"Heh, finally. Looks like everyone's been getting impatient waiting for me."
Upon hearing Yi Xiao's words, Gawain jokingly remarked and then casually put his arm around Yi Xiao's shoulder.
He was embraced by Gawain, but there was no joy on his face as he smiled. He nodded with a troubled expression and then continued.
"It's not that I'm getting impatient waiting for you, it's just that the situation over the past year has been a bit unpredictable!"
During the year you spent on the throne maintaining peace throughout the world, we, your subordinates, have truly... caused you much worry.
Even I... sigh, even I couldn't resist joining that competition.
My lord, to be honest, in the past year, I, along with Aramaki and Bullet, have caused Rayleigh and Mihawk quite a bit of trouble.
Of course, I wouldn't do anything bad; it's just a verbal debate.
However, regardless of the circumstances, I have still disrupted the unity of the Dark Bird Alliance. Please punish me, sir!
As soon as she finished speaking, she smiled and gently shook off Gawain's hand, then knelt down in front of Gawain.
Seeing Yi Xiao kneeling down, Gawain chuckled and casually helped her up.
"Is there anything to be punished for? Didn't you yourself say it was just verbal debate?"
"If you pick up a knife to kill someone else, then of course I will cut off your head. But if verbal arguments are also a crime, wouldn't many innocent people around the world die?"
At this point, Gawain gently patted Yi Xiao's shoulder.
"Alright, relax, I've woken up from the endless work."
With me here, the world won't descend into chaos. Let's calm down and prepare for the important things to come!
"Event?!!"
Upon hearing Gawain's words, Yi Xiao couldn't help but purse her lips. Could it be that the adult actually agrees with her side?
Otherwise, how could adults equate maintaining stability with accomplishing something significant?
Now, our only remaining major task is to invade the New World...
Etc!
Suddenly, Yi Xiao seemed to have thought of something. He turned his head slightly and couldn't help but point his ear towards the Red Line!
Yes, attacking the New World is just the most important thing in our eyes!
For adults, the New World may not be the most important thing!
So, is the important matter that the adults are talking about...?
Thinking of this, Yi Xiao's shoulders tensed slightly, and then he nervously gritted his teeth.
Yes, the adult should indeed sit in that position!
Although the Five Elders are not exactly incompetent, their long lifespans make them no different from true old people, as they hold onto the mindset of the elderly!
In that case, it's more appropriate to hand over the future to younger, more talented individuals!
Just as Xiao was lost in thought, Gawain gently nudged Xiao's shoulder.
"There's no time like the present, so let's have a short meeting today."
Let me think... tonight, let's ask Zeff to cook some good food, and we can all sit down and have a good chat.
Not just us, but all the monsters from the Navy should be invited too. I think they'll give me that kind of face!
"Yixiao, you go and tell everyone, tell them I'm right here waiting for them!"
Gawain smiled sternly, then relaxed, and lazily went to a beach chair to bask in the sun.
Not far away, Kaya, belatedly realizing the news, finally learned that Gawain had awakened.
She quickly moved closer to take care of Gawain.
Yi Xiao listened quietly to Gawain's actions. Once he was sure Gawain had sat down to rest, he nodded and then quickly returned to the cabin to contact everyone.
And so, the news of Gawain's awakening truly reached the eyes of the world's strongest.
Logically speaking, Gawain should be able to use his ability to Voice of All Things to communicate with his subordinates all over the world.
But he didn't do that, because if he had, it would have made his subordinates nervous about the fact that Gawain could listen in and contact them at any time, and it would have also damaged Gawain's authority.
In short, after wandering around the world of Tokyo Ghoul, Gawain finally returned to the sea, and he did indeed enjoy the sunshine and the waves before him.
Time passed by unnoticed, and about half an hour later...
Wow!
As the light suddenly dissipated, Kizaru was the first to arrive in front of Gawain.
"Oh, sir, you've had a very hard time these past few days."
He actually accomplished something that tens of millions of navy personnel couldn't do all by himself!
As expected of the adult I admire, my master has divine talent, hehe!
After giving the usual sly smile, Kizaru leisurely sat down next to Gawain.
Kizaru casually took the drink from Kaya, took a sip, and let out a satisfied sigh.
"Ha, it's still better to follow the adults. It's only noon, and we can get a free rest."
