Meeting

The naval conference room was eerily quiet. However, the purpose of this meeting was not to attack them, but to discuss how to deal with the Night Pirates.

Needing to calm down, Novoya, sitting in a corner, appeared composed and gently tapped the table, breaking the silence of the meeting room.

All eyes fell on Novoya. "Since the Night Pirates are so powerful, their intelligence capabilities must be excellent. If they truly have grand ambitions, they will definitely plant spies in the Navy. That's something we should be concerned about."

Novoya's words were mainly intended to ease the somewhat tense atmosphere and also to bring up a topic for discussion.

Some people understood the meaning behind Novoya's words, and their impression of Novoya changed somewhat, especially since Novoya had just participated in the war against the Flying Pirates and killed many pirates.

Novoya's words also prompted others to think. It would be easy for the Night Pirates to train spies. If that were the case, then they should thoroughly purge them.

"Don't worry about that. The Navy's intelligence isn't to be underestimated. Over the years, we've caught many spies sent by the Night Pirates." Sakazuki glanced at Novoya with approval, but also with a hint of disdain for the Night Pirates.

"Intelligence organizations don't develop that quickly. The Night Pirates are still in their infancy and have a huge gap to close with our navy. Training spies isn't easy; it takes time and systematic training."

At this point, the other marines nodded confidently. They were very confident that the Night Pirates far inferior in this regard.

Sakazuki's words also boosted the morale of the navy personnel in the conference room.

Novoya remained silent, his smile unchanged, though he found it somewhat amusing.

Over the years, the Navy's internal governance has been very effective, and it has captured many spies sent by various forces, with the Night Pirates being the most numerous.

And that is the source of their confidence.

However, the spies sent by the Night Pirates to the Navy were divided into two parts. One part consisted of spies who worked for the Night Pirates through coercion and enticement. These spies were easily exposed and, in reality, were just cannon fodder pushed out by the Night Pirates to deceive the Navy.

The second part consists of these carefully selected elites; the value of these cannon fodder lies in using their deaths to cover for them.

After all, the Dark Night Pirates n't need intelligence at the lower levels. Their intelligence network is much larger than imagined because they started by relying on the intelligence organization controlled by Shakky.

They have expanded rapidly in recent years with a large influx of capital.

It can be said that, apart from Shakky, no other outsider knows how strong the intelligence organization established by the Night Pirates is, after all, it has been developing rapidly for seven or eight years.

The meeting continued. It would be very difficult to target the Night Pirates, given their geographical location in the south-central part of the New World, quite a distance from the Red Line.

Moreover, the entire Night Sea Domain is under the control of the Night Pirates.

Unlike typical pirate crews that only truly control their core territory while nominally owning and indirectly controlling other islands, the Navy's intelligence personnel can infiltrate these forces to gather intelligence.

But that's impossible in the Night Sea Domain, where countless mechanical creatures monitor everything on land, sea, and air.

Although there were intelligence personnel from the World Government and the Navy in the Night Sea Domain, they dared not make any unusual moves, pretending to be ordinary tourists or pirates.

If they try to gather any information or infiltrate areas forbidden to the Night Pirates, they will most likely die; only a small number will be able to pass on the information before they die.

The price paid was too high. Moreover, neither the number of people nor the information about the pirate camps revealed the secrets of the Night Pirates.

After discussing the Night Pirates, the Marine Headquarters continued its discussion on the Navy's future development, recruitment, objectives, and internal adjustments.

The numerous post-war matters, including pensions and various distributions, took two full days to discuss.

"I never expected you to say something like that. I thought you didn't care about any of this and would just be a bystander."

After the meeting ended, in the corridor leading out of the conference room, Jiaji said to Novoya Kake some surprise, since this was always the case. Novoya never cared about these things and continued to do as she pleased.

"Hehe, congratulations on your upcoming promotion to Marine Vice Admiral." Novoya smiled, without replying, and congratulated Kake and Gion on the side.

