Chapter 67 : Negotiation Fails!!

At Sengoku's words, both Buggy's crew and the Marine's Garp were taken aback. They hadn't expected Sengoku to call for a ceasefire at this moment!

However, Akainu quickly shot Sengoku an angry look and said, "No! I disagree! We absolutely cannot let these people leave!"

Garp and Aokiji understood Sengoku's intention and agreed with it. They slightly relaxed their clenched fists, and the fighting spirit in their eyes diminished.

As for Kizaru, he wore an indifferent expression, as if the matter had nothing to do with him.

Seeing that none of Garp or the others sided with him, Akainu gritted his teeth and continued, "You should all understand the danger these people pose! Allowing them to leave will definitely lead to disaster!"

"And now is the best opportunity to eliminate them!"

Buggy, with a playful expression, watched the disagreement among the others and made no move to respond to Sengoku's statement, instead, adopting a look of someone enjoying the show.

Buggy didn't speak, and neither did Blackbeard's crew behind him, all of them showing keen interest as spectators.

Sengoku glanced at Akainu and said, "Sakazuki, look around. Marines have already made too many sacrifices today!"

"So what!" Akainu said resolutely. "Since they chose to be Marines, they must be prepared for sacrifice! And now is the time for that sacrifice!"

Sengoku frowned at Akainu's response. Just as he was about to speak, Buggy chimed in with an approving tone, "Admiral Akainu is right. From the day we became pirates, we stepped into a coffin with one foot and into Impel Down with the other!"

"If we pirates have such awareness, how much more should the just Marine have?"

Sengoku was a bit taken aback and looked at Buggy. "So this is your answer, Buggy the Clown?"

Buggy waved his hand and laughed lightly, "No, no, no. We can still negotiate. But before that, you need to sort out your internal disagreements. Otherwise, it's useless even if we reach an agreement!"

Sengoku's eyes twitched. He instinctively felt that Buggy was mocking him but, after a moment's thought, turned to Akainu and said, "I am also prepared for sacrifice! But as the Fleet Admiral, I must consider the overall situation! I must consider the entire Marine headquarters!"

With Buggy and his crew present, Sengoku couldn't afford to show weakness openly and had to indirectly remind Akainu. However, Sengoku trusted that Akainu's intelligence would allow him to understand the underlying message!

Akainu had indeed heard the deeper meaning behind Sengoku's words. No, it should be said that Akainu understood Sengoku's intentions from the very beginning!

But knowing doesn't mean agreeing!

Akainu's gaze was resolute as he said, "So what! The Marine Headquarters can be rebuilt, and soldiers can be recruited again! As Marines, our duty is to eradicate pirates! No matter what happens, I will never yield to pirates!"

Sengoku's eyes flickered momentarily. He admitted that Akainu's words were strong and resolute, but reality was even more brutal!

Akainu, you may stand firm in your pursuit of justice and be ready to die for it, but have you considered that the entire Marine and the whole world could be plunged into an abyss because of your obstinacy?

Sengoku took a deep breath and spoke calmly, "I'm not asking you to compromise with the pirates; I'm asking you to compromise with me, the Fleet Admiral!"

"Sakazuki, this is an order!"

Upon hearing this, Akainu's expression darkened significantly, and he said, "Are you trying to use your position as Fleet Admiral to pressure me?"

Sengoku nodded and replied, "Exactly! I am the Fleet Admiral! As long as I hold this position, the entire Marine must follow my orders!"

"You want to represent the whole Marine? You can talk about that when you become the Fleet Admiral yourself!"

Akainu's eyes burned with fury. He felt incredibly frustrated and gritted his teeth, "Sengoku, you will regret this!"

Sengoku ignored Akainu and turned to Buggy, "Buggy the Clown, what's your answer?"

Buggy chuckled lightly and said, "It's not impossible to stop the war, but I have one condition!"

Sengoku frowned but did not immediately refuse. "Go ahead and tell me your condition!"

Buggy pointed at Sengoku and Garp and said, "I want both of your lives! As long as you two are dead, we will leave immediately!"

At these words, the entire square fell into a stunned silence!

Sengoku and the others furrowed their brows, finding Buggy's words utterly ridiculous.

But Buggy continued with a serious expression, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, didn't you just say you were prepared to make sacrifices? I imagine that as a Marine hero, Grandpa Garp wouldn't want to fall behind either!"

"If sacrificing both of you will end this war, then it's a bargain!"

Pausing for a moment, Buggy then turned to Akainu and said, "Admiral Akainu, I'm actually helping you out here! Sengoku's using his position as Fleet Admiral to pressure you. Once he's gone, your chance to rise up will come!"

"If you become Fleet Admiral, then the entire Marine will be under your command. You can do whatever you want!"

Akainu glared at Buggy and snapped, "Shut up! This is a matter for the Marine, not for a pirate like you to meddle in!"

Buggy wasn't offended; he just shook his head and said, "How ungrateful! I'm only trying to help you!"

"You..."

Akainu was about to lose his temper, but Sengoku stopped him.

Sengoku calmly looked at Buggy and asked, "So, from the very beginning, you had no intention of negotiating a truce, right?"

Buggy shrugged and replied, "No, my offer is serious! As long as you and Garp are dead, I'll leave immediately! I, Buggy's word, is as good as gold!"

Sengoku frowned upon hearing this, unable to understand why he and Garp had become Buggy's targets. If Buggy's goal was to weaken the Marine, then his targets should have been Akainu, Aokiji, Kizaru—these core figures of the Marine Headquarters!

Earlier, Sengoku had inferred from Buggy's words that Buggy's true goal might be the World Government behind the Marine. However, if that were the case, Buggy should have allied with the Whitebeard Pirates to annihilate the Marine completely!

But after joining the war, Buggy did not side with either party. Instead, he targeted both the Marine and the Whitebeard Pirates!

Even Whitebeard himself was killed by Buggy!

So what exactly is Buggy's objective?

Sengoku, puzzled and deep in thought, asked sternly, "Buggy the Clown, what exactly are you trying to do?"

Upon hearing this question, Buggy's mouth curled into a grin as he replied, "It's simple—I either want to kill all of you or be killed by you!"

Sengoku frowned, his expression darkening. He couldn't grasp Buggy's intentions at all!

"Enough with the talk, Sengoku," Garp said, cracking his knuckles with a cold voice. "Words won't help. Let's fight!"

Sengoku nodded, his aura becoming razor-sharp. "Then we'll leave no stone unturned to keep them here!"

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