The Navy's situation was collapsing like a mountain crumbling from within.
Since the allied nations no longer cared about the World Government, they naturally cared even less about the Navy. They acted without hesitation or pressure.
The Navy itself could not even object.
After all, both the World Government and the Navy had failed to uphold their agreements with the allied nations. Since they could no longer provide protection or stability, the allied nations saw no reason to care about their opinions.
Only now did the Navy truly realize that it had reached a critical crossroads between survival and destruction.
And because of that, they had no choice but to act.
The meager military funds provided by the World Government were barely enough to keep the organization alive. As for future allocations, no one knew when they would come.
The World Government itself was already struggling to survive. Trying to regain control over the allied nations was even more difficult.
Under such circumstances, the only path left for the Navy was self-preservation.
Thus, the entire conference hall erupted into discussion.
Suggestions were raised one after another, each attempting to solve the countless problems facing the Navy.
The staff officers seated to the side rapidly recorded every useful proposal. Sengoku and Tsuru occasionally nodded in approval, while rejecting others in silence.
This was their method.
Brainstorm everything.
Any useful idea could be adopted.
As for the food shortage, merely relying on fishing and hunting was clearly not a long-term solution.
Borrowing food was equally unrealistic.
The seas were in chaos. Pirates were raiding everywhere, kingdoms were suffering losses, and many nations were likely facing food shortages themselves.
On top of that, food prices throughout the world had already risen by nearly thirty percent.
After repeated discussion, they finally arrived at the only viable answer.
The Navy would grow its own food.
It sounded absurd.
The mighty Navy, protector of the seas, had been reduced to worrying about whether its soldiers could eat tomorrow.
In truth, the Navy already possessed several cultivation bases.
Many Marine families lived around Marineford, so agricultural facilities had existed for years. However, compared to the enormous scale of the Navy, those farms were nowhere near sufficient.
Now they needed far more.
This quickly became a firm resolution.
Standing beside the massive sea chart of the Grand Line, Tsuru personally marked several islands in the waters surrounding Marineford that were suitable for large-scale cultivation.
The sea itself provided countless opportunities.
As long as they were willing to work, they would not starve.
At the same time, strict requirements were issued to every Marine branch.
Each branch had to establish its own food production area.
In truth, this trend had already started during the war, though only on a limited scale. Unfortunately, crops required time to grow.
Now, however, the Navy needed fully operational food bases capable of sustaining its enormous consumption.
The proposal was approved almost immediately.
Of course, during the transition period, they still had no choice but to rely on the World Government's limited funding to barely survive.
At the same time, they would also need to borrow both food and money from allied nations.
The Four Seas might have been the World Government's foundation.
But the Grand Line was the Navy's.
The Grand Line still required the Navy to suppress pirates.
Pirates in the Grand Line were nothing like those in the Four Seas.
In the Four Seas, strong firepower alone was often enough to deal with threats.
But in the Grand Line, the average strength of pirates was on an entirely different level.
Kingdoms there could not simply rely on ordinary soldiers or cannons.
Likewise, the so-called regional navies developing in the Four Seas could never replace the Marines in the Grand Line.
To resist pirate invasions and reduce losses, the allied nations of the Grand Line would inevitably support the Navy.
At least, that was what Sengoku and the others believed.
The second issue was consolidation.
The Navy's intelligence network had to be drastically reduced.
Other than essential intelligence stations, every unnecessary branch would be withdrawn.
All intelligence strongholds throughout the Four Seas and the New World would be dismantled.
Although intelligence gathering was extremely important, the Navy could no longer sustain such an enormous burden.
They had to streamline themselves.
They had to reduce expenditures.
Maintaining the Navy's vast intelligence system consumed staggering amounts of money.
It required endless investment.
Under the current circumstances, shrinking their operations was unavoidable.
The cost was simply too great.
Furthermore, the Navy's intelligence network had already suffered devastating damage during the war, suppressed by forces all across the world.
In many cases, spies required continuous financial support.
Bribery had always been the simplest and most effective method for obtaining intelligence.
Now that the funding chain had collapsed, countless Navy spies had been exposed.
Their fates were naturally miserable.
Some were killed.
Others were forced into hiding, barely surviving.
Reducing the intelligence network was not only about saving money.
It was also about preserving the intelligence personnel the Navy had painstakingly cultivated over the years.
Every loss was painful.
Finally, there was the issue of internal instability.
Morale within the Navy was wavering.
Before anything else, the Navy needed unity.
