Responding

The navy's situation is dire. Since the Affiliated Nation don't even care about the World Government, let alone the navy, and they can take action without any pressure.

The Navy can't say anything either; since the World Government and the Navy failed to fulfill their agreements with the Affiliated Nation, they naturally don't need to care about their opinions.

The navy has truly reached a point of life or death; this is what they realize, and it is precisely because of this that they must take action.

The military funding provided by the World Government is barely enough to sustain operations, and it's uncertain when the next allocation of funds will be received.

The World Government itself is struggling to survive, let alone manage its Affiliated Nation.

At this point, the best course of action is for the navy to save itself.

Therefore, the entire meeting room was abuzz with discussion, and people offered their ideas in response to the various problems facing the navy.

An advisor was jotting down useful information in a notebook, while Tsuru and Sengoku nodded from time to time, or shook their heads inwardly.

Their approach is to pool ideas from all sources; any useful thought can be absorbed.

Regarding the food problem, fishing and hunting alone are not a solution.

Borrowing grain is impossible; the seas are chaotic, pirates are attacking and plundering, and all the kingdoms are likely facing food shortages.

Moreover, the price of grain in the market has increased by a full 30%.

After much thought, the only solution seemed to be farming. It was truly laughable that a dignified navy officer couldn't even afford to eat.

The Navy actually has its own plantation base, after all, many navy families still live in Marineford.

However, the scale of these planting bases is not large compared to the navy's massive size, and now the navy needs more of its own food production areas.

This was their decision; on the nautical charts of the Grand Line, in the waters surrounding Marineford, they highlighted some islands suitable for cultivation.

The ocean environment means that as long as you are willing to work hard, you won't starve; there are too many places suitable for planting.

Furthermore, each Marine Branch was strictly required to grow its own grain and have its own grain production areas.

This trend actually emerged during the war, but it was not on a large scale, and the harvest of food also took time.

Now, the navy needs food bases capable of supporting its own consumption.

The plan received approval from others immediately.

Of course, during this transition period, the country will still need to rely on the limited military funding provided by the World Government, and similarly, it will need to borrow money and food from its Affiliated Nation.

The four seas are the foundation of the World Government, but the foundation of the Navy is the Grand Line. The Grand Line still needs the Navy to suppress pirates.

Pirates on the Grand Line are not as easy to deal with as pirates on the other seas, who can be defeated simply by relying on powerful firepower.

Their overall strength has improved by several levels. Therefore, the kingdoms on the Grand Line cannot, like the four seas, struggle to cultivate strong individuals. This is something the New World Navy cannot replace.

In order to resist pirates and reduce losses, it is believed that the Affiliated Nation will lend money to the Navy and will not watch the Navy continue to decline like this.

Secondly, it is necessary to consolidate power. For example, in terms of intelligence, except for the necessary intelligence points, the rest must be withdrawn. All intelligence outposts in the Four Seas and the New World must be dismantled. Although intelligence is very important, they must streamline themselves, reduce their burden, and decrease their consumption of intelligence.

Maintaining the navy's vast intelligence network is extremely costly in terms of finances and requires continuous investment; the current tightening of controls is an unavoidable necessity.

The costs were simply too high. Moreover, the navy's intelligence network had already been severely damaged during the war and was being suppressed by various forces.

Sometimes, the development of espionage requires financial support, and bribery is always the simplest and most common way to obtain intelligence.

The disruption of the funding chain exposed many of the navy's spies, whose fates were naturally not good. Even those who were not killed were forced to flee and eke out a living.

The reduction of the intelligence network was not only to reduce consumption, but also to protect and save the intelligence personnel that the navy had painstakingly trained. Every sacrifice was a huge loss for the navy.

Finally, it is essential to manage the internal turmoil and instability within the navy. Before doing anything else, the most fundamental thing is to ensure internal stability.

In such a crisis, the navy must unite as one and work together.

Before this, the Navy's top officials need to set a good example themselves.

