151 Prelude

Sengoku smiled morosely as he waded through the waters of the Grand line, a small ship at his disposal as it sailed over the uncharacteristically calm waters.

It had been over half a day since he left his comfortable office and already he could feel the cramps that crept up his back. A small crew worked around silently, as a small and wizened old women sat in a corner reading the paper.

Sengoku let a small sigh shudder out of his body as he felt the change in the air, they were close.

The hum of the engine shuddered through the floor as the ship waltzed forward. This was a unique ship, a special model. It had been sent to the headquarters expressly for the trip that the fleet Admiral was making.

"Oi, Sengoku! Did I have to come along?" the old women asked as she folded up the paper in front of her.

"Of course, Garp is too far away and I want both of you having my back." The old man bit back, his eyes never leaving the horizon.

Tsuru snorted as she slowly rose to her feet.

"What makes you think going personally onto Whitebeard's ship to negotiate is a passable plan?" She asked as she calmly came to stand beside him.

"Can't help it, it was ordered by topside..." Sengoku replied, his hands clenching slightly as he remembered the flippant tone that the Elder Stars had when they addressed him.

To them, a war with Whitebeard would hurt worse than losing a paltry Fleet Admiral. If Sengoku died, they would merely reinstate his predecessor and force him into the role, if not him then Z and if not Z than one among the multitude of puppets that they held access to.

A war with Whitebeard would burn their resources, damage the marines and through it all they had no guarantee of victory! Not to mention that moving against Whitebeard could force the undercurrents to swirl faster than they were comfortable with, whatever that meant.

If it wasn't obvious already, Sengoku despised being left in the dark. That had been the case for as long as he could remember. When the higher ups forced him to sanction for a categorical purge of anything even remotely related to the erstwhile Pirate king and his middle name, he had no choice but to follow through. When they told him to erase the tales of one Elizabeth Sparrow as she was called he had no choice but to do it.

Through his decently sized career on top there had been many decisions that had been made for him, forcing his hand forward. He had been helpless, even quite recently, among the bounties that he had sanctioned there was one that he was unsure of. Who in their right mind would price a child over 50 million berri?

Unfortunately, that was how it was. The elder stars would bite at anyone that they so desired, whether it be a pirate, a marine or even a noble.

As they grew closer to their target, a faint mist began to rise from the waves below. Instantly the man was on guard.

Tsuru bit her lower lip as she walked to his side, her eyes staring resolutely at the thickening mist.

Slowly a silhouette began to emerge from the mist's bosom. A whale like front bore down them from up high. The size difference was so high in fact, that it looked much like the marines were on a small kayak staring up at the foreboding emperor's structure.

The white of the ship's figurehead gleamed a motley grey in the claustrophobic mist. This was one of the fabled ships; merely glancing at it took the Fleet Admiral back to younger days.

The faint smell of Sabody's resin rose off the structure's surface as water dripped from its sides.

"Whitebeard!" Sengoku roared as he waited.

"As the message discussed, I've come to bargain!" Slowly the massive goal ceased all movement as a small trap door rose from its side.

With the rattle of chains a massive anchor fell, the resultant splash making the marine vassal sway.

"Sengoku!" A roaring echo arose from above as the mist began to clear, the clear scent of alcohol rose through the air. A massive shadow fell on the ship as the rays of the sun finally infiltrated through the thick mists.

"We can discuss on board." the voice finished with an air of finality that only barely concealed a volcano of anger and mutinous rage.

The World's strongest man was angry, and the only thing stopping him from showing it was the sole reason for his anger.

As the figure receded, a wooden gangplank fell before the Fleet Admiral silently resting on the suddenly silent water.

With a small sigh Sengoku walked forward Tsuru immediately behind. The wood below them creaked a little, but otherwise remained stable.

"Care for the ship." Sengoku bit out before continuing forward. His mind already on speed mode as he attempted to stimulate the negotiation that he was about to enter. The sheer pressure that the situation offered reminded him of the many escort missions that he had been on for previous Levelies.

As the duo walked onto the hard wood deck of the Moby Dick, they could not help but freeze. All around them, hostile glares erupted, huge canisters of booze lay forgotten on the floor and equally massive men stared bloody murder at the Marines.

"Control yourself on my ship, Sengoku or I will not hesitate to Kill you." the giant man called out expressionlessly as he settled on a massive chair at the very centre of the ship his arm resting on the side as his hazel eyes glared at them.

"Believe me, I don't want to be here anymore than you." Sengoku replied peevishly as he stood before the behemoth.

"Say it then. Why are you here?" the giant rumbled cutting straight to the heart of the matter.

"It's about what happened on Sphinx."