The Struggle for Resources

The Rocks Pirates had grown ever stronger over the years, while the navy was still rebuilding. It was not ready for a direct confrontation.

Fortunately, a group as vast as the Rocks Pirates could not assemble at a moment's notice. It needed the right opportunity.

Otherwise, the navy would not even be able to return to the New World.

Fleet Admiral Black wanted the younger marines to grow stronger as quickly as possible. To that end, he had requested a batch of precious resources from the World Government.

Those top-tier Devil Fruits had come from the World Government.

In the past, the navy had rarely had a chance to obtain valuable Devil Fruits. Even when it did, they were soon claimed by someone who either ate them or saved them for the next generation.

Most Devil Fruits found at sea ended up in private collections or were eaten on the spot.

So although the navy had amassed quite a collection of Devil Fruits, truly rare ones remained in short supply.

Black had swallowed his pride to obtain these from the World Government.

The World Government had sent the Devil Fruits in hopes of improving the navy's weak position.

Now many people had their eyes on them, chiefly the Navy Officers of the Four Seas Faction.

That would be bad for the navy, and Black did not want to see it happen. Letting them eat such precious Devil Fruits would only waste their potential.

That was why Black wanted Kong to claim the fruits and use them to cultivate promising young marines, strengthening the navy's next generation.

With the merits the two of them had earned, there was virtually nothing in the navy's secret vault they could not claim.

Black also needed to stamp out the ambitions stirring within the navy. The arrival of two newly appointed admirals was both a blessing and a curse.

Both had risen to the rank of Marine Admiral thanks to Devil Fruits, and their strength alone had not won everyone's respect.

They could not compare to Kong. They were considerably weaker than he was.

Yet they could still hinder the navy's future development. Kong commanded great respect within the navy.

But sometimes, it took tangible benefits to win people over. Many navy officers were willing to draw close to the other two admirals.

More and more people were gravitating toward them.

If Kong became Fleet Admiral, there was no guarantee he could maintain control over those beneath him.

That was the last thing Black wanted, especially with the Rocks Pirates threatening them from outside.

Factional struggles within the navy had always been fierce, but now was the wrong time for them.

He needed to help Kong establish his authority within the navy as soon as possible. That meant focusing on the younger generation and raising successors loyal to Kong.

That was already what they were doing. With Black's authorization, Kong had promoted many outstanding marines. They would become the backbone of his faction in the years to come.

Only a united navy could face the even more terrifying Rocks Pirates.

Black had chosen Kong as his successor. Black represented the Dove Faction, while Kong represented the Hawk Faction!

They belonged to different factions, but Black was a marine first.

Against a force of evil like the Rocks Pirates, the navy could win only under the command of someone as tough and powerful as Kong!

As for the Four Seas Faction, Black had decided to suppress it. He was sure Kong would do the same once he took over. Black was merely getting some of the work done for him.

He would station the other two Marine Admirals in the New World to keep them from causing trouble.

At the same time, he would summon the Navy Officers and Marine Elites of the Four Seas to Marine Headquarters.

The World Government was already considering redeploying the navy in the New World to confront the increasingly fearsome force of evil.

With orders from the World Government, even the Four Seas Governors would not dare refuse.

The navy was about to wage all-out war against the Rocks Pirates. If they refused to come, were they planning a rebellion?

Kong had already left. With Fleet Admiral Black's approval, he intended to secure those precious Devil Fruits first.

After all, the marines raised with them would become his own loyal followers.

The Office door closed. Black looked at the intelligence reports on his desk and sighed.

Several young monsters had emerged among the Rocks Pirates, including Edward Newgate, known as the "Strongman Kid."

There was also Shiki, a young Two-Sword Style swordsman who had already earned the title "Lion Ghost."

They were newcomers to the Rocks Pirates and had joined only recently, but they were already making names for themselves. Given time, they would become dangerous enemies.

Then there was the young female pirate Charlotte Linlin. The navy had intelligence on her: she was a monster from birth.

She had once had the chance to become one of the navy's Supreme Combatants.

But something had gone wrong. She had vanished for years, and now she had reappeared with a bounty of fifty million.

Black knew that bounty was nowhere near enough. It would soon soar.

And now there was Tartarus Hades, with a world superpower like Kronos Kingdom behind him.

Black knew what the World Government was doing, but it would not help.

Unless he had no other choice, he did not want to go to war with Kronos Kingdom. It was a hard target to begin with; taking it down would require the navy's full strength.

Besides, Kronos Kingdom had a population of eighty million and a standing army of three million.

Its commanding general was also a fighter few in the New World could match.

If they attacked, the backlash from world opinion alone would be enough to give both the navy and the World Government a pounding.

Many kingdoms had fallen after invasions by the Celestial Dragons or pirates, with the World Government's influence behind the scenes.

But those had been small kingdoms with little influence, unable even to pay the Heavenly Tribute.

None of the nations destroyed this way had been World Government Member States. Even if the World Government did target one, it could not let the truth come out.

What Affiliated Nations feared most was the World Government interfering in a kingdom's internal politics. That concern extended beyond its member states.

Small kingdoms could be disregarded, but Kronos Kingdom was different. It wielded enormous influence worldwide.

Based in the New World, its reach extended across the globe.

Its ten enormous Island Turtles could cross the Calm Belt to reach the Four Seas, carrying vast quantities of goods on every voyage. The kingdom maintained close trade ties with numerous kingdoms in both the New World and the Four Seas.

Because of that capability, many powers in the New World traded with Kronos Kingdom.

Through those ties, Kronos Kingdom reaped benefits far beyond anything the Underground Forces could hope to gain.

Its political and economic advantages, in particular, gave Kronos Kingdom a unique standing.

As a superpower backed by formidable military might, Kronos Kingdom could afford to sit secure amid the chaos of the New World.

The future "JOKER," who would become king of the Underworld through the Arms Trade alone, could not compare. The gulf between them was fundamental.