Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
Admiral Sakazuki's office.
At this moment, Sakazuki was processing some documents that had accumulated during his time in the New World during the war.
However, Sakazuki, who was usually very focused when dealing with these matters, kept getting distracted while working at his desk today.
His mind was constantly preoccupied with matters concerning the New World Marines and Ortolan.
Moreover, as Marine Admiral, he sensed something unusual after returning to headquarters.
These auras made him feel uneasy; he had a feeling that something big was about to happen in the Marines!
He had a premonition of that trend, but at this moment, this man, who had always been very determined, was unable to find direction within himself.
Just as Sakazuki was pausing to process the documents in his hands, there was a knock on his office door.
Sakazuki stopped writing and said, "Come in."
A moment later, Vice Aramaki of the Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral pushed open the door and walked in. He smiled at Sakazuki and said, "Admiral Akainu, you've worked hard."
Sakazuki's attitude towards Aramaki was quite good. On the one hand, since Aramaki parachuted into the Marines from Mary Geoise, he had always shown him the utmost respect. Sakazuki even felt that Aramaki had a strange sense of worship towards him.
On the other hand, Sakazuki also admires Aramaki's style of doing things.
In addition, both of them had some connection with Mary Geoise, which gave Tian a sense of closeness.
So after greeting Aramaki, Sakazuki nodded slightly and said, "Sit down, make your own tea, I'll finish up a few documents before we talk."
"You're busy," Aramaki replied with a smile, then sat down on the sofa as if by himself, picked up the teapot and other items on the table, and made himself some tea.
Judging from his familiar movements, it's clear that he often visits Sakazuki's place.
Sakazuki, who was initially somewhat hesitant, quickly focused his attention after Aramaki arrived, diligently reviewing the documents in his hands and soon finishing several of them.
He didn't touch the remaining pile, but took out a box of cigars from the drawer, took one out, and waved it at Aramaki: "Want one?"
Without any hesitation, Aramaki smiled and stepped forward to accept the cigar, saying, "Then I won't stand on ceremony..."
After handing the cigar to Aramaki, Sakazuki lit one for himself, exhaled a puff of smoke, and then asked Yu, "What's wrong? Did you come to see me today for something?"
Aramaki leaned against Sakazuki's desk, smiled and waved his hand, "Nothing much, just happened to be free and came to visit you."
Sakazuki nodded, but didn't say anything.
After the two remained silent for a while, smoking, Aramaki suddenly asked, "How did it feel to fight Whitebeard alongside Admiral in the new New World?"
Sakazuki paused slightly while smoking his cigar, then calmly said, "Not bad. The combat power of the New World Marines is stronger than I imagined. With such a powerful army, it's only a matter of time before Ortolan sweeps away the pirate scourge of the New World and our Marines achieves the great feat of suppressing the New World."
While observing Sakazuki's expression, Aramaki nodded in 'approval' and said, "Yes, Admiral is truly amazing. No wonder he's the man who took the title of strongest warrior... Our Marines's justice in the New World will be upheld sooner or later..."
After a slight pause, Aramaki whispered, "But, Admiral Akainu, I heard that Admiral Bane is getting close to the Big Mom Pirates? As Marine Admiral, wouldn't doing that be a bit... inappropriate?"
Sakazuki keenly sensed something, but he showed no sign of it, instead saying naturally, "The relationship between Ortolan and Charlotte Linlin is complicated, and it's not a secret among the Marines's high command. Everyone knows it. Mary Geoise also wants to recruit the Big Mom Pirates, so with him mediating, it's nothing..."
"Is that so?" Aramaki pretended to understand now, and clicked his tongue, saying, "Then does the fact that the Big Mom Pirates have joined forces with the Beasts Pirates to declare war on our Marines mean that Mary Geoise's plan to recruit the Big Mom Pirates has failed?"
Sakazuki shook his head and said, "Not necessarily. This might just be the Big Mom Pirates' last act of defiance, which is why they want to fight back. If Ortolan can suppress them, I think it will actually facilitate their eventual surrender."