In a crisis of this scale, everyone had to stand together.
And before demanding that from ordinary Marines, the senior officers themselves had to lead by example.
"Gentlemen…"
Sengoku slowly rose from his seat at the head of the table.
Then, before everyone present, he lowered his head deeply.
"Please… let us fight together."
"Strengthen your convictions."
"Overcome this difficulty with me."
"I beg you all."
The sincerity in Sengoku's voice shook the hearts of everyone present.
"For Justice!"
A thunderous roar erupted through the conference hall.
At that moment, the unease weighing on the Marines seemed to disappear.
What replaced it was fighting spirit.
Confidence.
Determination.
The pressure ahead was still immense.
But they had already felt Sengoku's resolve.
"Meeting adjourned."
"Dismissed."
...
At the G7 Branch, Prody glanced back at Novoa while leisurely sipping fine wine.
"So?" he asked with a grin. "How do you feel?"
Novoa looked at him helplessly.
"The Navy's situation is worse than I imagined," he admitted honestly.
Then he sighed.
"I'm already starting to regret joining."
"Old man, why don't you retire early and leave these headaches to someone else?"
"Hahaha!"
Prody burst into laughter.
"Kid, is it really fine for you to say that so directly?" Tokikake asked, looking speechless.
Novoa merely shrugged.
Prody waved his hand carelessly.
"To tell the truth, I'd love to retire right now," he said with a grin.
"The coming years are definitely going to be exhausting."
"Still…"
He stood up slowly, raised one fist dramatically, and shouted like an old troublemaker full of spirit.
"I can still hold on for another twenty years!"
Then he laughed loudly.
"Come on, boys!"
"Respond to Headquarters' call!"
"We're going farming!"
The surrounding Marine officers immediately burst into laughter.
Even Tokikake could not help shaking his head.
Soon afterward, every branch began moving.
Some Marines headed out to hunt pirates.
Others began developing cultivation areas.
Everyone had their own responsibilities.
Despite the desperate situation, the Navy slowly regained a trace of vitality.
...
At the same time, the World Government had also been holding meetings regarding the current crisis.
However, even the Navy was unaware of the specific contents of those discussions.
The World Government repeatedly contacted the allied nations of the Four Seas, hoping to advance the date of the World Conference and discuss the issue of the Heavenly Tribute.
The World Conference was originally held once every four years.
At that time, the rulers of fifty allied nations would gather at Mary Geoise to discuss matters concerning world order and security.
The existence of the conference itself held considerable significance.
Proposals submitted by participating nations could, once approved, become policies implemented across every member nation.
Because of that, every kingdom treated the conference with utmost importance.
The rulers attending would personally arrive at Mary Geoise.
After all, the conference directly affected the future interests of their countries.
Naturally, the discussions were never short.
There were simply too many conflicting interests.
Arguments and negotiations often dragged on endlessly.
However, for many kingdoms, the conference also provided a rare opportunity.
Normally, nations had very few chances to meet openly.
Now, gathered together at Mary Geoise, they could discuss cooperation, trade, and future agreements face-to-face.
In some ways, it was the perfect occasion.
Even the establishment of the Seven Warlords of the Sea system had once required approval during the World Conference.
At the time, the World Government had strongly pushed for the system.
Since the Warlords mainly operated in the Grand Line, most allied nations of the Four Seas were relatively unaffected.
Combined with the overwhelming authority of the World Government back then, many kingdoms were willing to give them face.
Although some countries opposed the proposal, the system ultimately passed through majority approval.
Now, however, the situation was completely different.
The World Government wanted to hold the conference ahead of schedule.
Yet the majority of the allied nations in the Four Seas refused almost simultaneously, as though they had already reached an agreement beforehand.
Soon afterward, declarations began spreading through newspapers and broadcasts.
One allied nation after another publicly severed ties with the World Government.
They announced that they would no longer remain affiliated nations.
This series of declarations dealt another devastating blow to the already weakened World Government.
The Golden Sea War had not only drained their financial reserves.
It had also caused them to lose the Four Seas.
Large numbers of allied nations had abandoned them completely.
This outcome was far beyond the World Government's expectations.
Originally, they believed the solution was simple.
Admit fault.
Lower the Heavenly Tribute.
Show some humility.
Surely the allied nations would eventually compromise for the sake of the World Government's authority.
But reality proved otherwise.
They had never imagined the allied nations would abandon them so decisively.
If they had foreseen this outcome, they never would have started the war.
