Chapter 479: The Navy's Dilemma
The words of Commander-in-Chief Kong stunned many of the officers who didn't know the full truth.
Seeing the shock written across their faces, Kong sighed lightly.
The Navy's current situation was truly dire.
He tapped the projector again.
"This time, all prisoners from Impel Down were taken away by the Rockefeller Pirates and Golden Lion Shiki—at least ten thousand of them."
Kong revealed another brutal truth.
These were all pirates that the Navy had painstakingly captured from across the world. If they were now released back into the wild, the resulting chaos would sweep across the seas. And by the time the Navy moved to restore order, only ruins would remain.
"Commander, we must respond immediately."
Sengoku stepped forward with determination.
Kong nodded.
"A small number of those freed prisoners have joined the Rockefeller Pirates, and another portion has been taken in by Golden Lion Shiki. These we can temporarily set aside. The bigger threat comes from those who've escaped and are now forming their own crews. These pirates are scattered globally—it will be incredibly difficult to eliminate them all."
He sighed deeply.
"No matter how difficult it is, the Navy must act. Upholding justice across the seas is our duty."
Vice Admiral Tsuru also spoke firmly.
The others nodded in agreement, supporting Tsuru's stance.
"Yes, I agree. But… there's some trouble on the side of the World Government."
Kong recalled a phone call from the Five Elders just earlier—the content of which had deeply unsettled him.
"Trouble? What happened, Commander?"
Tsuru asked, noticing Kong's furrowed brow.
"One of the Five Elders is dissatisfied with the Navy's current control over the seas. With the number of pirates rising sharply, he believes the Navy is losing its grip and has proposed creating a separate force to combat piracy. Though the other Elders opposed the idea, it still indicates a lack of confidence in us."
Kong rubbed his temples in frustration.
Pirate activity had been escalating for years—ever since Kong took command—and now the situation had spiraled so far out of control that even the World Government was doubting the Navy.
The idea of forming an organization parallel to the Navy was offensive, but not entirely unexpected.
"What kind of organization?" Tsuru asked, curious about this potential rival force.
"It hasn't been finalized yet. But the proposed candidates are absolutely unacceptable to the Navy."
Kong's face hardened.
"Who?" Sengoku asked immediately.
All eyes turned toward Kong, eager to know.
"The World Government wants to recruit some powerful and notorious pirates to assist the Navy in suppressing others."
Kong's voice dropped like a stone.
Bang!
"Absolutely not! Pirates cannot enforce justice!"
Zéphyr suddenly stood up, furious.
Everyone froze—but seeing that it was Zéphyr, most senior officers nodded in support, especially the younger ones. They had all been trained by him.
Kong looked at Zéphyr.
"This is not finalized yet. The World Government is still debating it. It's merely one proposal. If we want to make them abandon it, then the Navy must win a decisive battle—one that proves we can still suppress the seas ourselves."
He looked around the room, his eyes sharp and full of pressure.
Every officer turned serious.
Suppressing the entire ocean was no simple task.
Let alone the three major pirate crews in the New World, even the Four Blues and the first half of the Grand Line were unstable.
That former Pirate King's crew member—Buggy the Clown—was roaming around the Grand Line recruiting under the guise of being Roger's comrade. The Navy had tried to catch him, but he always slipped through.
And that wasn't the worst of it. The South Blue had erupted in chaos as well.
A group known as the Revolutionary Army had stirred up unrest in the South Blue. The World Government, alarmed by their actions, ordered the Navy to assist in quelling the uprising.
There, the Navy encountered several powerful individuals they couldn't handle.
One in particular—Bartholomew Kuma—was an absolute monster, easily overwhelming Navy commanders in the South.
After investigating him, the Navy found the word "Celestial Dragon" in his file—and immediately fell silent. They issued a bounty and stopped pressing the matter.
This was the World Government's mess, and the Navy had no intention of cleaning it up.
Meanwhile in the North Blue, after the Navy decimated the Vinsmoke family…
A new threat arose—the dark underworld syndicate of the Donquixote family.
They caused chaos throughout the North.
Upon discovering Donquixote Doflamingo's background, the Navy once again fell silent.
Yet again—it was a mess created by the World Government.
So the Navy turned a blind eye. Unless ordered directly, they would ignore it.
Now, only the East Blue and West Blue remained relatively stable.
Everywhere else, fires raged.
And the Navy was being stretched thinner by the day.
Facing the threat from the New World while also maintaining stability in their rear territories was exhausting the Navy's resources and manpower.
"After this meeting, I want each of you to submit a written report outlining how we can counter the growing pirate forces."
Kong looked around the room, his voice grave.
The meeting lasted the entire afternoon. Dozens of issues were discussed, and everyone was exhausted.
Tsuru, as an administrative officer, was particularly drained—she still had to implement and follow up on everything discussed.
"These pirates… issue their new bounties immediately."
Back in her office, Tsuru pulled out the list of names discussed in the meeting.
Among them was Nico Robin's bounty.
The rest were the profiles of the escaped prisoners like Golden Lion Shiki and Red Count Redfield.
"Yes, I'll arrange it right away."
Her assistant immediately moved to carry out the orders.
The Navy's conference was finally over.
All the senior commanders sprang into action, working to implement the responses they'd discussed.
Kong sat alone in his office, staring at the proposal for the Seven Warlords of the Sea.
His heart was torn.
The World Government hadn't officially approved it yet, but the proposal was already written.
"I hope it doesn't come to this."
Kong put the proposal down and picked up another draft document.
Its title read boldly:
"Navy Full-Scale Assault on the New World"
Ever since the Impel Down incident, the seas had grown more turbulent by the day.
Pirates, the underworld, the Revolutionary Army—all kinds of forces were now emerging.
And the Navy could feel the ocean's pressure mounting with every breath.
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