Naval Headquarters, Marineford:
Over fifty thousand elite navy personnel had gathered, standing solemnly below, looking up at the high platform. On the platform stood four tall figures, known as the four natural-type monster vice admirals, Munis and his companions.
At this moment, all four of them wore serious expressions; even the lecherous Borsalino dared not show his usual lewd smile.
"Colleagues, since the establishment of our navy…"
The Fleet Admiral stepped in front of Munis and faced the multitude of navy personnel, his voice passionate and solemn as he began his speech, recounting the navy's founding, hardships, glory, and efforts. This speech lasted a full fifteen minutes.
Behind Sengoku, Borsalino and the others listened to this grand speech, internally suffering as they struggled to stay awake, pretending to be attentive despite feeling drowsy.
Not just Borsalino, but many of the navy personnel standing below appeared to be dozing off. After all, they had heard Sengoku's speeches countless times, and each time they felt themselves drifting off to sleep.
The most outrageous was Garp, who stood in the front row below and had actually fallen asleep while standing! However, Garp stood straight, without snoring, merely keeping his eyes closed. Aside from Sengoku and Kuzan on the platform, no one noticed that Garp was asleep! "I really envy Vice Admiral Garp's incredible sleeping skills!"
Kuzan and Borsalino on the platform watched Garp's antics with envy. If only they had such a skill, slightly modified to allow them to sleep with their eyes open, it would be an absolute super skill.
In the future, they could sleep without worry during work, while listening to the Fleet Admiral's speeches, or during navy meetings!
"I, in the name of the Fleet Admiral, announce that Vice Admirals Munis, Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Borsalino have achieved the merits and strength required for promotion!"
"Starting today, Vice Admirals Munis, Sakazuki, Kuzan, and Borsalino will be promoted to Admirals, with the respective codenames Red Scorpion, Red Dog, Green Pheasant, and Yellow Monkey!"
"Our navy will usher in the most glorious era in this generation, with the four Admirals jointly suppressing the seas, eliminating pirates, and upholding justice!"
After Sengoku finished speaking, he immediately conferred honors upon the four newly appointed Admirals behind him.
Hearing that Sengoku was about to confer honors, even though Yellow Monkey and the others had known they would become Admirals, they still felt an overwhelming excitement deep within.
The news of the navy suddenly having four Admirals spread across the world the next day.
"The navy has finally stood up, having four Admirals, so they will surely launch a large-scale operation to clear out pirates in the Four Seas. This is fantastic!"
"Hmph, aren't these four Admirals just the so-called natural-type monster vice admirals? They were just average when they were vice admirals, and now that they've become Admirals, they won't be much stronger."
"The navy has ultimately risen; having four Admirals is unprecedented!"
"This is the era of pirates; the navy is merely struggling to survive. I can hardly see any navy divisions in the South Sea."
"…"
As the news spread, many patrons in bars around the world discussed the navy's situation, but many did not support the navy. After all, over the past decade, the navy had gradually declined, capturing only one major pirate, John, while facing the great pirates of the New World, with more failures than successes.
"Hahaha, those four natural-type navy brats can become Admirals now? The threshold for becoming an Admiral is too low these days!"
Golden Lion scoffed upon seeing the report.
In the navy, the only two he respected were Sengoku and Garp; the four brats were not worth his attention at all.
"Captain, our Flying Pirates have reached their limit; the territory in the New World is limited. If we want to continue developing, we need more territory or to eliminate the trash within those pirate crews."
Reinhardt said.
The Flying Pirates did not possess the same strong earning capabilities as the Infinite Pirates. Although Golden Lion often stole territories from other seas to increase the number of islands and resources in his domain, this method was ultimately limited. The Flying Pirates had expanded to their limits, boasting over four hundred thousand pirates, a number even greater than the peak of the Rocks Pirates, which was a terrifying figure!
However, having a large number of members also meant difficulties in management, leading to various internal issues. They needed a unified external opportunity to resolve these internal conflicts.
The best way was to expand their territory or start a war; either option could alleviate these internal tensions.
The Infinite Pirates, with several times the number of members compared to the Flying Pirates, did not face such issues, undoubtedly due to the excellent management of Yadina, who could resolve internal problems.
Moreover, the Infinite Pirates had substantial funds to support their members and were no longer limited to the New World, secretly expanding their territory into the Four Seas.
"Hahaha, it's been years since the Flying Pirates had a large-scale expansion or initiated a war. Since that's the case, let's take action together this time!"
"I want to wage war and expand our territory!"
"Just as the navy is gaining momentum, we'll ride on their coattails to boost the reputation of the Flying Pirates!"
Golden Lion said confidently.
"Captain, do you mean…"
Reinhardt asked shrewdly.
"Here, our territory is closest to the South Sea, separated only by the Calm Belt. So, we'll attack the South Sea and take it down!"
Golden Lion pointed at the world map with fiery eyes.
"Captain, with our Flying Pirates' strength, we might not be able to take the South Sea unless we contact the Infinite Pirates and other pirate crews in the New World."
The entire South Sea is much larger than the New World and is the backyard of the World Government, making it a daunting challenge.
"Hahaha, I know I can't take it alone. The guys in the New World are probably facing the same predicament as us Flying Pirates."
"They want to expand but can't. Now we're giving them an opportunity to expand; how could they refuse?"
Golden Lion laughed.
Immediately, Golden Lion began to contact other major pirates in the New World using Den Den Mushi, and the first contact was naturally Li Yuan, as he was his most valued rival!
"Hahaha, Golden Lion, I'm very interested in your proposal!"
"The South Sea, huh? Let's join forces! It's been so many years since I've truly made a move; I'm itching to cut some people down!"
