Alone and Infinite.

Chapter 377 Promotion! Generous Rewards!

In the conference room at Naval Headquarters, tall figures sat around the table.

Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Sakazuki, Aokiji, Kizaru, and Chief of Staff Tsuru all stared at the Den Den Mushi placed on the table.

"Therefore, I would like to ask Vice Admiral Tsuru to send men over immediately to bring these pirates under control."

Because of Shiki's call, thousands of pirates have gathered, and I'm afraid I won't be able to suppress them all by myself in a long time.

And after the battle with the Golden Lion, his condition wasn't very good either.

Sakazuki's eyes suddenly lit up, and he opened his mouth to speak, but Sengoku raised his hand to stop him, signaling him not to speak.

"Your current location—"

Crane asked in a deep voice:
"Xia, your safety is the most important thing. The pirates have run away, that's not important. What's important is that you protect yourself, understand?"

"Yes, I am currently located above the Kingdom of Kanza in the East Blue. Shiki connected several floating islands together and used his Devil Fruit ability to float here."

"it is good!"

Crane nodded and said quickly and resolutely:
"Reinforcements are on their way!"

The Den Den Mushi lowered its eyes, and the Tsuru stood up and looked around:
"Now is not the time to discuss whether this is true or not; I tend to believe that what Xia said is true."

The most urgent task is to bring Xia back and dispatch an escort fleet.

As for the subsequent impact of this incident and why Xia suddenly encountered the Golden Lion, we'll have to wait until that's confirmed before we can discuss it.

Sengoku nodded, which was why he stopped Sakazuki from speaking; he knew what this fiery-tempered general wanted to say.

It was simply a matter of spreading the news of Shiki's death throughout the world as quickly as possible to deter pirates.

But more than that, the Warring States period wanted to confirm whether Xia was safe and could hold out.

"That's settled then, Ahe, you make the arrangements. We'll wait at headquarters and let you know as soon as you've confirmed it."

Lieutenant General Tsuru nodded and immediately pulled out her special Den Den Mushi:

"Tina, summon all 'Cage' troops at headquarters. Destination—Kansa Kingdom in the East Sea."

She then dialed Karp's number:
"Karp, connect your headquarters' vice admiral ships to Tina's escort fleet, and do it quickly!"

"An escort ship? What happened?"

"Your good disciple killed Shiki the Golden Lion—and took control of the thousands of pirates that Shiki had gathered!"

Garp, who was putting a senbei (rice cracker) into his mouth, stopped and stared blankly at the Den Den Mushi (snail phone) in front of him.

Didn't they say they were going to teach Luffy a lesson? How did they suddenly end up going up against Shiki?

However, Garp also keenly sensed the urgency involved.

"Okay, I'll set off right away!"

"Quickly, tie it tighter!"

"Seastone handcuffs! Quick, that guy looks like a Devil Fruit user!"

"Help! Help! It looks like they're waking up!"

The Golden Lion Manor was no longer as quiet as before; it was bustling like a market.

The natives, with feather-like appendages on their arms, energetically tied up the unconscious pirates one by one.

Apart from a few small islands that Golden Lion used his abilities to float, the main islands were all floating islands that he discovered in the sky.

These floating islands are not uninhabited, of course. However, the original inhabitants have been enslaved by the Golden Lion. The old, weak, and sick remain in the villages, and these people are used as hostages to force the young people to submit.

The men served as experimental subjects, and the women naturally became—

In short, pirates are a group that is cruel, treacherous, and utterly inhuman.

The Straw Hat Pirates are just a tiny minority on this ocean.

Li Xia sat atop the massive lion statue in front of the manor, his cold, murderous gaze sweeping over the pirates below.

The pirate, who had initially looked fierce, lowered his head and dared not look directly at him.

Kurozumi, along with the Straw Hat crew who had been brought there somewhat haphazardly to maintain order, patrolled the surrounding area.

Having pirates guard other pirates seems like a fantasy.

But the little girl from the native tribe put her hands together, looked at Luffy and the others with teary eyes, and said, "Please, big brother and big sister."

The entire Straw Hat crew was immediately overwhelmed. Luffy flared his nostrils, exhaling two streams of scorching air, and shouted, "Leave it to me!"

