Chapter 627: Division, factional conflicts erupt! (Two in one)
The New Navy's plan to conquer Beehive Island was carried out very smoothly. Although the small episode of Blackbeard appeared during the period, it did not affect the overall plan of the New Navy.
With the deaths of Wang Zhi and a number of Beehive Island officials, the expedition officially entered its final stages. Zefa, acting on the Xinhai side, invited Morgans' newspapers to extensively report on the destruction of Beehive Island.
It is hoped that the influence of the new navy will be strengthened in this way.
The effect of this approach was very direct. As newspapers published a large number of real photos of Honeycomb Island, it soon shocked the world.
Under the leadership of Wang Zhi, Beehive Island became one of the Four Emperors. It was no longer the low-key pirate group it once was. Naturally, their notoriety had spread throughout the world.
There is no doubt that the destruction of such a super-large pirate group shocked the people. What's more, the force that accomplished this was the New Navy, which is currently slightly weaker in the New World.
During the period when Yoshikazu Tsugakuni was away, the New Navy was attacked from all sides. First, the resurgence of Beehive Island hit the prestige of the New Navy, then the Red Hair Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates led by Kozuki Oden rose one after another, and there were also the young pirates who regarded the New Navy as a stepping stone.
In recent years, the overall strategy of the new navy has actually been to shrink inward, and it has been trying its best to avoid head-on conflicts with other major forces of comparable strength in order to maintain the stability of the new navy.
It is precisely because of this contraction policy of the New Navy that the people feel that the New Navy is no longer viable. It has fallen from the terrifying existence that once had the potential to suppress pirates to an "ordinary" force.
However, after the battle of Beehive Island, such thoughts should have been completely wiped out from people's minds.
Before the New Navy's large-scale operation, ordinary people had no access to any relevant information. And when the New Navy deliberately spread the news, it actually destroyed Beehive Island, which was also one of the Four Emperors' forces.
Having done such a big thing quietly, everyone needs to refresh their views on the new navy and re-evaluate its current strength.
The ones who were most surprised by the sudden surge in the strength of the new navy were not the pirates in the New World, but the navy headquarters of Marinford.
After learning the news, Zhan Guo, who had returned to the position of marshal, immediately convened an internal high-level meeting and called all senior officials above the rank of lieutenant general to the conference room to discuss how to deal with the increasingly powerful new navy.
In order to prepare for a rainy day, Zhan Guo knew his old friend very well. Now that the new navy is no longer hiding its strength, it is likely that after attacking the Beehive Island, the new navy will soon make new big moves.
Zefa is not a moderate leader in the traditional sense. He is not that kind of person at heart. Otherwise, Zefa would not give up his good position as the chief instructor of the headquarters and go to the new navy to command the "loose sand".
In Zhan Guo's view, the New Navy's attack on Beehive Island, a similarly imperial force, was actually a signal to their naval headquarters.
Marlene Fodor.
There was a dead silence in the conference room. After Brannew distributed the latest information about the new navy to the attending officers, he also played some relevant information about the Beehive Island battlefield through the video telephone bug.
That’s right, there is relevant information about the Beehive Island battlefield!
The Navy Headquarters hadn't been idle for years. Although some of the pawns deployed in the New Navy years earlier had completely lost contact, some had finally managed to stay hidden within the New Navy. Although they remained silent for a long time, as the pawns' time in hiding increased, their contact with the Navy Headquarters finally became closer.
Peacock
The Grand Staff of the Naval Headquarters, granddaughter of Vice Admiral Tsuru.
This female navy officer who joined the New Navy at the same time as Smoker and others has now grown into a lieutenant colonel in the New Navy and participated in the New Navy's war against Beehive Island.
However, she wasn't a member of the spearhead unit and hadn't been on the Beehive Island battlefield at the start of the war, so naturally, she hadn't witnessed Tsukikoku Yuichi's actions. She could only observe Beehive Island from afar on the ship, taking some long-range photos.
Are the information that Peacock sent back to the Naval Headquarters useful? In fact, its usefulness is limited, but it cannot be said that it is completely useless.
At least the navy's intelligence personnel analyzed a lot of useful information from various long-range photos.
After Branny quickly introduced the current high-level combat power structure of the New Navy, Zhan Guo also stood up and took over the conversation:
"At the moment, we can confirm that the news about the destruction of Beehive Island published in the newspaper is true!"
