Starting as a pirate, he rose to become the strongest Shinigami in Soul Society.

Chapter 101 Meeting with Boss Zefa!

Inside the office of the Warring States Marshal.

Although Bane has left, Karp and the others are still discussing him.

"He's a clever little fellow, and he seems quite capable," the Warring States Marshal said, taking a sip of tea and smacking his lips.

"It's just that he's somewhat dissatisfied with his position as colonel at headquarters, Sengoku," Chief Advisor Azuru said, raising an eyebrow.

Sakazuki, somewhat displeased, said, "This is already a very generous offer. Giving him seven colonel positions at once, and he's still not satisfied."

Kuzan glanced at Sakazuki but remained silent. Borsalino, on the other hand, chuckled and said, "Talented people are naturally a bit arrogant, isn't that normal? According to Mr. Garp, one of them is very likely to possess strength no less than ours, and among them are three Logia-type Devil Fruit users: one has the power of a former Shichibukai, one has the most vicious Devil Fruit in history, and one has the invincible Rumble-Rumble. The position of Colonel certainly doesn't hold an irresistible attraction for them."

Upon hearing this, Sakazuki retorted directly, "We're not a pirate crew where strength reigns supreme and rules don't apply. We're the Marines. To reach a high position, you must shoulder the corresponding responsibilities. Strength, talent, character, merit, and seniority are all indispensable!"

"Sakazuki is right." Sengoku nodded in agreement. "Once you become a general, you must possess the corresponding qualities. Perhaps Bane and the others are quite capable, but do they have the experience and ability to command naval battles? Do they understand our navy's naval tactics and strategies? Do they have enough prestige to manage their subordinates? Have they proven their qualifications? They don't have any of these. Giving them general positions so easily would be a disservice. I hope they can understand my good intentions."

Garp, who had originally wanted to say something, fell into deep thought upon hearing this. After careful consideration, he realized that Sengoku's words made a lot of sense. Bane and the others did not possess the relevant qualities of a naval commander. If they were entrusted with important responsibilities, any mistakes or oversights would only harm them.

"However," Chief Advisor A-He said, "we can't generalize. We must give these outstanding talents and elites full respect and preferential treatment. After all, three powerful natural-type ability users and a top-level expert deserve our attention."

Sengoku nodded helplessly upon hearing this and said, "What you said is also what I'm considering right now. It's true. If Bane and his group can truly become the backbone of our navy, at least for the next thirty years, it will greatly alleviate the shortcomings of our navy's new generation."

Just then, Garp suddenly said, "I heard from Smoker that they're going to visit Zeff later. Maybe this is an opportunity to have them join Zeff's pirate guerrilla crew, so they can learn from Zeff the knowledge and skills that our Marine commanders should have, and also build a foundation of friendship with our Marines. Anyway, Zeff's guerrilla crew is, in a sense, somewhat unofficial, isn't it? Wouldn't that leave some room for maneuver for both sides?"

Sengoku's eyes lit up upon hearing this, and he nodded, saying, "That makes sense. Besides, Zefa is very good at teaching. He hasn't trained any new people for a long time since that incident, so this is a good opportunity to help him get back on his feet."

After former Admiral Zephyr retired, he was "rehired" by the Navy. Although he would no longer go to the front lines, he retained his rank. At the same time, Zephyr also opened a naval academy to train the next generation of naval officers. Admirals Kuzan, Sakazuki, and Borsalino were all graduates of Zephyr's program, and many of the Navy's current elite officers are also his students.

It can be said that Zephyr deserves great credit for the Navy's abundant combat power and condition during this period!

This is why he wielded immense influence within the navy.

However, seven years ago, Zephyr suffered a crushing defeat. He and a group of naval trainees were attacked by pirates. Only two students survived on the ship, and he himself was severely injured and lost an arm.

After that, Zefa's physical and mental condition was severely affected, and he gradually stopped training the next generation.

After several years of silence, Zephyr still couldn't forget the pain in his heart, and his hatred for pirates grew day by day. He finally chose to come out of seclusion again, taking his two surviving students and some marines who were willing to follow him, and formed a pirate guerrilla team.

Because he had already retired from the navy, this guerrilla group was not actually a real naval combat unit, but rather an unofficial member.

This guerrilla group was actually the precursor to the new navy that Zephyr later formed. Basically, all the members who came from the guerrilla group went to follow him.

With that in mind, Sengoku immediately called Zephyr via Den Den Mushi, gave him a thorough explanation, and then they ended their discussion about Bane and the others.

"Now that Bane has confirmed his willingness to cooperate with our strategic plan, we can begin our operation. Mary Geoise will cooperate with us in launching a propaganda offensive. Everyone, prepare for war!" Marshal Sengoku slammed his hand on the table and said in a deep voice.

"I've been waiting for this opportunity for a long time," Sakazuki said, a murderous glint in his eyes.

"We must win this war. Moreover, this war will be broadcast live in its entirety, so we must not only win, but also win with composure and elegance, fully demonstrating the strength of our navy and using this opportunity to deter those ambitious individuals!" Sengoku emphasized again.

In the original story, because of Garp, many Marines, even if they didn't say it outright, would at least consider his feelings. When the fighting started, Sakazuki was the only one who truly fought to the death and was the absolute MVP of the battlefield.

But now it's completely different. Teach is the one to be executed on the execution platform, and Bane is the bargaining chip. Garp looks very interested, so the other Marines naturally have no worries.

It is something we must genuinely go all out to fight against, with a shared hatred of the enemy.

Perhaps the navy can truly achieve an overwhelming sense of superiority?

Meanwhile, in the residential area for senior naval officers, Boss Zephyr had a courtyard that was entirely his own.

He had just hung up on Sengoku's Den Den Mushi and was still wondering why his old comrade was suddenly so concerned about such a matter. Then, Smoker brought Bane to visit.

Zephyr originally had no particular feelings for Bane, but he took the time to meet Bane because of Smoker's introduction.

Because of war preparations, his guerrilla activities had also stopped during this period, giving him this time.

But Sengoku's instruction to him to properly train Bane and the others is different. One is Smoker, and the other is Sengoku. Can they be treated the same?

Not a single mistake, not a single poem, not a single post, not a single piece of content, not a single look!

So at this point, Zephyr also began to take Bane seriously.

In the Zeff family's living room, Bane met this influential figure in the Navy for the first time.

Although he was quite old, he still had a commanding presence. He had short, neat purple hair and wore glasses, which slightly obscured his sharp gaze and softened his demeanor.

He was over seventy years old, but his muscles were firm and he looked quite robust. However, he was missing one arm, and behind the sofa, against the wall, was a huge, disassembled mechanical arm.

Obviously, when Zeff is at home, he wouldn't wear his combat-use mechanical arm around everywhere; it's too inconvenient.

As soon as Smoker saw Zephyr, he couldn't help but say, "Teacher, the doctor told you to stop smoking cigars and cigarettes, but you just won't listen."

As he spoke, he casually reached out and took the cigar from Zefa's mouth, then smoked it himself.

Smoker's unabashedly behavior left Zeff both amused and exasperated. He shook his head and said, "I'm getting old, this is all I have left, and you all still want to control me."

Then, Zephyr looked at Bane and said, "You must be Bane, right? This time, our Navy owes you a debt of gratitude."

"It was just a matter of chance," Bane said modestly, then added, "I apologize for the intrusion and for disturbing your rest, Senior Zephyr."

(End of this chapter)