"Alright, I understand." Sengoku hung up the Den Den Mushi, his expression darkening immediately.
"Sengoku, did something unexpected happen during the operation against Shalltear Bloodfallen's pirate crew?"
As the Marine's chief strategist, Tsuru immediately deduced the situation upon seeing Sengoku's expression.
"That Shalltear Bloodfallen Pirates... They managed to defeat Vice Admiral Doberman and two others, and even injured Kizaru. If Aokiji hadn't arrived in time, Kizaru might have been killed on that island."
"What?" Tsuru was visibly surprised.
She had been present when the order to eliminate Shalltear Bloodfallen's crew was issued, but she hadn't been informed that Kizaru and Aokiji had participated in the battle.
Sengoku proceeded to recount everything that had transpired on the Island.
"Tsuru, what do you think of this pirate crew?"
"Leaving aside their captain, Shalltear Bloodfallen, the name Sebas Tian reported by Kizaru doesn't ring any bells for me. I have no idea where this old monster came from. Sengoku, do you recognize the name?"
"No, I've never heard of him before. Could he be from the era before Roger? But what concerns me more than these two individuals is the one behind them—this 'Ainz' person."
"Exactly. If two pirate captains with at least Admiral-level strength are merely his subordinates, we cannot afford to ignore this force."
"By the way, Tsuru, how is the investigation into Red-Haired and Whitebeard's meeting going?"
"Still unclear. Those two aren't exactly easy to approach."
"I see..." Sengoku rubbed his temples.
"The power balance among pirates is growing stronger. Forget the Four Emperors—just the influx of rookie pirates is already causing us enough trouble. What about Crocodile?"
"He has been transported to Impel Down under Vice Admiral Stainless' escort."
"Good. But we need to quickly fill the vacant Warlord position. Ever since Crocodile was defeated by the Straw Hat Kid, pirate activity has been surging. And it's all because of that troublemaker Garp and his grandson..."
Just the mention of Luffy made Sengoku's headache worsen.
"We're already struggling to handle Ace and now we have another troublesome brat to deal with."
"Sengoku, you should know Garp by now." Tsuru sighed. She had long since given up on expecting reliability from the Monkey family.
"That said, I do have a suggestion for the new Warlord position."
"You mean...?" Sengoku, the renowned strategist, quickly caught on.
"Yes, Shalltear Bloodfallen. Her sheer strength alone qualifies her for the role, not to mention that she has a subordinate of equal power in Sebas Tian.
Making her a Warlord will also encourage other pirates to challenge her, underestimating her capabilities.
At the same time, the Navy is highly likely to engage in a war with the Four Emperors soon. The Warlords remain a vital force for us."
"I see... but I'm concerned about—"
"Ainz, right? We can use Shalltear's induction as a Warlord to lure him into revealing himself. If he turns out to be a threat to the Navy, we can concentrate our forces to eliminate them.
On the other hand, if an agreement can be reached, we might even use him to eliminate some of the more unruly Warlords. Not all of them are as cooperative as we'd like..."
Tsuru's eyes gleamed with sharp insight.
"Alright. I will issue the Warlord invitation to Shalltear Bloodfallen immediately." Having heard Tsuru's analysis, Sengoku made his decision without hesitation.
….
Meanwhile, aboard the Naglfar, Ainz received Sebas' report.
"Sebas, you did well. Head toward the Florian Triangle as planned. Keep me informed if anything happens."
"Understood, Lord Ainz."
"I didn't expect to clash with the Navy's strongest forces this soon..."
Combining Sebas' report with the intel he had acquired from Blackbeard, Ainz easily deduced that the ones who fought Shalltear and Sebas were none other than Marine Admirals Kizaru and Aokiji.
However, despite their victory, he felt no joy.
Shalltear and Sebas were among the highest-ranking members of the Great Tomb of Nazarick.
Only seven individuals in Nazarick were on their level.
While this incident proved that Nazarick's power was comparable to the greatest forces of this world, it also made Ainz realize something—
The Navy, the Warlords, the Four Emperors, the Underworld, and the World Government...
"We need to grow even stronger. At our current level, we won't be able to find any traces of other guild members."
Ainz drummed his fingers on the bar counter.
"Also, I shouldn't use the name 'Ainz Ooal Gown' for now. I need an alias."
"Narberal, from now on, don't call me Ainz outside. Refer to me as 'Francis.'"
"Lord Ainz, but—"
"Hmm?!"
"...Francis-sama."
"Good."
Ainz nodded in satisfaction. The original pirate named Francis Drake had succumbed to illness, but given that he was now in the One Piece world, having a pirate name felt more fitting.
Just as Ainz was lost in thought, the bar doors burst open, and a loud voice echoed inside.
"Hey, barkeep! Give me meat! I'm starving!"
Looking at the straw hat and that ever-present idiotic grin, Ainz reached for the greatsword he had conjured with magic.
"Straw Hat Luffy."
"Huh? You know me, armored man? Whoa! Your armor looks amazing!" Luffy's eyes sparkled as he stared at Ainz's full plate armor.
"This is awesome!"
Ainz watched as Luffy, acting like a dumb monkey, eagerly touched his armor, even drooling over it. This was the infamous pirate with a 100 million bounty?
For the first time, Ainz seriously questioned the credibility of the bounty system.