World-Shaking Upheaval
Several months have passed in the blink of an eye.
Cifer and his companions wandered around the western part of the New World, and after much wandering, they finally returned to Hachinosu.
"Lucci ~"
As soon as the Little Ul docked at the port, a familiar sound came from the shore.
"Kaku? And everyone else..."
A smile appeared on Lucci's face.
The original CP9 members, his own comrades, were now standing not far away, watching him.
"Honestly, we've been waiting for you for over ten days."
Rayleigh, who always wore flip-flops throughout the year, also walked over from a food stall near the dock.
"A two-year agreement? It's already so soon?"
Cifer didn't bother to calculate; he thought it had only just begun.
"You've been traveling around the west for the past two years, so of course time has flown by. It's a pity that this old man has lost two more years of his already short life."
He uttered mournful words, but the rubbing of his two fingers together never stopped.
"Is it really okay for you, the Pirate King's right-hand man, to have fallen to this level?"
Cifer was somewhat helpless. This old guy always found a way to ask for money, whether there was a reason or not.
"So what if he's the Pirate King 'Pirate King right-hand man? He's a human too, he needs to eat, drink, and relieve himself! Hahahaha~"
Rayleigh didn't think there was anything wrong with what he was doing and laughed heartily.
"Alright, go find a way to get reimbursed by Bater yourself, or you can ask Buggy."
Since he had plenty of money under his command, Cifer naturally couldn't be bothered with such trivial matters.
"Buggy? Buggy's become your subordinate too?!"
Hearing that name again after so long, Rayleigh couldn't help but feel a pang of nostalgia for that little Red Nose brat.
"Mr. Rayleigh, what are you doing here?!"
Following closely behind the Little Ul was Buggy's large ship.
This time, they brought food and drink to Hachinosu to welcome Cifer's return.
However, he did not expect that he would see his former first mate as soon as he got off the ship.
"Have there been any major problems in the past year or so?"
Enel, shirtless, looked behind Rayleigh at the burly man with small wings on his back.
"With Mr. Zephyr and me here, Boss Enel and Mr. Cifer can rest assured!"
Urouge wore a simple, honest smile, and a deep sword scar marked his muscular chest.
Over the course of more than a year, some arrogant and ignorant brats did indeed attempt to seize Hachinosu, the stronghold of the Sea Emperor.
But Urouge is, after all, one of the Worst Generation, so he can still deal with those petty villains.
With that powerful man nearby as a backup, no one could successfully breach this great fortress.
His strength also improved by leaps and bounds during this period.
"Mr. Cifer and the others are back!"
The island's residents also flocked towards the port.
"Please feel free to eat and drink as you please."
Cifer instructed Buggy to send people down to carry food and distribute it to the island's inhabitants.
"Because of your existence, a new era seems to be quietly dawning. As the emperor of the sea, are you ready?"
Amid the noise, Rayleigh walked to Cifer's side, and his voice reached the latter's ears clearly.
"It's just a change of eras; the world should have ushered in a new order long ago."
"It's not enough now."
Cifer didn't care at all.
And the new order they're talking about...
Let's go back a little over a year.
Shortly after dealing with "World Destroyer" auld, Cifer encountered the Celestial Dragons who loved collecting rare and exotic animals on the island where Nico lived.
Adhering to the principle of never wasting anything, after looting the ships carrying the Celestial Dragons, the Cifer Fatani thoughtfully delivered them to Marineford, the Marineford!
Unfortunately, none of the Three Admirals at the time remained at headquarters.
As a result, Fleet Admiral Sengoku and the Cifer had a brief exchange, with the former coming out on the defensive.
The Sea Emperor openly provoked the World Government, causing a huge uproar worldwide.
The commander-in-chief of the three armies, Kong, therefore met with Sengoku.
"The Gorosei are very disappointed with the Navy's recent performance, Sengoku!"
In the empty office, he was sighing to the other person.
"Kong, we've known each other for so many years, so let's talk about this first!"
"We both understand the ins and outs of the World Government, so there's no need to beat around the bush."
Sengoku knew that his old friend, whom he hadn't seen in a long time, couldn't have come to him to complain.
"When he suddenly appeared out of nowhere, killed a Celestial Dragons, and defeated an Admiral, we should have surrounded and wiped him out before he became too powerful!"
It was you who overruled all objections and proposed to the World Government that 'Black Winged Great Demon' become Shichibukai;
It was also because of your failure in the Sabaody Archipelago operation that two Celestial Dragons died and half of the islands were destroyed;
Your subordinates helped escort the Heavenly Gold but were robbed, and were even turned against you. Several World Government Member States announced their withdrawal and willingly became vassals of the 'Black Winged Great Demon'.
You have yet to capture the pirates who escaped from Impel Down, and Ulquiorra has used this to solidify his position Sea Emperor.
Most importantly, after more than half a year, he actually killed Celestial Dragons again, and after delivering him to Marineford, he gave you a sound slap in the face!
The blank lists all the major events since Ulquiorra rose to fame.
Many of these individuals have an undeniable connection to the Sengoku, either directly or indirectly.
"I see. So, the World Government is going to choose me as the scapegoat, right?"
As soon as Kong finished speaking, Sengoku understood what he meant.
The failure cannot be the World Government, nor its subordinate Marineford, but it can be a foolish leader.
"It may not sound pleasant, but it's the truth. Do you have any advice for the next Fleet Admiral?"
Kong also responded to his self-deprecating humor.
Although everyone knows what happened, someone still needs to step forward and take responsibility.
"It's alright. It's just the right time for the new generation to take the lead. Ulquiorra has ushered in a new era, and we can't fall behind!"
"I recommend Kuzan for the Fleet Admiral position!"
In the eyes of the Sengoku, there was nothing but admiration for that junior.
"Kuzan? He does differ from the World Government's preferred candidate, but I'll try to help you."
Kong stroked his chin, thought for a moment, and then said.
"Thank you so much!"
The Sengoku period ended with him getting up and leaving.
In the following period, the battle for the title of Fleet Admiral between Kuzan and Sakazuki erupted.
After a ten-day and ten-night battle, the latter emerged victorious by a narrow margin.
Even Akainu, known for his cold-bloodedness and ruthlessness, chose to end things when facing his former comrades.
Kuzan, however, left the Navy as a result and disappeared without a trace.
In order to deal with the situation of the Five Emperors standing side by side in the New World, and to fill the Admiral positions vacated by Kuzan and Akainu, the World Government broke with tradition and launched World Military Draft.
Two men codenamed "Ryokugyu" and "Black Python" were promoted to Admiral!