Upon hearing Zephyr's words, the marines at Marine Headquarters displayed a sorrowful expression, as if they had anticipated this outcome.
They were not surprised by this result. In fact, ever since Zephyr formed the Pirate Guerrilla Squad two years ago, he had been operating independently.
He no longer participated in marine missions and solely focused on hunting pirates at sea.
In reality, the Pirate Guerrilla Squad had become Zephyr's private force, operating under his command and already functioning in a semi-independent state.
As long as Zephyr wished, the Pirate Guerrilla Squad could separate from the marines at any time and establish their own organization.
For the marines, who were engaged in the same goal of hunting pirates, this behavior was not a concern.
However, as members of the high-ranking marine officials, they understood that the situation was not that simple. Zephyr's actions would inevitably lead to a confrontation with the government.
An uncontrollable marine force was not something the government desired.
If Zephyr remained within the marines, it could still be manageable. But if he left the marines, the situation would be different.
The appearance of another marine force in the vast sea would be seen as a challenge to the government's authority. The government would not allow the growth of another marine force.
This meant that sooner or later, they would find themselves in opposition to each other.
What saddened them even more was the fact that Edward Weevil had become one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. This meant that he was now affiliated with the government. If Zephyr confronted Weevil one day, the government would order them to support Weevil, and they would have no choice but to comply.
Thinking of this scenario, they felt a lump in their hearts. It would be so absurd and ridiculous to assist pirates against their former teacher.
However, if Zephyr truly left the marines, this scene would undoubtedly happen. It was only a matter of time.
At this point, the marines at Marine Headquarters felt a sense of sorrow. How did they end up in this situation?
Perhaps this was life.
If Zephyr's family hadn't been killed, he would still be the Admiral who refrained from killing.
If Weevil hadn't attacked the training ship, Zephyr wouldn't have undergone such a drastic change.
If Weevil hadn't become one of the Seven Warlords, Zephyr wouldn't have left the marines and reached this undesirable outcome.
However, there were no "ifs." The circumstances of their lives led to the present situation.
They could only look at Zephyr on the live broadcast with a sense of helplessness, holding onto the idea that maybe this future could still be changed.
Sengoku and Garp's faces also turned melancholic and resigned. Had things really developed to this point?
...
Meanwhile, upon hearing Zephyr's words, the Five Elders' eyes gleamed with a sense of accomplishment. As long as Zephyr didn't leave the marines, they wouldn't have to deal with him directly. But once he left the marines, his former disciples would still be CP, and they could choose one package or have them all—whatever satisfied him.
As long as they could eliminate this dangerous element that had a profound impact on the marines, they could then replace the old fogey Sengoku with a young and less-established figurehead, bringing stability to their foundation.
In this way, Marine Headquarters would firmly remain under their control.
Sengoku and Zephyr had left too deep an impression on the marines, causing their authority to waver. This situation was absolutely unacceptable to them.
The marines were the army of the Celestial Dragons and the government, not Zephyr's or Sengoku's private army. They were nothing more than dogs to be managed. They needed to understand their identity. Those who failed to recognize their own identity were unworthy of sitting in that position.
Since Zephyr had already mentioned his intention to leave, it was evident that he had learned about Weevil becoming one of the Seven Warlords.
Next, all they had to do was wait for Zephyr to betray the Marines, and then they would figure out how to kill him.
In contrast to the sadness at Marine Headquarters and the satisfaction of the Five Elders, people from all over the world displayed excited expressions upon hearing Zephyr's words.
Zephyr's character was beyond reproach and could be considered the most outstanding Marine they had ever seen.
One can deceive others for a while, but not for a lifetime.
Zephyr's life had already proven that he was an exceptional Marine, the kind of Marine they aspired to and admired.
Now, this man was saying that he would leave the Marines and establish a true Navy. They were already greatly disappointed with the current state of the Marines and desperately wanted an alternative, but had been unable to find one.
However, upon hearing Zephyr's words, many people's eyes lit up.
If it was a Navy founded by Zephyr, perhaps it could become the Navy they envisioned, no longer a puppet of the World Government.
Justice would truly become justice, no longer just an empty slogan.
With this in mind, many individuals who had previously aspired to join the Marines but were discouraged by their disillusionment felt a renewed sense of hope.
Perhaps they could join Zephyr's Navy, not for the government or the Celestial Dragons, but for peace and justice.
Maybe this new Navy could bring true peace to the world.
It wasn't just the common people who were filled with imagination. Even the royal families of affiliated and non-affiliated countries had peculiar thoughts after hearing Zephyr's response.
The reason the World Government could dominate the world and control it was mainly due to the powerful Navy spread throughout the world. It was this formidable naval force that prevented rebellious thoughts from arising.
Even though they knew that the King of the World Government had devised a plan to conquer the world eight hundred years ago, and even though they knew that their own countries were gradually being swallowed by the World Government, they were powerless.
They couldn't resist the World Government, nor could they stand up and establish a new World Government to counter it, as doing so would invite devastating consequences from the World Government.
But if another Navy emerged in the world, a Navy that could resist the World Government, and if it existed not for the World Government or the Celestial Dragons but solely for justice, it would align with the ideals and goals they had when they joined the World Government.
Back then, they just wanted to hire bodyguards and form alliances among affiliated countries to consolidate their respective domestic rule.
They didn't want to become the World Government's puppets, gradually losing their own power.
If there was a Navy that existed purely to combat pirates and wasn't interested in the power of affiliated countries, then they had no need to rely on the World Government anymore.
If this Navy could protect them from the threats of the World Government and the Marines, it would be better to use their gold to support this Navy.
At the very least, they could maintain their own positions and create an enemy to counterbalance the World Government.