"Gentlemen, let us fight together, hold fast to our beliefs, and overcome this difficult time together. I entrust this to you!" Sengoku stood up, took the lead, and bowed deeply to all the high-ranking naval officers present.

The Sengoku was very sincere, which deeply touched them.

"For justice!" A thunderous shout swept away the worries in the hearts of all the sailors, replaced by high morale and a strong sense of confidence in the future, despite the immense pressure they faced.

At this point, they need to work together; they have already felt the will of the Sengoku.

"Meeting adjourned!"

In the G7 Branch, Prodi glanced at Novoya behind him, took a sip of his wine, and chuckled, "How's it going?"

Novoya looked helplessly at Prodi and laughed, "The Navy is in a really bad state. I'm starting to regret joining the Navy. Old man, you should retire soon and leave these troublesome matters to others."

"Is it really okay to say something like that so directly?" Kake, somewhat speechless.

"Haha, to be honest, I want to retire now. I'm really going to be exhausted soon, but I can still hold on for a few more years." Prodi laughed as he stood up, raised his arm, clenched his fist, and shouted like a playful old man, "Let's go, respond to headquarters' call, let's go farming!"

Meanwhile, the other Marine General all sprang into action, some going to fight pirates, others to farm, each with their own mission, all brimming with fighting spirit.

Similarly, the World Government has also held meetings on this matter in recent days, but even the Navy doesn't know the specifics of the discussions.

The World Government has contacted Affiliated Nation from all over the world multiple times, hoping to hold Reverie in advance to discuss the matter of the Heavenly Gold.

The Reverie is held every four years. The monarchs of 50 World Government Member States Reverie in Holy Land Mary Geoise every four years to discuss issues of security and order worldwide.

The existence of the Reverie is of positive significance to the world.

The Reverie discusses proposals put forward by various countries, and once passed, all member states will implement them unconditionally. This is a very important parliament for every country.

The heads of state of the participating countries would definitely attend in person, because it concerned the future interests of their own countries and they would certainly not neglect it. Therefore, all the heads of state of the member states arrived at the Holy Land Mary Geoise.

Of course, this meeting will not last long, as there are too many controversial issues, and bickering will definitely take a lot of time.

For these heads of state who genuinely desire national development, meeting with each other and having ample time to reach an agreement is an excellent opportunity. After all, opportunities for meetings between nations are rare under normal circumstances, making the meeting in Mary Geoise a timely and opportune moment.

The adoption of the Seven Warlords of the Sea system requires approval from the Reverie.

The last time the Seven Warlords of the Sea system was passed, it was under the strong pressure of the World Government. This was mainly because the Shichibukai, no matter what they did in the Grand Line, did not have much impact on the Affiliated Nation of the Four Seas. In addition, given the World Government's strength, they were willing to give the World Government face.

Even though some Affiliated Nation disagreed, the system was ultimately passed by a majority vote.

The World Government hoped to hold Reverie ahead of schedule; however, most of the Affiliated Nation, as if they had agreed beforehand, all refused.

Furthermore, it issued a statement through the media severing ties with the World Government and ceasing to be World Government Member States.

This statement dealt a heavy blow to the World Government, which were already severely damaged.

The Golden Sea Battle not only resulted in defeat and depleted the World Government's resources, but also caused the World Government to lose the four seas, with a large number of Affiliated Nation breaking away from the World Government.

This was something the World Government hadn't anticipated; the situation had gotten this bad.

In their original plan, all they needed to do was admit their mistake, humble themselves, and reduce the amount of Heavenly Gold that Affiliated Nation had to hand over. Out of respect for the World Government, the Affiliated Nation would agree.

However, no one could have predicted that these Affiliated Nation would go so far as to secede from them.

If they had foreseen this outcome, they would never have started this war, but now it's too late for regrets.

The turmoil in the four seas was largely due to the suppression of the World Government's intelligence network. Many agents were sent to fight in the Golden Sea Battle and to carry out missions targeting wealthy individuals who were being monitored by the World Government, resulting in a significant weakening of surveillance over the four seas.

