A few days later.
As Kuro headed back, taking care of any remaining pirates along the way, no news of a retreat came from the front lines. The fighting continued as usual, and Kuro received no further information.
Meanwhile, on the Red Earth continent...
Mary Geoise, the center of which, separates the first and second halves of the Grand Line.
This is also the location of the world's highest center of power.
The enormous castle at the center is called 'Pangu Palace'.
Between powers...
WP.
The atmosphere in the room was somewhat silent. Five old men posing for photos stood facing each other in silence, looking like sculptures to anyone who didn't know better.
"Damn Sakazuki!!"
The old man's glasses gleamed, his grip on the knife tightened, and he gritted his teeth, saying, "He actually dared to refuse our orders! How arrogant!"
The curly-haired old man said coldly, "Has he lost his sense of self-worth just because he became a naval admiral? He needs to be taught a lesson!"
"Take his place!" the red-skinned old man shouted sternly.
But the group soon fell into deep thought again.
"Not at the moment..."
The long-bearded old man said, "Sakazuki is determined to fight the pirates. Taking him out of his position now will disrupt the stability of the Navy, making things even more difficult to handle later."
“Why not? Let’s bring up someone more obedient. Isn’t Kuro quite good?” the old man with the knife said.
“He’s going to guard Wano Country…” The old man with the map shook his head. “If we let him come back now, it’s better to keep the battle lines going. We need Wano Country.”
"Hmph, we've become dependent on each other over the years. Weren't we doing just fine before Doflamingo was around?" the old man with the knife sneered.
"It wasn't exactly good. Back then, we had to rely on the underworld, and things are more stable now," the old man with the map said. "We can't just abandon Wano Country. We have to admit that their weapons and Seastone techniques are what we need. Now that we finally have a chance to keep an eye on them, we can't afford to lose them."
The red-skinned old man nodded: "It's indeed impossible to lose it... After thinking it over, it's still that wretched Dorrag! Of all times, he has to make a move at this time!"
"That's natural."
The long-bearded old man said, "This stage is indeed very easy to break into. Our military forces are all engaged in combat in the New World, so of course they will rush over. If we don't recall our navy to deal with them now, it will be very troublesome."
It's indeed troublesome. The naval elites are all in the New World, and the naval forces left behind in the first half and the four seas have to keep an eye on the pirates in those areas, so they have no time to deal with the Revolutionary Army.
This is different from the Marineford War. This time it's on a much larger scale, a full-scale war between the Navy and pirates. The pirates of the New World, when they come together, are not the same size as the Whitebeard Pirates; they are much larger. Those silver medalists are the main force in this war.
They were the ones who gave the order to go to war, so they certainly knew the seriousness of the situation.
The old man with the map slowly said, "In the end, it's still those brats who are too troublesome. If it weren't for the battle on Water Star Island, we wouldn't have made this decision. Now things are getting out of control. Sakazuki is disobeying orders and insisting on a decisive battle with the pirates. We can't do anything about it for the time being. Now is not the right time to deal with him. Let's wait until the situation stabilizes."
Even if it's dealt with, they don't have anyone to fill the gap for the time being.
The only suitable candidate is Kuro, who is now tasked with guarding Wano Country. They will not rashly replace him until Wano Country is stabilized.
Where can you find a Navy officer who is reliable, strong, obeys their orders without question, and even has a good reputation among the Celestial Dragons?
Only Lucilfer Kuro proved his loyalty through his actions.
"Is there really no one else?" the red-skinned old man asked, unwilling to give up. "Fujitora?"
The old man with the knife was the first to shake his head: "No one can win people's hearts. If these recruits from around the world take the stage, the first one to object will be Kuro, and the Navy will become even more unstable."
Fujitora?
They were unfamiliar with this man; he was selected by Sakazuki from the world's conscription. Although they knew his life story and that they had given him the position of general, his attitude towards the World Government was unknown.
The same goes for Green Bull. Although he has been stationed in Mary Geoise for a long time, the Five Elders don't like him. Moreover, he has a strange habit: he often doesn't eat and is as lazy as a vegetable.
"really..."
The old man with the map nodded and said, "We also need to consider the overall factors of the Navy. We know Kuro very well. He is very capable. Although he has a lot of minor problems, they are not serious. He has a high reputation in the Navy. I have no objection to him becoming Fleet Admiral after Sakazuki retires. As for anyone else, no one else will do."
Kuro and his crew knew him all too well. They knew he had many flaws, loved money, was good at business, and was incredibly wealthy, but these were all normal things in the Navy. These things weren't even a problem for them. The real 'minor problems' were about territory.
This man had the habits of a pirate. Once he settled in a place, he would naturally bring that place under his rule, and wherever he went, people would pay him taxes.
But this is just a 'minor issue'; the tax revenue from a few islands is nothing to worry about.
Compared to his strength and loyalty, all of that can be ignored.
Sakazuki's resistance to them led them to consider replacing the marshal, so Kuro would inevitably be the successor.
This is a consensus, both among the Five Elders and within the Navy.
Kuro is a rare man who enjoys prestige from both the Navy and the World Government. If he were to take power, the Five Elders would be much more at ease, even more so than during the Warring States period.
Even if someone in the Warring States period did a good job, they sometimes didn't take their orders seriously.
This is a common problem in the Navy, and they've always known it.
Are those soldiers who wield such great power really so docile?
But Kuro seems to share their stance, which makes it even more remarkable.
The curly-haired old man agreed, "If even the two generals are hard to convince, then the rest are even less likely to succeed. We can't exactly pull Sengoku out of retirement and make him marshal again, can we?"
“He probably won’t agree either,” the long-bearded old man said. “This war has indeed gotten a bit out of control; we can only wait until things stabilize first.”
“Activate CP.” The red-skinned old man sighed. “Activate it all and let them deal with the Revolutionary Army. The World Conference is less than a year away, and we can’t afford any mistakes at this time.”
“Activating all CPs will cause us to lose a lot of intelligence,” the curly-haired old man frowned. “There are risks involved.”
"There's no other way," the old man with the knife said. "That's settled then, I agree."
"I second that."
"I second that."
"I second that."
The red-skinned old man hesitated for a moment, then finally sighed and said, "Alright, I second that."
"Activate all CP, specifically to deal with the Revolutionary Army!"
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