Nagato in One Piece - Chapter 44

Inside the palace, Nagato sat alone in an inner chamber.

Half an hour had passed since his conversation with Viola.

Cyrus’s final question clearly aimed to match Nagato and Viola—Nagato was willing and almost certain to become the king of Dressrosa, and Viola admired Nagato. If successful, this union would be ideal in Cyrus’s eyes.

However, Nagato politely declined, informing Cyrus that he was unmarried but had no plans to marry at the moment.

In truth, if Viola and Dressrosa had opposed Nagato’s taking the throne, he might have considered Cyrus’s proposal to marry Viola to ease the Riku faction and the people’s resistance. But since assuming the throne was already proceeding smoothly, the marriage held no political value, and Nagato saw no reason to pursue it.

It wasn’t that Nagato viewed marriage solely as a tool; he could achieve his goals without such means, but it could be a factor. Viola lacked an advantage in this regard, and there was no emotional foundation between them. Thus, Nagato wouldn’t choose her as his spouse based solely on Cyrus’s suggestion.

After concluding the topic Cyrus raised, Nagato discussed the procedure and ceremony for his coronation with Viola, securing both her and Cyrus’s participation.

With matters concerning Viola settled, Nagato assigned tasks to others:

– Lucci and Kalifa will gather Dressrosa’s senior officials and organize civil servants for aftermath management and reassurance efforts.
– Kaku and Kumadori to round up and arrest Donquixote soldiers.
– Jabra, Blueno, Joe, Cray, and Anderson to secure the underground trade port and its resources.
– Law and Blueno to establish contact with the dwarves.
Kumadori should return Rebecca secretly before Viola and Cyrus find out, as Rebecca was still unaware of the situation, making it relatively easy.

Viola and Cyrus also volunteered to help. Viola would assist Lucci and Kalifa with the officials, and Cyrus would aid Kaku and Kumadori.

After delegating these tasks, Nagato found an inner chamber to handle the aftermath of killing Doflamingo and taking over Dressrosa.

Marine Headquarters, Marineford

In the Fleet Admiral’s office, Sengoku was stuffing a recently read confidential file into the mouth of the sheep next to him. Suddenly, a “Buru Buru” sound came from the drawer on the far left side of his desk.

Sengoku took out a key from his pocket, inserted it into the drawer’s lock, turned it open, and found the ringing Transponder Snail among seven others. Picking it up, he muttered angrily, “Damn sea scum, causing trouble and making it known worldwide, only to inform the Navy now!”

“Hello! Doflamingo!” Sengoku shouted into the Transponder Snail, “What’s going on in Dressrosa? The evil deeds of the Donquixote Family are now known throughout the world, and you’ve ruined the reputation of the Shichibukai and the government!”

Sengoku didn’t even verify the caller before launching into a tirade, only to hear an unfamiliar voice respond, “This isn’t Doflamingo, Fleet Admiral Sengoku.”

Sengoku was taken aback, “Who are you? How do you have the Shichibukai’s encrypted Transponder Snail?”

“Uzumaki Nagato,” Nagato said from the other end. “As for the Transponder Snail, it should be obvious. Doflamingo is dead.”

“What?” Sengoku found it hard to believe, “That guy is dead? Did you kill him?”

Though shocked, Sengoku’s hands moved swiftly, pressing a button on the wall beside him to notify Tsuru.

Nagato remained silent for a few seconds before speaking, “In fact, Fleet Admiral, I’m not here to inform you of this. I need you to connect me to the Five Elders. I need to discuss Dressrosa with them.”

“The Five Elders? You don’t have their…” Sengoku was once again surprised, about to remark that Nagato should have the Five Elders’ contact,

before remembering that it wasn’t Doflamingo on the other end, the Transponder Snail was specifically encrypted for his communication. Just then, Tsuru arrived quickly, sat beside Sengoku, and took the note he handed her, which read: “Doflamingo dead, Uzumaki Nagato, requests to speak with the Five Elders.”

“Uzumaki Nagato…” Tsuru murmured the name, recalling the information in her mind.

She found a file on Nagato, though it was scant—that he had appeared in Water 7 with gold.

The Navy’s “Grand Advisor” remembered vividly the note she wrote at the time: Preliminary assessment at least Rear Admiral level, no criminal record, but also no government registration, temporarily listed as C-rank personnel for observation.

Tsuru shook her head: Judgments based on insufficient information were indeed unreliable. If Rear Admirals or Vice Admirals could kill Doflamingo, the Navy would have wiped out the Yonko long ago.

Tsuru put down the note and did not respond, merely looking at Sengoku. Her indication was clear: They couldn’t discern much yet, so they should listen to what Nagato intended.

Sengoku understood, asking, “The Five Elders’ contact is impossible to give you! What do you want?”

Nagato did not hide his intentions, “To take over Dressrosa.”

“What!” Sengoku was shocked, and Tsuru’s expression also changed.

They remembered Doflamingo’s other identity—his death meant Dressrosa lost its king. But Nagato suddenly appearing, how could they agree to this?

Anxiously, Sengoku brought the Transponder Snail closer as if to suppress the person on the other end, “The king of Dressrosa must be decided by the World Government, not by someone of unknown origin!”

The Transponder Snail went silent, and Sengoku thought he had stunned Nagato.

After a moment, Nagato’s voice returned, “What position does the Navy take in speaking to me?”

Nagato’s tone was flat, but Sengoku felt as if he were facing the Five Elders, with the weight of impatience and questioning pressing down on him.

Sengoku was momentarily speechless, not because he was yielding but because the logic wasn’t on his side.

Dressrosa was an independent kingdom, allied with the World Government, but that didn’t give the Navy jurisdiction or authority over Dressrosa. Rather, as a kingdom paying taxes to the World Government and the Celestial Dragons, Dressrosa could be considered the Navy’s master.

Nagato, claiming the throne of Dressrosa, did not warrant Sengoku’s interference.

Nagato wasn’t Doflamingo, laden with crimes and holding a pirate’s identity that Sengoku could leverage. Addressing him as Fleet Admiral and allowing this conversation already gave enough face.

Sengoku looked at Tsuru, who shook her head before writing a few words on a piece of paper: “How will you assume the throne? Legal basis.”

After a long pause, Sengoku picked up the Transponder Snail again, saying, “Uzumaki Nagato! You’re not the king yet, and becoming one isn’t up to you!”

“Hmm.” The Transponder Snail nodded, indicating Nagato, on the other end, agreed with Sengoku’s point but was still unwilling to waste words with him. “This is between me and the World Government, hence why I asked you to connect me to the Five Elders.”

Sengoku was stuck, realizing his arguments seemed nonsensical. Objectively, he couldn’t let Nagato directly contact the highest authority, the Five Elders.

Even Tsuru was at a loss; the Navy lacked the authority to handle such political matters.

After exchanging glances, Sengoku reluctantly complied, connecting the Transponder Snail to the Five Elders as Nagato requested.

Five seconds later, the noise in the Fleet Admiral’s office ceased.

Nagato’s Transponder Snail connected to another, and after two seconds of silence, a voice spoke.

“Hello? Who is this?”

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