As if in response to the tense atmosphere in the waters near the Sabaody Archipelago, the sky was overcast, and the heavy, oppressive atmosphere made it hard to breathe.
Wang Hao stood quietly on the flagship's deck, gazing at the distant Sabaody Archipelago.
Ain and Binz stood behind Wang Hao, their expressions equally solemn.
As for Kizaru, he stood on his original flagship, flanking Wang Hao on the other side, waiting for the arrival of the powerful figures from the various forces of the Sabaody Archipelago.
While waiting, Kizaru would occasionally turn his head to look back at the distant horizon, feeling quite anxious.
After listening to his teacher's reminder yesterday, he took a special trip around the Sabaody Archipelago and indeed sensed no fewer than five powerful individuals who were not much weaker than himself.
Moreover, two of them were extremely well hidden, and even he could only vaguely sense them. Clearly, their strength was no less than his own, and perhaps even greater.
This situation is quite troublesome. If he were to cultivate the Golden Light Sword Canon for two or three years, dealing with these people would be a piece of cake, but right now he can't stop them by himself.
While Wang Hao and the others waited, a luxury cruise ship sped in from the Sabaody Archipelago, with a flag bearing a strange claw pattern flying from its top.
That was the mark of the Hoof of the Celestial Dragon, a mark made by the Celestial Dragons, the Celestial Dragons who are said to be Houyi of gods.
Clearly, the visitors are from the World Government.
" Zephyr, you've changed a lot!"
An extremely burly old man leaped onto the flagship where Wang Hao was, looked Wang Hao up and down, and couldn't help but be a little surprised.
"You're not dead yet, Commander-in-Chief!"
Wang Hao glanced sideways at the newcomer, clearly disliking him.
This was none other than his former superior, the previous Fleet Admiral, and now the Fleet Admiral -in-Chief of the entire armed forces, Kong.
Kong is extremely strong, definitely reaching the Ninth Tier of the Earth Realm, which is the peak of the so-called Admiral level in this world, comparable to someone like Whitebeard.
Because Kong possesses some Human Clan blood, his lifespan is longer than that of ordinary people. So even though he is now over a hundred years old, he still maintains peak combat power and is an extremely terrifying figure.
Furthermore, Wang Hao also knew that this old leader was a Devil Fruit User. The Bone-Bone Fruit he consumed allowed him to manipulate the bones in his body, making them harder and Shape Transformation. This was the origin of his nickname, " Kong."
This ability is somewhat similar to the Shikotsumyaku) of the Kaguya Clan in the Naruto World.
However, Wang Hao had a very low opinion of this old leader, because the previous generation had investigated and found that the tragedy of his wife and children seemed to be related to this old leader and the World Government. Even if the other party did not actively participate, he must have played a dishonorable role in it.
Therefore, from its very beginning, it harbored considerable dissatisfaction with this former leader.
"I heard you created a secret technique called Yin Seal, which can make people young again? And a brand new set of Basic Cultivation Method for the Navy One Hundred and Eight Powers?"
Kong knew the reason for Wang Hao's cold attitude, but didn't dwell on it and went straight to the point about his purpose.
He was specifically assigned by the Five Elders through the Door-Door Devil Fruit User to obtain the cultivation method for the Yin Seal from Zephyr.
The power of the World Government is beyond the imagination of ordinary people. They began investigating the matter a month ago when Vice Admiral Tsuru showed signs of change, and it was only recently that they finally confirmed it. Furthermore, three days ago, Fleet Admiral Sengoku also reported the matter to them.
To be honest, he was really shocked. If he hadn't seen the photos of Vice Admiral Tsuru who looked younger that CP sent him, he really wouldn't have believed that such a heaven-defying secret technique existed in the world, especially since it was created by his former subordinate.
In addition, he had also seen a small portion of the Navy One Hundred and Eight Powers, each of which was comparable to the entire Six Powers.
The Six Powers were a training method that the Navy and the World Government had spent hundreds of years developing. But now, this old subordinate has created 108 sets of training methods equivalent to the original Six Powers all by himself.
This talent is truly terrifying!
Fortunately, this old subordinate was nearing the end of his life; otherwise, the entire World Government would have been wary and would have launched a full-scale attack to kill him.
This is also a major reason why Wang Hao appeared so weak at the Marine Headquarters —to reassure the high-ranking World Government.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have been Kong came this time, but a whole bunch of CP masters who came to deliver the final blow to him.
The World Government would never allow someone who is beyond its control to live, let alone someone whose abilities are so extraordinary.
"It seems your World Government has quite a few spies planted within our navy!"
Wang Hao took a deep look at the old leader in front of him. He knew very well that since the World Government had sent Kong, the Fleet Admiral of the entire army, they must be 100% certain of the authenticity of the Yin Seal.
It should be noted that those who saw him off at Marine Headquarters that day were at least Vice Admiral admirals, and Sengoku and others must have issued a secret order to keep quiet afterward to prevent the news from leaking out.
However, the World Government confirmed the authenticity of the Yin Seal within a month, which changed the nature of the problem.
A month may seem like a long time, but for a planet with a diameter of hundreds of millions of kilometers, a month is actually very tight. It took him a month just to navigate his fleet from the Marine Headquarters to the Sabaody Archipelago.
