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

Chapter 207 How can you go fishing without a helmet?

G-5 Naval Base.

Smoker was sitting in the office with Tina and Penn at that moment.

The three seemed to be discussing something.

"I knew it! I haven't even been promoted to lieutenant general yet, and that guy Bane is already sitting in the position of admiral. When I first met him in the East Blue, I never expected that something like this would happen." Smoker said with a sigh as he looked at the documents in his hand.

"Alright, alright, it's been so many days, why are you still bringing it up?" Tina gave Smoker a disdainful look.

On the other hand, Peng En, whose face was terrifying, said with great excitement, "We only met here once, yet the general remembered me and invited me to join his ranks as his direct subordinate. I don't know how to repay this kindness!"

"It seems you've made your decision," Smoker said, looking at Penn.

"Of course!" Peng En replied without hesitation. "Admiral Bane is a man of strong principles who hates evil. He will likely resume his operations in the New World soon. What an honor it would be to follow him and fight these evil pirates together! Moreover, Admiral Bane's strength is undeniable. If I could receive some guidance from him on a regular basis, it would be of immense benefit. I have no reason to refuse!"

Tina smiled and looked at Smoker, asking, "What about you? Aren't you prepared to accept this invitation? A troublemaker like you, if no one at headquarters protects you, you'll probably be demoted before long, even if you're promoted to lieutenant general."

Speaking of which, Smoker is quite "unlucky". All three of his major backers at headquarters have been dismissed.

Zephyr, his mentor, no longer cares much about naval affairs and doesn't even return to headquarters anymore. Sengoku, the Fleet Admiral, has also stepped down. And Kuzan, his close friend, is even more outrageous; he suddenly quit out of the blue.

Suddenly, Smoker lost all his backing at headquarters!

In the past, when he caused trouble, these three always cleaned up his messes. Now, just as Tina said, if no one protects him, given his personality, who knows what kind of trouble he might cause and he'll be demoted.

Smoker looked at Tina speechlessly and said, "In your eyes, am I such an unreliable person? Am I destined for disaster if no one protects me?"

"Isn't that right?" Tina asked Smoker in surprise.

Smoker's face twitched a few times, and he reluctantly said, "Yes."

After a slight pause, Smoker sighed softly and said, "So I have no reason to refuse him. He's young, energetic, and the new generation of the Navy with fewer constraints. Come to think of it, isn't he tailor-made for me? Why would I refuse?"

"Tina, that's what I think too. If Mr. Kuzan were still here, I might have to think it over, but now, General Bane is obviously the most suitable." Tina was undoubtedly ready to accept Bane's invitation and join his ranks.

On September 2, 1521 (Sea Calendar), the Navy Headquarters underwent a major relocation, and Marineford officially relinquished its headquarters duties, with the New World G-1 Naval Base becoming the new Navy Headquarters.

Because this matter had been widely circulated for a long time, although it has now been confirmed and caused some ripples at sea, it has not generated much buzz.

On the same day, Admiral Black Fist Bane of the Navy Headquarters led a large fleet of ten warships back into the New World, heading to the G-6 Naval Base, Melvure.

Secret Realm: Melvure.

In a research facility left behind by Shiki, Dr. Genus was busy at work, and his assistant was none other than Indigo, the former chief scientist under Shiki.

This guy clearly adopted an extremely humble attitude, completely behaving like Dr. Genus's lackey.

On the one hand, it was because he was already a criminal, so he had to curry favor with Dr. Genus in order to keep himself useful.

On the other hand, it was because he was completely captivated by Dr. Genus's talent, just as he had been captivated by Vegapunk, the so-called genius scientist, back in Egerhead.

However, due to Vegapunk's special nature, although Dr. Genus found the old guy quite useful, he ultimately did not take him away to avoid causing any uncontrollable incidents.

Now, Vegapunk can only stay pitifully in Egerhard, spending his days absentmindedly conducting experiments, his mind constantly preoccupied with how to win over Lord Genus!

"Doctor, your Den Den Mushi is from Lord Bane," Indigo said with a fawning smile, holding the Den Den Mushi in his hands.

"Understood." Dr. Genus placed his notebook on the table, picked up the Den Den Mushi, and asked, "It's me, what's up?"

"How's the lab setup going? Is it doing alright?" Bane asked, sitting on the deck of the warship, a fishing rod in his hand, leisurely enjoying the sea breeze.

"It's so-so. Of course, it can't compare to my House of Evolution, and it's far inferior to Eghard, but it's still usable," Dr. Genus said calmly.

"I already told you that money is no object, the funding can fully meet your needs, and the research lab can be built with the most advanced equipment," Bane said.

