Just as Vic and his companions returned to Paradise, the Room of Authority of the Holy Land Mary Geoise were discussing Vic's past, present, and future!
"We should have taken Vic seriously when he fought Sakazuki, but we didn't pay much attention because he was a new recruit. Who would have thought that he would grow to this level in just over a year, with one merit after another, and all of them are major achievements!" the bald-eyed Five Elders said coldly.
"With his combat prowess, he could easily accumulate considerable merit by simply sailing around the sea. However, the merits that truly impact the position of Marine Admiral are hard to come by; they require a tremendous reputation to back them up," the long-bearded Five Elders said calmly.
" Golden Lion was taken there by Garp without our knowledge. Bullet is a task the Navy must eliminate. Once the news of Bullet's arrest is published, his reputation will soar again. We can't cover up his achievements and prevent it from being published. To appease public sentiment, the news of Bullet's arrest must be published. The Navy won't agree if it's not published," the blond Five Elders stated.
"By then, Vic's reputation will definitely reach the minimum standard for promotion to Marine Admiral. What happens after that? He can't remain without any achievements, can he? With such strong combat power, if he really wanted to make a name for himself, he could capture a whole bunch of pirates!" the curly-haired Five Elders asked, wanting a solution.
" Vic and his warships have only just crossed the Red Line and arrived in the Lower Realm. We still have time to think of a strategy."
If the Marine Headquarters assigns him another mission, it will definitely be a very important one; the Navy can't afford to leave its powerful forces unused.
If we wait for the Navy to issue the order before forcibly withdrawing, it will definitely affect Vic's loyalty to the Navy, and he will certainly know that we are targeting him.
Although we don't want him to be promoted to Admiral right now, we can't make it too obvious either.
The bald, mustachioed Five Elders continued, meaning they wanted Vic's powerful combat strength but didn't want to give him the position of Admiral, and they couldn't let Vic know that their World Government didn't want him.
"Since we can't get Kong and the others to give us tasks, why don't we find something for Vic to do? Something that takes a long time and doesn't offer any obvious rewards," the curly- Five Elders said, slamming his cane on the ground.
"I suggest calling Borsalino back and having Vic protect Vegapunk's safety. Isn't Vegapunk wanting to research powerful attack techniques?"
"Both are Logia, lightning isn't weaker than light, is it? It protected the Vegapunk for a long time, and its contribution wasn't particularly noticeable. It's a good opportunity for Borsalino to show his face after he returns and boost his reputation before his promotion." The curly-haired Five Elders continued expressionlessly.
"Swapping the two is indeed feasible, but my idea is to implement the previously drafted Shichibukai policy ahead of schedule."
He sent Vic to test the strength of the potential pirates; who would become Shichibukai was up to him. This mission wouldn't be particularly rewarding, and it was essentially a selection process to make pirates legitimate plunderers.
No matter who he chooses to become Shichibukai, it will cause a lot of dissatisfaction. There are plenty of marines in the Navy who hate evil, so choosing pirates as allies? They definitely won't accept it.
Another reason is that the families and colleagues of the marines who died at the hands of these Shichibukai, as well as the civilians who were harmed by Shichibukai, will be dissatisfied. Even if they are dissatisfied, they won't dare to say anything to our World Government.
"In the end, all those people will vent their anger on Vic, and Vic's reputation might actually decline instead of increase!" The bald Five Elders adjusted his shining glasses and said, his plan was undeniably ruthless.
"I've also come up with two or three plans, but yours are more effective—one is moderate, the other is an overt strategy. Do you have any other good suggestions?" The Five Elders pondered for a moment before speaking to the other two Five Elders who hadn't yet offered their opinions.
The Five Elders with the mustache and long beard remained silent, tacitly agreeing with the blond Five Elders's statement. Both tasks were very important and beyond the capabilities of ordinary people, so entrusting them to a strong individual like Vic was both reasonable and legal.
Even Garp couldn't refute it and could only grit his teeth and swallow the bitter pill. If Sengoku and Kong hadn't said anything, Garp and Vic might not have realized that the World Government had tampered with things.
Thus, a discussion ensued among those in Room of Authority these two options, to determine which task would be most suitable for Vic.
Meanwhile, Vic was already on the deck of the warship chatting with a few people, completely unaware that his superior in the navy was plotting against him!
The Navy would never hinder its own people; in fact, the Navy leadership would love to have more Admiral. But the World Government is different. They only care about balancing the power on the high seas, and the number of Marine Admiral depends on the power of the New World.
Vic wants to take Bullet to Impel Down, and the fastest way is through the whirlpool Gate of Justice. So Vic and his team plan to go to Marine Headquarters first, as it's the fastest route through the Gate of Justice there.
It just so happens that Gion Tokikake haven't been back to headquarters for a long time. They've done a great job capturing Bullet and his gang, and they've already received a call from headquarters asking them to come back. With their previous military achievements, they'll likely be promoted to lieutenant Vice Admiral along with Vic.
It was very close to the Marine Headquarters from Red Port, even closer than to Sabaody, so it only took Vic and his crew about two hours to reach the Marine Headquarters.
" Tokikake, Gion! You two can go back to headquarters now. There won't be any problems with me on the warship. You've been at sea for more than half a year, go back to headquarters and reunite with your friends and family. We'll be back soon."
Vic told Tokikake and Gion that the two of them had indeed had a tough time lately, suffering both mental and physical exhaustion and even getting injured. Most importantly, Vic wanted to stay away from Gion.
This girl has really gotten hooked; now she wants it every day. She's gone from being a seductress to being a horny lust. Even though Vic doesn't need to use his body to help her, his abilities don't work either. It's too stimulating; he's almost exploded several times.
"Fine! I've wanted to get off the warship for ages. Seeing you guys all lovey-dovey every day is driving me crazy. I'm leaving, out of sight, out of mind!"
Tokikake has really suffered during this period. What kind of feeling is it to watch your goddess look at other men with such affectionate eyes every day?
Tokikake wanted to beat them both up, but he didn't dare to fight Gion, and he couldn't beat Vic either. He was so angry he was practically grinding his teeth to powder. What he didn't know was that his goddess went to Vic massages every night. If she knew this, she would probably faint from anger.
Tokikake finishing his sentence, Kaji jumped onto the port, seemingly not wanting to stay a second longer. If it weren't for wanting to say hello, he probably would have already used Geppo to run away when he saw the port.
Tokikake Jiaji's flustered and disheveled figure, the others couldn't help but laugh. Jiaji was quite an interesting person; he was easygoing, approachable, and quick to make friends. Tokikake spending some time with them, they had all become friends.