How can I become the Pirate King if you don’t work hard?.

Chapter 273 The Five Elders
Akainu instinctively raised his hand and straightened his hat.

Choosing the lesser of two evils was a principle ingrained in his very being.

Between the millions of marines in the main branch and the tens of thousands of civilians in Water Seven, he knew which choice to make.

Given Akainu's past behavior, he wouldn't hesitate for a second when faced with this challenge.

but now.

Aokiji, who had been arguing with him for many years, bowed down to him for the sake of the people of Water Seven.

T-Bone risked his life for the common people of Water Seven, even knowing he would die, never to return, his fate unknown.

Even Akainu's iron will is now somewhat shaken.

a long time.

Akainu raised his head again, looking at the chaotic Water 7 in the distance, and then at Gawain and Shiki, who were still fighting fiercely. The hesitation in his eyes instantly disappeared.

brush--!
Akainu suddenly raised his hand, preparing to activate the Buster Call and burn everything in his sight to ashes.

"etc--!
Whiteface, a member of CP0, suddenly spoke up, interrupting Akainu's actions.

Blu-bloom—!
The crisp ringing of the Den Den Mushi echoed across the deck.

The hearts of everyone were in suspense, like a rollercoaster, suddenly relaxed and then raised again.

"Moses Moses~"

A deep voice came from the receiver.

The white-faced CP0 suddenly stood up straight. Even though the person on the other end of the phone couldn't see him clearly through the receiver, his face was still filled with obedience and awe.

Compared to his arrogant and condescending attitude when facing Akainu, he now resembled a domestic dog wagging its tail and begging for mercy.

This is because the Den Den Mushi is pointed to one of the five Celestial Dragons who stand behind the World Government and truly control the world.

"Satan Saint!"

"it's me."

The person on the other end of the phone gave a curt reply and then gave the order:

"The Buster Call is suspended for now."

"The situation inside Water Seven is far too complicated now; it's no longer just a meaningless blueprint for Hades."

"The Golden Lion, Charlotte Linlin, and even Wang Zhi, who should have been active in the New World, have all reappeared after disappearing for twenty years."

"Launching the Buster Call at this time could even lead the war in an unpredictable direction. Faced with the Navy's encirclement and suppression, they might even join forces."

"If things escalate to this point, it might lead to a repeat of the God Valley incident."

"Wait until the internal strife in Water Seven is resolved before you step in to clean up the mess."

"Yes!"

As soon as the sound ended, Satan hung up on the Den Den Mushi.

CP0 Whiteface slowly put away the Den Den Mushi, regaining his previous aloof demeanor, and turned to look at Akainu.

Needless to say.

Having overheard everything, Akainu nodded and then put down his lecture.

It was only at this moment that he realized that his palms had been soaked with sweat.

The surrounding marines also breathed a sigh of relief at this moment.

They can convince themselves with the righteous cause, but when it comes to actually taking action and becoming the killers, they inevitably struggle internally.

Fortunately, the final outcome will only be revealed after the battle in Water Seven.

boom!
boom!
boom!
The battle above Water Seven intensified at this moment.

The billowing clouds and turbulent air currents rolled up wave after wave on the sea, crashing against the warship beneath Akainu's feet, yet they could not budge it an inch.

……

at the same time.

Marie Joa, Pangu City.

In a conference room, five figures sat on a sofa, quietly watching the live feed of the Den Den Mushi projected onto the screen, their eyes filled with strange expressions.

This is footage sent back by CP0 members who were on site in Water Seven.

These five people are none other than the Five Elders, who stand at the pinnacle of power in this world.

It is also the controller of the World Government, and both the Navy and the CP organization are merely subordinate agencies of the World Government.

now.

All five people's attention was focused on the young figure fighting the golden lion in the picture.

"If I remember correctly, when there was a vacancy in the Seven Warlords of the Sea, Sengoku recommended the knight Gawain."

"Speaking of which, the reason Sengoku recommended him was that the knight Gawain's style of doing things was relatively stable, unlike other pirates."

"As a result, not long after that incident, they captured former Marine Admiral Zephyr and forcibly added him to the Seven Warlords of the Sea."

"They're just pirates after all, how could they possibly have any reverence for authority or gods?"