Gion was with them in the corridor, but only because it was going that way; she followed behind Vice Admiral Tsuru.

However, after the battle with the Flying Pirates, they could be considered comrades-in-arms, and their attitude towards Novoya has changed significantly. At least they can talk to each other now, unlike before.

Furthermore, the three of them were bound together and treated as three monsters of the Navy, even though Novoya's strength was somewhat inferior to their age.

"It's nothing. I thought I'd have to wait a few more years, but the situation changed too quickly. The navy is short of manpower, so they gave us this opportunity." Kake how difficult it was to get promoted in the past, Kake couldn't help but feel a little emotional. His promotion speed had already surpassed that of Sakazuki and Borsalino, two of the current three Admiral, and he was even younger than them back then.

One of the Admiral was lost, killed by the Uranus's cannon fire, reducing the Admiral from Admiral.

Sakazuki and his group achieved their success through outstanding achievements and formidable strength, while they were influenced by the circumstances. Although they were strong, their contributions were incomparable to those of Sakazuki and his group.

"You too, Novoya, you've only been promoted to Vice Admiral for a few years now, guarding the Sabaody Archipelago, accumulating merits much faster than us." Kake also congratulated him, as this was a foregone conclusion.

To be honest, in terms of military achievements, Novoya is no less than them. He governed the Sabaody Archipelago very well with outstanding methods and captured many pirates. Now he has the experience of participating in the war against the Flying Pirates. He can write a great chapter in their achievements. Moreover, Novoya's performance in the war was even better than theirs.

The Steam-Steam Fruit demonstrated immense destructive power, inflicting damage over a vast area. The Logia elemental transformation combined with the ability to fly at great speed allowed Novoya to thrive, killing far more pirates than they could ever hope to.

Even though Novoya's ideology and sense of justice are questionable, his strength has reached a point where they can no longer afford to take him seriously, since Novoya has the potential to become a top-tier fighter.

"As expected." Novoya did not feign modesty, accepting the fact readily, even with his advisor, Tsuru, present.

Climbing upwards is an instinct for humans, even for Novoya. Besides, the Night Pirates have already reached the top, so how could he stagnate at his current position?

He can only gain more benefits by being promoted to Marine Vice Admiral as soon as possible. To be honest, being stationed in the Sabaody Archipelago is a limitation for him now, because he is still under the supervision of the Marine Headquarters.

He was constantly under surveillance, mostly to see if he was doing anything illegal, since Sakazuki, as the Minister of the Inspection Department, was no pushover.

If Novoya could become the commander of a naval fortress, he would be able to openly cultivate his own subordinates.

The Marine Base in the Sabaody Archipelago is still too small.

After the Golden Sea Battle, the Grand Line, including the various naval fortresses within the Marine Headquarters, expanded considerably. Due to the loss of the Four Seas and the New World, the scope of operations shrank, which also meant greater concentration.

The power of the Marine Branch base chiefs has been enhanced, and the number of troops under their command has also increased significantly. Large Marine Branch starting with the letter G have nearly 10,000 troops, and there will be even more in the future.

So, Novoya was thinking about whether he should do something to get the Marine Headquarters to transfer him away from Sabaody Archipelago.

He glanced at Novoya but didn't pay her any attention. In her eyes, Novoya was still an immature little guy who needed to be trained. Besides, compared to his outstanding abilities, a little problem was tolerable.

Overall, the existence of Novoya is more beneficial than harmful to the Navy.

However, a warning is necessary to keep them in line. After all, in such a short time, Novoya's influence and network of connections have grown considerably, spreading outwards from the Sabaody Archipelago.

Holy Land, other forces, and even the Marine Headquarters.

Tsuru felt that Novoya's methods were somewhat similar to Doflamingo's. Doflamingo relied on the World Government's power, namely his status as Shichibukai.

Novoya, on the other hand, relied on the Navy's influence, and similarly, both had considerable strength as their foundation.

