A month passed, and news of the change in the Marine Marshal spread like wildfire. Even those who hadn't seen the live broadcast knew that the new Marine Marshal was now called Monkey D. Finn.
During this time, the World Government had sent several assassins to eliminate Finn, but all of them were easily dispatched.
As for a direct confrontation, that never came.
In the Marine meeting room, Finn convened a strategic session. Though Sengoku had abdicated his position, he still held the title of Marine Chief Inspector and attended the meeting from behind the scenes.
Vice Admiral Crane spoke first: "It seems the World Government is hesitating. They're not launching a full-scale attack without first understanding our strengths."
Sengoku nodded in agreement. "Yes, if they don't strike, we won't provoke them. After all, a battle in Mariejois would put us at a severe disadvantage."
Finn pondered for a moment and then replied, "There's no need to rush. If they don't make a move in the next six months, we'll launch an offensive ourselves."
In that month, Finn had accumulated over thirty summoning charms and more than three hundred units of directional summoning energy. For safety, he planned to hold off for half a year. His goal was to summon ten five-star heroic spirits at once before making his move on Mariejois.
Just then, Tashigi entered the room in haste, approaching Finn with urgent news. "Report, sir: Four Emperors Shanks has called a pirate meeting on Garrett Island."
Finn's brow furrowed slightly. "Do we have a signal source?"
"Yes, several informants have contacted the headquarters," Tashigi replied.
"Good. Have someone intercept the signal," Finn instructed.
A Marine officer quickly arrived with a video phone bug, placing it on the meeting table. The device projected an image onto the large screen.
Garrett Island, located in the New World, was a wealthy territory controlled by Shanks. The video showed Shanks and his crew standing in the center of a large circular arena.
Sakazuki's eyes narrowed. "Huh? His arm...?"
Vice Admiral Crane was also confused. "Wasn't his left arm severed? Why does it look like it's grown back?"
Finn calmly observed, then remarked, "Look closely. His left arm is different from the right one. It doesn't appear to be his original arm."
Sengoku muttered thoughtfully, "That's right. But it seems he's handling it with ease."
The scene in the video shifted to a sea of pirates. Many of them were infamous for their bounties of hundreds of millions.
"Shanks! What's this treasure you've gathered us for?" one pirate shouted.
"Yeah, you said this treasure would be worth our time! Don't lie to us!" another added.
"Let's hear it already!" came the cry from the crowd.
Shanks, known for his solid reputation among pirates, looked at the crowd and said confidently, "Don't worry. I, Shanks, never break my promises."
He continued, "I'm sure everyone here knows that my former captain, Roger, the Pirate King, hid all his treasure on Raftel, the ultimate island!"
The pirates roared in excitement. "Raftel! The dream island for all pirates!"
"I must go there before I die!" shouted one of them.
Shanks smiled slightly and added, "Although I didn't get to sail to Raftel with Roger, many of my old crewmates did."
"Shanks! You're being too vague! Just tell us what you're after!" a pirate shouted impatiently.
"Alright, alright!" Shanks chuckled. "Let me make this short. Watch."
He opened a treasure chest and pulled out a record pointer, holding it up for all to see.
"Record pointer?" the pirates murmured. "What's the point of this? We've all seen record pointers."
But Shanks's eyes twinkled as he grinned. "This is not just any record pointer. This is the one that points to Raftel!"
The pirates gasped in disbelief. "What?! This is the Raftel record pointer!"
"Impossible! If you have it, why didn't you go to Raftel yourself?" one pirate asked suspiciously.
Shanks raised his hand to calm the crowd. "I know you won't believe me right away, but you'll understand when you meet the person who can verify this."
"Brother Bullet, come out!"
A burly figure appeared beside Shanks with a wild laugh.
"Glass Bullet!" someone exclaimed. "He was one of the original crew members who went to Raftel!"
The pirates' skepticism vanished. "Is this record pointer real?"
Bullet nodded proudly. "I gave it to Shanks. This is the same pointer I brought out of Raftel."
The pirates now looked at the pointer with awe. If anyone could speak the truth about Raftel, it was Bullet.
Sengoku scowled as he watched the scene unfold. "Damn it, Shanks. You even brought him out of the sixth prison?"
Finn raised an eyebrow, intrigued. According to his knowledge, Bullet's emergence from the deep-sea prison should have made him a deadly enemy. Why was he working with Shanks now?
"Could this be the butterfly effect at play?" Finn mused, shrugging off the thought.
Regardless, Bullet or Gatling, neither posed a threat to Finn.
At that moment, Shanks addressed the crowd again. "I'm sure you're wondering why I'm sharing this record pointer with all of you."
The pirates all murmured, eager for the answer.
Shanks smiled. "It's simple. The journey to Raftel is dangerous. Back when Roger's crew went, they nearly perished. I want to gather the strongest pirates to make this journey together!"
With that, the room erupted into cheers and shouts.
One pirate yelled, "I'll go! I'll offer 580 million Baileys for the chance!"
Another shouted, "500 million? Ha! I've got 762 million! I'm the only one who should go!"
The competition was fierce, but Shanks wasn't done.
"That's all well and good," he said, his voice suddenly turning serious, "but I need only the strongest. To prove your worth, bring me the head of a Marine Vice Admiral!"
A stunned silence filled the room.
"A Marine Vice Admiral?" someone muttered.
"And if a group of you can manage to take down an Admiral, then congratulations, you've earned the right to join me!" Shanks finished.
The pirates exchanged uneasy glances. A Vice Admiral's head wasn't a prize you could just take—let alone an Admiral's.
But greed, the most dangerous fuel of pirates, burned brighter than ever.
In the end, one pirate broke the silence, shouting, "We'll do it! We'll take down a Vice Admiral for a chance at Raftel!"
And with that, the room erupted into wild shouts, all the pirates now eager to prove their strength.
Shanks's eyes gleamed with cold satisfaction. "Let the hunt begin. Finn, my old friend, we're coming for you."