"The Intelligence Department bears a lot of responsibility for this. How did they miss something on this scale?"
Kong was furious. If they had discovered it sooner, the Navy would have had ample time to prepare. Their losses would have been far lower, and they would not be facing pressure from every direction.
They would not have been caught off guard like this.
"There was little we could do. For years, the Navy hasn't had enough funding, and the intelligence network has barely managed to keep running."
"With our focus on the Four Seas, we simply didn't have the resources to turn our attention to the New World."
"Our intelligence presence in the New World is so thin that monitoring the major powers already stretches it to its limit, let alone keeping watch over the whole region."
Tsuru spoke softly and rubbed her temples.
"It seems we'll have to pay closer attention to the New World. This was a mistake we shouldn't have made."
Only four months had passed since the first Elite Training Camp opened.
Then the New World descended into chaos. Countless pirates, from large crews to small ones, had been surviving in the gaps between the Overlord Pirate Crews.
The signs that they were being driven into the New World Front should have been obvious, yet the Navy had failed to detect them.
It made them realize just how weak the Navy's intelligence presence in the New World had become.
With no additional funding available, the Intelligence Department could only transfer some of its agents from other regions to the New World.
"Stabilize the situation as best you can. Garp and Sengoku won't be enough on their own. Send more fighting strength to the New World and try to secure the Trade Route within three months."
Kong