Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 293 The New Navy that Believes in Simple Justice

For a long time, Xia Zuo and A Xi Lu did not have the opportunity to have close, one-on-one contact.

Therefore, Xia Zuo had no chance to hear her true feelings and did not know that Ashiru was a revolutionary army spy.

However, Xia Zuo concluded that the revolutionary army would send people into the East China Sea to monitor and observe him through various means.

In Xia Zuo's view, none of this mattered. If his plan was so shady that it could be easily ruined just by being observed, then there was no need to continue.

Moreover, his and Long's cause are actually in competition, and there is no fierce competition between them for talent. All the revolutionary army members sent to monitor the East Sea are actively accepting his propaganda.

Xia Zuo eagerly anticipates that the elites of the revolutionary army will become his followers after prolonged exposure to "simple justice."

That would be really fun, and Monkey D. Dragon's expression would be even funnier.

Since Xia Zuo publicly promoted "simple justice", the marines of the 77th Branch have had a very fulfilling life.

After completing their regular training, patrols, and missions, they also carry out a variety of activities under Xia Zuo's leadership.

First and foremost is the incredibly strict housekeeping.

The dormitory room must be spotless, toiletries must be placed at a fixed angle, and the most terrifying thing is that the bedding must be folded neatly.

When Brigadier General Xia Zuo gave his demonstration, he folded the blanket into an incomprehensible tofu block, which made many people's scalps tingle.

Fortunately, the horrific housekeeping was not mandatory but voluntary; otherwise, the marines would have certainly staged a mutiny on the spot.

Even the marines who fought alongside Xia Zuo, and even the marines who were personally trained by Xia Zuo, found this unacceptable.

They said: "Even if we die from exhaustion during training, die in battle against pirates, or drown after jumping into the sea from the ship, we would never do this kind of useless and torturous housework!"

Although this didn't conform to the "it smells so good" principle, after 4 or 5 months, 90% of the marines in the 77th branch were already adhering to Xia Zuo's housekeeping standards.

This is not the result of coercion, but rather the powerful appeal of collectivism.

As a small group of staunch followers carried out internal affairs according to strict standards, this small group centered around Xia Zuo unknowingly exhibited an extremely strong sense of collectivism.

It was a flavor distinctly different from that of other marines. At first glance, it seemed awkward and stiff, but it would unconsciously generate a strong attraction, drawing marines who would rather die than participate to give it a try.

Then one by one they succumbed to it. Collectivism is one of the two pillars upon which humanity has triumphed over other competitors and become the masters of the world.

It is a fundamental need for social interaction that is deeply ingrained in our genes.

When the marines joined the new collective led by Shazo, they not only felt a sense of belonging to the group, but also experienced full democracy and respect.

In this group, every matter concerning the group is solemnly and seriously communicated to everyone.

The decision in this group is not made by Brigadier General Xia Zuo, but by him and everyone else through discussion, and everyone participates in the decision-making process.

It's hard for members of a group not to feel that they are one of the owners of the group.

This feeling, which Brigadier General Xia Zuo called "the master of the house," was truly intoxicating, captivating all the marines.

After three months of adjustment, the new team experienced explosive growth and has now recruited the 77th member.

Ninety percent of the branch members are marines.

Then, the 77th branch underwent a second transformation, and began to resemble the army that Xia Zuo was familiar with.

However, Xia Zuo's next step of promoting service to the people was met with collective resistance from the marines.

Their attitude was so resolute that even Xia Zuo had no way to change it.

Later, during a heart-to-heart talk with the marines, he subtly inquired about this issue and discovered that it was truly impossible.

The social strata of the entire One Piece world are vastly different, and during the 800 years of Celestial Dragons' rule, they deliberately engaged in various maneuvers to incite regional and racial conflicts.

Unless they join a pirate crew for various reasons, board a pirate ship, and band together to survive on the vast ocean and in the cramped space of the ship, with no way out, the immense pressure of survival can break down the barriers of region and race, allowing them to form a team.

The Navy's internal cohesion also stems from its frequent voyages, facing the dangerous sea and vicious pirates, and the marines have no way out unless they want to become pirates.

It should be noted that even that army couldn't manage the tense military-civilian relations in the territory of the monkeys of South Vietnam.