They immediately rolled up their sleeves and got to work with great enthusiasm.

"Boss, it's all taken care of!"

Awoo lay inside the dragon egg and flew back weakly. Although the main islands were all floating islands, some smaller islands were still floating because of the Devil Fruit's power.

After Shiki died, his Devil Fruit powers were deactivated. If it weren't for Roar slowing down the descent of these islands, the kingdom below would likely have suffered a devastating natural disaster.

"Okay, take a rest. The navy will be here soon."

As they were talking, several muffled sounds came from the air. Li Xia's ears twitched. This was Moonwalk!

Garp and Tina approached at an incredible speed and landed beside Li Xia.

Slightly lost in thought, he stared down at the densely packed pirates below, his gaze sweeping over the leveled mountain peaks, the manor that had been largely destroyed, and the devastation left by the avalanche.

These scenes alone are enough to imagine how intense the battle must have been.

Tina leaned forward, nervously scrutinizing Empress Xia before letting out a long sigh of relief:

"It's good that you're alright. Tina will report to Lieutenant General Tsuru right away."

After a brief moment of surprise, Garp also came over. His combat experience far surpassed Tina's, and with just a glance, he found that the kid was in good condition and was not seriously injured.

He looked at the golden lion lying on the ground not far away, covered in wounds, with a complicated expression on his face.

He let out a soft breath and picked up the Den Den Mushi that Tina had just dialed:
"Ah He, I've confirmed it. It is indeed the Golden Lion. The battle is very intense."

After tossing the Den Den Mushi to Tina, Garp sized up Li Xia, then suddenly revealed a very satisfied smile, and patted him forcefully on the shoulder:

"Hahahaha, not bad! You are indeed a student I taught."

Then he put his arm around Li Xia's shoulder, just like a buddy, and pulled him to the side:

"Tell me quickly, how did you fight this old man? I've fought him before, and this old guy is no pushover."

It flies around in the sky like a fly —

The sounds gradually faded away, leaving only Tina looking at the vast expanse of pirates, feeling a genuine sense of awe and joy.

Xia is really amazing.

Suddenly, her gaze turned serious as she looked at several familiar figures among the pirates.

The Straw Hat Pirates?!

Tina narrowed her eyes, a hint of murderous intent appearing on her pretty face.

This time, Tina will absolutely not let you get away with this again—

"Meow!"

Black Charcoal stood beside Tina's legs, raised its head, and called out softly.

He raised a phonograph.

Looking at the black cat that had been following Li Xia, Tina's murderous aura vanished instantly, replaced by a gentle smile. She patted the black cat's head and then picked up the phonograph and held it to her ear.

Li Xia's voice then flowed from the phonograph:

"Tina, the Straw Hat crew. They haven't done anything bad, and I also need to consider Vice Admiral Garp's side."

That's about it.

Tina's eyebrows curved into a smile as she looked at the Straw Hat crew again.

Since Xia Du has said so, then we'll let you off the hook this time!
"Karp has confirmed it!"

The naval high command, who had been hastily summoned, had barely stepped into the conference room when they heard the news that made them beam with joy.

"This is a golden opportunity. I suggest we immediately announce to the world that the once-fierce pirate Shiki has been defeated and executed once again!"

This time, no one stopped Sakazuki, who slammed his fist on the table.

"Let's use the Golden Lion's head to intimidate those damned pirates!"

"Yes, but not now."

Sengoku stood up, glanced around, and realized that Garp's absence was a good opportunity.

"Blackbeard Marshall Teach voluntarily handed over Portokus D. Ace, the second division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, to the World Government."

After extensive investigation, Portokas D. Ace has been confirmed to be the son of the former Pirate King, Gol D. Roger!

what?
This news struck like a thunderbolt, instantly shocking everyone. They stared in astonishment at Sengoku, watching him continue:
"By resolution of the World Government, Portokus D. Ace will be publicly executed!"

Furthermore, his true identity should be revealed during his execution; only in this way can the last words of Roger, who ushered in the Great Pirate Era, be dealt the greatest blow.

Therefore, I believe that the news of Shiki's execution can be released together with the news of Ace's execution.

This is the only way to achieve the best results!

"I agree!"

Sakazuki, who hates pirates to the core and believes they should all be wiped out, was the first to agree.

