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

Chapter 152: Officially Inaugurated as Vice Admiral at Naval Headquarters!

After that, Satan seemed to have nothing more to say to Bane. After a few more brief words, Bane tactfully took his leave.

Stepping out of the room of power, Bane soon saw Guernica waiting at the end of the corridor. Guernica nodded to Bane, who then followed him away.

Throughout the journey, the two remained silent, one leading the way and the other following, nothing more.

Meanwhile, Bane was reflecting on everything that had happened after meeting with Satan Saint. It seemed that nothing had gone wrong, and his performance had been alright, but he still felt that there was something else going on that he hadn't noticed.

"Hmm, this is only our first meeting. Perhaps this is a test? The next time we meet, things might be different," Bane thought to himself.

He always felt it was strange that the Five Elders would meet with him in secret and only talk about supporting Sakazuki, and he could only explain it as their "first meeting".

According to Satan Saint, after that, they pretended they had never met. This was not unexpected for Bane, since he had come to Mary Geoise secretly under the guidance of CP-0, and it was clear from the beginning that he could not be seen in the light of day.

This situation should continue until Sakazuki actually becomes marshal, so that Sengoku doesn't discover anything and come up with new tricks.

Of course, this is the Five Elders' idea. As for Bane, he'll see how things go. Anyway, he's not really loyal to the Five Elders. If there's another opportunity, he doesn't mind switching sides.

"I don't even plan to stay at this company for long, so why should I care about what you managers think of me?"

After Bane and Guernica boarded a ship bound for Sabaody Archipelago, the Five Elders reunited in the Chamber of Power.

"How did it feel? After actually meeting him?" Maz Shengchong brewed a cup of tea, poured some for the other colleagues, and sat down on the sofa, asking casually.

Satan Saint sneered, "Just a snobbish little man. He takes the bait with just a little bit of sweetness. But that's fine, isn't that exactly the kind of person we need?"

"Admiral, that's hardly a 'little treat,' is it?" Nasujuro Sei joked.

"For us, isn't it just a 'little treat'?" Saint Satan said calmly.

"There's no need to argue about these meaningless things. We've already discussed these things. A weak, underdeveloped, inexperienced, and easily controlled admiral is more beneficial than harmful to us. This also means we have ample time to influence and transform him. Perhaps in another twenty or thirty years, a fully controlled fleet admiral will emerge in our hands. In the long run, he certainly has high potential for development," said Satoshi Vochuli, taking a sip of tea in a very calm tone.

As soon as he finished speaking, the others stopped discussing the so-called "benefits" and their feelings about Bane.

"He has already indicated that after becoming a candidate for general, he will fully support Sakazuki when the time is right. I think he has no reason to change his stance," Satan Saint said softly.

"Have you spoken to Monkey D. Luffy about that?" Pittor asked directly.

Satan shook his head and said naturally, "No, although he performed well in the previous war, it was just bravery. This time, let's observe him first. He told me before that he was planning to hunt down Shiki. This matter, along with the Sakazuki incident, can be used as an opportunity to observe him and see if he is reliable enough to be entrusted with important tasks."

Hunting Shiki?

To be honest, this situation was quite unexpected for the Five Elders, but after exchanging glances, they did not discuss it further.

As for the Nika Devil Fruit, it is indeed quite important, but Garp is taking good care of his grandson, keeping him locked up in the Marine Headquarters. I heard he's being beaten three times a day, and now he's almost bedridden. At the same time, they've also sent their own people from the Marines to keep an eye on him secretly, so there shouldn't be any problems in the short term.

The main issue is that Garp is currently at headquarters, so it's not convenient to snatch him directly from under his nose. We still need to wait for an opportunity.

Therefore, this period can be used to observe Bane's ability to act. This kid just said he wanted to plot to hunt down Shiki, so let's see how capable he is. This is not something that can be done simply by fighting and killing on the battlefield. There is no need to care about the process. As long as Bane can deliver the result, it will be enough to prove his ability to act.

To reiterate, they will ultimately make further adjustments based on Bane's performance.

If Bane can still satisfy them, then Garp will no longer be a one-time pawn. If he cannot satisfy them, Nika is the priority, and Bane will have to take action no matter what. However, after this is over, it's hard to say whether the Admiral's promise will be fulfilled or what his fate will be.

