The Great Pirate Era had just begun.
The Marines were discussing how to deal with the sharp rise in pirate numbers ahead.
They planned to send the four acting Four Seas Governors back to the Four Seas to continue their crackdown, with Marine Headquarters dispatching even more troops to support them.
Even counting the forces already stationed there, roughly a hundred thousand troops per Sea Area would be nowhere near enough.
Against such vast Sea Areas, that force was still tiny.
Many troops could not be moved lightly. They were needed to protect trade routes and Affiliated Nations. The forces actually available to clear the Four Seas were limited, and their efficiency was hardly high.
Meeting their targets would be no simple matter. It could not be done in a short time.
Marine Headquarters needed to discuss all of this and draw up a comprehensive plan.
With pirate numbers rising, the Marines also needed more funding to conduct a World Military Draft and establish more marine bases across a wider expanse of Sea Area.
Only then could they withstand the impact of the Great Pirate Era. Their existing forces alone were nowhere near enough.
Whether they could maintain Order was already in doubt, let alone extend their reach into more distant Sea Areas.
Where the Marines could not intervene, Sea Areas that were already chaotic would only grow worse, making Order even harder to restore.
Many Sea Areas in the Four Seas had been without a Marine presence for years.
With enough money, none of this would be a problem. But that depended on the World Government and the Affiliated Nations.
Without sufficient funding, all the Marines could do was maintain Order as best they could.
Just then, devastating news arrived.
"What!"
Fleet Admiral Kong's hair had gone gray, and