I can only achieve nothing and become the Pirate King.

Chapter 717 Do you know how much rice costs!
A few months later.

Holy Land Marie Gioia.

The once magnificent and majestic Marijoa, except for the tall Pangu Palace, all other town buildings were more or less damaged, and there were even traces of burns in the center.

Outside the town, on the avenue near Pangu Palace, Akainu and Kizaru were walking on it, approaching the location of Pangu Palace.

Although only a few months had passed, Akainu's face was noticeably older, and some white hair was faintly visible on his temples under his military cap under the sunlight.

"Akainu!"

"Sakaski!"

When they were about to reach the gate of Pangu Palace, several Celestial Dragons came running over breathlessly, and one of the old men even grabbed Akainu's clothes directly.

"When will the ban be lifted? I haven't had proper food in a long time!"

"Yeah! Akainu! You are the Admiral of the Navy, why haven't you gotten rid of those damn revolutionary army in such a long time!"

Another younger celestial dragon shouted, "I want to go to the lower world! My second to thirteenth wives have been consumed! I want a new wife!"

Seeing this, Kizaru on the side pouted slightly but didn't say anything.

Akainu's expression became even more gloomy, and he broke free from the Celestial Dragon's hand with a single move of his arm, and said in a deep voice: "I am about to go to a meeting, and your problem will be solved."

"Solve it, solve it, it's all about solving it every day! I don't see any solution! Just give those damn guys what they want! Don't disturb me from eating!"

The old man said angrily: "Give them whatever kingdom or island they want! If you can negotiate cooperation with pirates, why can't you negotiate with the revolutionary army? I can't stand it anymore!"

"Then let the Five Elders make the decision! Let the kings of the member countries make the decision!"

When he heard the word "pirate", Akainu's voice became obviously angry. After giving the Celestial Dragon a sidelong glance, he turned around and walked towards Pangu Palace.

"What kind of attitude is that! Sakaski! You're just a marshal! Just our face!"

The old Celestial Dragon shouted, "I'm going to sue you! You won't even be able to be a marshal! From now on, you will only protect us Celestial Dragons! Kizaru! Kizaru! Go stop those revolutionary soldiers!"

"Oh~ Please spare me, I can't do this alone, but please rest assured, there should be a solution this time."

Kizaru raised his hand, as if begging for mercy, but his speed did not slow down at all. He followed Akainu to shake off these Celestial Dragons and approached the gate.

“I still can’t see the situation clearly!”

It was not until the Celestial Dragons stopped pestering him and he was too far away to hear them that Akainu gritted his teeth and said, "You have no ambition at all! You actually want to beg for mercy. Who do they think we are protecting?"

"Sakaski."

Kizaru smiled and said, "It's better not to talk too much at this time."

Akainu paused slightly, turned his head to look at the charred marks in the town, and walked into the gate with his head down.

In the past few months, the situation has become increasingly severe and the navy has been unable to cope with it. The three landmark historical texts published by Sager have completely fermented, causing pirates from all over the world to flock to the Grand Line. For a time, the pressure on the navy increased sharply and too many troops were dispatched.

The Revolutionary Army's offensive became increasingly fierce. They surrounded Marijoa and launched a logistical battle with the navy, vowing to starve the Celestial Dragons to death.

As bad as it was, the natural disaster that had been doing business "peacefully" also encouraged a large number of pirates to go to the West Sea and the North Sea, making the already strained navy even more exhausted.

Under multiple pressures, the Revolutionary Army also had a breakthrough. Two months ago, while Akainu and Kizaru were out, the Revolutionary Army took the opportunity to launch another surprise attack on Marijoa. After delaying the defending Green Bull, they started a fire in Marijoa, which burned down half of the town.

The already stressful logistics are now even more stressful.

If it weren't for the fact that some logistical supplies occasionally broke through the blockade and barely ensured that the Celestial Dragons did not starve to death, they probably wouldn't even have the strength to speak now.

But after months of lack of food and clothing, the Celestial Dragons could no longer bear it and even began to beg for mercy, hoping that the Revolutionary Army would let them go.
The revolutionary army is here to end their rule!
When the fire broke out, even the Knights of God were recalled, which barely ensured the safety of the Celestial Dragons for the time being.

But sooner or later, problems will arise.

The entire Marijoa is a symbol and also a weak point. To ensure the safety of so many celestial dragons, Green Bull alone is not enough, and Kizaru is also needed for mobility. Akainu is on standby at all times and is waiting nearby.