Maz Saint raised his hand to stroke his beard, and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise:
"But they actually already have the power to rival the Golden Lion?"

"snort--!"

Nasujiro snorted coldly, looking at the familiar longsword in Gawain's hand, and couldn't help but feel a little irritated:
"They're just holding on by relying on their Devil Fruit powers; defeat is only a matter of time."

Maz-sei shook his head, but did not refute Nasu-seo-sei's words.

After all, in the current situation, the Golden Lion has gained an absolute advantage, and Gawain has been almost completely suppressed.

Human strength has its limits. When one of the three—physical strength, willpower, and spirit—can no longer hold up, that is when Gao Wen is defeated.

Not only him, but the others present also thought so.

Piet Saint leaned back on the sofa, holding a wine glass in one hand, calmly looking at the projected image, and said:

"No matter what the final outcome is, there will only be one winner in Water Seven, and that is us."

"If handled properly, it may even be possible to eliminate these several destabilizing factors all at once."

"Speaking of which..."

Halfway through.

Piet Saint took a sip of the red wine in his glass, seemed to sense something was off, frowned, put it down, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, and then said:

"It is said that the current user of the Bone-Bone Fruit is also on Knight Gawain's ship."

Sacred Vochuli glanced at him and scoffed:
"A legend of flesh and blood, bones and soul?"

"That kind of thing means nothing to us."

"Even if we find these Devil Fruits and actually realize the legend of Britannias, so what?"

"Is that monster, who has lived longer than us, still considered alive?"

"Incapable of thought, lacking a self, driven only by bloodlust, it is nothing more than a writhing mass of flesh and blood."

He looked at the projected image in the distance, staring at the excessively young figure, and continued:

"The potential shown by Knight Gawain should not be underestimated."

"It's a pity that the Golden Lion was someone who had fought against Roger before. It was a miracle that Knight Gawain was able to keep his life after this battle."

"But what's this? A pirate actually playing the role of a vigilante?"

Saint Satan leaned on his cane, his eyes filled with an indescribable coldness:
"Unfortunately... we don't need obedient justice, so we'll just have to let him die here." "Also, Kuzan actually defied our orders and appeared in Water Seven?!"

"I tell them about justice, not to let them figure out what justice is for themselves, but because the will of the Celestial Dragons is justice!"

"The navy has become increasingly restless lately and needs a strong remedy."

"Ah……"

After a soft laugh.

The meeting room returned to calm.

For the Five Elders, this great battle in Water Seven was nothing more than a boring pastime in the midst of a long period of time.

The strongest will pass away, and legends will slowly disappear into history, but these five people who stand at the pinnacle of the world will always exist.

……

The capital of seven waters.

Gawain and the Golden Lion fought fiercely in the sky, unleashing powerful attacks from time to time, leaving the center of the battlefield in ruins.

He was directly suppressed by the Golden Lion, but he also showed a resilience that made the latter tremble.

If he hadn't fought Gawain before and was familiar with his fighting style, he would have almost thought he was facing a Lunaria who looked exactly like Gawain.

This ability to withstand blows is simply outrageous!

But the Golden Lion remains confident that he will be the one to win in the end.

He slashed again, sending Gawain flying hundreds of meters away, crashing heavily into the glacier that almost completely covered most of Water City.

Crack! Crack! Crack!
The cracks spread to Qingzhi's feet, making his heart pound with fear.

Such an offensive attack would have crippled him if he had been hit head-on, even if he hadn't died. Yet Gawain has been fighting the Golden Lion with such attacks all this time.

This resilience is something even Aokiji, who has witnessed a legendary era and fought against countless powerful opponents, would find embarrassing.

Abnormal, truly abnormal.

But even the most incredible resilience should have its limits, right?
"Are you OK?!"

Aokiji was extremely anxious.

If Gawain falls here, he will have to face the combined forces of Big Mom and Golden Lion all by himself, which is no different from courting death.

But at that moment, the old woman wielded a thunder blade, slashing down at Aokiji with overwhelming force.

The blade was crackling with lightning, and lightning snakes even roamed across the ice, easily melting it.

The extremely violent lightning made Aokiji's hair stand on end, and his sense of crisis reached its peak, but it was too late to retreat. His pupils shrank to the size of pinpoints in that instant.
"Oops!"

