Chapter 382: I Disagree!
Chapter 382: I Disagree!
At the Marine Headquarters, in a dimly lit office with a plaque reading 'Absolute Justice' hanging above, a man wearing a Marine hat sat at a desk, the room's lighting fluctuating with his mood.
"I understand, you may leave now," he said after a long pause.
"Yes, sir!" A Marine saluted and left the room.
A loud bang echoed as an unknown material desk, with a newspaper on it, was struck by a fist, causing the desk to dent.
The newspaper had multiple sections, one featuring a photo of Sage and Wibbur with a headline:
"The Age of Pirates Never Ends!"
Blaze! As the newspaper burned, a hole melted into the desk, sending up a cloud of smoke.
"Damn it! Damn you, Wibbur! Damn all pirates!"
Crimson Dog clenched his cigar, "What nonsense about the Age of Pirates never ending? It ended with the Summit War!"
"Oh, how terrifying."
Beside him, Yellow Monkey, with his legs crossed, also read a newspaper and pouted, "Edward Viper joined less than half a year ago, and now he's leaving the Seven Warlords?"
"Pirates are indeed untrustworthy," Crimson Dog said gravely.
"But we can't ignore them either. If these powerful individuals turn against us, it could be disastrous."
Yellow Monkey chuckled, "That new Admiral, Tiger Vine, seems quite dissatisfied with the Seven Warlords."
Crimson Dog fell silent for a moment before responding, "Don't worry about him. Compared to that, the Cataclysm Pirates are a greater threat. The situation in the West Sea is already troublesome enough!"
At this, Yellow Monkey also smiled bitterly, "Being an Admiral is no easy task."
Unlike Aokiji, these two were from the same generation and had a good relationship. As a close friend, he had witnessed Crimson Dog's transformation from a radical Fleet Admiral to a more resigned Marshal.
Yes, resigned.
Although the rank difference between Admiral and Marshal was only half a step, the pressure it brought was entirely different.
As an Admiral, he had dealt with the Five Elders, but mostly to fulfill their demands. As a Marshal, he not only had to make decisions for the entire Marine Force but also had to privately prevent the Elders from meddling.
There were just too many things to consider.
Even Crimson Dog had become somewhat gentler compared to his previous self.
It wasn't what he wanted, but the environmental pressure and the matters he had to handle subtly changed people.
Rank influenced one's perspective and direction.
Take the recent news, for example; Edward Viper had abandoned his position as a Warlord and joined the Cataclysm Pirates, as reported in the newspaper.
The Marine Force had received this information even faster, but the newspaper's publication still infuriated Crimson Dog.
However, this wasn't the main issue. There was an even bigger matter at hand.
Recently, the Cloud Mountain Kingdom in the West Sea had completely sunk.
The newspaper reported it as a natural sinking, briefly mentioning it in a few short sentences.
The vast Ocean could easily absorb the loss of a country or the sinking of an island without causing much disturbance.
To the world, it was just a few words and sentences.
But the internal reports they received told a different story.
The Cloud Mountain Kingdom, according to the Marine Force's intelligence, was also suffering from famine. Once a prosperous nation, it had deteriorated to the point where thousands of people starved to death each year on average over the past three years.
The Cataclysm Pirates had invaded this nation, taking not just its treasures but also its entire population of five hundred thousand, forcing them into labor within their territory.
This incident shook the Marine Force to its core. Throughout pirate history, notorious pirates had appeared one after another, some with the power to destroy entire nations.
Looking back, five hundred years ago, the ancient Giant Tribe, and the 'Country Mover' Oz, were pirates known for transporting entire islands.
In the present, even the Four Emperors possessed such formidable strength.
But I've never seen such arrogance before.
Since the Cataclysm Pirates' debut, they've relied on robbing affiliate nations to rise, and now in the New World, they're back to robbing the West Sea's affiliate nations, as if they have a grudge against the affiliates.
This news was kept hidden, and although the Marine Force endured pressure, it was manageable.
The Cataclysm Pirates, being on the extremely dangerous list, required the Marine Force to report to the World Government before engaging in battle. So, the only one under pressure was the Crimson Dog.
But the situation has changed.
The Marine who reported earlier brought different news.
"If you want, I can lead a team there, and I can give a proper report to the higher-ups," said the Yellow Monkey.
"There's nothing to report! The situation has changed; that guy won't be easily lured now. Before he became powerful, there was a chance to arrest him, but the higher-ups disagreed!"
"The opportunity is slim now; they want to declare war instead. It's a mess!"
The Crimson Dog clenched his fist, causing the hole on the desk to widen from the melting ash.
The Marine who reported was delivering the higher-ups' orders, instructing them to prepare for an attack on Ohara and to capture the Cataclysm Pirates!
The reason for this was simple.
Although the West Sea incident was concealed, there were powerful nations among the affiliate nations, and they could still get the information.
There were too many factions within the Marine Force, and not all of them were solely dedicated to the Marine Force; some were loyal to the World Government.
Additionally, the troops were all from the affiliate nations, and some were influenced by their original nations.
After all, people don't just pop out of rock crevices.
These nations could obtain information and, due to the West Sea incident, pressured the World Government.
This led to the recent orders.
The Crimson Dog opposed this decision.
For someone who upholds absolute justice and believes in eliminating all pirates regardless of their status, this was an unbelievable situation.
He couldn't refuse to deal with pirates, especially those affecting the world.
But he wasn't foolish.
If he were, he wouldn't have tried to drive a wedge between the Great Vortex Spider, Squard, during the Summit War.
He was well aware of the World Government's current stance.
They didn't genuinely want to eradicate the pirates; they just wanted to appease the anxious nations.
In essence, it was a performance to calm the affiliate nations' fears. Success would be great, but failure was acceptable.
However, for the Crimson Dog, this was unacceptable!
The best time to capture Sage was when he first entered the New World and conquered the Gris Kingdom.
If they missed that opportunity, it was truly missed.
Currently, Sage, without the official title of a Four Emperor, was no different from the Pirate King. Engaging him in battle would require an unknown amount of troops, and the recent world conscription had already boosted the Marine Force's prestige and strength.
Attacking now would not only deplete their troops but also reverse their gains in prestige and strength.
The most crucial factor was the uncertainty of success!
Sage's location was blocked by Kaido and Big Mom.
These powerful pirates, as the Crimson Dog and Yellow Monkey were well aware, cared about their interests but were still pirates.
Pirate actions were unpredictable; they might ignore the Marine Force, but more likely, they would cause trouble together.
The thought of the Marine Force failing was more enticing than the pirates' defeat.
The New World was their territory, and a large Marine Force presence would be seen as a provocation.
They couldn't let this go unchecked.
This situation was tricky!
"I disagree!" The Crimson Dog stood up. "I'll talk to the Five Elders!"
(End of Chapter)
Chapter end
Report