While you were away, I followed the Fleet Admiral Sengoku and we went hungry nine times out of three days.
The navy has used all of its budget for the past year to provide pensions and benefits to its soldiers.
That battle killed too many people and destroyed too many families. The compensation money has not been fully distributed to this day, and the navy can't even afford a four-course meal with soup in the mess hall.
This is still Marineford; only thanks to the reputation of the Marine Headquarters can they guarantee at least one meat dish and one vegetable dish per meal, with unlimited rice.
As for the Marine Branch below, haha!
That guy could have been a bully in the village, but you took over the security, and in the beginning, the various naval branches were struck by lightning quite a bit. You even killed two branch officers who were at the Vice Admiral level.
As a result, the branch was in an even worse situation, as they might not even have enough rice.
However, Dark Bird did a good job with logistics, providing a lot of supplies to each branch, which allowed them to barely get by.
At this point, even the usually unrestrained Borsalino showed a hint of melancholy in his eyes.
But just a moment later, the trace of melancholy in his eyes vanished!
"Look at me, I'm just spouting nonsense. Everyone has suffered through this, and you, my lord, haven't left the throne for a full eleven months."
I do want to rest, but if I had to rest for eleven months, my butt would be raw from sitting so much.
Besides, you haven't rested at all; instead, you're constantly monitoring almost half the world for any illegal activity!
Borsalino gave Gawain an admiring look, then shook his head slightly and continued.
"Even those who died in that battle, if they could have seen the Grand Line that year with their own eyes."
They discovered that their hometown had almost become a peaceful place where doors were left unlocked at night.
They'll be very happy then, won't they?
My lord... ah.
I'm not trying to be sentimental.
"But you've really gone through a lot of trouble!"
As soon as he finished speaking, Borsalino, with a proud smirk, raised a glass to Gawain.
Gawain drank a glass, then put down his glass and asked Borsalino.
"I heard that Sakazuki and Kuzan have been having quite a bit of a falling out lately?"
"Ha, that? Of course."
Kizaru chuckled.
"That's how it is, sir."
Didn't we win a great victory in that previous battle?
Okay, maybe it wasn't a resounding victory, but no matter how many we lost, the pirates lost far more.
In short, we won, so the Fleet Admiral Sengoku will soon receive his reward.
If it weren't for the complicated process of distributing the compensation this year, the team's Fleet Admiral would have already been preparing to go to Mary Geoise to replace the air force commander!
It's been dragging on for almost a year now. According to Fleet Admiral Sengoku, he will really have to leave the navy in eight or nine months at the latest.
He's gone, but the position he left behind remains, and it's inevitable that one of us Admiral will fill that position.
You know me, sir. I'm not interested in those boring days with no rest.
So it's either Sakazuki or Kuzan; one of them will eventually succeed Sengoku as Fleet Admiral.
As a result, well, they were like ice and fire, one cold and the other fiery, and that's how they started fighting!
It started as a simple contest for the title of Fleet Admiral, but later it devolved into a contest over strategic direction.
One is radical, the other is focused on stability; one is eager to conquer the New World, the other is determined to win over Four Blues.
In short, they've caused quite a stir during this time. If you hadn't woken up then, they might have had a life-or-death battle a few months later to decide who would become the Fleet Admiral!
Logically speaking, the position of Fleet Admiral should be decided by the Five Elders.
But to be honest, sir, ever since you rose to prominence, our navy, relying on your back, has indeed become somewhat compliant but disobedient.
Although the Five Elders hinted that Kuzan would inherit the position of Fleet Admiral, no one in the Navy was willing to listen to them. Even Garp, who originally supported Kuzan, chose to withdraw from the world and stay out of it because of the Five Elders' hints.
Perhaps the Five Elders felt they should indeed consider your wishes, so Five Elders only hinted and never issued any orders.
And so, the Five Elders' opinions were completely disregarded by the two of them; they still intended to have a proper fight to decide.
You should really keep an eye on those two.
The way they were acting was making this old man uneasy."
As soon as he finished speaking, Borsalino let out a long sigh.
What has he been living each day like these past year?
Sakazuki spoke with him in the morning.
Kuzan spoke with him in the afternoon!
Sengoku wanted to talk to him again that night!!!
Can't we have some private space?
Hearing Borsalino's sigh, Gawain roughly understood the navy's problems.