Tsuru also needs to consider that the Celestial Dragons are a major and troublesome problem, since the Celestial Dragons and the World Government are very satisfied with Novoya.

However, due to the devastation caused by the Flying Pirates, the Holy Land is currently under reconstruction, so the Celestial Dragons will not come to the Sabaody Archipelago in the short term. Given their arrogance, they will not pay much attention to Novoya.

This is a good opportunity to remove Novoya from this "vortex" and send him to a safer place.

Novoya was unaware that he was still trying to figure out how to leave the Sabaody Archipelago, and that Staff Officer Tsuru was already considering transferring him away from the Sabaody Archipelago.

However, he would have to wait a while to find out about this unexpected surprise.

After the war ends, the World Government and the navy will be extremely busy.

The army suffered the greatest losses in the Holy Land war, but the navy also suffered heavy losses, with more than half of the 100,000 elite troops sent to the Holy Land lost.

The ferocious beasts that Golden Lion Shiki unleashed were not only in the Holy Land, but also at Marine Headquarters, various important naval fortresses, and branches.

The main target was the Marine Headquarters, where a significant area was reduced to ruins. More than 50,000 Navy personnel died there, along with many ordinary residents and relatives of Navy personnel living in Marineford.

In terms of quantity, it was no less than the losses in the Holy Land.

The various Marine Branch also suffered enormous damage and heavy casualties. Those whose strength did not reach a certain level were slaughtered when faced with these ferocious beasts.

The Marine Branch has relatively few strong members, making it difficult to withstand the sheer number of behemoths.

The total losses exceeded 200,000, a terrifying figure. Due to the severity of the losses, the data was suppressed and not released in order to avoid damaging morale.

The navy does indeed need time to recuperate and rebuild, and this time is not enough in two or three years, but more than five years, and even that may not be enough.

The loss of personnel and the economic losses caused the Sengoku period immense worry and pressure.

Every now and then, I would ask former Fleet Marshal Kong, who was now retired at the Marine Headquarters. Kong had been deposed and was naturally no longer able to serve as the Commander-in-Chief of the Navy. Although he still retained the title, he didn't really have any real power.

During the behemoth attack, Kong also contributed a lot, and although his combat power was greatly reduced, he is still a top-tier fighter. In recent years, he has also frequently visited the Navy's new generation of elites, namely the elite training camp led by Zephyr.

When Zephyr was not around, the elite training camp was occasionally led by Sora.

The World Government can't be relied upon, and rebuilding the Holy Land will cost a fortune. They're even counting on the Heavenly Gold! The Navy has to find its own way.

Under extreme pressure, the Navy was forced to become self-sufficient and gradually began to break free from the World Government's restrictions.

Perhaps the Sengoku was also secretly pushing for this situation, but it also meant that the navy had to rely more on its own strength.

Food supplies are not a concern for the time being, but military spending and the maintenance of the navy require a large amount of money, so the navy needs a source of funding.

If this problem can be solved, the Navy can be said to have truly broken free from the control of the World Government and become an independent force.

The World Government can no longer represent the world, although the navy is only among some groups that have developed this awareness.

What the future world will become is not important; Novoya firmly believes that the Night Pirates will dominate everything, and he is an important part of it all.

The Navy's overconfidence amused Novoya; the power of the Night Pirates was taking root within the Navy and would eventually deliver a fatal blow.

He knew that the Night Pirates within the Navy were not weak, and would only grow stronger in the future.

Therefore, he needed to take action and felt a sense of urgency, as becoming Marine Vice Admiral was only the first step.

Although the naval conference room meeting ended, Dark Emperor Teach's bounty stirred up a storm on the high seas, instantly increasing by one billion Beli to reach the five billion Beli mark.

Five billion is a very important number because the bounties of the three legendary pirates all exceed five billion Beli: Roger's five billion, Whitebeard's five billion, and Golden Lion Shiki's five billion.

