At Navy Alliance Headquarters,
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's face was grim. Even the white pigeon that usually perched on his head couldn't withstand the low pressure and flapped its wings, flying away.
When he first received the news, he even suspected that the intelligence department had been infiltrated by enemies, sending false information.
It wasn't until Navy personnel successively returned to Headquarters to report,
and there were no signs of them being controlled by illusions, that Sengoku accepted the reality.
"Sengoku, the most urgent task is to contact Admiral Aokiji. Nothing is conclusive yet."
The aged but wise and elegant Tsuru rarely showed a worried expression.
Although she was trying to calm Sengoku, she herself found it hard to remain composed.
A Navy Admiral defecting.
If confirmed, the nature of the matter would be extremely severe.
Among the hundreds of Navy Branches spread across the four seas, including Navy Headquarters, there had been defectors before.
For example, Iron Fist Garp's biological son, Dragon, the leader of the Revolutionary Army.
Another example was Captain Axe-Hand Morgan, formerly of the East Blue Branch, now an elite executive under the current Flame-Flame Pirate Crew.
Defection was not new,
However, Navy personnel bestowed with the title of Admiral were carefully selected by the Navy Alliance and symbolized the Navy's authority in patrolling the four seas.
Admiral Aokiji's defection would be a tremendous blow to the Navy's reputation.
Sengoku took a deep breath, golden Buddhist light constantly emanating from his eyes, and with great effort, he composed himself and asked, "Explain in detail everything that happened in the Zombie World!"
Tsuru was right.
Nothing was conclusive yet. Although Admiral Aokiji had disregarded the Navy's combat, there might be other hidden reasons.
Moreover, he merely ignored the fighting and did not directly attack the Navy.
Under such circumstances, putting aside his final words about leaving the Navy, at most, it would only warrant a salary deduction.
"In Jiang Family Town, an Dark Gold-level zombie was suspected to have been found. Admiral Aokiji and the Straw Hat Pirates engaged in combat, and then Red-Haired Shanks suddenly appeared and stopped them… "
"The two did not fight, but after Admiral Aokiji made contact with him, he stated his intention to leave the Navy."
Shanks?!
Sengoku's face turned ashen, and his tightly clenched fist slowly descended onto the conference table.
Boom.
The Buddhist light surrounding his fist touched the tabletop, and the table, as if crushed by a thousand-pound boulder, shattered under the immense pressure.
"Stay calm, Sengoku. Anger will cloud your judgment."
Tsuru frowned, looking at the emanating Buddhist light, and said, "Though the Buddhist True Qi of [Monk Lv.35] is powerful, there is a risk of falling into depravity. You must maintain a stable state of mind."
"I understand."
Sengoku adjusted his emotions, gradually calming down.
It was Shanks again. How dare he incite a Navy Admiral to defect? He was utterly lawless. Did the Adventurers' Guild want to die?
"At the Adventurers' Guild Headquarters, although Shanks and Hawkeye are strong, if the Navy Alliance wanted to subjugate them, it would be effortless…"
No matter how fierce a tiger or leopard, it cannot withstand a pack of wolves.
The Navy Alliance's advantage lay in its continuous stream of elite players and dozens of Branch Commanders with [First-Class Player] strength.
Tsuru shook her head repeatedly and said, "However, subjugating the Adventurers' Guild Headquarters would inevitably anger Adventurers spread across the four seas."
Adventurers,
were like pirates who set sail during the Great Pirate Era.
However, these Adventurers, unlike the vicious pirates, mostly harbored dreams.
They were a large and neutral group.
Within the Navy Alliance itself, there was a portion of Adventurers. If the Adventurers' Guild Headquarters were destroyed, these Adventurers would certainly view the Navy as enemies.
Sengoku asked in a deep voice, "Has Admiral Aokiji's Den Den Mushi been contacted?"
