A Heavy Blow to the Navy's Reputation

"First, let's rule out a few figures from the Navy: Fleet Marshal Kong, Admiral Buddha Sengoku, Marine Vice Admiral Garp the Hero, and former Admiral Zephyr. They're strong enough to handle a Great Pirate like this without going through all that trouble. They could take him down by themselves." Rediat stroked his chin, seemingly deep in thought, and said slowly.

"The candidate is someone below them, someone in the upper echelons of the navy."

Rediat stood before Atchison, looking into the depths of Atchison's heart. Atchison froze, feeling as if Rediat had seen right through Rediat, as if his body had been stripped bare.

It seemed that there were no secrets in Rediat's presence.

Suddenly, he remembered a rumor about "The Lone Red," a rumor that seemed to be known only to the highest-ranking members of the Navy, such as Sengoku and Garp, who had come into contact with Redfield.

Because Redfield is beyond his reach, and if he were to encounter her, he would most likely die at the hands of "The Lone Red".

Although he was unclear about the details, he had obtained some information. It was said that "The Lone Red" possessed the power to see through people's hearts. Just like the current situation, having already determined Rediat's identity in his heart, although there was no concrete evidence, it was certain that Rediat had very likely inherited Redfield's power.

In that case, has Rediat already found out about the information he's been hiding?

Looking up at Rediat, Archison's pupils contracted involuntarily. In a place unseen by the image, Rediat smiled at him, a mysterious and eerie smile on his face, which sent a chill down Atchison's spine.

However, he couldn't speak. He hadn't undergone any training to overcome the effects of Seastone. Unable to use his abilities and with his physical strength severely weakened, he couldn't even unleash Haki, because using Haki requires immense physical strength.

From the shadows beneath his feet, countless tiny shadow tentacles had already seeped into his body through his wounds, even taking control of his body and rendering him speechless.

This is a minor technique developed by Rediat. Although it's not very useful in actual combat, it's somewhat effective against such "weak" opponents.

Therefore, the situation is now entirely under Rediat's control, and it's Rediat's time to shine.

"Kuzan, no, he only joined the Navy eight years ago."

"Borsalino, or rather, not him. Given his penchant for muddying the waters, I admire his 'ambiguous justice.'"

Ambiguity doesn't mean indifference. While it might seem like he's just going through the motions at work, Borsalino's sense of justice is actually somewhere between Sakazuki's and Kuzan's Absolute Justice.

This is a balance, which is why Poro would volunteer in Lino's future to defeat the Supernovas but instead capture a bunch of pirates who had no impact on the world, thus appeasing the Celestial Dragons' anger.

If it were Sakazuki, he wouldn't let any of these pirates go.

In Kuzan's heart, there are some good pirates like "adventurers." He would let them go, like the future Straw Hat Pirates, but he would not let other evil pirates go unpunished.

Under Borsalino's ambiguous sense of justice, pirates can exist and need to exist; they are needed to maintain the balance of the world. Without these pirates, the World Government might become even more arrogant, and the Celestial Dragons even more overbearing.

"Sakazuki, this is very much like his style of 'Absolute Justice,' and it's also like the kind of behavior he would do."

Upon hearing this, Sakazuki, far away at Marine Headquarters, immediately turned pale. Was he being blamed for this? He wasn't about to take the fall.

"However, he wouldn't do that unless absolutely necessary. With his abilities, he wouldn't resort to such low-level methods. Even eight years ago, there would have been simpler, more effective, and less damaging methods. He wouldn't do something like that so easily. Otherwise, no matter how strong he is, he would still be locked up in prison."

"As the most qualified soldier in the navy right now, if it really came down to this, it would only be to obey orders from superiors."

Rediat analyzed Sakazuki thoroughly. At that time, Sakazuki had been with the Marine Headquarters for two years.

However, he was in the same class as Borsalino, and he already possessed considerable strength when he entered the Marine Headquarters.

