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

Chapter 167 Has the situation at Naval Headquarters become this critical?

Marineford, Naval Headquarters.

As soon as Bann's warship came to a stop, he saw a commodore already waiting for him there.

"Tina, it's been a long time! Did you come to greet me?" Bane greeted her with a bright smile.

"You caused quite a stir on your trip, even taking down the Golden Lion." Tina looked at Bane with some emotion, then quickly added, "By the way, there's a high-level generals' meeting in half an hour. I came here to remind you to attend. Fleet Admiral Sengoku has already revealed some information; he will announce his resignation as Fleet Admiral at this meeting."

"So fast!?" Bane exclaimed in surprise. "When I received the news, I thought it was a routine meeting. How did it turn into a matter about the Marshal's resignation? There aren't many high-ranking officers left at headquarters these days, are there? Shouldn't such an important matter be handled by summoning lieutenant generals from all over the country? Isn't this too hasty?"

"Tina also feels that we are being a bit too hasty. However, the situation at sea is not stable right now. Most of the vice admirals who are out there are serving as base commanders. According to Fleet Admiral Sengoku, there is no need to convene them for this meeting, so as not to affect our navy's various plans and arrangements. Therefore, vice admirals who cannot attend the meeting in person will participate in the meeting via video conference," Tina explained.

Although this made some sense, Bane still felt something was off.

So he looked around and then lowered his voice slightly, asking, "Tina, has anything happened at headquarters these past few days?"

"Let's talk as we walk," Tina said, then led Bane toward the Fortress of Justice.

After walking a few steps, Tina whispered, "Something did happen. About half a month ago, Mary Geoise transferred a guy I'd never heard of directly from the CP agency to our Navy. Admiral Sakazuki approved the transfer and recommended him for a vice admiral position at headquarters."

"Huh? You can do that?" Bane asked in surprise. "Can CP members be transferred to our Navy?"

"In principle, it's allowed. It's not just them coming to our side; if you're interested, you can also apply for a transfer to the CP agency. With your status as a candidate for general, if they approve it, you can at least get a commander position there." Tina quickly explained the situation to Bane.

Bane gradually understood.

The CP Agency and the Navy Headquarters are two different agencies under the World Government, but they are on the same level in the World Government's administrative system. The Chief of the CP Agency holds the same position as the Admiral of the Navy Headquarters. The position of Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's armed forces has always been held alternately by the Admiral of the Navy Headquarters and the Chief of the CP Agency.

Currently, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces is the former Fleet Admiral, Steelbone Sky, and if nothing unexpected happens, the next Commander-in-Chief will be selected from the CP organization.

The principle remains the same: the world's governments are balancing the power between the two sides, ensuring that the CP agency and the Navy Headquarters check and balance each other.

Therefore, everyone belongs to the administrative system under the world's government. Although the institutions are different, in principle, they can be transferred to each other. Of course, if you apply, the other party must also have a qualified person to approve it.

Clearly, Sakazuki used this power this time to approve a transfer within the CP agency.

But judging from Tina's words, this transfer was probably initiated by Mary Geoise.

Moreover, according to Tina, this situation has not occurred in the Navy for at least twenty years.

This piqued Bane's curiosity, so he quickly asked, "What's that guy's name?"

"His name is Aramaki. He's said to be very strong. After he became a lieutenant general, Mr. Fire Mountain challenged him under the guise of a friendly spar, but he was overwhelmingly defeated. Surprisingly, he's a Logia-type Devil Fruit user, the Forest-Forest Fruit. I've never heard of such a Logia-type powerhouse before. It's really strange, but considering that he comes from an intelligence agency, it doesn't seem unreasonable." Tina clicked her tongue and said.

"Wild pasture?" Bane was even more surprised.

Aramaki is a complete CP (Cross-Platform) member!

It seems that the global conscription has really undergone a major change, to the point that the Five Elders chose this method to infiltrate the Navy's high command. However, it is estimated that this will only work once.

Sakazuki is, after all, a Navy Admiral. One instance is fine; as an Admiral, he is qualified to act arbitrarily. However, he can never use this power repeatedly, otherwise it would affect his prestige and cause distrust within the Navy.

In the end, he hurt himself.

It seems that the Warring States Marshal must have sensed something, such as that Mary Geoise's tolerance for him had reached its limit? That's why he was in such a hurry to step down?

This also shows that the Warring States period made concessions for the benefit of the navy.

Soon, Bane realized that this might be a way for the Five Elders to check and balance him, or perhaps a backup plan. If he, Bane, wavered at a crucial moment, the position of "General" that Satan Saint had mentioned might fall to Huang Mu.

Of course, all of this is based on the premise that no one would have expected Kuzan to leave the Navy, thus freeing up two admiral positions.

"I have a feeling that headquarters is getting more and more chaotic," Bane remarked.

"Who says otherwise? Tina also feels that this place is getting more and more oppressive," Tina said with a somewhat melancholy expression.

"Besides this, is there anything else?" Bane asked again.

"That was a really big deal. Three days ago, Admiral Sakazuki and Admiral Kuzan had a heated argument at a meeting, which directly led to Vice Admiral Onigumo and Vice Admiral Momonga receiving severe punishments," Tina whispered.

"Huh? Sakazuki had a falling out with Kuzan, so why were Onigumo and Flying Squirrel punished?" Bane's expression was completely bewildered.

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

"Because Admiral Sakazuki and Admiral Kuzan almost came to blows during the meeting, but were stopped by Mr. Garp and Chief Strategist Tsuru. As a result, unexpectedly, Onigumo and Vice Admiral Momonga started fighting. I wasn't qualified to participate in that meeting, so I didn't see the specifics, but I heard from Smoker that both of them drew their swords. It was a very serious incident, and the long table in the conference room was smashed." Tina said with a regretful look.

"Why do you look so regretful?" Bane asked curiously.

"I regret not working harder and getting promoted to major general. If I were a major general, I would have been qualified to participate in that meeting and witness this spectacle firsthand!" Tina said with a look of regret for slacking off.

"You really are... I don't know what to say." Bane's face twitched a few times, and he said helplessly.

However, he did not expect that things had deteriorated to this extent. When he left the headquarters with Zephyr, things were calm on the surface, with only undercurrents. How did things suddenly become so heated?

Onigumo is a loyal follower of Sakazuki, while Momonga appears to be a supporter of Kuzan.

Now, the conflict between Kuzan and Sakazuki has spread from their personal relationship to their respective factions. If this continues, the rift within the Navy will likely widen rapidly, creating an uncontrollable situation.

Ultimately, there is only one way to resolve this situation: to resolve the dispute over the marshal position as soon as possible and determine the next marshal.

Once the outcome is determined, there will be no more disputes. At the same time, whoever the newly appointed marshal is, must treat everyone equally, just like when marshals were in the Warring States period. This is a principle that marshals must adhere to. As time goes by, this turmoil will gradually subside.

Based on this intelligence, Bane had to admit that the competition for the marshalship had reached a point where it could no longer be delayed.

With Sengoku in this position, every extra day he served could potentially deepen the rifts within the navy, which was no longer in the navy's interest. As the Fleet Admiral, Sengoku would not allow this situation to continue.

Therefore, he must step down, and the Navy must select a new admiral as quickly as possible!

"These are turbulent times," Bane muttered, before stepping into the Fortress of Justice with Tina.

(End of this chapter)