Borsalino did not mention the Dark Bird Ship, so the ideological conflict that occurred simultaneously in the two departments was probably initiated by the Navy.
After the war, the navy and the Dark Bird Ship were considered to have fought side by side.
In addition, the two sides are very close to each other, and the Dark Bird Ship also has a series of entertainment businesses such as a casino.
As things progressed, it was only natural that the navy and the Dark Bird Ship gradually drew closer.
Gawain could even imagine that, as they gradually became more familiar with each other, Sakazuki himself would become a very charismatic person, as would Kuzan.
As a result, emotionally, I'm more inclined towards Sakazuki's smile, Aramaki, Bullet.
They truly followed Sakazuki and genuinely wanted to invade the New World.
Characters like Rayleigh, Mihawk, and Kuma are closer to Kuzan in terms of personality.
They naturally didn't want to.
So...
Why...
"To quell external threats, we must first secure internal stability, "Kizaru Gawain, clapping his hands lightly.
"I understand. Don't worry, I'll appease them in my own way."
Take a good rest. You haven't been eating well lately, so have a good meal here.
I'll wait for Kuzan and Sakazuki!
After saying that, Gawain looked towards Marineford from afar.
About forty minutes later, two oddly-looking ships came into Gawain's view.
The two ships clearly had the same goal, yet they were quite far apart.
They'd rather drive side-by-side than one in front of the other; this has truly deepened the conflict.
When Gawain saw the two of them, they naturally saw Gawain as well.
So, Kuzan surged across the sea for a while, while Sakazuki leaped swiftly through the air.
Well, they both arrived at the Dark Bird Ship at the exact same time, but one landed at the bow and the other jumped onto the stern...
After approaching Gawain from the left and right, Sakazuki stood there with his arms crossed and a cold expression.
Kuzan, with his hands in his pockets, didn't even glance at Sakazuki, but simply bowed to Gawain.
Looking at the two people who so utterly despised each other, Gawain shook his head with amusement.
"Look at the two of you!"
Damn it, are you guys playing house?
Is it because they're children that they have to ignore each other for so many days after a conflict?
"You guys are supposed to be Marine Admiral? And you think you can become Fleet Admiral?"
At this point, Gawain waved to Borsalino, who was not far away.
"Borsalino, why don't you become the Fleet Admiral!"
"Oh no, no, no! How about I quit my job and come take care of your flowers, sir!"
Doesn't that Binz scholar on your ship spend all his time researching optimal planting methods?
I'll use my sunshine to help him!
While chatting and laughing, Sakazuki waved to Borsalino and Kuzan.
He certainly had the right to wave his hand, since he was their senior.
Seeing that Gawain had used Kizaru to sow discord between them, Kuzan and Sakazuki temporarily put aside their hostile attitude and instead huddled together to bow to Gawain.
After bowing, the two of them naturally went to Kizaru's left and right, and sat down on either side of Kizaru without even looking at each other.
The moment his butt touched the bench, Sakazuki couldn't help but say to Gawain.
"My lord, after their defeat in that battle, the New World pirates quickly shook off the shadow of their loss and gathered around Red-Haired Shanks!"
Even Charlotte Linlin's first mate has followed Red-Haired Shanks!
On one hand, the Red-Haired Pirates are gradually growing stronger and are already showing signs of Rocks Pirates!
On the other hand, Blackbeard, who inherited Whitebeard's legacy, secretly developed his power on Beehive Island!
Red-Haired Shanks and Blackbeard, one in the open and one in the shadows, are about to regain all the strength they lost last year!
We absolutely cannot stand by and watch them grow stronger. We must take the initiative and finally crush everything that remains of them!
"Fart!!!"
Before Sakazuki could finish speaking, Kuzan slapped his thigh hard.
"In that war, the navy lost more than two million men, was seriously wounded 1.3 million, and suffered more than five million minor injuries!"
To treat the wounded and to pay compensation for the dead marines.
The navy is still in debt, and every month its military budget has to be repaid to Mary Geoise!
In this situation, the entire navy was eating meager rations. Although there was some replenishment in military strength, the navy's combat power did not increase at all, and the vast majority of new recruits had not even left the training grounds yet!
In this situation, you actually want to continue fighting with them?
You're not trying to eliminate the pirates!
You're just trying to wipe out the navy first!!!