This is not a problem with the military, but rather a problem with the extreme poverty of folk culture. Like a volatile animal, the monkey interprets any manifestation of civilization as weakness and vulnerability.

What virtue or ability does Xia Zuo possess to elevate the cultural level of the vast border regions and achieve national civilizational unity, just like the great teacher?

The world of One Piece lacks a foundation of civilization, and Xia Zuo doesn't possess godlike abilities, so we can only leave it at that.

Fortunately, the change in the internal culture of the East China Sea Navy has already created a sufficiently exaggerated gap.

When Ashiru joined the 77th Branch, the Marines had already undergone a complete transformation and had begun to influence the surrounding branches.

This young revolutionary cadre, after infiltrating the 77th branch of the Navy, fell into confusion within just half a month. Only before falling asleep at night could he remember what his identity was.

A month later, the young sergeant received unanimous praise from the marines at a group meeting and was subsequently promoted to second lieutenant. She was so excited that she burst into tears.

As the deputy commander of the Revolutionary Army's Eastern Army, she certainly wouldn't be crying because of her mere second lieutenant rank. She was crying because of the sincere respect the other marines had for her and because of the fairness of promotion based on merit.

For the next ten days or so, Ashiru was caught in a great mental struggle, her feelings of identification with the Revolutionary Army and with the simple, righteous Navy were constantly torn in her heart.

However, people can get used to even the most difficult things.

Ten days later, the New Year of the 1514th year of the Sea Calendar arrived. After the 77th Branch's New Year's celebration, Ashir's mental exhaustion would only occur in the few minutes before she fell asleep.

After a year, Xia Zuo successfully transformed the 7th branch into the familiar one he knew.

In this simple and righteous navy, there is something to do every moment of waking up.

Physical training, military training, and housekeeping are fundamental; after all, the navy's primary duty is combat.

Learning life skills, growing vegetables, raising pigs, or acquiring a craft are considered advancements. Even if you can no longer work in the navy in the future, you can still earn a living back home.

In the afternoon, there were meetings at the squad, company, and battalion levels where the marines discussed everything related to themselves and couldn't be careless in checking the previously assigned tasks.

In the evenings, there are group entertainment activities and simple, righteous study sessions.

After all that is done, you still have to wash up as required, as well as take turns on night shifts, stand guard, and perform duties.

By the time they were finally able to lie down, the marines of the 77th branch were exhausted. They were snoring as soon as their heads hit the pillow, and they had no energy left to think about anything else.

If a person doesn't have the time or energy to overthink, they won't experience mental exhaustion.

When you are extremely tired, without any distracting thoughts, you can make the most effortless decisions.

So, Ashlu made this pretty clever decision: since she couldn't let go of either side, she would just do her best on both.

What happens if you get caught?

Ashiru thought: Whatever, what could be more important than sleeping?

If even the designated deputy commander of the Eastern Army is like this, how can ordinary marines resist the allure of the new navy?

Signs of lower-ranking marines falling into straits have appeared throughout the East China Sea branch. Even the Rat Branch Chief of the 16th Branch, who tried to bribe his subordinates, could not prevent his branch from splitting.

As for punishing the marines in the 16th branch who were not of one mind with him, Rat simply didn't have the guts.

It should be noted that Brigadier General Xia Zuo not only had a higher military rank than him, but his responsibilities also included providing comprehensive guidance on the management of the various branches in the East China Sea, making him his direct superior.

As a representative of sycophancy, the Rat Branch Chief's ability to outwardly comply while inwardly defying orders is already at its limit. How could he dare to lay a hand on the Marines who are studying Xia Zuo?

Fortunately, due to the distance, the marines rarely had the opportunity to see what the 77th branch looked like directly. The news passed down by word of mouth seemed too incredible, and few people believed in "simple justice".

From the perspective of the rat branch leader, the situation he was facing was not so bad.

He even felt that this was just a gust of wind stirred up by General Xia Zuo, and that everything would return to normal once he was transferred away from headquarters.

Hasn't it been like this for hundreds of years?

It wasn't just Colonel Rat who thought this way; Lieutenant Colonel Morgan thought the same. They were even secretly planning how to kill the marines who weren't loyal to them after Brigadier General Shazo left.