"We have an absolutely reliable intelligence source, and there is no need to doubt the authenticity of the incident."
"I called you here today to discuss with you how our Navy Headquarters should respond to the huge changes that may occur in the future."
Zhan Guo walked to the front of the stage, turned around, and spoke to the generals in the conference room. His words also caused a burst of discussion in the originally silent conference room.
New Navy.
This is a huge rock weighing on the hearts of everyone in the Navy Headquarters.
The relationship between them and the new navy is really subtle. Sometimes even the senior officials of the headquarters would wonder what the world would be like today if Tsugakuni Yoriichi had not left the navy headquarters.
Will it be worse than it is now?
That shouldn’t be the case. The new navy established by Yoshikazu Tsugakuni is extremely powerful. This is the organization established after Yoshikazu Tsugakuni broke away from the endorsement of the Navy Headquarters.
If Tsugakuni Yoshiichi had always been in the Marine Headquarters, their current strength should have been able to overwhelm any pirate force in the world, and the peace that the people longed for might have already arrived.
But no matter what, all of this is just what the officers in this headquarters think.
Ideals are ideals, reality is reality.
"If you have any ideas, please share them."
“Behind closed doors, everyone speaks freely.”
Zhan Guo's words also set the tone for this meeting. Seeing this, Borsalino, who had never been the first to speak out, did the opposite today. He raised his hand seemingly lazily and looked at Zhan Guo.
"Borsalino, what do you think?"
Seeing that Borsalino, the "non-stick pan", was behaving out of character today, Zhan Guo showed a hint of surprise on his face.
"The main purpose of the New Navy's actions this time should be to deter those pirates in the New World who are ready to make a move, right?"
"Ever since Tsugikoku Yoshiichi disappeared, they haven't had an easy time either. In a place like the New World, their power is the most conspicuous."
"Well, in my opinion, we at the Navy Headquarters just need to do what we are supposed to do. Even if they are demonstrating, their target won't be us."
Borsalino spoke in a lazy tone, but surprisingly, although his words were somewhat inclined towards appeasement policy, they were recognized by many generals and officers, and some voices of agreement were heard in the conference room.
Although Borsalino is not the kind of person who likes to seize power and profit, he is a naval admiral after all. Even if he does not deliberately manage the headquarters, he still has his own team and power.
In this high-level meeting, there were many people who stood on the same side as Borsalino.
Most of them came from the former Naval Academy and were Zephyr's disciples. When Zephyr left the headquarters to join the New Navy, there was actually a saying among Marineford that "the Naval Headquarters and the New Navy are one family, there is no need to be hostile to each other."
It is simply impossible to say that there is no "big leader" secretly fanning the flames behind the scenes.
Of all the people in the Navy Headquarters who have enough influence to do such a thing, Borsalino, the practitioner of "ambiguous justice," is actually the most likely to do it.
Zhan Guo is a veteran, and promoting such things is actually not conducive to the unity of the headquarters. Instead, it will exacerbate the division within the Navy Headquarters.
As for the others, Sakaski is a typical hardliner and hawk; and Magellan, the former warden of Impel Down, who has just become an admiral of the navy for a few years, has a shallow foundation and it is basically impossible for him to do such a thing "silently".
In today's meeting, Borsalino's position is very eye-catching.
Does this mean he's jumping to the front of the stage?
What exactly induced Borsalino to make such a decision at this time?
Was it because of the sudden, tough measures taken by the new navy? Or was it because of the incident that occurred in the holy land of Marinjoa some time ago?
After all, the Five Elders were unable to hide the fact that the holy land of Marinjoa had suffered a devastating blow from an unknown powerful person from top figures like Zhan Guo.
Some things are also circulating in small circles.
The generals present speculated that Borsalino's clear position might be related to what happened in Marincioa some time ago.
At this moment, except for some officers who agreed, everyone else's attention was focused on Borsalino, as if they wanted to get more information from his words.
In front of the stage, Zhan Guo heard the words, and his face showed neither strong opposition nor support. He just had a calm expression, as if he was not involved.
The atmosphere at this internal meeting of the Navy Headquarters became a little strange at this moment.
“Bang!!!”
At this moment, a muffled sound rang out in the conference room. Sakaski slammed the table and stood up, staring angrily at Borsalino beside him, shouting:
"Hey! Borsalino, what do you mean?"