After a moment of silence, Aramaki asked, "Admiral Akainu, do you really think... that having Admiral Bane recruit the Big Mom Pirates was a bad thing?"
A hint of hesitation flashed in Sakazuki's eyes, and he said in a deep voice, "What do you mean by that?"
The proposal to recruit the Big Mom Pirates was put forward by Mary Geoise, and Sakazuki was certainly well aware of this. At the same time, Aramaki was originally someone parachuted in from Mary Geoise, Sakazuki did not believe that Aramaki would be unaware of this, especially since he had just mentioned it.
But now, Aramaki is saying this, which doesn't sound right at all, does it?
"Ahem..." Aramaki cleared his throat in a pretentious manner, then lowered his voice and said, "Ever since the Great War of the New World, Mary Geoise has become increasingly wary of Admiral Bane. You must have heard something about this, right?"
Sakazuki, with a cigar in his mouth, exhaled a puff of smoke, and after a moment, nodded and said, "That's right."
"According to some investigations, Admiral has serious problems. For example, he took advantage of Mary Geoise's previous plan to recruit the Big Mom Pirates colluded deeply with them. His corruption and bribery are extremely serious. Moreover, the higher-ups are very puzzled by the military strength shown by the New World Marines in this war. After investigating the New World Marines's various material lists over the past few years, it has been proven that Admiral Bane may have privately built a large number of standard Marines warships and weapons in the New World and pressured various countries to arbitrarily increase the number of military personnel not on the Headquarters roster under the guise of independence..." After saying this, Aramaki observed Sakazuki's expression.
Seeing that Sakazuki's expression remained unchanged, he continued, "Meanwhile, over the years, the New World Marines has been sending a large number of officers to various Marine Base, including our headquarters. These people basically call themselves the New World Marines Faction,' and have already formed their own faction. The higher-ups believe that Admiral Bane's actions have already had a certain negative impact on the foundation of our Marines. He has become too powerful to control in the New World, and has become a warlord-like figure. Right now, there are no major problems, but in the future, it will inevitably have a great negative impact on our Marine Headquarters... If we are not careful, it may cause the biggest turmoil in the history of the Marines, or even... internal strife."
"Do you think Ortolan would betray our Marine Headquarters?" Sakazuki's eyes darkened, and he asked in a somewhat stiff tone.
"Ahem... Of course I believe in Admiral Bane's loyalty, but how should I put it... right? His actions... are indeed not quite right... We can't be completely unprepared. Unconditional trust is the root of all trouble. As Admiral, how could you not understand this principle? So I think that on the one hand, we should trust Admiral Bane, and on the other hand, we should also take appropriate measures. If General Admiral really goes astray, we must find a way to pull him back..." Aramaki said softly.
After a brief pause, Aramaki tentatively continued, "But within headquarters, Admiral Bane has extensive connections, and even the Fleet Admiral trusts him completely. If he were to truly deceive the Fleet Admiral, the situation would become very troublesome. Admiral Aokiji doesn't really concern himself with these matters. The only one capable of standing up and shouldering this responsibility is you, Admiral Akainu!"
Sakazuki seemed unwilling to engage in insincere conversation with Aramaki, and sighed deeply, saying, "Has the conflict between Mary Geoise and Ortolan reached this point?"
Aramaki paused for a moment, then, seeing that Sakazuki had already laid his cards on the table, he stopped pretending and nodded gently, saying, "The Elder Stars have decided that Admiral must be removed from the Marines. They're even willing to offer him a Celestial Dragons position. If Admiral Bane agrees, they will immediately arrange for Admiral to leave the Marines, join the Celestial Dragons ranks, and become a world noble..."
Hearing this, Sakazuki felt inexplicably disappointed.
Even with the conflict reaching this point, they still don't dare to fight Ortolan in a real battle, and they still hope to solve the problem in this way. Would a hero like Ortolan bow down for this damn Celestial Dragons position?
Can such a camp really have a chance of winning?