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

Chapter 169: The confrontation between Akainu and Aokiji, a chaotic and volatile meeting.

As the Warring States period progressed, the generals in the conference room gradually got into the swing of things.

Various suggestions were put forward one by one, then discussed, and those that were suitable were approved, while those that were unsuitable were rejected.

Bane didn't know much about these things, so he didn't say a word and just sat there listening. As for General Sakazuki, he obviously had no intention of speaking either. Not only him, but Kuzan and Borsalino were the same.

Even Garp, Chief of Staff A-Tsuru, and others remained silent. Bane gradually realized that the main participants in these issues were actually various vice admirals of the navy.

Soon, Zhan Guo mentioned the last of the four projects that had already been submitted.

"Zeff's pirate guerrilla force intends to cooperate with our headquarters' strategic development in the New World. They have applied to build the New World G-6 naval base on Melvyu, the island previously occupied by Shiki. The application materials have been distributed to your desks. Do you have any comments?" Sengoku asked.

Pirate guerrillas are unconventional forces within the Marine Headquarters, essentially operating outside the official structure. Similar to these are special operations teams, such as the classified special forces unit Drake belongs to. They are all under the command of the Marine Headquarters, and their members are listed in the Marine's archives. However, the Marines do not publicly acknowledge the existence of such units.

They would only be openly mentioned at meetings of high-ranking officers; such matters would not be discussed at regular meetings.

Zeff's prestige was something he had always heard about, but this time Bane experienced it firsthand. As soon as Sengoku finished speaking, most of the naval commanders immediately raised their hands in agreement. These people even came from different factions, including neutral members of Borsalino and subordinates of Kuzan and Sakazuki.

Just when Bane thought the proposal would be passed unanimously, a discordant voice came from the video.

"Pirate guerrilla groups are somewhat special to outsiders, and Senior Zephyr no longer holds any military position, only retaining his rank. Under these circumstances, establishing a base with a clear 'G-6' designation, which has a distinct naval style, is probably not appropriate, is it?"

Bane listened to the voice and looked at the video on the projector. He then realized that the person who spoke was none other than Vice Admiral Vergo, the commander of Naval Base G-5.

"Are you trying to question Professor Zephyr's considerations?" A blond lieutenant general with lieutenant general's epaulets looked at the video and said in a deep voice.

"Lieutenant General Keisha, must we follow authority in discussing matters here? If so, I think there's nothing to discuss, and we don't need to waste time here. Why don't we just let the generals and marshals decide?" Vergo replied calmly.

"Hmph!" Lieutenant General Keisha snorted coldly and said nothing more.

However, some of the lieutenant generals also looked somewhat unhappy; it was clear that they were all trained by Teacher Zephyr.

However, before the lieutenant generals could say anything, Bane slowly raised his hand and said, "Let me talk about this proposal. After all, I discussed this matter face-to-face with Professor Zephyr."

Bane's qualifications were far inferior to those of most of the people present, but as soon as he spoke, the entire conference room fell silent. It was clear that these generals still respected him quite a bit, partly because of Zephyr, and partly because of the abilities Bane had demonstrated during this period.

"As you all know, I have only recently joined the Navy and am still far from being as good as the seniors here today. However, thanks to your care and favor, I am now sitting in this position. During this time, I have been somewhat apprehensive, fearing that I am not worthy of this position. So I talked to my teacher about this before. His advice to me was not to waste my time at headquarters, but to steadily increase my experience. Therefore, he suggested that I choose a suitable base at the right time and go there to take up a post, so as to learn from actual work and the front lines and strive to make up for my shortcomings in these areas as soon as possible," Bane said in a very humble tone.

Hearing Benn's words, many naval officers wore kind and encouraging smiles.

After a slight pause, Bane continued, "The G-6 Naval Base is the first thing I'm considering taking concrete steps to do. Our navy happens to have the intention of building this new base, so establishing a new naval base on the front lines of the new world from scratch is a very exciting experience and process for me. However, considering my youth and inability to consider things as thoroughly as you all, Professor Zephyr plans to assist me. Therefore, in a true sense, I will be leading the construction plan for this base."

At this point, Bane's previously humble gaze suddenly sharpened. He turned to look at Vergo on the screen and said in a deep voice, "As a Vice Admiral and Admiral candidate at Marine Headquarters, is there anything inappropriate about me overseeing this plan, Vergo?"

