Meeting

A man like Whitebeard is always under scrutiny, especially when one knows Whitebeard true intentions.

Other pirate crews, the Flying Pirates, the Big Mom Pirates, pirate crews of all sizes, and various factions.

The Navy, the World Government, and most people in the world are watching the Whitebeard Pirates' actions and the Night Pirates' movements.

Although the great battle has not yet begun, they can all sense that a storm is brewing and drawing ever closer.

Morgans' World Economic News has started live streaming, paying close attention to every move on the battlefield. The long and tedious wait has not worn down their patience; on the contrary, they are becoming more and more expectant.

At Marine Headquarters, all the high-ranking naval officers gathered, closely monitoring the situation in preparation for the major battle.

Although they couldn't intervene, the Navy and the World Government were not lagging behind in intelligence, constantly monitoring various intelligence and developments in the New World.

The Golden Sea Battle inflicted heavy losses on the World Government and its navy, especially on the intelligence network in the New World. However, with the massive investment of funds, their intelligence agencies quickly stabilized from the chaos.

Some parts have now been recovered.

Marine Headquarters meetings have become routine, even if they cannot intervene in matters of the New World, especially the central part of the New World, which is an area that the Navy currently finds difficult to reach.

For events like the Chaos Sea War, the war between the Beasts Pirates and Wano Country, and other major incidents, the Navy holds a special meeting whenever such events occur.

Because they know that it may be difficult to do now, but the New World is a battlefield they will step into again sooner or later, and the Navy will not remain silent forever.

Therefore, they need to keep abreast of information about the New World and the changing situation, and be informed as soon as possible.

Many Marine General participated in the meeting via video projection. In the past two years, every naval officer has been very busy, especially those stationed overseas, who are rarely able to return.

In such an era, many pirates, regardless of who they are, feel a lot of pressure. Some pirates are even very powerful and constantly cause trouble. In the process, the Navy also suffers considerable losses.

Novoya is considered part of the Navy's operations outside the main fleet. Although the Sabaody Archipelago is very close to the Marine Headquarters, the Commodore is already considered a high-ranking officer in the Navy, although not the true core of the Navy.

When Novoya appeared, many people focused their attention on Novoya, and news about Novoya had been spreading like wildfire throughout the Navy.

Novoya was in his office at the Sabaody Archipelago Marine Branch, enjoying a meal.

A large, steaming steak sat on the table. Novoya, knife in one hand and fork in the other, savored the meal slowly, like a nobleman.

On the table were precious wines and fruits, making it seem like they were having afternoon tea, rather than attending a serious meeting.

On the wall behind Novoya hung a calligraphy scroll, written by Novoya himself, which read "Justice as one pleases," as if mocking them.

Novoya never hid himself, which is why he didn't have many close friends in the Marine Headquarters.

Novoya didn't care about this. He would train his subordinates himself. When they reached a certain level and became Marine Vice Admiral, their status and power would be greatly enhanced, and naturally more and more people would gather around him.

For him, becoming Marine Vice Admiral was not a problem, but rather quite easy, as long as he accumulated enough military merits and received help from the World Government.

Moreover, there are currently many vacancies in the Navy's Marine Vice Admiral positions, and only two positions have been filled in the past two years.

Along the way to promotion, Novoya also saw some familiar faces; they were all spies from the Night Pirates had infiltrated the Navy.

As they were carefully selected, their strength and potential are not bad. Although they are not as good as Novoya, their promotion speed is also very fast, ranking among the top in all the Navy.

Furthermore, given the current shortage of personnel in the navy, there is a high chance of promotion for those with lower ranks, resulting in relatively fast promotion rates.

Although they didn't know Novoya knew them and would secretly help them with promotions. While it wasn't overt support, he would give them more credit whenever the opportunity arose.

Novoya ignored their stares and continued to do as he pleased.

In the shadows, someone glanced at Novoya, paused briefly, then stood at attention, maintaining a military posture.

Importantly, he wore sunglasses, had Inazuma- shaped sideburns on both sides of his face, and had a few French fries stuck to his face.

This naval officer named Vergo, who was planted in the Navy by Doflamingo, has now risen to the ranks of the Navy's high command.

Compared to the original story, he joined the Navy six years earlier and received instruction from Zephyr at the Marine Elite Training Camp, resulting in rapid improvement in his strength.

He joined the Navy at the age of twenty, graduated from the elite training camp, and as Zephyr's disciple, he was also a rising star in the Marine Headquarters, known as "Demon Bamboo".

After graduation, he went directly to the most dangerous New World to hone his skills, experiencing a great battle between the Navy and New World pirates without sacrificing himself, which must have been due to Doflamingo's secret help.

