pertwk 38. Even if it's tough, join the country.
38. Even if it's tough, join the country.
The atmosphere in the conference room at Naval Headquarters was oppressive.
Kizaru slumped lazily in his chair. "Oh dear, there's never a moment's rest these days—at this rate, I'm afraid quite a few countries will withdraw from the alliance, and the number of pirates will probably increase even more, right?"
The meeting was triggered by the fact that the annual collection of "sky gold" was about to begin again.
This year, governments around the world made outrageous demands, raising the amount to be handed over by a full 50%.
It is clear to anyone with eyes to see that a considerable number of member states simply cannot afford this astronomical sum.
If they fail to pay, they will be ruthlessly expelled from the membership and lose the protection of the navy.
At that time, the desperate people will either become food for pirates or have no choice but to grit their teeth and join the pirate wave.
But there's nothing we can do about it.
Broly previously wreaked havoc in Mary Geoise, turning the Holy Land upside down, and the funds needed for reconstruction were a bottomless pit.
This mess can't be paid for by the Celestial Dragons themselves; in the end, they can only squeeze it out of the heavenly gold, and the common people will suffer even more.
"Shut up, Borsalino!"
Steel Bone slammed his hand on the table.
He glared at Kizaru, his eyes blazing with fury. "I haven't even settled accounts with you for deserting the battlefield, and you still have the leisure to make sarcastic remarks!"
Upon hearing this, Kizaru's lips curled into an irritating smile: "So, what does the Fleet Admiral want me to do? Do you intend for me to go and clash with Broly?"
He chuckled lightly, his tone full of mockery, "It's a small matter if I die, but if the Navy loses an admiral-level fighter for no reason, it will be much more troublesome to suppress the Great Pirate Era."
These words left everyone present speechless with astonishment—Kizaru's tactic of feigning retreat perfectly embodied the term "green tea" (a derogatory term for a manipulative woman).
But Steel Bone Sky had no way to deal with him.
With war raging across the world and the number of pirates increasing day by day, even admirals, let alone generals, have to be protected like precious treasures.
Staff Officer He rested his chin on his hands, his brows furrowed, and said, "Can't we just let the Celestial Dragons spend less?"
"ha?"
A sneer abruptly broke the silence.
The speaker was Aokiji, who had not yet experienced the Ohara incident. His tone was full of sarcasm: "Grandma Tsuru, do you even believe that yourself?"
Let alone saving the Celestial Dragons money, even if that self-proclaimed alien Broly were to destroy the world tomorrow, Aokiji was certain that those pampered trash wouldn't be willing to part with a single Berry.
Akainu, who had been silent all along, suddenly spoke up with a pointed question: "What should we do if we encounter Broly during a mission?"
Broly is currently roaming the South China Sea, a fact that is an open secret among the naval leadership.
It's only a matter of time before the navy encounters him on future missions at sea.
At that point, should we fight or retreat? This is a question that must be answered clearly.
The people in the conference room fell into an even deeper silence.
The silence lasted for a long time, and then Kong's voice revealed an undisguised weariness: "With Broly's power, it's a pipe dream to think he can be eliminated in a short time."
We can only wage a protracted war. The first step is to gather intelligence on him at all costs, to understand his capabilities and weaknesses, especially his vulnerabilities. Only in this way can we deliver a fatal blow.
He paused, then added with unwavering resolve, "I've already deployed an elite intelligence unit to monitor Broly's movements 24/7. Furthermore, all branches have been instructed that if they encounter Broly during a mission, they can immediately abandon the mission; such an encounter will not be considered a mission failure."
This arrangement is strikingly similar to how other ninja villages treated Minato Namikaze during the Third Shinobi World War in the Naruto world.
At that time, each village clearly ordered its men that if they encountered a yellow flash on the battlefield, they could immediately abandon their weapons and retreat without being considered defeated.
Who would have thought that the Navy would use this method on Broly right now on this very sea?
No one objected to Steelbone's proposal.
Even Akainu, known for his radical personality, remained unusually silent.
He's just radical, not stupid.
It is clear that before fully understanding Broly's abilities, any rash action would be suicidal.
Kizaru seemed to suddenly remember something, his tone tinged with amusement: "Speaking of which, what are the World Government's plans? They consider themselves gods, yet they've been humiliated like this; are they really going to just swallow their anger?"
"Hmph, who knows what those high and mighty guys are thinking."
Akainu scoffed, his tone brimming with undisguised disdain. "Isn't this how they always are? When have they ever stooped to discussing countermeasures with the Navy?"
That was already considered quite restrained.
To put it bluntly, in the eyes of the World Government, the Navy is nothing more than a dog they keep.
When an owner wants to do something, why does he need to consult with the dog?
Even after losing two of the Five Elders and a commander of the Knights of God, as well as three top-tier combatants, the World Government's arrogant attitude remained unchanged.
As the Navy personnel had anticipated, an emergency meeting was in full swing in Mary Geoise at that moment.
Beneath the Void Throne, Im, who had just received a plea for help from the three Gringu yesterday, was looking down with his eyes lowered.
The remaining three of the Five Elders—Saint Nassoulang, Saint Pitt, and Saint Vocholi—were kneeling respectfully on one knee.
As always, the attendant Junko stood quietly beside Im, waiting for her instructions.
In addition, there was another unexpected figure in the venue.
Somaz Saint, a member of the Knights of God and a user of the Thorn-Thorn Fruit.
After Gringu was kidnapped, he temporarily took over the position of commander of the Knights of God.
"Lord Im, the candidate has been chosen."
Pitt Saint spoke first, his tone extremely humble, "We have selected several of the youngest and most talented talents from the CP organization. Next, we will deliberately create opportunities for them to 'encounter' Broly, and then seize the chance to infiltrate Broly's camp."
The Navy copied the method the ninja world used to deal with Minato Namikaze, while Im pondered all night and ultimately used the method he would later use on Tom's disciple Espagu on Broly ahead of time.
To put it bluntly, it boils down to three words—sending infiltrators.
They selected those who had never carried out a mission and were absolutely incorrigible from the seedlings cultivated by CP, intending to place them by Broly's side as spies to slowly probe his weaknesses and wait for the opportune moment to strike a fatal blow.
Im nodded slightly, his cool eyes showing no emotion, which was considered tacit approval of the plan.
After all, there really isn't a better solution right now.
"Lord Im, there is another thorny issue."
Somaz stepped forward, his tone grave, "Leaving aside Maz and Satan, who are always holed up in their offices, Gringu is an important fighting force for our Knights of God."
With his loss, coupled with the earlier loss of Harald, the Knights of God's fighting strength has been greatly diminished. To ensure the safety of the Holy Land, we feel it is necessary to mend this gap as soon as possible.
Upon hearing this, the other three Elders glared fiercely at Saint Somaz, their eyes filled with anger—what did he mean by "always staying in the office"?!
Im remained silent for a long time before finally speaking slowly: "Somaz, lead the Knights of God to the land of giants, Elbaf, immediately."
"Incorporate Elbaf into the World Government's camp."
This order actually brought forward the departure of the Knights of God to Elbaf by a full twenty years.
After all, Broly had killed Harald and had already forged an irreconcilable enmity with Elbaf.
Therefore, it seems that recruiting Elbaf's forces is not a difficult task.