"Top-of-the-line?" Dr. Genus said dismissively, "The top-of-the-line here is nothing special. The reason I'm so busy is because I have to personally manufacture many of the instruments from start to finish. Forget it, you wouldn't understand anyway. What's wrong? Are you coming back?"

"Yes, we're on our way. If all goes well, we should arrive in Melvure in about a month and a half," Bane said with a smile.

After exchanging a few words, Bane asked, "How's Professor Zephyr doing?"

"Everything is normal. The base construction here is proceeding in an orderly manner. Lord Zephyr's pirate guerrilla force has moved its command center here. The number of people is about 20,000. It's not many, but it is indeed elite. Moreover, I estimate that as long as we can ensure sufficient funds, with Lord Zephyr's influence, there will be a steady stream of troops gradually increasing. By the way, former Admiral Kuzan will also be arriving in a few days. Is there anything I need to pay attention to?" Dr. Genus said calmly.

"No need. Let's leave Kuzan to Teacher Zeff for now. He broke a leg in his fight with Sakazuki, so we'll heal him later," Bane said.

After chatting for a while, Bane finally got to the point: "How are the preparations for that matter going? I currently have 10,000 elite naval troops transferred from G-5 under my command."

"Don't worry." Genus adjusted his glasses and said, "I've already assembled the mass production line, and it's ready to start at any time. Based on the current production capacity, it can handle not only 10,000 people, but even 100,000."

Bane plans to use RC injections to improve the welfare of his directly subordinate troops and create a truly elite force!

Including the 20,000 troops under Zephyr's command, plus the 10,000 marines under his command, as long as there are no problems on Dr. Genus's side, Bane can quickly build a fighting force of 30,000 that is stronger than the elite front-line marine troops.

This is just the beginning. As G-6 is gradually improved, the influence of the naval principal Zephyr diminishes, and the new naval admiral Bane is recruited, as long as they can afford to support them, this elite force will be inexhaustible and become one of the cornerstones for Bane to sweep across and rule the world!

"By the way, Baroque Works has delivered the latest batch of weapons and equipment," Dr. Genus added.

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

"What's wrong? You sound a little unhappy?" Bane asked, somewhat puzzled.

"It's rubbish! I heard you say that Alabasta is a world-class military power, and I thought its weapons would be outstanding. But they're even a step behind the navy's equipment. I think you should just shut down that production line; it's completely pointless. I'll set up a special island in Melvue for arms production. Get rid of those old-fashioned flintlock muskets and firearms immediately! They're an insult to the so-called 'elite'! If you're going to build an elite force, then use slightly better weapons!" Dr. Genus said, cursing.

Considering the limited technological level of this world, Dr. Genus did not intend to manufacture overly advanced weapons, as it would be pointless and would only increase the financial burden. He would simply provide a submachine gun.

Even submachine guns represent a terrifying increase in firepower for this world.

"Hahahaha." Bane laughed awkwardly and said, "These are small things, I was just worried you were too busy, so I didn't intend to bother you."

After exchanging a few more words with Dr. Genus, Bane finally hung up the Den Den Mushi with peace of mind.

Just then, the fishing rod in his hand trembled, and a glint of light appeared in his eyes. He suddenly exerted force with his wrist, pulling the fishing rod backward. With a splash, the sea surface churned, and then a blue sea fish that was more than ten meters long was slammed directly onto the deck of the warship with his brute force.

"What? Isn't fishing easy?" Bane said dismissively, looking at the fish thrashing about on the deck.

Seeing Bane's arrogant demeanor, Ain couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Professor Zephyr said the same thing at first, but it seems he couldn't catch any more fish after that."

"That just means he's not good at fishing," Bane said confidently as he rebaited the hook.

Soon, another swing came down, and Bane, with an expectant look on his face, sat down again on the small stool on the deck.

Then several hours passed, and as dusk fell, he stared at the motionless fishing rod, his expression growing increasingly gloomy.

"Impossible, absolutely impossible!!! There must be something wrong with this bait! Ain, go and investigate thoroughly, find out who is swindling my bait and embezzling it!? I'll have him shot!" Bane stood up angrily, kicked the small stool into the sea, and cursed.

As Ain watched this scene, she couldn't suppress the smile on her face.

"Want to try on a helmet?" Ain suddenly remembered Bane's nonsensical ramblings from before and teased him with a smile.

Meanwhile, Zoro, sitting on the other side, calmly said, "Why wear a helmet? Fishing, isn't that a simple thing?"

Behind him was a large pile of sea fish, but Bane, looking at the electric fishing line in his hand, couldn't help but curse, "You're cheating! Fishing with new energy, huh? I knew I couldn't catch anything, you're electrocuting me!"

(End of this chapter)