Vergo's resume is outstanding, and he is known for his meticulousness, leading by example, and earning the trust of his subordinates.

That is why Vergo is now a Commodore, working in the G1 Branch in the New World, and will soon be promoted to rear Rear Admiral, eventually becoming the commander of a naval fortress.

Having received Zephyr's tutelage and honed his skills over a long period in the New World, Vergo's strength far surpasses that of his contemporaries.

Vergo was paying some attention to Novoya, a newly risen monster in the Navy and a current icon. His strength and methods were extraordinary, Logia Devil Fruit User. Although Vergo was confident in his own strength, he was likely no match for Novoya if they were to fight.

After all, he knew how terrifying the Steam-Steam Fruit: Cold Steam, hot steam, burning, suffocation, impact, and explosion—it was all perfectly combined. In Novoya's hands, it fully demonstrated the power of a top-tier Devil Fruit.

Smoker, the Logia Devil Fruit User who just joined the Navy, is no match for Novoya.

What caught his attention was Novoya's behavior, which was completely different from that of ordinary naval forces. His extraordinary skills and abilities allowed him to establish connections with various parties, subdue one power after another, and openly and legitimately profit from their interests.

"Dover should be very interested in someone like that, "Vergo thought.

In his view, establishing a connection with Novoya would greatly benefit Doflamingo's business in the first half of the Grand Line.

It's possible that Doflamingo has already secretly made contact with Novoya, after all, Doflamingo is behind the scenes and has many businesses under his control.

He planned to contact Doflamingo when he had the chance, Novoya had even established connections with the World Government, which significantly elevated Novoya's abilities and importance.

After all, Doflamingo's power was still in the development stage. He was involved in the dark businesses of arms trade, slave trade, and drugs, which were his core industries, and he was expanding rapidly.

However, there are too many competitors: powerful arms dealers, the Dark Council, the Beasts Pirates, the Night Pirates, some technologically advanced kingdoms, dark forces, and the Brotherhood.

The Night Pirates naturally also have an arms factory. They have always been self-sufficient, and naturally they also sell guns and ammunition to others. The Night Pirates' weapons are quite famous, established through a series of wars.

The New World is Doflamingo's base of operations, but he is completely dominated by the Brotherhood, managing to snatch only a small portion of the arms business from New World.

The North Sea holds immense value for Doflamingo, but it's separated by "Paradise." If Doflamingo could open up access to "Paradise," it would undoubtedly greatly facilitate the expansion of his arms trade.

Even with his status as Shichibukai, his businesses cannot be made public, as they are all shady.

From the North Blue directly to the New World, his influence in "Paradise" didn't grow very quickly. Although he believed in Doflamingo's abilities and thought it was just a minor issue that would resolve itself in time, he still hoped that the faster his influence would grow, the better.

The crucial issue remains that the World Government has been investigating which internal traitors caused major blunders, leaving internal officials in a state of panic.

This makes it difficult for Doflamingo to establish connections, or perhaps he does, but only in small numbers. In a peaceful context, given Doflamingo's methods, his power would certainly grow rapidly.

Vergo, thinking of Doflamingo's best interests, naturally wanted to find a solution for him.

However, these were still too far off, Vergo cleared his mind of those thoughts.

In comparison, his task is more arduous and more important. Although things have gone relatively smoothly, he dares not relax in the slightest. He will just mention it to Dover when the time comes, and he believes Dover will understand what he means and handle it well.

Doflamingo was very satisfied with Vergo's rapid promotion, and it was a certainty that he would become a Vice Admiral in the future; Vergo was also confident of this.

From the information Doflamingo revealed to him, Vergo knew that Doflamingo was looking for a suitable Devil Fruit to further enhance his strength.

While pursuing greater power, one must also possess the strength to protect oneself. If one's true identity is exposed and Vergo is killed, it would be an absolute huge loss for Doflamingo.

Doflamingo was well aware of the importance of strength. He didn't have any truly powerful subordinates. Pica was one, and Vergo was another. The others were somewhat lacking, and in Doflamingo's eyes, they were only considered decent.

The meeting has begun.

"Shouldn't we take action?" One of the Marines was unwilling to give up. In his view, this was a good opportunity, a good opportunity to weaken the Whitebeard Pirates and the Night Pirates.

A major war would inevitably result in mutual destruction.

"It's no use. This is a battle between Whitebeard and the Dark Emperor. Members of the Whitebeard Pirates and the Night Pirates will definitely be on guard against other forces intervening." Sengoku shook his head.

"Whitebeard won't allow it either. Don't forget, two Night Pirates didn't even make a move. I don't think the rest of the Whitebeard Pirates can stop Shadow Dragon Rediat and Fierce God Ares."