"Not yet…"
Before he finished speaking,
the Den Den Mushi in Sengoku's arms opened its eyes. Once connected, Admiral Aokiji's voice rang out.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku…"
"Admiral Aokiji, you bastard, do you really intend to betray the Navy?!"
Buddhist light once again illuminated the conference room.
Sengoku gripped the Den Den Mushi, questioning him furiously.
"It's not me betraying the Navy; it's the Navy betraying me."
Admiral Aokiji's voice sounded as if he was suppressing anger.
Sengoku was stunned.
"Commoners being captured and turned into slaves, injected with various drugs, infected with zombie virus to become zombies…"
Even through the Den Den Mushi, one could imagine Admiral Aokiji's furious, almost frenzied appearance.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, are you unaware of what these noble factions have done?"
Sengoku's heart sank.
The reprimand on the tip of his tongue was like his throat being squeezed, unable to make a sound.
"Noble factions…"
Sengoku stammered, then finally managed to compose himself and said in a deep voice, "The Navy Alliance is absolute justice. We have absolutely not colluded with noble factions!"
He naturally knew about these matters.
Noble factions controlled nations and commoners, but they lacked strong individuals capable of deterring pirates and ambitious people, making it easy for their assets to be plundered.
Therefore, they needed to find strong individuals to rely on.
Those Navy Branch Commanders who had already broken free from the World Government's control were undoubtedly the best protectors.
"The Navy Alliance has done nothing against justice!"
The conference room was quiet.
All the Branch Commanders present, including Jonathan, were receiving resources from noble factions.
Indeed, as Sengoku said,
the Navy had not actively participated in these dirty deeds.
However, the resources extracted by the noble factions from commoners had a share for the Navy.
Therefore,
when Sengoku said this, he lacked the usual firm conviction, his confidence slightly wavering.
"Navy Alliance? How ugly…"
"Originally bound by the World Government, we had no choice but to turn a blind eye to the vile Celestial Dragons. Now, after breaking free from the World Government, we turn a blind eye to their enslavement of commoners because noble factions can provide reward points?"
"In that case, it would be better for the Navy to continue being the World Government's dogs. At least the number of Celestial Dragons is not as vast as that of noble factions."
"Sengoku!"
Finally, it was Admiral Aokiji's voice, gritting his teeth.
Faintly, static could be heard from the Den Den Mushi.
"Admiral Aokiji? Damn it… We've paid protection money, stop it!"
"What on earth is going on? Is the Navy going to violate the agreement?"
Explosions and wailing.
Before Sengoku could speak, the faces of those Branch Commanders changed drastically.
They stood up abruptly and sternly said, "Admiral Aokiji, are you insane? How dare you slaughter the Navy's allies?"
Noble factions were the cash cows that provided them with a continuous stream of reward points.
If Admiral Aokiji messed things up, who would still trust the Commanders? Who would still be willing to pay?
How could they get stronger without money?
If they weren't strong enough, how could they protect the Navy Alliance?
"Report, the visual Den Den Mushi shows that two islands in the West Blue have been attacked consecutively. The royal courts and noble estates have all been destroyed."
"The culprit is… Admiral Aokiji!"
A Navy officer from the intelligence department timidly knocked and entered, reporting nervously.
The two West Blue Commanders' faces were ashen. They looked at the silent Sengoku and demanded, "Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the two destroyed islands in the West Blue were allies protected by the Branch. You must give us an explanation for Admiral Aokiji's actions!"
Sengoku felt overwhelmed.
On one side, Admiral Aokiji questioned the Navy Alliance's will for justice, and on the other, the Branch Commanders demanded an explanation.
Even the strongest force, the Navy Alliance, was not a monolithic entity.
If he couldn't handle this well, it would be very easy for someone like Red-Haired Shanks, who had ulterior motives, to exploit the situation.
In an instant,
Sengoku, who possessed [First-Class Player] strength and was surrounded by Buddhist light, appeared to have aged, though he hadn't changed in the slightest.
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