Whitebeard's bounty increased by 300 million Beli because of his battle with Teach.

Golden Lion Shiki also gained 300 million Beli due to rapid expansion, increasing his total to 5.4 billion Beli from 5.1 billion Beli.

Unexpectedly, the Dark Emperor's bounty increased so much all of a sudden, making him a pirate with the second-highest bounty after Whitebeard.

A careful calculation reveals that the Dark Emperor's bounty increased by 1.8 billion Beli in less than two years, which is truly astonishing.

In contrast, the Night Pirates cheered and felt very proud, as they had long been dissatisfied with their leader's bounty.

Thanks to the current power of the Night Pirates, the Night Sea Domain has become even more prosperous. Although there are many things to deal with and most members of the Night Pirates are quite busy, they are willing to do so, finding it fulfilling and satisfying.

There's also the selection process for members. With a large number of pirates planning to join the Night Pirates, they won't accept members casually; strength is the most basic requirement.

The assessment is quite simple. Unlike previous tests that focused on strength, it involves fighting within Combat Pyramid. Once you reach a certain level, you can become a member of the Night Pirates.

Even ordinary members of the Night Pirates are quite strong; the Night Pirates have always been like this. Now that they've entered the New World, the selection criteria have naturally become more stringent.

The goal of the Night Pirates is for everyone to master Haki.

Moreover, Haki is a common thing in the New World. If you don't even have Haki, how can you gain a foothold in the New World?

However, the requirements for the Night Pirates are not that high. As long as you join the Night Pirates and work hard for a period of time, you can naturally master Haki, since it is a power that everyone is born with.

Joining the Night Pirates essentially fulfills the requirement to learn Haki.

As Crane said, the Night Pirates will only grow stronger and stronger, expanding like a snowball.

This is something that can be seen, but cannot be stopped.

In the Night Sea Domain, the Night Pirates' power is enough to suppress any disloyal individuals or forces. Such people are always in the minority, and they are detected and dealt with in advance.

Unless all external forces unite against the Night Pirates, the Night Pirates will have no chance, but that's impossible.

Nowadays, the most popular saying in the Night Sea Domain is that this era belongs to the Dark Night, to the Dark Emperor.

This is the beginning of an era, and they will witness it all, prove it all. The Night Pirates will not allow anyone to challenge their authority.

This is the pride that the Night Pirates deserve, Teach and the others tacitly approve of this change, believing that it should be this way.

They are not arrogant, but as the current pinnacle of pirate crews, they have the right to be so; only in this way can they match their status and formidable strength.

The Night Sea Domain will become the center of the New World, the center of the world—this is beyond doubt, not because of its geographical location, but because it is the territory of the Night Pirates.

The Calm Belt has long been opened up. With the construction of airships and cooperation with various sea areas, it is no longer difficult to isolate the various sea areas from the Calm Belt and the Red Line. The connections between them will be strengthened.

The movement of people is even more so, so Teach never considered establishing a new World Government on the Red Line. It was a pointless endeavor. The Night Sea Domain was the territory of the Night Pirates, so why abandon their base?

This is also why Teach believed the Revolutionary Army would have difficulty gaining traction; they lacked a significant base of operations and failed to transform from an organization into a kingdom.

After all, the World Government is a large kingdom.

Moreover, the Revolutionary Army is now struggling to develop in the Four Seas region. They have lost their opportunity, and the weak Four Seas region was originally the best fertile ground for the Revolutionary Army to develop.

The Red Line is increasingly desolate, its population is decreasing, and people are flocking to the four seas. In addition, it is still under the control of the World Government, and the Grand Line is the territory of the Navy, making it difficult for the Revolutionary Army to develop.

Moreover, they had just suffered a huge blow and were still recovering, relying on the treasure they had stolen from the World Government and Doflamingo's covert support.

The World Government, the Navy, and the Revolutionary Army all need time to recover, while the New World is in some chaos and has begun to expand.