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

Chapter 278 The Seven Warlords of the Sea Recognized by the Government!

Two hours later.

As Gawain and his group gradually disappeared at the edge of the ice, the only creatures still active in Water Seven were the still-raging IQ beasts.

There wasn't a single living person left in the city.

hiss--!
A distinct hissing sound came from the deck of the warship.

Aokiji turned to look at Akainu, still somewhat surprised that the latter would make the decision he was making.

But he knew that the real problem remained unsolved.

"Have you thought it through?! How are you going to explain this to those five?!"

Akainu's tone was indifferent:

"My mission is to carry out the Buster Call, but that's all."

The sound fell to the ground.

Akainu raised his hand and waved it lightly, and the warships surrounding Water 7 opened fire simultaneously.

A crimson meteor shot into the sky, leaving a long trail in the air, before crashing heavily into the city of Water Seven.

boom!
boom!
boom!
……

The blooming red lotuses ignited the entire city.

At this moment, the group of marines had no scruples whatsoever.

It was only because their leader, the one they had always followed, gave them the answer they had been waiting for.

He was finally spared the fate of becoming an executioner and living with self-blame for the rest of his life.

The crimson flames rising from Water 7 illuminated Akainu's face.

The icy expression on his face, which had remained unchanged for millennia, seemed to soften slightly at this moment.

At that moment, several pitch-black pentagram formations appeared on the coast of Water City.

The pitch-black smoke rose, its exaggerated presence and deep-seated malice unmistakable even amidst the blazing fire.

It was as if the magic circle was about to summon not creatures that should exist in this world, but demons from myths and legends.

Akainu raised his hand, ordering the surrounding warships to cease their attack.

"What...is that? The battle isn't over yet?!"

Aokiji frowned, his eyes filled with an indescribable seriousness:

"This is……"

"People of Mary Geoise!"

Long-dormant memories in Aokiji's mind are gradually being awakened at this moment.

He had seen such a scene and such a sense of oppression once before.

That time, it was Mary Geoise, the Knights of God, the true military adjudication body of the Celestial Dragons.

As beings who have stood at the pinnacle of the world for hundreds of years, the Celestial Dragons are not entirely composed of incompetent fools; they also include many exceptionally talented individuals.

The Knights of God are composed of the most elite of the Celestial Dragons.

They possessed superhuman talent and almost limitless resources, ultimately creating an army composed of monsters.

The leaders among them already possess power comparable to that of a naval admiral.

"Even the Knights of God have made a move?!"

"Those people are taking the Water Seven incident so seriously?!"

Aokiji frowned deeply.

He was already convinced that the newcomer must be an elite member of the Knights of God.

If it were just about strength, that would be one thing, but what's more crucial is the attitude that the Knights of God represent!

Their presence here can only mean that, in the eyes of those five, the Water Seven incident has already posed a potential threat to Mary Geoise!
"We're in big trouble!"

"We might both end up losing our jobs!"

"This is a huge problem."

Akainu frowned:

"It's bigger than you imagine. It's not the Knights of God who came, but... those five!"

The black smoke in the city of Water City gradually dissipated at this moment.

Five ferocious beast shadows flashed by, and in the end, only five arrogant old men appeared before Chi Qing and his companion.

"I need an explanation for what happened in Water Seven!"

Nassuro Sei stood on the shore.

The sea breeze blew, lifting the feathered robes on his body, and an invisible aura emanated from him, even overshadowing the burning Water Seven behind him at this moment.

"Sakazuki, what exactly happened here? Or rather, what did you do?"

The other four also silently looked at Akainu.

An invisible pressure permeated the air, making it almost impossible to breathe.

Two hours earlier, when the live stream was cut off, they assumed that the CP0 members responsible for transmitting the footage had been affected by the falling floating island.

But the longer I waited, the more uneasy I felt.

In the end, fearing that something might change, he had no choice but to show himself.

What we see now is only Akainu ordering the Marines to bombard the deserted Water 7.

The development of events has completely exceeded their expectations, and is completely contrary to their original plan to bury Gawain, and even the Four Emperors, Wang Zhi and others here.

Akainu, neither humble nor arrogant, said:

"CP0's warship was attacked by an old lady and burned on the spot; no one survived."