At the critical moment, a silver light tore through the ice and clashed head-on with the lightning sword that the old lady was attacking!
boom--!
A layer of light waves spread outwards from the point of impact, instantly evaporating a huge crater into the ice surface, with countless cracks extending all the way to the horizon.

"you……"

Aokiji looked up at the excessively young figure before him, his eyes filled with indescribable shock.

How long has it been since I left Alabasta?
This guy has gotten even stronger!
As Aokiji was filled with shock, Gawain's calm voice reached his ears:
You owe me your life now!

When he came to his senses, Gawain beside him had already shot towards the golden lion standing proudly high in the sky like a bullet.

That's the main course tonight!

"What an overconfident guy!"

Aokiji shook his head, took a deep breath and slowly exhaled, and as he did so, his hands were covered by a dark aura.

"This is... Garp's..."

"what!"

"I can use the old man's iron fist too!"

Kakakaka—!
Aokiji clenched his fist one finger at a time, and finally unleashed a punch that instantly knocked the old woman back.

"Fist Bone - Impact!"

boom!
Dust and smoke filled the air, glaciers on the ground shattered, and the two figures engaged in fierce combat once again.

Freezing, lightning, slashing, and swirling sand and stone clouds threw the entire Water City into chaos.

Even the mayor's building was affected and completely collapsed. The basement, which was originally a temporary refugee shelter, was also completely buried by the rubble.

Kuro, Akin, and the others were also held back by Wang Zhi. Even though they had obtained information about the teleportation fruit, they were still fighting in a very bad way.

The Teleportation Fruit's almost unreasonable displacement ability was difficult even for Kuro to handle. It was only by relying on Kamaitachi's speed and ability to manipulate air currents, and by having Gin withstand a lot of damage from Wang Zhi, that Kuro barely managed to remain undefeated.

Faced with the omnipresent beast of IQ, the rest of the group was quickly overwhelmed and forced to retreat.

All around them were ferocious IQ beasts that relentlessly attacked and devoured the survivors, and it seemed that death was inevitable for everyone.

In this turbulent war, the surviving civilians became increasingly uneasy, unsure of what the future held.

But at this time.

Some sharp-eyed people spotted the warships quietly anchored on the sea.

"That's... reinforcements? It's naval reinforcements!"

"We are saved!"

"Once we get there and receive the navy's protection, we'll be saved!"

"They fly the banner of justice and will surely fight for this city!"

……

The crowd erupted into chaos, rushing headlong towards the distant sea.

Even though people kept falling and being devoured by the IQ beasts attacking from the sky, it was all because the hope they had been waiting for was right in front of them.

Right at sea!

Amidst the continuous upheavals, the common people, who had already reached their limits, now seemed to have gone mad.

laugh!
T-Bone swung his sword, cleaving a small IQ beast in two, covering the retreat of the group towards the beach.

His wounds had already reopened, with bright red blood seeping out, and there was excruciating pain from the tearing, but T-Bone couldn't care less about any of that.

The more effort we put in, the more knives we wield, the more people we can save!
Everything will be fine as long as the navy reinforcements arrive!
The warships anchored on the sea at this moment became T-Bone's last hope.

Now that the blueprints for Hades have spread, even Sakazuki wouldn't carry out a pointless massacre, would he?

As T-Bone thought this, his already somewhat exhausted body somehow managed to squeeze out a bit more strength, allowing him to grip the longsword in his hand even tighter.

"I despise convoluted swordsmanship; straight and direct is the way a knight should pursue!"

"Right-angled bird!"

The silver-white sword energy flew out of his hand, transforming into a large bird that shot through the air without any twists or turns, as straight as the spine of a T-bone!

laugh--!
Blood splattered all over his body, making his already ugly face look even more like a demon.

But when these civilians looked at this former knight and marine, their eyes were filled with unspeakable respect.

"Mr. Penn, thank you!"

The boy, protected by Peng En, looked at the T-bone with eyes full of longing.

T-Bone raised his hand as if to touch the boy's head, but seeing the blood on his hand, he slowly withdrew his hand and gripped the blood-stained knight's sword even tighter.

"move."

"Go to the beach, find the navy, and there will be hope!"

(End of this chapter)