Sengoku's words caused those around him to freeze in shock, some even taking a deep breath.

They then realized that the Night Pirates' power was terrifying to this extent. The Dark Night had three giants, a total of three rulers. Whether it was Shadow Dragon or Fierce God, they were all world-class powerhouses.

"That's right. Rather than saying Whitebeard took the initiative to fight, it's more accurate to say he was forced to fight. The initiative was entirely in the hands of the Night Pirates." Tsuru nodded, then sighed. "Even with Whitebeard, the Whitebeard Pirates are not as strong as the Night Pirates overall, and there is a significant gap between them."

"Let's remain observers in this battle. We've only recently emerged from a difficult situation. Analyzing their strength and abilities through this battle will be invaluable in the future."

Since Tsuru and Sengoku had both said so, no one else had anything to say in rebuttal. Their opinion also represented the mainstream view among the Navy personnel present.

Even Sakazuki felt the same way. He knew the navy's strength was insufficient, and as the head of the Inspection Department, he was even more aware of this. Although it was a judicial department, it also possessed a great deal of intelligence about the navy, giving him a thorough understanding of it.

Moreover, with the Giant race incident, the Navy lost a major asset— the Giant race —and its strength has been significantly weakened.

The Giant race hate deception the most, and neither the Giant race Vice Admiral nor the Giant race can accept it. Even if they don't blame the navy, they will not stay in the navy in the face of Elbaf's recall.

The navy is currently on the rise, and naturally they need to maintain this momentum. Having been driven out of the New World twice, and with their foundation severely damaged the second time, they have finally managed to escape from the darkness. Before they have truly recovered their strength, they do not want to experience a third time.

More importantly, that's the central part of the New World. If you go there, you'll likely face an attack by pirates, and you won't be able to escape; you'll just have to wait to die.

If you're simply thinking of waiting for others to weaken each other so you can reap the benefits, then you're being too simplistic.

Although he didn't say anything, in his heart, Sakazuki had already shaken his head at the Navy officer who had just uttered those words.

As a Marine General, if he can't even see the situation clearly, he's undoubtedly unqualified and has no value for further training. He should just stick to being a henchman.

After all, becoming a general requires more than just strength; wisdom and leadership skills are also things that need to be learned, unless one is exceptionally strong.

Like Sakazuki, Sengoku and other high-ranking naval officers also gave up on that man's future career in the navy, believing that such a person was incapable of shouldering heavy responsibilities.

Next, some other matters were discussed regarding the global situation.

"Although we haven't taken any action, we can't let our guard down. We must keep a close eye on intelligence regarding the various powers in the New World. We'll endure a little longer, and then we'll officially begin clearing the Grand Line." Sengoku stood up, his voice firm and resolute. "Meeting adjourned."

"Yes!"

Sengoku's words excited the other navies, and the focus naturally shifted to eliminating pirates on the Grand Line. As the current foundation of the navy, the navy's operational area only covers about 30% of the Grand Line.

They had been looking forward to this moment for a long time. Although pirates in the New World were difficult to deal with, pirates on the Grand Line were not a big problem for the Navy.

"Clean up the navy?" After the meeting ended, Novoya sat in his office, pondering the content of the meeting.

This incident won't have a significant impact on him; it was bound to happen sooner or later. The number of pirates on the Grand Line might decrease, but the pressure from the Navy will also help select the truly elite and outstanding pirates to venture into the New World.

As for him, being in charge of the final stop on the way to the New World, he would naturally be rewarded, and his rank would rise faster. In short, these were all minor matters.

What he was really interested in was the upcoming battle between Whitebeard and Dark Lord, since he was a member of the Night Pirates and he certainly didn't want Dark Lord to be defeated.

He couldn't decide this kind of thing. Faced with the World's Strongest being like Whitebeard, everyone could actually predict the final outcome; it would definitely favor Whitebeard.

However, the battle to become emperor does not necessarily have to have a winner and a loser.

While the Navy is holding a meeting, the World Government has already taken action, sending agents to infiltrate the New World.

The rise of the Night Pirates is unstoppable. After suffering such severe losses in the Golden Sea Battle, CP0's power has been greatly weakened, and more importantly, it has lost its mystery.

The abilities of the two vice-commanders have been revealed, but this has also enhanced the World Government's deterrent power to some extent, making other forces hesitant to take too much action against the World Government. The World Government still possesses formidable power.

Two years is not enough time for CP0 to recover. Strong individuals are always in short supply, and each CP0 agent is one in a million, selected from a large number of agents.

Of course, some CP0 officials are exceptions. Although they have the status and position of CP0, they do not have the corresponding power, such as Spandine, the former commander of CP9 who launched the Buster Call.