This demonstrates the immense power of the World Government, truly deserving of its reputation as Invincible overlord who has ruled this world for hundreds of years.
"Vice Admiral Zephyr, the World Government and the Navy are one entity, and I am the former Fleet Admiral. Don't go too far with some things!"
Kong's expression turned cold, and he warned in a deep voice.
"You're right, but you're no longer the Fleet Admiral Kong you once were. If you were to fight a life-or-death battle with that Red Count again, could you still risk everything, including your own life, as you once did?"
Wang Hao said mockingly.
He could clearly sense through his True Spirit Sword Intent that although the old leader's physical condition was still at its peak, his spirit had declined considerably, clearly indicating that his heart had been eroded by power over the years.
This was already evident when he was still Fleet Admiral, and it became even more pronounced after he became the commander-in-chief of the entire navy and took command of the Holy Land Mary Geoise.
"..."
Kong remained silent. He disdained to lie to this old subordinate, so he could only choose silence.
"A major crisis has been discovered on Sabaody Island number 29, posing a threat to the entire world. Buster Call must be issued to completely destroy it. Once this is done, I'll take some time to call and have Tsuru transmit the secret technique of the Yin Seal to you."
Wang Hao didn't bother with pleasantries with his former boss and directly stated his conditions.
"..."
Upon hearing Kong couldn't help but twitch, but he remained silent and acquiesced.
He had long received intelligence and understood the old subordinate's true purpose: to find a safe haven for the tens of millions of disabled naval soldiers, and thus set his sights on the Sabaody Archipelago.
That so-called major crisis that could endanger the entire world was just an excuse. Fortunately, this old subordinate was very tactful and only targeted the Lawless Zone areas, and found a perfect reason to give the World Government leaders a way out.
Most importantly, there was that incredibly powerful Yin Seal, the benefits of which touched the hearts of everyone in the World Government and even the Celestial Dragons.
Compared to staying young forever, sacrificing a little bit of benefit is quite worthwhile.
What puzzled him was how much his old subordinate had changed.
He's become so much more cunning and shameless!
"Don't look at me like that. You know what the Lawless Zone of the Sabaody Archipelago is like. Letting this cancer continue will cause endless harm, especially since it's the largest human trafficking operation there. It will continue to exacerbate the conflicts between various races in the world, and it's enough to endanger the entire world."
The reason why successive naval high command has been unable to deal with the consequences of eradicating Lawless Zone is simply because the interests involved in the Sabaody Archipelago are too extensive. But I am not afraid!
Wang Hao glanced sideways at Kong, then said resolutely and decisively.
This posture Kong with respect, realizing that this old subordinate knew his days were numbered and wanted to rid the Navy of a cancer before he died.
After all, the existence of such an Lawless Zone right under the nose of Marine Headquarters is a disgrace to the entire Navy.
In the past, they could only tolerate it because they were wary of those behind the Sabaody Archipelago. But now, this old subordinate was all alone and nearing the end of his life, so there was no need to worry about the trouble that might follow.
"I brought three Admiral -level experts from CP this time, but there are now seven Admiral- level experts and over a hundred Lieutenant -Vice Admiral- level specialists on the Sabaody Archipelago, and they are preparing to launch a joint attack. With our current strength, it will be difficult to withstand them."
Having agreed with Wang Hao's ideas, Kong sincerely revealed his trump card and the situation on the Sabaody Archipelago.
"You just need to try your best to force those people to unite, and I'll handle the rest!"
With his arms crossed, Wang Hao's words exuded boundless Haki confidence.
Unless a top-tier powerhouse like Whitebeard appears, the rest of the people are no different from ants to him. At his level, numbers are no longer of any use; one powerful move can wipe out thousands of enemies.
Moreover, he specifically devised a super move for these people that perfectly matched their current image, just waiting for them to come to him.
However, to maximize the effect of that move, it's best to force the opponents together and then take them out in one fell swoop.
"..."
After staring at Wang Hao with suspicion for a while, Kong ultimately said nothing. Instead, he got up and returned to the luxury cruise ship, instructing his subordinates to cooperate with Wang Hao.
Although he didn't know what his old subordinate's trump card was, given his confidence, he was certain he wouldn't fail.
At worst, he can just run away with her.
Before long, dozens of large ships sailed out from the Sabaody Archipelago. The seven leading ships each had a Admiral- level expert and a dozen or so Vice Admiral -level fighters on board.
Is Kong?
Hidden in a ship, an inconspicuous white-haired old man looked solemnly at the cruise ship where Kong was. He was certain that his Observation Haki had detected that Kong was the former Fleet Admiral Kong.
Kong was a top expert from an era earlier than him. Although he had never interacted with him, he had seen him once from afar and remembered his aura.
The aura of such a top-tier expert was quite unique; he couldn't forget it at all. Clearly, Kong must have been present on that cruise ship.
The most crucial point is that Kong is now the Supreme Commander of the World Government's army, stationed in the Holy Land Mary Geoise year-round. Kong's presence here today signifies that the will of the World Government is also present.
This means that the information Shakky had previously obtained was highly problematic.
This is definitely a trap!
Rayleigh instantly deduced a terrifying result, which startled even someone as composed as him.