Before that, they were members of the Shikai Marine Branch. Because Zephyr established the Marine Elite Training Camp, they were recommended to the Marine Headquarters for their outstanding performance.

Upon hearing this, Sakazuki's face relaxed, he sat up straight, and then glanced disdainfully at the Marine Vice Admiral. He was right, how could he, Sakazuki, resort to such low-level tactics? Moreover, the phrase "the most qualified soldier in the navy" pleased him greatly.

The others were somewhat surprised, especially Sengoku and Tsuru, two wise men within the Navy. They hadn't expected Rediat to know so much about Sakazuki and to have such a good grasp of information about these people within the Navy. They even suspected that there might be a spy from the Night Pirates within the Navy.

Next, Rediat named out the names of several Marine Vice Admiral, analyzed them briefly, and then eliminated them. However, Rediat's analysis was so bad it made you want to punch him.

Finally, Rediat uttered the name of a Marine Vice Admiral, "Vice Admiral Makudi, average strength, very ordinary among Marine Vice Admiral, average appearance, even a bit ugly, lacks the aura of a strongman, somewhat sleazy, probably an abuser of power, with some connections behind him, becoming Marine Vice Admiral in his forties, a late bloomer, the Mandra Island incident was probably the opportunity that led him to become Marine Vice Admiral..."

Rediat spoke slowly, sketching the image of the Marine Vice Admiral in the minds of the audience. However, upon hearing Rediat's assessment, some couldn't help but laugh, and some even burst out laughing.

Regarding Rediat's evaluation of these Marine Vice Admiral, aside from the earlier ones, the later Marine Vice Admiral were all described by Rediat as "average," "ordinary," "not bad," or "not bad at all." When did Marine Vice Admiral become so insignificant?

At Marine Headquarters, all eyes were on Vice Admiral Makudi. Rediat gave a brief evaluation of the other Vice Admiral before quickly moving on.

When it comes to Makudi, the descriptions are more detailed: he's a bit ugly, his skills are average, he's ordinary, somewhat sleazy, he has connections, and he's a late bloomer. Coupled with the earlier "has connections," is that some kind of sarcasm?

Some sailors couldn't help but laugh, looking at Vice Admiral Makudi. They hadn't noticed before, but now that they saw it, it was indeed true; he looked rather lewd.

However, this was an important occasion, and Makudi was still his colleague, so he refrained from laughing.

As Vice Admiral Makudi himself, he had a somber face; how could he feel good being judged like that?

However, some people noticed that Rediat's introduction was very detailed, unlike the previous Marine General.

Rediat has already revealed that the Mandra Island incident was the catalyst for Vice Admiral Makudi's promotion. Could it really be this Marine Vice Admiral?

"It's him, Vice Admiral Makudi." Rediat smiled, seemingly asking a question, but actually quite certain.

As for why, Atchison was somewhat clear about it, but the others did not. The Marine Headquarters was also somewhat surprised. They knew that Rediat could guess it, but they were not surprised. Possessing strong Observation Haki, they could judge through emotions and psychological fluctuations. They believed that Rediat discovered it in this way.

"Is it him? Think carefully. These are five hundred precious lives. Whether to save them or not is up to you, Vice Admiral Atchison." Rediat looked at Atchison and smiled slowly, continuing to put pressure on Vice Admiral Atchison.

Atchison closed his eyes helplessly and sighed. He had foreseen this situation after learning that Rediat might have such abilities.

At this point, there was no point in hiding it; Rediat wanted him to say the name himself.

"Don't say it!" Vice Admiral Makudi roared inwardly. His body was frozen solid, preventing him from escaping. His face was ashen, and filled with fear.

If he didn't speak out, he would still have a chance to live. At most, he would be purged from within the organization and removed from his position. Even if Kuzan took action, he would only have to pay a price. Plus, he had some old friends from his years in the Navy. If he kept a low profile, he could still live out his old age in peace.