He didn't even bother to address him with the suffix "Lieutenant General," and everyone clearly sensed Bane's dissatisfaction with Vergo.

Vergo's expression remained unchanged, and a pair of sunglasses concealed his eyes, making it impossible to discern his emotions.

After a few seconds of silence, he finally spoke: "Since you put it that way, I have no objection, Lieutenant General Benn."

Bane did not respond to Vergo, but instead turned his gaze back to the people in the conference room. His sharp, previously imposing gaze softened, and a humble smile returned to his face as he said, "Thank you all for your support and trust."

Then came the normal voting process, and the proposal was smoothly implemented. Afterward, the Navy Headquarters will allocate some funds for the construction of the G-6 Naval Base.

The project leaders were Bane and Zephyr.

"Then, the next topic is, based on the current situation of our navy, to consider increasing the scale of troop reinforcements, relaxing the restrictions on troop reinforcement conditions, and recruiting more," Sengoku read out in an orderly manner.

Then, a heated discussion began.

This topic is clearly related to the upcoming global conscription, and it seems that this is not the first time it has been discussed.

That's true. It's unrealistic to conclude such an important matter with just a casual discussion. Multiple discussions and deliberations are needed before a final conclusion can be reached.

After listening for a while, Bane could sense that this discussion would not yield any mature results. Clearly, this was just a warm-up, and the real conclusion would probably have to wait for the next marshal to make the final decision.

The discussion on this issue lasted a long time, and the atmosphere was no longer as harmonious as before. Even the generals who had not yet participated started to take action.

Sakazuki and Kuzan engaged in a heated debate about the matter. Bane, sitting next to Sakazuki, could clearly feel the temperature around them rising rapidly. The cigar Sakazuki was holding was starting to turn black from the area where his lips touched it, and wisps of black smoke were rising from the table where his left hand rested.

Opposite him, in front of Kuzan, the teacup that was once steaming hot had frozen into ice, and a faint frost had condensed on the table.

"Does holding a meeting require destroying a table? Is the Navy's budget being spent on such bizarre things?" Bane sat in his chair, looking at the scene, and couldn't help but complain in his heart.

"Nowadays, we could go to war with pirates from the New World at any time, so we really need to replenish our fighting force. The recruitment quota should be increased." Sakazuki seemed to be dissatisfied with the number of recruits, so he insisted on increasing the number of recruits.

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

"Adding a large number of new recruits in a short period of time would seriously affect our original combat effectiveness." Kuzan believed that large-scale expansion of the army was not appropriate.

"Combat strength can be quickly developed after a few trials of iron and blood; it's not an excuse or a reason!" Sakazuki retorted firmly.

"Have you considered how many sacrifices would result from directly deploying conscripted troops to the New World battlefield without rigorous training?!" Kuzan asked with a grim expression.

"Since you've chosen to join the Navy, you must be prepared to die on the battlefield. Do I really need to teach you such a simple truth?" Sakazuki said coldly.

It wasn't just the two of them arguing; many naval officers were also debating with each other.

The atmosphere in the conference room gradually became chaotic, and the tension grew stronger. Bane had already seen several rear admirals in the navy slamming their fists on the table and shouting insults at each other.

Meanwhile, the expression on the face of the marshal in the first seat gradually darkened.

The next second, with a loud bang, Sengoku slammed his hand on the table, cracking several lines on the solid wood table.

Then, Zhan Guo said in a deep voice, "Let's vote by raising hands!"

Soon, Bane raised his hand in support of Sakazuki, and Kuzan also received a large number of supporters.

Upon closer examination, Sakazuki's side still holds a slight advantage, indicating that the hawkish navy outnumbers the other factions, at least in this meeting.

However, the gap between the two sides was not large, so Sengoku said, "It seems that we cannot reach a consensus. In that case, let's discuss it again next time. Everyone should think it over carefully later."

Bane glanced at Sakazuki and the other hawkish naval members, and seeing that their expressions were normal, he realized that when the Navy discussed such important matters, it did not make a decision based on a slight advantage in the number of votes for one side.

It requires overwhelming advantages to truly establish a foothold.

(End of this chapter)