However, once the fighting power is concentrated, the outside navy will find it difficult to resist the downward trend and will be completely unable to suppress those pirates and the revolutionary armies in various places. But if it is dispersed, then Marijoa will take advantage of the situation and suffer even greater attacks.

Akainu sighed, took out a cigar, lit it, and after exhaling the smoke, he said an ancient saying, "If you prepare for the front, you will be weak at the back; if you prepare for the left, you will be weak at the right; if you prepare everywhere, you will be weak everywhere."

If the Tianlong people were allowed to go down and disperse, the situation might be alleviated, but it is impossible to alleviate it.
If the Celestial Dragons were allowed to go down en masse, it would be tantamount to announcing to the world that they could not even preserve Mary Geoise, the symbol of the World Government, and would only cause greater chaos.

The Revolutionary Army's target was originally the Celestial Dragons. Once they dispersed, they would be able to gather more strength. If they were to carry out an assassination, everything would be in vain.

Marijoa must be preserved, and the symbol of Marijoa must remain standing. Once a problem occurs, it will trigger a chain reaction just like the collapse of a building caused by a fire.

For example, now, after the fire, not only the buildings collapsed, but also the confidence of the member states,
Akainu's respect for the World Government!
How can we make the sea beautiful with these bark insects around!
Those ambitious people are starting to emerge!
Akainu was thinking all the way, and he and Kizaru arrived at the Room of Power.

In the conference room, the Five Elders were already sitting upright at the long table. Upon seeing the two coming, Wochuli nodded and motioned for them to sit down.

In addition to the Five Elders and the navy, there was another person sitting at the long table. However, when they saw the person, Akainu and Kizaru did not show any fluctuation on their faces, even though he looked exactly like the red-haired one of the Four Emperors who had died.

He had medium-length red hair and the same short stubble. Apart from the fact that he had no scars on his face, he looked exactly like a redhead.

Fergaland Shamrock!

The current leader of the Knights of God!
At this time, there were a large number of screens around the conference room, and in front of each screen was a large Den Den Mushi, as if waiting to be connected.

"Let's discuss this before this impromptu 'World Conference' is held."

Vouchuri said in a deep voice: "The world is in chaos now. Sakaski, the Revolutionary Army has been here for such a long time and is becoming more and more difficult to deal with. Shouldn't you give us an explanation?" Akainu lowered his head slightly, his expression calm, and after a brief silence, he said: "No."

"Sakaski! What's your attitude?" Nasu Shouro shouted.

"I still want to ask you something."

Akainu raised his head, staring at everyone with his resolute and solemn eyes under his military cap. "If you hadn't made an agreement with the Scourge and let him grow to this size, you wouldn't be in such a passive position now."

"Natural disasters are inherently uncontrollable. We didn't agree to them voluntarily, but we had to respond due to the circumstances. Moreover, we have also benefited from them. We are not just passively accepting them," said Peter.

"But now the revolutionary army is getting stronger, the member states have armed forces and are beginning to refuse government orders. The pirates have increased their strength by relying on weapons from the black market. Half of the world is sinking under the invasion of natural disasters. Have you also benefited from this?"

Akainu couldn't help but yelled, "Bailey! Bailey! Is Bailey really that important to you? You are obviously the ones who care the least about this, but you just sit there and watch. I said it a long time ago that you are about to become puppets of the Celestial Dragons."

Stupid!
Before he finished the last word, a two-finger-wide rapier was placed in front of him. From a distance, it looked like the blade was sealing his mouth.

"You should be more careful with your words, Sakaski, no, Admiral Akainu."

Shamrock put away his sword and said calmly: "The Celestial Dragons are the nobles of the world. Everything we do is reasonable, and the world should serve us."

If it were someone else, perhaps after this warning, they might not say anything.

If it were Kizaru, he wouldn't even say this, but would use another way to warn everyone implicitly.

If it were the Warring States period, perhaps he would have blurted out these words, and after being warned, he would have reminded everyone in a different way.

But Akainu is different.

Especially after experiencing the burning of Marijoa, Akainu gradually lost patience with the Celestial Dragons, and lost his appetite due to the chaos in the world, even his hair turned a little gray!
"Humph! This is how I serve you?!"