The world didn't need a sole hegemony. Without the existence of kings like them, there would be no room for survival. Sooner or later, they would be absorbed by the World Government.
The World Government needed an enemy, and they could help create such an enemy.
Zephyr was currently the most ideal candidate for the position of the new Fleet Admiral.
As a contemporary of Sengoku and Garp, a former Admiral, Zephyr's character and abilities were trustworthy, and he held lofty values of justice.
If he were to establish a new Navy, the kings of the affiliated countries would be eager to approach Zephyr and say, "New Navy, you just focus on building it. Money is not an issue!"
Similarly, the recruitment of personnel would not be a problem.
The talents in their countries were cheaper than those offered by the World Government, so why not let them flow in the direction they wanted?
However, they remembered what Luo ke had said: "Zephyr will walk the path of Akainu. What has he done?"
What exactly did the path of Akainu mean?
Many people were curious. Zephyr on the screen represented their hope for the Marines. If such a man strayed from the path, their hope would truly turn into despair.
...
"Correct answer. After learning about Edward Weevil becoming one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Zephyr questioned and lost trust in the government and the Marines he was part of. He decisively left the Marines and established the NEO Navy with the goal of eradicating all pirates in the New World."
Luo ke glanced at Zephyr and continued, "Now, for the next question: After becoming independent from the Marines, what did Zephyr do to try to eliminate all pirates in the New World, including the Four Emperors?"
"One minute on the clock, and the countdown begins."
Those who were contemplating Zephyr's path of Akainu were taken aback by this question.
Could it really be possible to eliminate all Four Emperors and the pirates in the New World with a single stLaw?
They had witnessed the strength of the Four Emperors, whether it was Whitebeard, Blackbeard, who would inherit Whitebeard's power and become one of the Four Emperors, or the Red Hair, who briefly appeared but hadn't shown his full strength.
Facing opponents at the level of the Four Emperors, even Marine Headquarters would have to give their all to confront them...
After Zephyr's independence from the Marines, he established the NEO Navy with his own formed guerrilla team. However, he didn't bring any other Admirals with him, except for himself, the former Admiral.
Under these circumstances, can Zephyr really eliminate all the pirates in the New World?
Moreover, Zephyr is getting older, and his strength has been affected. Otherwise, his arm wouldn't have been severed by Weevil. In this situation, can he take down the Four Emperors?
With these doubts in mind, people from all over the world looked at Zephyr on the screen. Could he achieve it through a different method?
...
Meanwhile, the current Four Emperors of the New World overheard this scene.
Red-Haired Shanks, Whitebeard, Big Mom, and Kaido, upon hearing that Zephyr claimed to have a way to eliminate them and all the pirates in the New World in one fell swoop, couldn't help but be slightly stunned before bursting into laughter, not believing it.
Not only did they doubt Zephyr's ability to eliminate them together, but even if Zephyr brought his NEO Navy, it would still be a question of whether he could eliminate any of them.
But after laughing, they became vigilant. There must be hidden secrets within this claim.
What could it be? The four Emperors stared at Zephyr, contemplating.
At this moment, the pirates in the New World were in an uproar. Zephyr actually wanted to eliminate all of them at once. How did he plan to do it?
Could it be that the World Government was hiding some undisclosed weapon?
Or perhaps another ancient weapon?
These thoughts left them feeling uneasy.
At Marine Headquarters, the high-ranking officers, upon hearing this question, were initially stunned, but their faces quickly changed. Disbelief, followed by turning pale, helpless, and sorrowful expressions appeared on their faces.
While others might not know how to eliminate all the pirates in the New World, Sengoku, Kizaru, and the other high-ranking Marines were well aware.
It was a secret to the outside world, but not to them.
The method to eradicate all the pirates in the New World with a single stLaw was to destroy the three lava "endpoints" spread throughout the New World. Once destroyed, they would trigger the underwater volcanoes and turn the entire New World into a living hell.
Indeed, this would eliminate the majority of the pirates in the New World, but it would also bring countless civilians living there into the catastrophe.
The outcome was that no one could survive the disaster in the New World.
However, "no one" referred to ordinary people. Some individuals with special abilities could still survive, such as Akainu's lava, Kizaru's Pika Pika no Mi, Aokiji's ice, and Marco's Phoenix fruit... They could survive through it.
Only the civilians and the weak would die.
The high-ranking Marines, who were all trained and nurtured by Zephyr, were shocked to hear that the former "Merciless Admiral" had such a crazy idea. Everyone was in disbelief.
Even Sengoku and Garp were shocked by the madness of this old friend.
How did it come to this?
How could the once kind and just Zephyr commit such acts?
This was something only Akainu would do!
And even Akainu had never committed such an extensive act of exterminating humanity.
How could Zephyr do such a thing?
They didn't want to believe that Zephyr was capable of this, but Luo ke's questions and the images had already proven that what he said was mostly true.
This meant that after leaving the Marines, Zephyr had indeed planned the destruction of the New World.
They felt angry and sorrowful. Zephyr, who once embodied justice more than anyone, had embarked on this irreversible path. How could they not feel heartbLawn?
If Zephyr had such thoughts, they couldn't just sit idly by. Even if they didn't want to witness a confrontation between Zephyr and the Marines, they couldn't stand by and watch him commit such crimes.
Thinking of this, Sengoku became even more angry about the Five Elders recruiting Weevil as one of the Seven Warlords. This reminded him of another matter: Zephyr's falling out with the Five Elders because of Smoker's incident.
A dreadful thought emerged in Sengoku's mind, but he quickly dismissed it. He dared not think further because if he did, he would even begin to doubt the Marines and the government.
...
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(End of this chapter)