Unfortunately, regret meant nothing now.
The chaos throughout the Four Seas was largely caused by the weakening of the World Government's intelligence network.
Many agents had been deployed during the Golden Sea War.
Others had been sent to target wealthy individuals and organizations the World Government considered threats.
As a result, surveillance over the Four Seas weakened dramatically.
By the time they noticed the warning signs, it was already too late.
Although the World Government had demonstrated terrifying power during the Golden Sea War and still possessed hidden forces,
the allied nations were not afraid of military retaliation.
After all, they were not isolated kingdoms.
Together, they represented entire seas.
Any attack against one nation could easily affect the whole region.
More importantly, the World Government itself was already severely weakened.
The allied nations possessed enough leverage to retaliate economically and materially.
The Four Seas contained the world's largest populations, the most stable economies, and enormous resource reserves.
If necessary, they could even fund the rebellions on the Red Line.
They could turn the Red Line itself into another battlefield that continuously consumed the World Government.
Under such circumstances, the World Government could not recklessly interfere with independent countries.
Once they crossed that line, the entire nature of the conflict would change.
The World Government had once possessed over one hundred seventy allied nations.
Now, after losing more than half of them, it truly felt as though they had returned overnight to the beginning.
Although the rebellion on the Red Line had been suppressed on the surface, underground resistance continued.
The Navy demanded funding daily.
The World Government understood that time was running out.
While the Navy struggled to save itself, the World Government was also searching desperately for solutions.
They intensified exploitation throughout the Red Line.
Even though they knew this would provoke even greater resistance from the population, they needed money.
Furthermore, they never truly considered the rebellions dangerous.
In their eyes, no matter how troublesome the rebels became, they were still insignificant.
The World Government remained extremely confident in its military power.
They believed a single top-tier powerhouse would be enough to suppress any uprising.
Beyond exploitation, they also began selling assets.
Over eight hundred years, the World Government had accumulated unimaginable treasures within Mary Geoise.
Precious collections.
Rare relics.
Historic valuables.
Even they no longer knew how many treasures remained stored in the Holy Land.
Now those collections were finally being released.
Naturally, countless people coveted them.
Unfortunately, the timing was terrible.
The seas were chaotic.
Prices had fallen significantly.
Under normal circumstances, those treasures would have sold for astronomical amounts.
But the World Government desperately needed money immediately.
They could not afford to wait.
Thus, huge numbers of valuables flowed from Mary Geoise into auction houses and black markets across the world.
The World Government sold them through every possible channel in exchange for emergency funding.
Finally, there remained the issue of the Heavenly Tribute.
The World Conference the World Government desperately wanted was indeed advanced.
It was scheduled to begin one month after the Golden Sea War.
However, the number of participating nations was far lower than before.
Most attendees were kingdoms from the Grand Line.
Only a handful came from the Four Seas.
As for the New World, not a single allied nation appeared.
That sea had already become pirate territory.
And after the Navy was driven out once again, participating in the World Conference held little meaning.
It was simply a waste of time.
Those nations no longer believed the Navy could protect them.
So why should they participate enthusiastically?
Although some kingdoms had no immediate intention of officially leaving the World Government, that did not mean they were willing to continue paying Heavenly Tribute for nothing.
From the very beginning, conditions had already been established.
The deadline for the Heavenly Tribute would tentatively be set one or two months after the conference.
During that period, the Navy had to protect the waters of allied nations.
They had to stop pirate invasions.
They had to safeguard trade routes and national interests.
Only then would the allied nations consider paying the Heavenly Tribute.
Only then would they accept Marine escorts.
Specific matters, such as the exact amount of Heavenly Tribute, would still need to be discussed during the conference itself.
Before that, the World Government first needed to survive the next two months.
At the same time, they had to continue investing money into the Navy.
Warships needed to be built.
Weapons needed to be purchased.
Only if the Navy recovered could the World Government fulfill its promises.
And only then would the allied nations willingly hand over their Heavenly Tribute once again.
Thus, centered around the upcoming World Conference, both the World Government and the Navy began moving frantically.
The Navy finally received a fresh injection of funds from the barely surviving World Government.
This allowed the Marines to recover a small amount of vitality.
At the same time, based on their earlier decisions, they began dispatching Marine personnel throughout the seas.
Some were assigned to escort the kings of allied nations.
Others were tasked with protecting important ministers and diplomatic envoys.
Because everyone understood one thing clearly.
The future of both the Navy and the World Government depended entirely on this conference.