Akainu's fist glowed red. He was not frightened by Shamrock's warning at all. Instead, he shouted angrily:
"The world is in chaos now! The Navy can't stop the sea! Your Knights of God, who are responsible for the affairs of the Celestial Dragons, can't stop Marijoa! Service? If you keep serving like this, you won't be able to collect all the gold in the sky!"

"It's been a year already! Half of the world hasn't paid this year's Sky Gold! And the other half was robbed by pirates on the way here! Without Bailey, what do you want our navy to do? Just like the 153rd Branch, because they couldn't pay and couldn't even guarantee logistics, they all turned into pirates and surrendered to the natural disaster, right?!"

"Answer me! What do you want the Navy to do!"

Akainu stood up and glared at Shamrock, "Is it also like the underground world, or like you Celestial Dragons, remotely controlling agents to buy weapons from the Scourge on the black market, and then selling them to the world to make a fortune!"

"Or do you want me to stay in Marijoa and the Navy to leave me alone, and wait until they can't pay you and resign en masse, or become dissatisfied and change the white flag to a black flag, and the seagull to a starry sky skull, and that's it?! Will you be satisfied then?!"

"Our duty is to deal with pirates! Not the Revolutionary Army! Nor are we here to fight for power with you! The biggest pirate refused to let me fight him, but wasted his time here, and now he's asking me why the world is in such a mess!"

"Look me in the eyes! Answer me! How did it get so messed up!!"

Akainu exploded.

Since he became the admiral of the navy, he has shouldered greater responsibilities. The iron-bloodedness and absolute justice he had when he was an admiral had obviously deteriorated a lot after he became the admiral.

Because there are so many things to consider and there are many secrets to know.

At that time, he had already begun to understand the Warring States Period.

But at the beginning, he still maintained some of his true character. However, as time went on, there were more things and the world became more chaotic, and he had more things to consider.

For example, some time ago, because they could not pay money, the only remaining naval branch in the New World, which was close to the Red Earth Continent's sphere of influence, collectively defected and joined the Calamity Pirates.

If any navy officer did this during his time as an admiral, he would have punished them by law and killed all the rebels to avoid bringing shame to the navy.

But he can't do that now.

As an admiral, he can act recklessly because he has a superior above him. Mr. Sengoku is very good at handling things. Most of the time, Akainu does not consider the subsequent impact and just has to obey orders.

But after becoming the marshal, he really had no one above him, and the Five Elders were not responsible for the specific affairs of the navy.

The people below need food, weapons, logistics, and services.
To ensure the morale of the navy, can the word "justice" alone be enough to summarize it?

He thought so before, and he still thinks so now, so hasn’t he been a marshal in vain?

He is just iron-blooded, just strict, and just respects the absolute justice in his heart. He is not a fool, nor is he like the Celestial Dragons who are confused about everything.

Without money, we can’t buy food. Who will serve in the navy?
When the navy of a base has to rob food from local villages and towns in order to eat, their status begins to be in question. Then who would apply to join the navy?
justice?

Justice is different within the navy, so how can we expect ordinary people to have consistent justice?

His old friend Borsalino is still the 'ambiguous justice'.

"I have reported it many times, asking for timely salary payment, but you didn't care about it at all. Now you have paid it, but what's the use of it? Do you know how much the price of rice in the sea has risen because of the war?"

Akainu roared, "Five thousand! Five thousand Baileys a pound! The average price of the ocean! It's even higher in some poor places!"

"If they continue like this, they won't be able to afford food. No one will repair their broken weapons. Do you expect them to fight the pacifists with bare hands? Deals! Agreements! These are all bullshit. The sea is so corrupt! There is no order!"

"Shut up, Sakaski!"

Nasu Shoulang couldn't help it and shouted: "I called you here now to find a solution. We will find a way to deal with the money. The previous Tianshang Gold was used to give to various departments, including you. Wait for the next batch of Tianshang Gold to arrive."

“Even if I came, you would have taken me in! Now Marijoa can’t even get supplies up! I don’t understand what you guys want the money for! If you don’t give me the money, will I be left alone to deal with the Revolutionary Army, the pirates, and those ambitious allied nations?”

Akainu interrupted Nasujuro and said, "I don't care whether the meeting starts or not, but I need funds. If you continue like this, the world will not belong to you, nor to the Revolutionary Army! It will belong to the natural disaster! It will belong to that so-called Pirate Emperor!"

(End of this chapter)