The Grand Situation: A Game of Chess Among All Factions!

Gion's beautiful eyes widened in surprise at Akira's unexpected answer, and she then shook her head with a wry smile.

Indeed, the Akira she knew hadn't changed despite initiating a mutiny and seizing complete control of the Navy.

From the time Akira entered Marine Headquarters until the mutiny began, he had given off the impression of a humorous and witty young man. Even when questioned by the Chief Judge on the tribunal, Akira would say things that made people chuckle, like "liking to use Belly to light cigarettes."

"Everyone's here?"

Akira didn't dwell on the topic any longer. He looked around at all the attendees and said unhurriedly, "Before the meeting begins, there's something I need to inform you all about."

"If nothing unexpected happens, the Revolutionary Army and Doflamingo, one of the Shichibukai, should already know about the mutiny and have taken corresponding actions!"

"Of course, the reason they received this news immediately after the mutiny wasn't due to the brilliance of their moles within Marine Headquarters, but because I intended it to be so."

He paused slightly, then turned to glance at Borsalino before continuing, "The Revolutionary Army might know even earlier than Doflamingo, as their mole within the Navy holds a significant rank."

"As for Doflamingo's mole, since he wasn't at Headquarters, I revealed what happened at Headquarters to him through another Branch Vice Admiral! Or rather, I compelled him to make a choice!"

Hearing Akira bring up the topic of moles before the meeting, Sengoku, who was listening in, looked up at Akira with surprise.

As a former Marshal of Marine Headquarters, he naturally knew that many factions had planted moles within the Navy. Although he had quietly apprehended some moles through his own methods, he believed there were definitely others in Headquarters that he was unaware of.

Akira mentioning it now clearly indicated he had already grasped the details of these moles.

In contrast to Sengoku's silence, many Vice Admirals among the attendees voiced their reactions.

"Doflamingo actually planted a mole in Headquarters?"

"Who could this mole be? Not at Headquarters? Could it be a base commander at one of the branch bases?"

"Lord Marshal, why haven't these moles been apprehended?"

Akira raised his hand to signal for quiet and said with a gentle smile, "Moles don't necessarily need to be apprehended. Often, keeping them around is more useful than eliminating them."

"Their usefulness is already beginning to show."

"Just now, news came from Sabaody Archipelago that the Revolutionary Army's five armies, upon learning of the mutiny within the Navy, have launched a full-scale offensive. I'm certain that if the Holy Land makes a big fuss because of my mutiny, they will definitely seize this opportunity to expand their territory and influence."

"And after Doflamingo obtains this information through his mole, he will immediately notify Kaido, one of the Yonko ruling the New World. You heard correctly, Doflamingo, one of the Shichibukai, has another identity: codenamed Joker, not only an underworld broker but also closely connected to Yonko Kaido!"

"Once Kaido learns from Doflamingo that our relationship with the World Government has broken down, what will he do, given that he's always wished for this world's destruction?"

"Although the world will eventually know everything we've done as newspapers fly across the globe, there will be a time lag. At that point, the Holy Land will definitely seize this temporal gap, intending to suppress us in one swift move and end the war as quickly as possible!"

"I dared to initiate a mutiny, so I'm not afraid of war with the World Government. The key issue is, once we go to war with the Holy Land, what will other factions do? The Revolutionary Army is unlikely to attack us at this time. They, who have always been dedicated to overthrowing the World Government's rule, will not only refrain from ambushing us but might even send envoys to connect with us, as this is the best opportunity for them to incite the Navy to defect."

"For the Revolutionary Army, the World Government is their ultimate target. But for other factions, especially those lawless pirates on the sea, the Navy is their greatest threat!"

"Therefore, I deliberately stirred up the situation in advance, making the Holy Land believe that everyone will have reservations, thus allowing them to sit down and talk with us peacefully."

Having spoken at length, Akira suddenly turned his head to look at Garp, Sengoku, and Zephyr, who were observing, and said with a smile, "You must be very eager to personally meet Im, the hidden manipulator of the World Government that I mentioned."

"Of course, I believe many of you present are also curious about this person!"

"As long as the Holy Land is willing to talk, everyone will soon meet this person!"

"Because, after I sent those Knights of God members flying back to the Holy Land, Im's existence is no longer a secret to us! As long as Im doesn't want the Revolutionary Army and the D Clan to reap the benefits of a war between us, you'll meet him soon."

"Bru bru~"

As soon as Akira finished speaking, the Den Den Mushi placed quietly before him suddenly rang.

Immediately after, a voice that sounded familiar came from the Den Den Mushi, "This is Junzi."

Upon hearing this, all eyes in the room turned towards them. Sengoku and Garp, in particular, unconsciously took out a box of senbei each and popped them into their mouths, engrossed.

"Miss Junzi, it seems you were unharmed by the impact of Conqueror's Haki," Akira said, narrowing his eyes. "That puts my mind at ease. After all, we haven't reached the point of a complete falling out. Perhaps we might become allies fighting side-by-side."

On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Junzi, standing in the grand hall of the Holy Land's royal palace, nervously glanced up at the imposing figure before the throne. Not daring to say more, she got straight to the point, "Lord Im wishes to see you."

"Certainly," Akira replied without hesitation and immediately asked, "When?"

"Tomorrow."

Akira nodded. "I hope to see the Spandam father and son when I arrive at the Holy Land tomorrow."

After speaking, Akira ended the call directly and then looked up at the crowd whose gazes were fixed on him, shrugging slightly. "It seems the Revolutionary Army and Kaido will have wasted their efforts!"

Holy Land, World Government Headquarters Building.

CP9 Chief Officer's Office.

Spandam sat slumped in his chair, his face ashen, staring blankly at the Den Den Mushi on his desk.

Just moments ago, he had received dire news.

The warships he had dispatched from Enies Lobby to Marine Headquarters had all been sunk, with no survivors.

Their deaths were one thing, but the crucial point was that Marine Headquarters sinking warships bearing the "Justice" flag without a word was enough to indicate that either he or Akira would have to pay with their life in this incident.

Judging by the Holy Land's reaction, he, a master strategist, had already guessed that the Holy Land would not go to war with the Navy, now controlled by Akira, at least not yet.

No war meant compromise and concessions.

And compromise and concessions required a price, such as offering him, the Chief Officer of CP9, as a sacrifice to appease the anger of Akira, who had initiated the mutiny.

"Father, Father!"

Suddenly, Spandam's panicked voice came from outside the office door. Before Spandam could regain his composure, Spandam burst through the door and rushed to the desk, saying urgently, "The Knights of God are heading this way!"

Upon hearing this, Spandam slumped powerlessly back into his chair, a flicker of despair and fear in his eyes.