Two days later.
The Grand Line, Marineford.
The large conference room, located in the center of the castle, was now filled with various officers who had received orders to return to headquarters.
It's clear that what I'm about to say is probably very important.
But surprisingly, the atmosphere at the scene was not serious; many officers were even chatting and laughing.
It would be fine if it were just casual chatting at any other time, but now there are three Admiral sitting in the central area.
Even besides the three Admiral, Garp and Tsuru, two more senior figures, were sitting there solemnly watching below.
Surprisingly, the more serious they became, the better the atmosphere below became. Besides chatting, some officers even took out drinks and started drinking together.
Then something even stranger happened: the officers below were becoming increasingly outrageous, but even the usually strict Sakazuki didn't bother to say anything about it!
At this moment, Sakazuki sat between Kuzan and Borsalino, his Erlang crossed, arms folded, his face serious, lips pursed, deep in thought.
Beside him, Kuzan looked even more languid than usual.
For some reason, Kuzan seemed to have been relieved of a heavy burden, and he looked much more relaxed.
As for Borsalino, he was already asleep. Whenever there was a meeting, he was always the first to fall asleep and the last to wake up unless the officer in charge of the meeting had arrived.
Garp grinned and shook his head as he watched Borsalino snoring softly.
"These guys, their mannerisms are even more dashing than mine back in the day."
They've really caught a lucky break! This batch of sailors and those to come will face much less pressure than we did back then!
"Yes!"
Hearing Garp's words, Tsuru smiled and nodded.
"Who would have thought that the young man who half-robbed and half-tricked Gion from our side would, in the blink of an eye, tear open a huge breakthrough in the almost stagnant military-bandit situation!"
After saying this, He first shook his head, indicating that he really couldn't imagine it.
Then she nodded again; even she was pleasantly surprised by Gawain's achievements.
Hearing Tsuru's barely suppressed joy, Garp paused for a moment, then snorted.
"Hmph, don't praise that kid. Even if you put a pig in his position and led a group of subordinates of that caliber,..."
Even pigs can accomplish the same great feat!
At this point, Garp casually stuffed a donut into his mouth and began to chew it fiercely.
Crane, standing to the side, glanced at Garp with amusement and teased him.
"Ha, it's not like it was a few months ago anymore."
You used to really admire that prince.
He was actually willing to give away the reputation he had built up throughout his life as a stepping stone for Gawain!
"Garp, if you think so highly of him, stop pretending!"
What attitude should I adopt?
Ha!
Tell me what attitude I took!
Times have changed, don't you know that, Crane?
Back then, I never imagined that Gawain was a million times more of a scoundrel than I had guessed!
Garp chewed the donut with even more force, the crumbs almost turning into diamonds between his teeth.
"Foosha Village, that's my hometown!"
And Luffy, that kid, he's my own Sun Tzu!
I've given him so many benefits, and that bastard still has the nerve to be so ungrateful!
I have nothing left now, truly nothing!
"My hometown, my Sun Tzu, and even my old friends—that bastard wiped them all out!!!"
Bang!
Garp slammed his hand on the table, silencing the conversation of the officers below.
Then, the officers suddenly became serious, after all, Garp's influence in the Navy was indeed Funi.
Everyone was waiting to hear what Garp had to say.
Unexpectedly, under the watchful eyes of all the officers, Garp's head slammed onto the table!
Just moments ago he was filled with righteous indignation, but in the blink of an eye he appeared to have fainted. This change truly frightened the officers.
Sakazuki sat motionless in the seat below Garp, his lips twitching slightly.
Kuzan glanced back and then said with amusement.
"Oh, Mr. Garp is asleep. What an enviable quality of sleep."
Don't worry, everyone, let's continue. Fleet Admiral Sengoku probably won't be back for a while.
After saying that, Kuzan simply took out an eye mask, put it on, and fell asleep with a smile on his face.
So, of the four men standing at the very top of the conference room, only Sakazuki remained with his eyes open...
He frowned and glanced at the sleeping Garp with displeasure.
If the upper beam is crooked, the lower beam will be crooked too!
Then he looked around...
Learn the bad things, not the good ones!
Finally, let's look at those generals who quickly became lively again...
Lack of ambition!
Gawain has led his personal troops into the New World and defeated one of the Four Emperors of the Sea!
As a result, you bunch of onlookers seem to be the ones who are drunk!
People's joys and sorrows are not shared; looking at the commotion below, Sakazuki only felt it was noisy.
How he wished it was him and his own army who would follow Gawain to tear Kaido apart!
Defeating one of the Four Emperors would be a far greater victory than conquering a country, especially in ancient times!
