Holy Land Mary Geoise.
Kong, the Fleet Admiral of the World Government, stood with his arms crossed, staring gloomily at a massive fish tank that occupied an entire wall, lost in thought.
Akainu sat casually in a sofa, a cigar in his mouth, his cold gaze fixed on the side of Kong's face.
Neither of them spoke, and the atmosphere in the room was oppressive to the extreme!
"Twenty years ago, you were just another ordinary Marine Vice Admiral. Don't forget why we valued you, promoted you to Admiral, and why you've now become the Fleet Admiral, Sakazuki!"
After a long silence, Kong finally spoke, his voice somewhat raspy.
Sakazuki took a puff of his cigar and tilted his chin slightly, looking very arrogant.
"I certainly haven't forgotten what happened twenty years ago! But don't you forget how you ended up sitting in your current position either!"
"Exterminate the pirates and pacify the four seas! That was the determination I held when I joined the Marine back then!"
"That is the conviction I will remember for the rest of my life!"
What the two were referring to was the Ohara Buster Call incident twenty years ago!
At that time, Kong was still the Fleet Admiral, while Akainu was one of many Marine Vice Admirals.
Although he was strong, the mainstays of the Marine at the time, such as Garp and Tsuru, were still very active.
Kizaru and Kuzan were also comparable to Akainu in terms of seniority and ability.
Under those circumstances, Akainu stood out among the Vice Admirals due to the ruthlessness and decisiveness he displayed during the Ohara Buster Call.
From then on, he entered the vision of the Gorosei and was heavily utilized.
And Kong, by virtue of his merit in 'destroying Ohara and eliminating evil,' was promoted to the Fleet Admiral of the World Government, entering Marijoa, the world's central hub!
It could be said that the Ohara incident changed the trajectories of both their lives and opened a new chapter.
Akainu's blunt retort made Kong's expression turn even gloomier.
After another long silence, Kong spoke again.
"Very well, let's not talk about the past. Let's return to the present!"
"You bypassed me, the Fleet Admiral, and bypassed the World Government to directly appoint an Admiral. If word of this gets out, where will our dignity be?"
"Sakazuki, you are becoming more and more presu—!"
Before Kong could finish, Akainu stood up abruptly and roared,
"You allowed those ridiculous and stupid rumors to spread. If that gets out, is there any place left for your dignity?"
"Two generations of Fleet Admirals and a Navy Grand Staff Officer—don't you realize how terrible an impact such rumors have on the Marine?"
Kong's breath hitched. He swiveled his chair around to face Akainu directly.
"The initial rumors were just that Ace didn't die and that Taro didn't use his full strength! It wasn't the World Government's intention for it to develop into this state. Besides, the Gorosei have already stepped in to suppress it!"
Akainu gave a disdainful snort.
"Rumors? Just that? Those stupid Cel—"
Kong's brow twitched violently, and he barked out a sharp interruption,
"Enough, Sakazuki! Think carefully before you speak!"
Akainu snorted again and sat back down on the sofa, crossing his legs, his tone becoming increasingly contemptuous.
"As long as rumors are allowed to spread, they can never remain in their original form."
"Now, rumors are everywhere, and the morale the Marine worked so hard to build has been nearly ruined! You've really done me a great favor, haven't you!"
Kong naturally heard Akainu's sarcasm. He frowned deeply, took a deep breath, and said in a heavy voice:
"It didn't spread so quickly just because it's a rumor!"
"At the very least, it is highly likely a fact that Ace did not die!"
Akainu raised an eyebrow, looking completely indifferent.
"So what if he didn't die? He's still just a pirate in the end! He'll have to be eliminated sooner or later!"
"I only care about one thing right now: without a stable Marine force, no pirates can be eliminated!"
"So, if you want to do something this stupid again in the future, don't involve my Marine!"
Kong suddenly stood up from his chair, glared at Akainu, and shouted,
"Your Marine? Sakazuki, do you even know what you're saying?"
Akainu also stood up from the sofa, his Aura not weakening in the slightest as he said firmly,
"Do you need me to say it again?"
The two stared each other down with cold eyes for a long time before Akainu said, emphasizing every word:
"I said just now: exterminating pirates and pacifying the four seas is my lifelong wish."
"No one can stand in my way. Not even those people!"
Kong's chest heaved violently; he was so enraged by Akainu that he nearly had a medical episode. After a long recovery, he waved his hand dismissively, filled with extreme anger, and roared:
"Go! Then do as you wish!"
Akainu whipped his coat around and turned to leave.
"Sakazuki, I must still remind you: don't think our wariness of Taro is unnecessary!"
Akainu paused but didn't look back.
"A reminder? Not needed! I only believe in myself anyway!"
With that, he strode away.
Kong stared at Akainu's retreating figure, fuming... Not far from there, the world's highest authority, the Gorosei, were also gathered with gloomy expressions.
The Old Man with a Crutch leaned forward, looking at the Marine Admiral appointment warrant on the desk, personally signed by Akainu.
"Bastard! Sakazuki is being too presumptuous! Too bold!"
He thumped his cane heavily twice, his voice cold and his face dark.
The Bald Old Man rested his sword against his shoulder and adjusted his glasses.
"Saying this now is useless. No matter how dissatisfied we are with Sakazuki, we don't have any other suitable candidate for Fleet Admiral!"
The Blond Man, who had been standing, turned around, his face as dark as water.
"That traitor Donquixote Doflamingo intentionally leaked fragments of information, scaring those Celestial Dragons out of their wits and causing all this trouble! Truly detestable!"
The Old Man with a Birthmark on his forehead joined in the cursing of Mingo.
"More than detestable, he deserves to die! Taro remains unresolved, and there's no trace of that thing! Useless! He's just a piece of trash!"
The Old Man with the Longest Beard then picked up the order from the table and examined it for a moment.
He lightly traced his finger over Sakazuki's name, and after setting the signature aside, he finally spoke,
"Re-announce this order in the name of the World Government!"
"We also need to restrain the Celestial Dragons a bit!"
"From now on, carefully screen the information reported to the Celestial Dragons; there's no need to tell them everything!"
The others didn't speak again upon hearing this, which served as tacit agreement.
After another while, beads of sweat suddenly broke out on the forehead of the Old Man with a Crutch.
"Regarding this... what is That Lord's attitude...?"
As soon as these words were spoken, the atmosphere among the Gorosei instantly froze, and a sense of fear began to spread.
After a long time, it was the bald man who spoke first,
"That Lord... perhaps... won't take such a trivial matter to heart!"
As he spoke, as if to bolster his own confidence, he added another sentence,
"As long as we arrest the Wanluos Group as soon as possible! It'll be fine, definitely!"
The hearts of the other four finally settled, and they spoke up one after another,
"Well said, such a matter wouldn't even catch That Lord's eye!"
"CP0 is becoming increasingly incompetent; no progress after so long!"
"Isn't that Fasting Monster newly appointed by the Marine also unique in the field of energy?"
"Send him to handle it!"
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