Golden Lion's proposal indeed aligned perfectly with Li Yuan's thoughts. After years of development, the Infinite Pirates had also become bloated and needed war to streamline their forces.
"Hahaha, since that's the case, it's settled! I'll contact the other guys!"
Upon hearing Li Yuan's response, Golden Lion was in high spirits. He loved Li Yuan's straightforward personality; when he said to join forces, he meant it, and when he said to wage war, he was ready to go!
"Darling, how should we approach this war?"
Shakky, by Li Yuan's side, naturally heard Golden Lion's words.
"Prepare a map of the South Sea territories we control, then plan several routes for conquest. I want to seize as much territory in the South Sea as possible in the shortest time!"
Li Yuan said.
This time, in the attack on the South Sea, he did not intend to return the seized territories to the World Government but to directly incorporate them into the Infinite Pirates' domain.
After all, this operation was different from when Rocks invaded the Four Seas; last time, Rocks just took a wave and left. Now, both he and Golden Lion intended to directly occupy the South Sea, tearing it away from the World Government.
"No problem! We've secretly controlled quite a few countries in the South Sea, and we've intentionally connected their territories into one piece. As long as our Infinite Pirates' fleet arrives, they won't even need to fight; they'll just raise our Infinite Pirates' flag."
Shakky said confidently.
"This matter is crucial. The pirates in the New World will need some time to prepare, so let's start our preparations as well."
Li Yuan nodded.
This operation would involve all the pirates in the New World, as it was a rare opportunity. If they missed this chance, it would be difficult for other major pirate crews to expand their territories.
After all, with the Flying Pirates and Infinite Pirates occupying two-thirds of the New World, other pirate crews wanting to expand would have to contend with these two legendary pirate crews, yet they lacked the strength to shake the dominance of these two legendary crews. Therefore, occupying the South Sea was their greatest opportunity for expansion.
"Mah, mahh, mahhh, my children have grown up and can help me expand my territory!"
"Wahaha, war is coming; the era of the Beast Pirates is here!"
"Gulalala, I have more children now, and I need more territory to support them."
"Hahaha, I, Wang Zhi, will definitely enter the South Sea. Once I get to the South Sea, I won't have to be suppressed by Li Yuan and Golden Lion anymore!"
"…"
Indeed, just as Li Yuan had anticipated, facing the temptation of expanding into the South Sea, no major pirate in the New World could resist such a level of allure.
At their current level, they were no longer pursuing material wealth but rather seeking spiritual fulfillment—expanding territories, seizing resources, collecting wealth, and realizing their ideals were their true pursuits.
With the call of Li Yuan and Golden Lion, all the major pirates in the New World began to mobilize, gathering forces, forging ships, and preparing to invade the South Sea at any moment.
Now, the Calm Belt posed no threat to these Conqueror's Haki-wielding pirates. As long as they intimidated the Sea Kings, they could traverse the Calm Belt freely.
Thus, even without Golden Lion leading them, they could cross the Calm Belt to reach the South Sea.
Holy Land Mariejois:
As the pirates in the New World stirred and prepared to invade the South Sea, the Five Elders had yet to receive any intelligence. After all, their intelligence network in the New World was not what it used to be.
Currently, they were reviewing intelligence on the four Admirals of the navy and the Revolutionary Army.
"The Revolutionary Army is growing stronger. Although we have suppressed its development over the years, we cannot eliminate it. Those guys have truly shaken our foundations, influencing countless kingdoms in the Four Seas."
Saint Saturn, Warrior God of Science and Defense, said.
"It has been confirmed that the leader of the Revolutionary Army is none other than Garp the Hero's son, Dragon!"
"Now that the navy has four Admirals, let them handle the Revolutionary Army!"
Saint Ju Peter, Warrior God of Agriculture, said.
The request for the four Admirals of the navy was reluctantly agreed upon by the Five Elders after Sengoku employed a series of tactics and external pressure. However, they were somewhat worried that the navy might act independently.
Especially after discovering the relationship between Garp and the leader of the Revolutionary Army, their concerns intensified, which is why they wanted the navy to deal with the Revolutionary Army.
"We cannot let the navy act alone; they must cooperate with the World Government's actions, and Garp cannot be involved in this operation."
"This time, we'll have all four Admirals of the navy mobilize, along with our World Government army and CP, to completely eliminate the Revolutionary Army!"
Saint Nusjuro, Warrior God of Finance, said.
"The Revolutionary Army's rapid development is largely due to the support of the Infinite Pirates. After all, the weapons used by the Revolutionary Army are all from the Infinite Pirates. It is these weapons that have allowed the Revolutionary Army's power to grow stronger. We must be wary of the Infinite Pirates intervening while dealing with the Revolutionary Army."
Saint Warcury, Warrior God of Law, said.
"Then let Garp and Sengoku be prepared to act at any time. They don't need to deal with the Revolutionary Army; they just need to respond to the Infinite Pirates, who may act at any moment."
Environment God Lavende said.
Lavende was the newly elected Environment God from the Celestial Dragon family.
"Agreed!"
"Agreed!"
"Agreed!"
"…"
"What? All pirate crews in the New World are mobilizing, gathering forces in large numbers!"
However, just as the Five Elders had settled on their actions against the Revolutionary Army, they received the latest intelligence about the pirate crews in the New World.
If only one or two pirate crews were moving, they wouldn't be too concerned, as there are always some restless pirate crews that don't affect the overall situation. But now, all pirate crews were mobilizing; this situation had only occurred a few times in the past, each time resulting in significant losses for the World Government.
Now, with all pirate crews in the New World moving simultaneously, the Five Elders had no choice but to take it seriously.
(End of Chapter)