After that, they quickly moved on to discussing other important matters.

A day later, Bane and his party returned to Marineford, the Marine Headquarters, from the Sabaody Archipelago.

Upon arriving at the Marine Headquarters, he was immediately thrown into a flurry of activity. People kept coming to Bane to confirm various matters, and the news that he was about to become a Vice Admiral and Admiral candidate at the Marine Headquarters had already spread throughout the Navy.

Today someone comes to take him to the Fortress of Justice to choose a suitable office; tomorrow someone comes to take him to choose a satisfactory warship, and can make some personal style modifications according to his requirements within a reasonable range; the day after tomorrow someone comes to call him to a meeting, where the process of formally joining the Navy and assuming the position of Vice Admiral at the Navy Headquarters will be approved.

In short, after nearly five days of work, everything finally came to a conclusion.

The Navy's propaganda department quickly released a series of announcements regarding adjustments to general officers. As for those below the rank of general, there were too many to announce publicly in a newspaper like this.

As soon as the news of the officer reshuffle broke, Bane and Issho immediately became the two most watched new vice admirals.

Because they emerged out of nowhere and jumped directly to the position of lieutenant general, while also holding the prestigious title of general candidate.

To be honest, Bane is alright; he was quite famous before, and almost everyone on this sea knows him. But Smile, compared to Bane, seems much more out of place. Most people's impression of him only exists in the previous war, when he joined forces with Borsalino to fight against Whitebeard.

But it was precisely this impression that allowed Yixiao's strength to be fully displayed. Although some people still found it strange, at least no one thought that he was not strong enough.

Bane and Issho officially became vice admirals of the Marine Headquarters, while Zoro and Fubuki became rear admirals. Waver also received the rank of commodore.

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

In the underground office of Rainbow Banquet in Alabasta, Nicole Robin looked at the series of photos and biographies of the newly appointed naval admirals in the newspaper in her hand. Finally, her gaze settled on Bane's photo.

Her gaze was slightly complicated. Although she knew beforehand that Bane and the others were heading to the Navy, and that joining the Navy was not to serve the world's government, but to accumulate power and resources to do bigger things, she was still somewhat bewildered.

Just as Nicole Robin was lost in thought, her Den Den Mushi (snail phone) suddenly rang.

Turning his head, Robin's previously complex gaze suddenly cleared, and a smile unconsciously appeared on his lips. He raised his hand to answer the Den Den Mushi and said, "Vice Admiral, what brings you here?"

On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Bane chuckled upon hearing the nickname and said, "Are you mocking me?"

"How could I dare? It's just that some people never contact me normally, so if they suddenly call me on Den Den Mushi, they must have something to tell me, right?" Robin teased, her tone slightly displeased.

"Ahem," Bane said somewhat awkwardly, his voice lacking confidence, "I've been too busy lately. You see, I just finished up my work and became a lieutenant general, and that's why I contacted you."

"So, what exactly do you need me to do?" Robin wasn't fooled at all; she didn't think this guy was here to care about her at all, he must have something to say.

Bane paused for a moment, then said, "We can start making preparations now to expand our business into the new world."

"The New World?" Robin was slightly surprised, but quickly said, "But the New World is the Donquixote Family's home turf, and our competitiveness has always been..."

"That's why I asked you to prepare in advance. I will soon take down Doflamingo and deal with the Donquixote Family," Bane said with great confidence.

Hearing this, Robin couldn't help but think of Crocodile, her former boss. After a moment, she said with some emotion, "I understand. I'll start making arrangements now. But it would be best if you could let me know before you begin, so I can easily launch the plan."

After finishing discussing these important matters, Bane was at a loss for words, and the atmosphere suddenly became very awkward. Robin, for some reason, also remained silent, quietly listening to Bane's breathing on the other end of the Den Den Mushi.

After about two or three minutes, Bane finally spoke awkwardly, asking, "So, how have you been lately? Are you alright?"

Hearing this, Robin couldn't help but chuckle. Instead of answering the question, she gently scolded, "Idiot."

Then, she abruptly hung up the Den Den Mushi, leaving Bane on the other end even more confused. Why was she yelling at me?

(End of this chapter)