This is why the World Government failed to notice some of the more obvious warning signs, and by the time they realized what was happening and received the information, it was too late.

The World Government is powerful, having demonstrated its strength to the world through the Golden Sea Battle, and there are also some powerful figures who have yet to make their move.

However, the Affiliated Nation are not worried about the World Government using force against them. They are not individuals, but a whole, representing a vast sea area, where a single action can have far-reaching consequences.

Especially in the event that the World Government has suffered a major blow, there are sufficient means to target the World Government impose restrictions on it economically and materially.

As the four largest sea areas, they are more stable than the Grand Line, which means there are more people, a more prosperous national economy, and more abundant resources.

Furthermore, it could fund the rebels on the Red Line, supporting their uprising and turning the Red Line into a battlefield that drains the World Government once again.

The World Government cannot arbitrarily interfere in other countries, even non- Affiliated Nation; once it does, the nature of the matter changes completely.

The World Government has only had over 170 members to date, and now it has lost more than half of them, which can be said to be a complete return to square one.

Although the rebellion on the Red Line was suppressed, it continues in secret, causing losses to the World Government, and the Navy is still pressing for money.

The World Government knew time was of the essence, and while the Navy was trying to save itself, they were also trying to find a solution.

They intensified their harvesting of the Red Line, even though they knew it would likely provoke fiercer resistance from Red Line inhabitants, but they needed the funds.

Moreover, they didn't take the rebellion of some residents on the Red Line seriously. Even though it was a large-scale uprising and could cause some trouble, it was still nothing more than that.

The World Government is very confident in its strength and believes that it can easily suppress the enemy by sending just one powerful figure.

Selling off assets—some of the treasures kept by the World Government are highly sought-after items, and if taken out, they would be coveted by thousands.

These are collections from the past eight hundred years; even the World Government doesn't know how many there are, and they are all concentrated in the Holy Land Mary Geoise.

This is unavoidable; with the seas in turmoil, the prices of these treasures are lower. In times of stability, their prices would certainly be much higher.

The World Government urgently needs money and cannot wait until the oceans are stable.

Therefore, a great deal of treasure and precious gems flowed from the Holy Land into the sea, into auction houses, and into the black market, and were sold through various channels to raise funds.

Finally, regarding the issue of the Heavenly Gold, the World Government's Reverie, which it had wanted to convene earlier, was held ahead of schedule, set for a month after the end of the Golden Sea Battle.

However, there were far fewer member Affiliated Nation; most were Affiliated Nation on the Grand Line, with only a few from the four seas, and none from the New World Affiliated Nation.

That area was already pirate territory, and it's even more so now. The Navy has been driven out of the New World once again after many years.

In this situation, attending the Reverie is pointless and a waste of time. They all know that the Navy cannot provide them with protection, so why bother attending?

Although they have no intention of leaving the Affiliated Nation, this does not mean they are willing to hand over their Heavenly Gold for nothing.

The handover of the Heavenly Gold is tentatively scheduled for one to two months after the Reverie.

During this period, the navy must protect the waters of the Affiliated Nation, prevent pirate attacks, and safeguard the interests of the Affiliated Nation. Only in this way will the Affiliated Nation be willing to hand over the Heavenly Gold.

They were escorted by the navy.

This was all decided from the beginning, before the Reverie began.

Of course, specific details, such as how much "Heavenly Gold" should be paid, must be discussed at the Reverie.

During this period, the World Government must weather the nearly two months of the arrival of the Heavenly Gold, and also needs to invest funds in the Navy to help it recover and rebuild.

Purchasing weapons and building warships are essential; only by restoring the navy can the demands promised by the World Government to its Affiliated Nation be fulfilled, and only then will the Affiliated Nation be willing to hand over the Heavenly Gold to the World Government.

In preparation for the Reverie, both World Government and navies mobilized.

The Navy received a massive injection of funds from the World Government, which revitalized it. In addition to its original plans and operations, it began sending escorts to the kings or important ministers of various Affiliated Nation.

This concerns their future.