"Golden Lion was killed by Knight Gawain, and the Float-Float Fruit lost its function. The floating islands should have fallen and buried everything."

"Someone used their Devil Fruit powers to lift the entire floating island up."

"Afterwards, Knight Gawain retreated, and we carried out the Buster Call according to the original plan...!"

Before Akainu could finish speaking, Nasujuro interrupted him:
"Are you kidding me?"

"Do you know how much of a threat that guy is? He..."

Akainu remained unfazed, his expression still cold and hard, but what he said shocked everyone:
“He is a Shichibukai authorized by the World Government. Moreover, he appeared in Water 7, killed Shiki, and his attitude was perfectly reasonable. I have no reason to attack him.”

"I……"

Nasujiro opened his mouth, but felt that he had nowhere to vent his anger.

After a moment's thought, he realized that Akainu's statement made sense.

Gawain is still recognized by the World Government as one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and his arrival in Water 7 was not for the Pluton blueprints.

He even served as a vigilante and personally killed Shiki, the great enemy of the World Government. From this perspective, Gawain was not only without fault but also meritorious.

Even Akainu's actions were not wrong. The five of them hadn't even had a chance to give Akainu the order to eliminate Gawain here, and he was carrying out the Buster Call according to plan.

But the key issue is that Gawain's threat has reached a point where it cannot be ignored. If this continues unchecked, in just a few years, another Rocks will emerge!

Gawain's survival skills are even better than those of the former Rocks!

Thinking of this.

Nasujiro Sei was so angry he laughed on the spot:

"Should I give him an award?"

"Of course you can if you want."

For a moment, the surroundings were completely silent.

Aokiji, standing behind Akainu, was so embarrassed that he didn't expect Akainu to say such a thing. The key point was that it seemed that what Akainu said was really true.

Aokiji secretly gave Akainu a thumbs up.

He looked around, preparing to quietly slip behind the crowd, when, unsurprisingly, he was called out by Nasujuro Sei, who was seething with anger:

"Kuzan, and what about you? You showed up here without our orders... this matter..." Akainu glanced at Aokiji cowering behind him and explained:

"This was a plan that Kuzan and I had agreed upon beforehand. He would infiltrate Water Seven to confirm whether the blueprints for Hades existed."

"After all, Borsalino was stopping the Beasts from causing trouble in the New World. Apart from Kuzan, the Navy had no other top-tier combat power available."

"Ah."

Nasujiro smiled contemptuously, and slowly drew the long sword from his waist.

He certainly knew about CP0; it was definitely not as simple as Akainu made it out to be. But he also knew that he couldn't force the two admirals to defect at this point in time.

After all, to them, CP0 was at most just a group of servants, while the value of Akainu and Aokiji, and the risks of their betrayal, were undoubtedly much greater.

Therefore, the only option for us to deal with CP0 is to turn a blind eye.

But when Gawain was mentioned, Nasujiro Seishin couldn't hold back any longer. He had been holding back his anger for a long time, and now he had to let it out.

But in the next moment.

The silent Saint Satan reached out and grabbed the restless Saint Nassuro.

Nasujiro frowned, barely suppressing the anger in his heart:

"What's the meaning?!"

“I think it’s not such a bad thing to let Knight Gawain leave.”

"absurd!"

Nassshurou Sei scoffed:
"You all saw how threatening that guy was: the power to directly defeat the Golden Lion, and that almost indestructible vitality!"

"Even if we intervene, are we absolutely certain we can keep him here?!"

"This……"

Faced with Satan Saint's question, Nassuro Saint opened his mouth, but was speechless for a moment.

Even if he was unwilling, he had to admit that with the power Gawain had shown so far, plus the almost immortal Red Dragon Fruit, the combination of the two had created a complete monster.

Even if the Five Elders joined forces, it would probably be difficult to stop them.

Seeing that Saint Nasshoulang had calmed down, Saint Satan couldn't help but adopt a composed and unperturbed demeanor:
"It might not be a bad thing for him to leave like this."

"Firstly, he is still one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and nominally stands on the side of the World Government."