The other two generals remained silent; in truth, whether they agreed or disagreed was of little use.

As generals, they certainly possess power and status, but their opinions are insignificant when it comes to the World Government's decisions.

"This time, the World Government is very determined; they must execute him publicly."

He added a casual remark, which served as a conclusion to the whole matter.

"Then that's settled!"

Sengoku nodded, then looked at Vice Admiral Tsuru:

"Ah He, go and talk to Garp."

"This kind of thing makes me sigh again, oh well."

The three had a very deep bond, and Sengoku and Tsuru both knew the secret that Ace was raised by Garp.

Garp may seem like an old man who doesn't care about anything.

But both of them knew that the man with the hardest fist in the world actually had a soft heart and passionate feelings.

This news will likely be a huge blow to Garp, and may even leave him devastated.

Only a crane could take on this task.

Having dealt with the most troublesome matter, Sengoku cleared his throat, and the next topic was finally not something discouraging.

"Next, we'll discuss the award given to Navy Headquarters Captain Wright Shah."

According to the Navy's internal contribution regulations, the reward for a pirate with a bounty exceeding one billion is subject to approval by both the Admiral and the Chief of Staff.

The Golden Lion's influence and actual bounty far exceed this figure.

"The original bounty for the Golden Lion was four billion. After escaping from Impel Down, he disappeared without a trace, so the bounty amount has not been updated."

He first gave a brief introduction to the situation, which was why the Warring States period wanted to bring it up for discussion.

The original bounty of 4 billion is definitely not appropriate. The question is how to determine the amount and reward.

"I think Xia is excellent and deserves the highest reward. The young navy fought bravely and defeated the vicious pirates."

Therefore, they received the rewards that others could only dream of. It is this kind of story that inspires the marines to strive even harder!

Sakazuki was the first to speak again. In fact, among the Navy's high command, the one who admired Li Xia the most was 'Akainu'.

In particular, Li Xia showed no mercy to evil, killing hundreds of people and sending more than three thousand criminals to the Bridge Kingdom.

He won Akainu's praise, not to mention that later, in order to accumulate contribution points, he carried out a large-scale capture of pirates, and Akainu almost applauded him.

"Oh my god, even though the Golden Lion is old, his strength shouldn't be underestimated, right? I remember he even used a Navy ship to smash Marineford."

Another general, Aokiji, adjusted his blindfold and yawned:
“I agree with Sakassky.”

Li Xia was Garp's student, and Aokiji was also trained by Garp. In his heart, Aokiji held special respect and affection for Garp.

Even out of respect for Garp, Aokiji wouldn't raise any objections, so he simply supported Sakazuki.

"Oh? That's rare, you two can agree on something."

Sengoku then turned his gaze to the last admiral, who wore a yellow suit, sunglasses, and appeared rather lazy:

"Kizaru, what's your opinion?"

“Young people are very energetic—it really makes me happy. I think we can hand over more tasks to young people so that we old folks can rest.”

I agree!

Kizaru leaned back in his armchair, crossed his legs, and also gave his approval.

"In that case, let's discuss and agree on the rewards properly, everyone!"

"Oh? Two options?"

Li Xia jumped off the hammock, and Heitan and Aowu immediately came over.

"Hahahaha, this is truly unexpected! The Warring States period has really gone to great lengths this time! I never imagined that old bastard would be so willing to spend so much."

You've caught a lucky break, kid!

Garp laughed heartily with a smug look on his face. As a teacher, of course, the more outstanding the students are, the greater the sense of accomplishment he feels.

"The first!"

Karp held up one finger:
"Promoted to Vice Admiral of the Navy Headquarters, with a candidate for Admiral, 200 contribution points, codename: Black Cat"

"What about the second one?"

Li Xia nodded and asked calmly.

"Good lad! That composure alone is outstanding."

Seeing Li Xia's calm and unperturbed expression, Garp nodded approvingly.

He raised his second finger:

"Promoted to Vice Admiral of the Navy Headquarters, 300 contribution points!"

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1. Monthly Pass, 2. Recommendation Pass
The shop is especially busy today, it's the weekend, so there will only be one update. I'll continue tomorrow, with a minimum of two updates!
(End of this chapter)