MTLNOVEL Chapter 5: This Is the List
Even though Roger, the Pirate King, had been dead for over a decade, his influence within the Marine high command remained as strong as ever.
Previously, many Marine officers, including those from the Dove faction, had opposed provoking the Whitebeard Pirates unnecessarily.
However, once Fleet Admiral Sengoku revealed Ace's lineage—that he carried the "sinful blood" of the Pirate King—even Aokiji, the most pacifist of all Doves, had no objections to Ace's public execution.
With that settled, the Marine Headquarters shifted its focus to planning the Summit War against the Whitebeard Pirates. Sengoku, ambitious as ever, wanted to use this opportunity to completely wipe out Whitebeard's crew in one decisive blow.
Though the Whitebeard Pirates weren't the most ruthless among the Four Emperors, Whitebeard's sheer strength and overwhelming influence made him the number one target for the Marines.
But what did that have to do with Borsalino?
When the war started, all he had to do was fire off a few laser beams and call it a day. That should be enough to justify his paycheck, right?
Ideally, he'd find a decent punching bag to fight, throw in a dramatic line like "This one is truly terrifying… he must not be allowed to grow stronger" and nobody could accuse him of slacking off.
"Borsalino… Borsalino!"
Just as Borsalino had mentally prepared himself for a laid-back approach to the battle—he'd even planned to take a vacation with Nami afterward—Sengoku, that ruthless boss, suddenly called his name.
Among the three Admirals, Borsalino was by far the strangest. He wasn't as rigidly ideological as Akainu and Aokiji, nor was he as carefree as Vice Admiral Garp, who ignored orders from the World Government whenever he felt like it.
Well, to be fair, Borsalino had disobeyed plenty of orders from the World Government himself.
Still, for the most part, he showed due respect to the Five Elders and the World Government's authority.
If there was a single term that best described Borsalino, it would be his favorite self-proclaimed title: Salary Thief.
No matter the mission, he never exerted more effort than necessary. Even among the three Admirals, he was subtly superior in strength, yet no one had ever seen him go all out.
The mere thought of Borsalino slacking off during the upcoming war made Sengoku's stomach churn. Exchanging glances with Vice Admiral Tsuru, he made a ruthless decision and stopped Borsalino just as he was about to leave the meeting room.
"Hmm? What is it, Fleet Admiral Sengoku?"
Despite his usual laziness, Borsalino still held a certain respect for Sengoku. After all, the man was already old, shouldering the burden of the Marine Fleet Admiral, and even secretly dyed his graying hair black to keep the younger Marines from worrying about his age.
"The Summit War requires us to summon the Seven Warlords of the Sea. Since those guys are a bunch of unruly troublemakers, we need someone with enough authority to go and recruit them."
Sengoku could barely contain the smirk forming at the corner of his lips.
Every time the Marines worked tirelessly, Borsalino was off slacking. But now, Sengoku had finally caught him!
The Seven Warlords were scattered across the Grand Line, each guarding a major trade route. If they wanted to gather them all, they'd practically have to traverse the entire first half of the Grand Line.
Knowing Borsalino's personality, Sengoku had given him a task that was just annoying enough to frustrate him. If it were any harder, Borsalino would find a way to shove the job onto someone else. If it were easier, he'd get away with doing nothing. But this? This was perfect.
"Ah… this…"
As expected, Borsalino hesitated.
Recruiting the Seven Warlords was the exact kind of task he hated—neither simple enough to ignore nor difficult enough to excuse himself from.
Just as he was about to make up an excuse to decline, he realized Sengoku had already walked away.
Damn it! He was definitely swapping Sengoku's hair dye for green next time!
"Borsalino-san, the meeting is over. It's time to get to work."
Nami pulled out a thick stack of schedules filled with assignments that required Admiral Borsalino's personal attention.
From welcoming meritorious subordinates to handling a marine base mutiny, the sheer amount of work nearly triggered his trypophobia.
"This is too much… Nami-chan, make me a list first. I'll handle the urgent matters right away."
Borsalino rubbed his temples. Even a Salary Thief couldn't completely avoid work. Fine, he'd consider this a favor to Sengoku… or rather, to Sengoku's hair dye.
"…This is the list."
Nami's expression darkened.
If Borsalino didn't slack off constantly, this mountain of work wouldn't have piled up in the first place.
Hearing this, Borsalino's smile froze. Based on his years of experience in slacking off, clearing this workload would take at least half a month.
"Nami-chan… can I completely trust you?"
Suddenly, Borsalino placed his hands on Nami's shoulders, staring directly into her eyes as if trying to see into her soul.
Although she had been by his side for nearly two years, this was the first time Nami had seen the Ageless Admiral look so serious.
The old Marine legends who invented Life Return—a technique to control bodily functions—would probably roll in their graves if they knew this shameless man was using it just to stay youthful and flirt with girls.
Caught off guard by his unwavering gaze, Nami's cheeks turned slightly pink. She instinctively pushed him away.
Stay calm! Don't fall for his tricks! Sure, he saved Bell-mère, and yeah, he's pretty handsome, but he's still an old man!
In her mind, two miniature Nami figures appeared on her shoulders.
The one on the left, wearing angel wings, whispered about all of Borsalino's good qualities.
The one on the right, with little devil horns, kept telling her to stay rational.
"O-Of course you can!"
Taking a deep breath, Nami tried to steady herself.
She couldn't let this man manipulate her. She was in Marine Headquarters, after all. No matter what, she couldn't let him say something ridiculous.
"Great! I'll leave all this work to you, then. I need to go carry out Fleet Admiral Sengoku's mission."
Borsalino casually shoved the thick schedule into Nami's hands.
Where else could you find such a thoughtful superior officer, willing to train his subordinates so generously?
Just ask Akainu's aide. That poor guy was probably only allowed to clean the office.