What general wouldn't yearn for the sense of accomplishment of single-handedly conquering a nation?
Sakazuki's ass is practically on fire!
His blood was boiling, his heart was trembling, and all around him were his colleagues...
Sleeping!
It's so noisy!
This is hilarious!
That's fucking amazing!
Growing increasingly frustrated, Sakazuki shook his head and continued to stare around with his usual deadpan expression.
What he saw was a noisy crowd, but in his heart it was a brutal battlefield.
After all, he was the kind of person who always placed his heart on the bitterly cold battlefield!
After a while, around eleven o'clock.
Sengoku, wearing his overcoat, returned to the meeting room where everyone was waiting.
Finally, Sakazuki raised his head. The time had come!
Borsalino and Kuzan woke up on either side of him in the blink of an eye, but Garp was still fast asleep.
So Sengoku came to Garp's side and punched Garp awake. Then, he strode to the head of the table and gave his orders in an unusually decisive manner.
"Someone, connect all of Marineford's Visual Den Den Mushi to the biological signal frequency sent by Dark Bird."
If all goes well, we will witness Kaido, Four Emperors, being executed through the eyes of Den Den Mushi Kaido!
This was an incredible feat, and I discussed it at length with the Five Elders.
The specifics need not be elaborated, but in short, the future maritime situation will inevitably undergo earth-shattering changes.
Therefore, please be prepared, everyone. After nearly three hundred years of the seas being dominated by pirates, we may truly be about to usher in the day when we can control the direction of the tides!
At this point, Zhan Guo looked down with piercing eyes. In his eyes, all the officers were ready for battle, and even the most lazy and lewd Chaton had become serious and stopped pestering Hina to confess her feelings.
After briefly observing his subordinates' demeanor, Sengoku turned his head slightly and looked intently at Kuzan.
Upon receiving Sengoku's gaze, Kuzan felt a pang of unease; that look, tinged with helplessness, spoke volumes.
So, has the future of the Navy ultimately been decided by the Five Elders to rest in the hands of Sakazuki, who is more radical and better suited for suppression and offense?
Thinking about this, Kuzan a chill in his heart; perhaps kindness really shouldn't exist in the hearts of soldiers.
No, no, no!
That's not the right way to think. It should be said that soldiers must have compassion, but that only applies to soldiers in general...
As for the general...
A general only needs to be a little kind to his own people, right...?
If I were to apply my personality entirely to tackling tough challenges, my efficiency would be far inferior to Sakazuki's.
After all, given his inability to issue many extreme orders, he might indeed be gradually left behind in the ever-fierce future landscape of the Navy...
Thinking this, Kuzan looked at Sakazuki happened to be looking at Kuzan as well.
Their eyes met briefly in the air, but surprisingly, Sakazuki showed no aggression, and Kuzan showed no displeasure.
Compared to the original storyline, Gawain is introduced as a mediator between Kuzan and Sakazuki.
Although Gawain, the lubricant, didn't put in much effort.
But his presence ultimately eased the tension between Kuzan and Sakazuki.
As for the reason, it's simply that Gawain brought hope to both of them at the same time.
Yearning for war and victory, and determined to strengthen his military through strict discipline and continuous military operations, Sakazuki saw a path to realizing his dream through Gawain's ambition to unify the world.
Kuzan, who yearns for peace and development and is determined to govern the people leniently in order to achieve victory gradually and continuously improve the peace structure of the region through the navy, also found his hope for the future through Gawain's philosophy of governance.
Some might ask, given that Kuzan and Sakazuki are sworn enemies and their political views are diametrically opposed.
In the end, Gawain managed to get the two of them to get along harmoniously.
It was only Gawain's presence that gave Kuzan and Sakazuki the opportunity to exploit a time difference.
In the original storyline, even if Sakazuki became Admiral without Gawain, many of the Five Elders' orders would not necessarily be entirely in Sakazuki's favor.
While the Five Elders are not determined to initiate change, whoever becomes the Admiral can only influence the world on a small scale and cannot realize their respective ambitions on a large scale.
To put it simply, why did Kuzan leave the Navy after losing in the original storyline?
Because he knew that, barring any unforeseen circumstances, Sakazuki would remain a Fleet Admiral in his position forever!
Of course, Kuzan was unaware that this kind of eternity, in some ways, was equivalent to the end of the Pirate King storyline.
In short, in the hands of the Five Elders have no intention of promoting political reform, Sakazuki, no matter how radical, is just a slightly radical pawn; all his radicalism serves political purposes!
This situation means that the navy cannot adopt two completely different development strategies in a short period of time!
