp's lively personality, Sengoku was much more steady. Although the opponent looked like a Sea King, he was certainly not such a creature, otherwise he wouldn't have defeated Akainu in just two moves.
"This... Senior?"
"Sacred Master."
"Mr. Sacred Master, could you please release Sakazuki first?"
The psychic ball had already shrunk to a very small size. To avoid being crushed to death, Akainu inside could only elementalize his entire body, turning into magma and condensing into a ball.
But as the psychic ball continued to shrink, even so, being crushed to death was only a matter of time.
In Sengoku's eyes, although Akainu was not very likable, he was, after all, one of the three Marine Admirals. If he were killed in front of so many Marines, it would undoubtedly be a devastating blow to the Marines.
"No problem."
Bai Qi never intended to kill the "Red Dog." After all, he was a Marine Admiral. If he were killed, he and the Marines would be irreconcilably at odds.
He retracted his psychic power, and Akainu inside collapsed onto the ground like a puddle of mud.
This was not a metaphor; he was literally like a puddle of mud.
Prolonged elementalization made it impossible for Akainu to reform into a human for a while. He could only lie on the ground in his magma form, like a puddle of mud.
Seeing that Sakazuki was out of danger, Sengoku breathed a sigh of relief. At least from this point of view, the other party was not targeting the Marines.
Even though Garp usually acted lively and seemed unreliable, he was very dependable when it came to serious matters.
Just like now, Sengoku gave Garp a look.
Garp understood immediately. He coated his right fist with Armament Haki, grabbed Akainu, who had turned into magma on the ground, and dragged him away.
After Garp took Akainu away, Sengoku asked, "Mr. Sacred Master, could you please explain your purpose for coming here?"
Bai Qi did not answer, but glanced at the Marines around them. Sengoku immediately understood.
"Mr. Sacred Master, please follow me."
Upon arriving at the Fleet Admiral's office, Sengoku cleared everyone else out of the room, not even sparing the goat who was eating documents.
When only Sengoku and Bai Qi were left in the room, Sengoku said, "Now that it's just the two of us, can you tell me why you're here?"
"I want to join the Marines."
"Huh?"
Even the steady Sengoku's eyelids twitched with annoyance upon hearing Bai Qi's answer.
He thought there was some big secret behind his mysterious appearance, only to find out he just wanted to join the Marines. He could have just said so.
Still not giving up, Sengoku continued to ask, "Then why did you attack Sakazuki so fiercely?"
"Because he wouldn't let me join the Marines."
Bai Qi's words made sense, but Sengoku found them somehow awkward.
"Then can you tell me why you want to join the Marines?"
Seeing Bai Qi remain silent, Sengoku thought he might have said something wrong and quickly added, "It's fine if you don't want to say."
"There's nothing I can't say." Bai Qi thought for a moment and then said, "You've recently captured Fire Fist Ace, haven't you?"
Sengoku was stunned. The capture of Fire Fist Ace was a top secret, known only to a few Vice Admirals at Headquarters and Blackbeard, who delivered him. How did he know?
Sengoku eventually told the truth, "That's right. Fire Fist Ace is currently locked up in Impel Down. Do you have a grudge against him?"
"It's not a grudge, I just want to eliminate Whitebeard."
"Whitebeard? Whitebeard, one of the Four Emperors?" Sengoku feigned ignorance and asked, "If you really want to eliminate Whitebeard, you shouldn't come here. Wouldn't it be much faster to just go find Whitebeard directly instead of joining the Marines?"
Bai Qi's lips curled into a smile that could scare away children.
"Fleet Admiral, you're just pretending to be confused," Bai Qi said. "If I went to find Whitebeard directly, the vast sea, where would I even start looking? Even if I found him, he might escape. And his subordinates, his adopted sons, are troublesome. It's much easier to wait for him to come to us; then dealing with him would be simple."
Sengoku continued to play dumb and asked, "This is Marine Headquarters. Whitebeard, although one of the Four Emperors, is still a pirate. Why would he come here?"
Seeing that he was still not telling the truth, Bai Qi said directly, "With the Marines' usual style, they will definitely make a big fuss, publicly execute Ace, and then set a trap to wait for Whitebeard to fall for it."
"What if Whitebeard doesn't come?"
"He will come. Whitebeard values his adopted sons the most. Ace is the second division commander. If he is captured by you, Whitebeard will definitely come for him. Even if he doesn't come, the Marines will still broadcast Ace's execution to the whole world, ruining Whitebeard's reputation. Whether he comes or not, the Marines don't lose anything."
Although Sengoku appeared outwardly calm, he was inwardly shocked to the point of jumping.
If the capture of Ace was known only to a few people, then the plan to lure Whitebeard into a trap using Ace was known only to himself and the three Admirals. Even Garp didn't know about it. How did this person know such a secret?
Bai Qi said again, "You don't need to guess how I know this. Just know that I can help the Marines deal with Whitebeard. Let me tell you another secret, Whitebeard's injuries have healed, and his strength has returned to its peak."
"What!?" Sengoku stood up abruptly. "Impossible. The Tremor-Tremor Fruit puts immense strain on the user's body. Over the years, Whitebeard's body must be in ruins. How could he..."
Whitebeard's strength was evident to all. Even now, he could still maintain his position as one of the Four Emperors. How terrifying was he in his prime?
The reason Sengoku dared to use Ace as bait to lure Whitebeard into a trap was primarily because Sengoku knew that Whitebeard was at the end of his rope, his strength depleted. Even with the might of the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, Whitebeard was not young anymore. Coupled with the hidden injuries from years of fighting, his strength had long since diminished.
It was precisely for this reason that Sengoku devised this plan: to lure Whitebeard into a trap while he was still one of the Four Emperors. After killing him, not only would a major threat be eliminated, but it would also serve as a warning to others.
But now, someone was saying that not only had Whitebeard's hidden injuries healed, but his strength had also returned to its peak.
Sengoku had also witnessed Whitebeard in his prime. His strength could be described as moving mountains and filling seas. If he were younger, he wouldn't be afraid of him.
But now, he himself was old, and Garp was also old. Who could resist Whitebeard in his prime?
"I can."
Sensing Sengoku's worry, Bai Qi stepped forward and said, "Whether he is in his prime or not, I can kill Whitebeard, but on the condition that you must lure him here."
"You?"