After reading the newspaper, the Five Elders learned what was going on with the Navy. They had originally intended to suppress the Navy with overwhelming force.
However, how could Vic and Aokiji allow them to do that? Vic had been plotting against the Navy for so long, wasn't it all to put the Navy on the right path?
Regardless of how much help the Navy can offer now, they did serve in the Navy before, and there's some lingering affection between them. They can't just stand by and watch the Navy follow the World Government down the same path, can they?
So when the Five Elders tried to get closer to the Navy, they were stopped by Vic and Aokiji, who led Ace and Dragon!
"I'll just say one thing now: if you want to continue doing evil alongside the World Government, you can leave the Navy now. We won't make things difficult for you!"
However, in the great battle that follows, will you be treated as treasures and sent away or hidden away, or will you be thrown out as cannon fodder? Think it through carefully!
Vic, along with Luffy and the others, stood between the Five Elders, the God's Knights, and the Marines, preventing direct contact between the two sides.
With the Navy's current combat strength, they are no match for the Five Elders and the God's Knights, who possess immortality, except for Garp, of course.
Vic genuinely didn't care about those in the Navy who believed the Celestial Dragons were gods; he simply didn't want these people to continue causing trouble for the Navy.
What kind of righteous people are the Marines who worship the Celestial Dragons? They're probably just as virtuous as the Celestial Dragons —bullies who bully the weak and fear the strong. They're definitely the Nezumi of the Marines!
" Thunder God! What right do you, an outsider, have to decide the fate of our Navy?"
Ryokugyu was the first to disagree with Vic's statement!
The Navy is the World Government's army, Akainu is the Fleet Admiral. If he wants to lead everyone in a rebellion, Ryokugyu can at most call him an ungrateful traitor.
But how could they allow an outsider like Vic to take charge of their navy? He wanted to get more manpower to protect the Five Elders and the God's Knights!
"That's what I think too!"
Sengoku also stepped forward, determined to make full use of what little prestige he had left in the navy!
"This is also my decision. The time is almost up, and you should make your choice!"
Akainu answered the question on behalf of Vic. Although he also disliked Vic, he needed Vic and his group to hold off the Five Elders and the God's Knights. They were temporarily on the same side and had to unite against the common enemy!
" Sakazuki! Do you really believe what's written in the newspapers? Even if it's true, so what?"
Who founded the Navy? The World Government did. The World Government could easily call the Navy's father. What kind of behavior is this? This is an act of patricide, a blasphemous act of disobeying one's father!
"The establishment of the Navy wouldn't have been possible without the World Government's financial and logistical support. It's like your own father gave birth to you and raised you, and yet you, this ungrateful wretch, want to turn around and kill your own father just because he made a small mistake when he was young. You are nothing but ungrateful wretches, worse than pigs and dogs!"
"In this world, the strong are respected, and you actually rebelled against the Celestial Dragons for the sake of those lowly commoners!"
It was the Celestial Dragons who established the World Government and demarcated the seas, giving these inferior beings a place to live. What they should do is grovel on the ground, be grateful, and serve them with their whole lives!
What does sacrificing a few lowly commoners and slaves matter for the sake of world stability? Can't you consider the bigger picture?
"To die at the hands of the Celestial Dragons is their honor; their souls will be elevated. Do they need your pity?"
" The Celestial Dragons are the only source of light illuminating this planet. Every breath they take nourishes this world, and every action they take guides its operation."
Everything they did, everyone they killed, had its own inherent reason. We don't understand it now, but we will surely understand its profound meaning in the future. They came from the distant stars to redeem this planet!
"And what value do those lowly commoners have besides wasting food and resources?"
Their value is only realized if they can amuse the Celestial Dragons.
As long as the world continues to develop steadily, the lives of a few ants are truly insignificant. Why would you rebel against the great Celestial Dragons for their sake?
Why would you want to be such a wretched person? Even if you're thinking of them, in the end, they'll still call you stupid!
You died for them, and they'll say, "We didn't ask you to go, so why bother? Why risk your life for strangers? How foolish!"
"Shut up!!!"
Ryokugyu launched into a long, eloquent speech, praising the Celestial Dragons to the extreme while belittling the common people!
By pitting and valuing the powerful against the ordinary civilians, he wanted the navy to understand that they were no longer the same as ordinary civilians!
They control the lives and fortunes of others; they're no longer part of any particular class. Why would they help the lower classes fight against the ruling class? Isn't that just fighting amongst themselves?
He wanted to motivate people to prioritize their own interests, to make their sense of justice bow down, and to get more navy personnel to continue fighting for the World Government. But before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a female voice filled with extreme anger and a sob!
Nami interrupted Ryokugyu. Not long after she was born, her family died in the war. She survived because of Bellemere and Nojiko!
Her childhood and adolescence were spent living a truly ordinary life, and both her adoptive mother Bellemere and her sister Nojiko treated her extremely well!
Whether it's the village policeman Genzo or the bookstore owner, they are all kind and gentle people. The fishmonger auntie, the village doctor uncle, and so on, they are all friendly and kind people!
They work hard every day, just wanting to survive after paying their Heavenly Tribute. What's wrong with such a simple request?
But in Ryokugyu's eyes, the common people at the bottom of society are as despicable, as vile, and as ungrateful as can be!
In Ryokugyu's words, the common people at the bottom of society don't deserve to live at all. Living is a waste of air, food, and resources. Being tortured to death by the Celestial Dragons is their only value!
Nami simply couldn't tolerate such slander; Ryokugyu's words almost Awakening her Conqueror's Haki!
In their eyes, life was so cheap and meaningless. How could Nami not be angry and cry? Ryokugyu had insulted her family and friends, and she could no longer bear it!
"Since you're going to waste your breath, then don't leave!"
Although Ryokugyu's words really bothered Vic, Vic's mental fortitude was so strong that they didn't affect him much.
But Nami is different. She's a woman, and a woman with exceptionally rich emotions at that. Naturally, she couldn't tolerate Ryokugyu's trashy verbal attacks, and the emotional damage she suffered was considerable. So Vic wouldn't let her off the hook!
No one saw what Vic did. He simply flipped his hand over, revealing a bright red, dripping heart. The heart beat only slightly before stopping completely!
Meanwhile, Ryokugyu's fanatical expression froze on his face, and his body fell limply backward, crashing heavily to the ground and kicking up a cloud of dust!
" Fleet Admiral! He's dead, without a single wound on his body!"
Vic had his back to the Navy, and his move was swift and stealthy. The Navy had no idea that Vic was holding Ryokugyu's heart!