When Nasujuro mentioned the Seven Warlords of the Sea, his tone carried a hint of disdain:

"How many of the pirates who join the Seven Warlords of the Sea aren't driven by wolfish ambitions?!"

"Even the reason we didn't summon the Seven Warlords during the Water Seven incident was because we were worried that their support was just a pretense, and their real intention was to get a share of the spoils in Water Seven!"

Satan nodded and continued:

"You're right."

"But even if we intervene, we can't stop him. And have you thought about the consequences if we completely break ties with that guy?!"

"For the Crimson Dragon, the energy of the earth veins is not only used to repair itself, but can also be compressed and condensed into a liquid state. The power that bursts out in an instant can even easily destroy a city!"

"You should know just how troublesome an uncontrolled enemy can be, one that can easily destroy strategic locations."

Nasujiro took a deep breath, and the anger in his heart gradually subsided.

He thought for a moment.

Then he realized that Satan was right.

Satan continued:

"At least it is stable now, and for the time being, it has not shown any intention to become an enemy of the World Government."

"Besides, there are our people on that guy's ship, which means that all his future actions are under our control."

"Compared to completely escalating the conflict, this is already the best outcome."

"If handled properly, we might even be able to get that guy to completely side with us."

"With a Yonko-level fighter who possesses a degree of immortality, both the Navy and the World Government face significantly less pressure."

"Besides, after decades or centuries, Knight Gawain will be nothing more than a skeleton. The world will ultimately be under our control!"

The sound fell to the ground.

The other five elders nodded in agreement, clearly swayed by Satan's words.

In their view, this was the best possible outcome given the inability to completely eliminate Gawain.

Compared to long-lived individuals like them, the lifespan of an ordinary person, seventy or eighty years, is far too short.

Even if one reaches the pinnacle within a limited time and is unstoppable, their glory will only last for a few decades, just like Rocks and Roger back then.

Is it strong?
Of course, they are powerful, and they possess a spirit that far surpasses that of ordinary people.

But their time is ultimately limited, and the world is simply too vast, too vast for them to shake the rule of the World Government within their limited lifespans.

Racing against time, the ultimate winner will be themselves; the five of them have always held this confidence in their hearts.

As Satan continued his narration, the expressions on everyone's faces gradually softened.

"We need a complete report on what happened in Water Seven."

"No detail is too small!"

"learn."

Akainu responded, and then the black pentagram reappeared before his eyes. The five figures turned into a wisp of black smoke and vanished into the world in an instant.

Aokiji raised his eyes and looked at the spot where the group had disappeared, a hint of unspoken gravity in his gaze:

"Are these five the ones who control this world? This sense of oppression sends chills down my spine even."

Akainu also looked solemn:

"It is said that since the establishment of the World Government, these five people have ruled this world, and they still do now."

Aokiji's pupils contracted:
"The World Government has been established for over eight hundred years, doesn't that mean..."

"what."

Akainu nodded:
"They have lived for at least eight hundred years."

"In a sense, they truly possess the qualities of gods: long lifespan, immense power, and absolute authority..."

"When these things come together, the boundary between man and God will gradually become blurred."

"so……"

"Neither your plan nor Professor Zephyr's plan can succeed."

Aokiji's lips curled slightly, and he resumed his usual languid demeanor.
"But some things you have to try to know, after all, the World Government has only been established for eight hundred years!"

"What kind of scenery must that vast kingdom, submerged in history, have been..."

"Humph."

Akainu shook his head:

"I knew I couldn't persuade you."

"never mind."

"Come with me to see him."

"I don't want to argue with you anymore. Do whatever you want."

Aokiji was taken aback, his expression gradually becoming solemn as he followed Akainu into the cabin.

T-Bone's body had already been carefully preserved and was now lying quietly in the cabin of the warship. The blood on his clothes had turned dark red, some of it from the IQ Beast, and some of it from himself.

Akainu kept T-Bone's knight's sword with him.

What few people know is that Akainu was also a skilled swordsman before he obtained the Magma-Magma Fruit.

It was only because the Magma Fruit was so powerful that he gave up the swordsmanship he had painstakingly practiced.

It seems now.

Akainu is about to raise his sword once again.

(End of this chapter)