"We joined the navy because we couldn't stand this dog-eat-dog world! As long as we keep patrolling the high seas, we can always reduce the occurrence of some serious incidents."
To distract the old man, Vic brought up a serious topic, and this method worked well; the old man's expression immediately became much more solemn.
"Yes! Paradise is a bit better. The pirates aren't very strong and their destructive power is limited. Ordinary people still have some room to survive!"
But the New World is different. Powerful pirates have all gathered there, each with their own territory. The wars they wage against each other for territory ultimately harm the ordinary people there.
The stronger the pirates, the greater the destruction they cause. In the worst cases, entire countries can be reduced to ruins. Our navy's strength in the New World is insufficient; without the strongest fighting force, we can't intervene in many areas!
Garp was also filled with emotion. Just a few years ago, he and a few old friends were fighting on the front lines of the New World New World, maintaining the balance of power among the various factions.
However, Zephyr has now stepped down to a secondary role as an instructor, Sengoku is too busy with various political affairs to pay attention to the forces in the New World. Tsuru, having received some orders, has been keeping a close eye on the fallen Celestial Dragons.
Even the new generation of Akainu, Kizaru, and Aokiji are not yet able to stand alone! Although they are all powerful Logia users who Awakening their powers, they are still somewhat outmatched by the Haki figures of the New World.
He is the only one who can remain active on the front lines, but he is only one person and cannot be in two places at once. Under such circumstances, several new forces will inevitably rise in the New World.
He only hoped that Aokiji and the others, along with Vic, could grow up quickly and reach a new balance. Without territorial disputes in the New World, there would be fewer casualties among ordinary people!
As for the idea of using pirates to counterbalance pirates, that old man from the World Government thought it was unreliable. Truly powerful and influential pirates wouldn't end up in such an awkward position. And who could really know what pirates who wanted to become such figures were thinking? Just don't let the wolf into the house.
" Kuzan, Borsalino, Sakazuki should be at least at the level of the Navy's strongest forces, right? While they might not be as strong as you, Grandpa, they'd certainly be capable of guarding important bases in the New World."
I've been in the Navy for over a year now, and only Kuzan returns to Headquarters quite frequently, but even he went to the New World after leaving Headquarters last time. Sakazuki only came back once last time to stand up for Onigumo, and he returned to the New World after only two days.
But Borsalino wasn't seen even once. Wasn't he in the New World too? Shouldn't all three of them be in the New World now? Couldn't they at least try to contain the situation New World?
Although Vic wasn't entirely sure when Kuzan and the other two became Marine Admiral, based on some plot memories and clues from before his time travel, the emergence of a new generation of Marine Admiral should have been within the last two years.
If the three of them weren't promoted to Admiral together, then Kuzan would definitely be the last one, since he's several years younger than Akainu and Kizaru. As for whether Akainu and Kizaru were promoted together, he doesn't know; there's too little information.
But since they're close to becoming Marine Admiral, their combat strength shouldn't be much different. So why is the situation in the New World still so dire for the old man? Vic was puzzled. Although the Shichibukai haven't appeared yet, there's only one true Pirate Emperor: Whitebeard!
However, after a moment's thought, Vic understood some of the key points. Although Whitebeard was the only current Pirate Emperor, Kaido and Charlotte Linlin were uncrowned emperors. Their personal strength was definitely at the Emperor level, but the strength and influence of their subordinates might still be a little lacking.
But this is no different from the Emperor of the Sea. When it comes to competing with the Navy, it's still about top-tier combat power, and Aokiji and his crew are probably still a bit lacking.
Shanks is still some distance from becoming the Pirate Emperor, but his talent is too great. He possesses all Three Types of Haki, and given a few years, he will become an uncrowned emperor.
Another factor is the future Shichibukai. They are currently the opposing force of the Navy and will also restrain some of the Navy's strength. Although they may not be a match for the Marine Admiral at present, ordinary Vice Admiral can't do anything about them. Two or three of them can even go toe-to-toe with the Admiral, making them a force that cannot be ignored. When comparing the two sides, there is indeed a significant gap.
"Right now, only Sakazuki is truly in charge of the New World. Kuzan's personality changed drastically due to a certain incident, and he's no longer very interested in many things."
The missions assigned to them are quite flexible; they go wherever they are needed, not limited to the New World. They frequently travel to Paradise and the Four Blues, so Kuzan's combat strength is not a reliable indicator!
Garp also regretted losing his first disciple, but as long as justice remained intact, he wouldn't say anything more.
Upon hearing the old man's explanation, Vic knew what the incident was: the Ohara Incident. In this incident, his friend Saul chose to betray the Navy for his own sense of justice, and his comrade Sakazuki bombarded the refugee ship to uphold his own sense of justice, resulting in the deaths of all innocent civilians in Ohara and causing Kuzan's sense of justice to waver.
Vic speculated that Sengoku was afraid that if he pushed too hard, Kuzan would choose to resign from his position in the Navy to uphold his justice. It would be better if he just resigned; if he were to be Kuzan to the opposite side and become a pirate, it would be terrible. Not only would the Navy be under much more pressure, but the World Government would also have to scold him.
Therefore, Sengoku, the only option was to give Kuzan a relatively free position, allowing him to travel around and relax until he achieved enlightenment.
There are quite a few instances of Marines turning into pirates, so Sengoku had to be wary. This tactic was indeed effective; at least during Sengoku's tenure as Sengoku Fleet Admiral, Kuzan remained one of the Marines' top combatants.
It wasn't until after the Paramount War, during his battle with Akainu, that he resigned from his position in the Navy and became a free agent. Eventually, he even joined the Blackbeard Pirates. However, by Sengoku, Sengoku had already stepped down as Fleet Admiral, so whether Kuzan left or not was no longer his concern; the responsibility lay entirely with Akainu.
Vic roughly understood why the five old men of the World Government had chosen Akainu. Akainu was indeed performing very well now, being obedient and responsible. He had both combat power and methods, making him exactly the kind of worker the leaders liked.
What Vic didn't know was that Akainu was promoted by those five old men, and his path had been laid out for him long ago. Naturally, he performed well, was conscientious and responsible, and won over his subordinates. When the opportunity came, he could smoothly take up the position of Fleet Admiral. It was just that Kuzan became a variable later on!