At this point, Xia Zuocai unexpectedly discovered that the 77th Marine Branch's resistance to "serving the people" had actually served an unexpected purpose of intelligence blocking and camouflage.

After the New Year's celebrations concluded, the 77th branch began a large-scale holiday.

Even Xia Zuo left the branch and flew south, where he found an unremarkable island in the sea not far from the calm zone.

Hawkeye Mihawk, who has already earned the title of "World's Greatest Swordsman," is waiting for him at the highest point of the island.

Since his last battle with Xia Zuo, Mihawk has returned to the East Blue every three months to spar with Xia Zuo and test his progress in swordsmanship.

Each time, he felt he had gained a great deal, and then returned to the new world covered in wounds.

Mihawk's reward for luring Xia Zuo to the meeting was the intelligence he gathered in the New World, allowing Xia Zuo to stay informed about world events even while he was a shut-in in the East Blue.

Hawkeye is extremely strong, and being alone without any burdens, he can row his small boat directly across the Calm Belt. He can enter and exit the Grand Line much faster than Dragon, who is with a large group of Revolutionary Army soldiers.

The intelligence he brings is very timely.

Upon meeting him this time, Xia Zuo sensed that Hawkeye Mihawk's aura had broken through again, and couldn't help but laugh and say, "Mihawk, you are a genius. Every time I see you, you have made such amazing progress."

Hawkeye remained unmoved by Xia Zuo's praise, coldly retorting, "Oh, are you praising yourself?"

"After each sparring session, your strength increases more than mine."

"You have absolutely no idea how I feel!"

"Every time I made progress, I found that the gap between us had widened even further during our matches. Do you know how devastating that was?"

Xia Zuo felt extremely embarrassed upon hearing Hawkeye's complaint.

He had never imagined that the great swordsman Hawkeye, with his cold and aloof appearance and sharp and icy temperament, like a gleaming sword, could utter such a complaint.

Even as he spoke these words, Mihawk's demeanor remained sharp, and his emotions were incredibly calm. His composure and decisiveness exuded a captivating power.

Such a person and his temperament are really mismatched with the words he speaks.

Having no idea what to say, Xia Zuo said, "At least you always seem to gain something, right?"

Hawkeye Mihawk sighed and said, "You're right, I make great progress every time."

"If I hadn't always managed to gain something and regain my confidence from the pirates in the New World, I probably wouldn't have had the courage to turn around and face you."

Xia Zuo shook his head and said, "That's not the case. With your Eagle Eye mentality, you would never give up the opportunity to make progress."

"Of course, losing every game is really discouraging. How about I let you win this time?"

Mihawk was finally broken by Xia Zuo's words. Veins bulged on his forehead, and the black sword "Night" was already in his hand. He then unleashed a flying slash.

A year has passed, and the greatsword master Mihawk has indeed made tremendous progress. His flying slashes are no longer uncontrollable sword energy impacts, but have evolved into extremely complex combinations of sword energy.

The towering sword energy arrived in front of Xia Zuo, then suddenly split into two streams, restricting his space to dodge.

When they got within ten meters, the two sword energies split up again, merging into hundreds of sword energies that attacked Xia Zuo from all directions like a storm, leaving no gaps.

[Flying Slash - Sword Qi Storm]

Xia Zuo was startled by Mihawk's new move, and it was too late to dodge or even block.

Although he has ten fingers, there are hundreds of sword energies attacking from all directions at the same time, and he cannot unleash so many sword energies at the same time to defend against them.

Because the event happened so suddenly, Xia Zuo didn't have time to use the ever-growing trees to defend against the sword energy, since he wasn't as skilled in Wood Release as the Hokage Xia Zuo.

However, Xia Zuo was skilled in [Ice Release] and the freezing air he could create in this world. With a thought, a completely transparent ice wall, as if it were air, appeared around him.

Hawkeye Mihawk's sword strikes the ice wall, leaving only a sword mark less than three inches deep.

As the sword energy storm continued its relentless attacks, countless sword marks appeared on the ice wall, and the flying ice shards formed a faint mist.

Hundreds of sword energies struck the ice wall in succession, accumulating deep sword marks, but Mihawk stopped attacking in disappointment.

Because the ice wall was growing from the inside out, and its thickness was increasing faster than the sword energy could destroy it.

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