However, once he said it, he would really have no chance to turn things around. Thinking of Rediat's previous words about public execution, he couldn't help but feel a little scared. By then, his fate of being abandoned by the Navy would be sealed.

This barely concealed fear was easily detected by Observation Haki. They looked at Makudi with disdain, thinking, "Where were you before?"

"It's Makudi," Atchison said, closing his eyes.

Vice Admiral Makudi felt utterly powerless, as if he would collapse to the ground at any moment, but it was no use. His entire lower body was frozen solid; he was completely finished, his mind a blank.

Sengoku and a few others who were still relatively rational were somewhat helpless. Atchison had been completely controlled by Rediat and was now on the defensive.

Indeed, Atchison's life was entirely in Rediat's hands; what ability did he have to resist?

"Has the Navy degenerated to this extent? How can someone like this become Marine Vice Admiral? It seems the Navy doesn't represent justice after all. Before becoming a pirate, I was even thinking of becoming a Marine Admiral. Who knows if a Marine Vice Admiral with such immense power is secretly colluding with pirates?"

Rediat's words caused an uproar on the sea. The navy did not represent justice. If his previous words were subtle sarcasm, then this was very open.

Justice is the most prominent banner of the navy. It is precisely because the navy represents justice that countless people with lofty ideals join the navy, enabling it to expand, possess the power to suppress the seas, and become the true hegemon of the seas.

If the navy can't represent justice, then is it still the navy? This is tantamount to undermining the navy's foundation. And the following statement, "colluding with pirates," frightens some people—fear of the navy.

They raise the banner of justice and outwardly wear the mask of righteousness, but secretly they collude with pirates to commit evil.

The scariest thing is not knowing that the savior you've been hoping for is actually the one who hurt you.

As for that joke about getting the position of Admiral, he's already a pirate now, so it's his own business and nobody else cares.

Meanwhile, at Marine Headquarters, the Marine General horribly grim faces, staring intently at Rediat in the video. These words undoubtedly offended the entire Navy, and more importantly, combined with the incident mentioned by Atchison, they undoubtedly exacerbated the world's distrust of the Navy.

They also realized that Rediat's goal was to damage the Navy's reputation and make the world more chaotic.

This matter must be resolved; we must restore the public's trust in the navy.

"So, if the Navy isn't clean inside, how can it uphold justice? I once heard someone say that some Navy personnel are just pirates disguised as righteous people. Is that what you mean?" Rediat asked Atchison with a smile.

"The Navy is righteous!" Atchison's eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Rediat, his teeth clenched, blood dripping from them, his body trembling uncontrollably. This was rage, as were countless other Navy personnel, all staring intently at the pirate who had repeatedly belittled their beliefs.

Atchison felt a pang of regret; he should have died. He should have ended his own life earlier, and things wouldn't have turned out this way.

But now, he can't even commit suicide; the lines of shadow have taken control of his entire body.

"What justice? Hypocritical justice?" Rediat asked disdainfully. The times need chaos, the world needs more disorder. The stability within the Navy and the growth of the Navy will contribute to the stability of this seashore, which the Night Pirates do not need.

Only when the seas become turbulent will the Night Pirates have more time to develop and prepare.

Therefore, the Navy needed to be under greater pressure, which is why Teach and he devised this open conspiracy. Even if Atchison hadn't said anything, he had other ways to damage the reputation of the entire Navy.

The Night Pirates need time to develop. They are already far behind the giants of the New World. Only in chaos can they develop rapidly, gain more benefits, and catch up with them.

After this, the Night Pirates might become a major target of the Navy, but they don't care, because they are no longer someone the Navy can easily control.

Even if high-level combat forces are dispatched to encircle and suppress them, they can get advance notice and escape.

We've already reached the first half of the Grand Line. Before long, once we reach the New World, although we'll face even greater challenges, the sky's the limit.