But Gawain is different. As a political monster of the new generation at the top of the pyramid, he has acquired considerable military strength as a foundation.
Gawain Wenzhen has a high probability of reforming the World Government in a short period of time.
The great cause of unification may not be achieved too soon, but the sparks within the World Government will soon ignite!
In that situation, as a newly emerging political behemoth, Gawain needed radicals to conquer Yomo, and he needed stabilizers to maintain order under his rule!
To realize Gawain's ambition of bringing all Four Blues major powers under his direct control, he would have to massively expand his Gawain and possess the direct power to control more territories!
In other words, the reason Kuzan doesn't care about Sakazuki's small priority right now is because he's waiting!
He was waiting for the war to progress to a certain point, and for Gawain's directly controlled territories to grow to a certain extent!
He was even Gawain to decisively win the war and the whole world!
At that time, whether it was due to the need for a stable government or the necessary period of recuperation after winning the country, it would be a matter of course.
He, Kuzan, will inevitably surpass Sakazuki, becoming the future of the Navy and even the entire military!
As for how much time difference there will be?
Oh...
What does time matter in the face of such a future?
Even if Gawain takes twenty years to rule the world, Kuzan can wait that long; he's only forty-five!
Even if it's twenty years, he'll only be sixty-five!
When did the Fleet Admiral Sengoku become Fleet Admiral?
The Fleet Admiral Sengoku is already seventy-five years old this year, and he only served Fleet Admiral for less than ten years!
If I could become Fleet Admiral in the same amount of time as the Fleet Admiral Sengoku, then the remaining time would be enough for me to bring sufficient stability to the sea!
As for the fact that he and Sakazuki were barely in the same year, ha...
Even Sengoku and Garp, who are of similar age, had the Commander-in-Chief suggest that they take turns as Fleet Admiral!
So what if they're in the same year? I'm still six years younger than Sakazuki, that's my victory, a victory in terms of time!!!
As he pondered this, Kuzan's expression gradually calmed. He decided to turn back and urge his subordinates to study the governing principles carefully.
We've decided to use a strategy of trading time for space!
Sakazuki, our battle will never be truly decided until the very last moment!!!
Sakazuki, standing to the side, was slightly taken aback. He felt that Kuzan's gaze towards him seemed to be burning with desire.
Although he didn't know why, Sakazuki was very pleased.
Upon hearing the news of Kaido's impending death, even a perpetually Iceburg like Kuzan felt a surge of energy!
In this way, morale will be high. When I return, I must urge my subordinates to study military strategy and tactics, enhance their individual combat capabilities, learn naval warfare tactics, and improve their strategic vision!
Looking to the future, we have much to accomplish. The navy of this era is destined to be more fortunate than the navy of any previous era!
Because we've truly grasped the basics!
What is this threshold?
It's a complete victory!!!
At this moment, Sakazuki's pupils suddenly blazed with fire as he stared intently at the Den Den Mushi that was gradually awakening.
At the same time, Kuzan was the same; the two of them, one ice and one fire, kept the Den Den Mushi trembling.
Not far away, Borsalino lazily pursed his lips and smacked his lips twice, amused.
After Gawain's meddling, the war between Kuzan and Sakazuki intensified, but their relationship actually improved?
Are these born Celestial Dragon, or are they truly Celestial Dragon?
Is this why the Celestial Dragon were able to defeat the entire world back then?
How can someone be so outstanding?
That's a foul!
While chuckling to himself, Borsalino pouted as he looked at the image projected onto the Broadcast Den Den Mushi.
After a brief flash, the image showed a slender, delicate, and incredibly alluring woman.
The woman gently rubbed her headset and laughed.
"The signal should be connected by now, so everyone in the world should be able to see me, right?"
How embarrassing! Being stared at by so many gentlemen and ladies is making me a little too hot and bothered.
However, I think you in front of the screen must be even more aroused than I am, and my frail female body is far less shocking than the death of the emperor!
So let's cut to the chase and turn our attention to the makeshift Execution Platform erected in Wano Country, to witness Kaido of the Beasts' final moments!!!
Brush!
The scene abruptly shifts, and Kaido's figure appears in the blink of an eye.
But as the screen shifted, the woman's voice came through again.
"Oh, right, I forgot to tell you all, I am Stussy, the director of Dark Bird Television Station."
Starting today, Dark Bird Television Station officially launches! From now on, everyone can receive various current affairs news broadcast at fixed times every day through our TV station.
Of course, in addition to current events, I have also prepared many exciting programs.
Trust me, all the girls on the show are prettier than her!