The sacrifice of so many CP0 members has severely weakened CP0, and unlike the Navy, it cannot recover in the short term.

However, the orders still had to be carried out, and the fact that CP0 World Government agents were infiltrating the New World, coupled with the exposure of information about the Road Sign Stone, had greatly angered the World Government.

They were extremely eager to seize a Road Sign Stone; as long as they had one, they could rest easy and wouldn't have to worry about the truth they were trying so hard to hide being exposed.

Unless someone can snatch the Road Sign Stone from the World Government.

Therefore, World Government agents are present in the Big Mom Sea, the Babarossa Kingdom, the Whitebeard Pirates' territory, and even Wano Country, searching for the Road Sign Stone.

Obtaining the Road Sign Stone was no easy feat; Whole Cake Island was like a den of dragons and tigers, completely controlled by the Big Mom Pirates.

Besides, the Road Sign Stone is being protected by Big Mom so closely, how could it possibly be found?

Many agents were exposed and died at the hands of the Big Mom Pirates. The remaining agents remained in hiding, and until they received orders to leave, they had to continue to carry out their duties, sacrificing their lifespans to Big Mom every so often.

The Beasts Pirates had a very tight defense, and the real Road Sign Stone was hidden away. Only Kaido, King, Krell knew that the Road Sign Stone protected by the Beasts Pirates was just a replica.

After all, some Devil Fruit User find it difficult to resist, and the more people know, the worse it is, such as Nelson of the Night Pirates, World Government CP0 member who appeared during the Golden Sea Battle and can hide underground.

Some agents also died while searching for the trail of the Road Sign Stone.

The agents in the Whitebeard Sea had it a bit easier, but in such a vast sea, finding even a tiny rock is extremely difficult.

Wano Country, possessing the last Road Sign Stone, is also a primary target of the World Government. CP0 was dispatched to infiltrate Wano Country, specifically when Kozuki Oden led his Wano Country away.

After suffering heavy casualties, the World Government finally learned the location of the Road Sign Stone in Wano Country through special ability users; it was inside the Shogun's mansion.

After the news of the Road Sign Stone was exposed, in order to protect Road Sign Stone, Kozuki Oden brought the Road Sign Stone to the Shogun's mansion. He trusted his trusted confidants and believed they would not reveal the matter.

However, this is precisely why the location of the Road Sign Stone was revealed.

Even with access to the sea, Wano Country remained unfamiliar with Devil Fruit and had no idea such abilities existed.

As the Beasts Pirates advanced towards Wano Country, a major battle also broke out in Wano Country. The World Government, wanting to seize the Road Sign Stone, used a diversionary tactic.

Unfortunately, they ultimately failed, and CP0 lost two more members, one of whom was "The Gentleman," who died under the siege of the samurai.

Wano Country also suffered great losses. The World Government was about to succeed, but unexpectedly Wano Country went so far as to build a "small house" using Seastone to store the Road Sign Stone.

The World Government, through a surprise attack, poisoning, scheming, and the deployment of numerous agents as cannon fodder, ensured absolute success, yet ultimately failed here.

However, the World Government has not given up. Compared to the unknown, Wano Country, as Road Sign Stone, is obviously easier to obtain.

This matter was kept secret by Wano Country, and no one knew about it except for the World Government and Wano Country. Kozuki Oden never expected that his home would actually be raided after he left.

The losses suffered by Wano Country were greater than imagined, and the World Government also suffered significant losses.

It's conceivable that the World Government's struggle for the Road Sign Stone Wano Country will continue; they won't give up so easily, and they will act whenever the opportunity arises.

In comparison, the battle between Whitebeard and the Dark Emperor is no longer important, since they are both extremely dangerous individuals, and nothing can be changed by any means. There's nothing the Navy can do about it; the Navy will take notice of such matters.

They only need to achieve their goals.

The Road Sign Stone is Pure Gold.

They did not give up on Pure Gold, especially for a group of Celestial Dragons. They lacked nothing except eternal life.

They went to the point of obsession, and after learning that the Pure Gold had fallen into the hands of Golden Lion Shiki, they dispatched a large number of agents, as well as CP0, to the Sky Kingdom of the Flying Pirates.

The Celestial Dragons naturally possess immense power, a power that even the Gorosei cannot control or interfere with.

If they take the initiative, the Flying Pirates will naturally notice, and their strength will be continuously damaged and depleted.

"The captain is here."

Mostima, the Night Pirates, put down the Den Den Mushi and chuckled. Upon hearing this news, the other crew members became excited.

Under the boundless darkness of night, Teach's figure flew swiftly towards the battlefield.

491 Meeting