"Do you think our Navy Headquarters can just let it go?!"
"Do you know what the ultimate goal of those people in the New Navy is?! It's to overthrow the existing order of this world!"
"After they take control of Beehive Island, they will definitely find a way to eliminate the pirates in the New World."
"What happens after they're done? What will they do next? You can't imagine it, can you?"
"If we, the Navy Headquarters, let it do nothing at this time, what's the difference between that and directly aiding the enemy?"
Sakaski was able to become an admiral not only because of his skills and strength, but also because of his strategic vision. In his eyes, the next move of the new navy is already a clear idea.
Of course, Sakaski was not the only one who saw through this matter. Vice Admiral Tsuru had more or less guesses about the new navy's plan, but the reason they did not point it out was actually because they had their own concerns.
"Don't get excited—"
"General Sakaski."
"Don't just object! Tell me what we, the Navy Headquarters, should do?"
"While the New Navy is clearing out pirates in the New World, should we send troops from the Navy Headquarters to attack them?"
"Is there some serious illness?"
"The New Navy is our enemy, so are the pirates our allies?"
"Isn't it better to sit back and watch the fight?"
"Marshal Zhan Guo, the new navy only has a few top fighters."
"I don't think they have the ability to clear out all the pirates in the New World."
"Although Beehive Island is crowned with the title of the Four Emperors, the Great One Piece has always been a powerful figure from the previous era. He will also decline with age."
"Also, his crew are all remnants of the Rocks Pirates. The truly strong members of the Rocks Pirates have long since died. The old ones are getting old. The New Navy's victory doesn't necessarily mean they are that powerful."
"In other words, the new navy is strong, but not strong enough to break out of the New World and threaten the first half of the Grand Line or even the Four Seas!"
"Compared to the New Navy, I think pirates and the Revolutionary Army are the focus of our navy at this stage!"
It was rare for Borsalino to speak so much in an internal meeting to express his views and positions, and his words not only won the support of his own supporters, but also attracted the recognition of some other generals.
If you really look at the issue from Borsalino's perspective, you'll find that what he says actually makes sense.
Beehive Island is full of strong people, but if you have to compare it with the new navy, it is really a little bit behind.
It is not surprising that Wang Zhi will be defeated and Fengchao Island will be destroyed.
Even in the Navy's intelligence system, Red-Haired Shanks' Iron Wall Pirates and Whitebeard Pirates are much stronger than Hive.
"you!!"
Sakaski was speechless for a moment. The pirates and the revolutionary army led by Dragon really made the Marine Headquarters exhausted. The Marine Headquarters might be able to fight a big war, but their current strength could probably only withstand one big war.
The opponents in this war can be pirates or the Revolutionary Army, but it is best not to be the New Navy.
From their perspective, attacking the new navy is not a high priority.
"Okay, Sakaski, calm down for a moment. I understand what you mean."
As he spoke, Zhan Guo pressed his hand towards Sakaski, signaling him to calm down. As he spoke, he looked at Magellan.
Both generals have expressed their opinions, and the Warring States period will naturally not favor one over the other.
Noticing that Zhan Guo was looking at him, Magellan, who was wearing a mask to prevent the toxins he exhaled from causing trouble to others, coughed lightly. Just as he was about to speak, his stomach made a "gurgling" sound.
“.”
"Marshal, I think what Admiral Borsalino said makes sense. Compared to those in the New World, the pirates and the Revolutionary Army currently active in the first half of the Grand Line and in the four seas are more worthy of our attention."
After adding this sentence, Magellan apologized and hurriedly got up and left the meeting room.
Seeing this, everyone in the conference room looked at each other in confusion. A black line appeared on Zhan Guo's forehead, and he looked helpless.
Magellan is good in every way: loyal, upright, powerful and not forming cliques, but the side effects of his devil fruit really affect outsiders' perception of him.
The three admirals all expressed their opinions one after another, and then the vice admirals in the conference room began to speak freely. They said all kinds of things, some supported Borsalino, some saw the threat of the New Navy as real, and some stood on the side of the World Government and were determined to oppose the New Navy.
In short, the conference room turned into a vegetable market. The generals' opinions were divided, and there was no sign of reaching a consensus. Some generals with different opinions even argued more and more fiercely, showing signs of treating each other as "traitors."
Zhan Guo watched this scene quietly without saying a word, and no one knew what he was thinking.
(End of this chapter)
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