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

Chapter 226 Sakazuki: I haven't even finished my meeting, and you've already finished fighting?

In Sakazuki's office at the new Naval Headquarters.

At this moment, even the spacious marshal's office seemed a bit crowded, filled with people, all of whom were important figures. It seemed that anyone without the rank of lieutenant general was not qualified to attend a meeting here.

Chief Strategist A-He was the last to arrive. She rushed into the room and looked at Sakazuki, saying, "Admiral Bane is fighting the Red-Haired Pirates? You really gave him a death order?"

Sakazuki, who was drinking coffee, almost spat it out when he heard the chief of staff's question. He quickly waved his hand and said, "It's not what you think."

Under the suspicious gaze of Chief Advisor A-He, Sakazuki briefly explained the current situation, and only then did the Chief Advisor understand what was going on.

"He really does cause trouble wherever he goes. Even going to a concert can lead to this kind of mess," Advisor Ahe remarked.

"Alright, now that everyone is here, let's discuss our strategy. Before this meeting, I arranged for Admiral Fujitora to go to Eregia to provide support. At his speed, he should arrive in two days. Considering the Red-Haired Pirates' balanced and powerful strength, and the fact that Shanks is so strong, I estimate that we'll have to wait until Admiral Fujitora arrives on the battlefield before the situation becomes clearer," Sakazuki said in a deep voice.

"The most urgent task is to consider where the Red-Haired Pirates will flee to if we fail to completely defeat them," Vice Admiral Strobelli said first.

"The islands surrounding Aregia need to be fortified. I suggest mobilizing nearby fleets to seal off the area as much as possible. Also, prepare to contact the CP agency. Although we don't get along very well normally, we can't let this important matter be delayed. Get them active too. Their intelligence network in the New World is more powerful. If the Red-Haired Pirates do manage to break through and escape, we need them to closely monitor their escape route and direction, and cooperate with our navy to continue the capture!" Vice Admiral Keisha said immediately.

"That's right. At a time like this, we can't dwell on the dirty deeds of the past. We should contact the CP to cooperate with us," Lieutenant General Doberman agreed.

"Aren't Vice Admiral Momousagi and Vice Admiral Chaton also patrolling in the New World? They are both very powerful and should be given important responsibilities, such as mobilizing the surrounding fleets to encircle them," Vice Admiral Steeles added.

"The incident happened suddenly, and the other pirates may not have noticed yet. However, we haven't sealed off Areggia Island, so news from here will likely spread quickly. We also need to be vigilant about the other pirate forces in the New World."

"Isn't Mr. Borsalino here? Headquarters should also launch an attack. I suggest summoning Mr. Borsalino to lead a fleet of several vice admirals. On one hand, it would appear as if they are pursuing us, and on the other hand, it would serve as a deterrent to the other pirates in the New World!"

It must be said that the speeches of these naval officers were very meaningful, and the suggestions and issues they raised need to be taken seriously.

Sakassky nodded in agreement, while the clerk quickly recorded the effective suggestions from the meeting so that these orders could be issued as soon as the meeting ended.

Just as Sakazuki was about to say a few words about the issues he had considered, his Den Den Mushi (snail phone) suddenly rang.

At times like these, he paid close attention to outside intelligence. Looking down, he saw Bane's communication signal, immediately raised his hand to silence the sounds in the office, and quickly answered the Den Den Mushi: "This is Sakazuki!"

"Ah, it's me, Bane," Bane greeted.

Sakazuki noticed that Bane's voice sounded rather cheerful, and immediately realized that there might have been a problem with their battle, and it had been stopped.

Therefore, he asked somewhat impatiently, "Did the Red-Haired Pirates break through?"

Sakazuki felt a bit annoyed at the thought that Bane and the others had failed to stop the Red-Haired Pirates, especially since their meeting hadn't even ended yet and they had already broken through the blockade and escaped. But then he thought that since he wasn't there, he couldn't make an accurate judgment. Bane and the others had encountered the Red-Haired Pirates without any warning.

No one can be perfect in such matters, so Sakazuki quickly suppressed his frustration and continued, "This isn't your fault. Launch the pursuit as soon as possible. Our headquarters will cooperate with your operation to blockade the surrounding waters. Several fleets are already prepared and ready to depart. Itsho will arrive within two days at the latest. This time, you must..."

It's no wonder Sakazuki would think that way. After all, it had only been less than half an hour since he received Ain's report that Bane and his crew had taken down the Red-Haired Pirates. No matter how Sakazuki thought about it, he couldn't have imagined that Bane and his crew had already defeated Shanks.

Those are Yonko-level pirates. Even if they have gathered many of the Navy's top fighters, there's no reason for them to be here so quickly!

Before Sakazuki could finish speaking, Bane quickly interrupted, "No need, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki. We've already taken care of the Red-Haired Pirates. Shanks is seriously injured and captured, as is his vice-captain Ben Beckman, and several other officers have also been arrested. We're now in the final stages. A few members of the Red-Haired Pirates still intend to rescue their captain, but Mr. Garp and the others are currently dealing with them. It shouldn't be long before everything is over."

"What?!" Sakazuki was completely dumbfounded. "You've already arrested Red-Haired Shanks and Ben Beckman?"

"Yes, to be precise, there are still three cadres: Roar Gabu, Yasopp, and Raki Lu. Currently, we are carrying out the operation to apprehend the remaining cadres, including Hongo and Snake," Bane said earnestly again with a hint of helplessness.

Sakazuki fell silent. Since he wasn't trying to hide anything and wanted the other officers to get the information immediately, Sakazuki's Den Den Mushi was on speakerphone, so the other officers in the room also heard Admiral Bane's report.

All the brilliant generals in the room fell into a collective silence.

Twenty minutes ago, Fleet Admiral Sakazuki summoned them, saying that Admiral Bane had just encountered the Red-Haired Pirates and was engaged in a fierce battle, and asked them to come to a meeting immediately to discuss how to deal with the situation.

The meeting had only lasted ten minutes, and they had just made a few suggestions, none of which had been implemented yet, when the fight was over.

Are they fighting the Red-Haired Pirates?

Damn it, I used to think that Vice Admiral Aramaki was very capable, leading a large fleet to besiege Beehive Island in a steady and methodical manner, showing the demeanor of a great admiral. But now, compared to him, it's just embarrassing.

We've been fighting Wang Zhi on Beehive Island for so many days with no results, and we were just about to launch a full-scale attack this afternoon when Admiral Bane went out to a concert and wiped out the Red-Haired Pirates in twenty minutes. How dare you do this?

What is a Navy Admiral?

Without comparison, there is no harm!

After a two-minute silence, Sakazuki recovered, his tone much more relaxed, and asked with great interest, "What happened? Was it resolved so quickly? Is there a problem with the Red-Haired Pirates?"

"No, that guy Shanks is really strong. He shattered my and Garp's combined attack with a single strike. It gave me quite a fright," Bane said with a laugh, before recounting the events that had transpired.

It wasn't complicated at all, and it wasn't a drawn-out battle, so it was all explained in just a few words.

When Sakazuki heard that former Fleet Admiral and current Grand Inspector Sengoku had suddenly appeared in Eregia, he was quite surprised. When he learned that Sengoku was originally angry that his old comrades Garp and Zephyr hadn't invited him to a concert, so he had secretly come to Eregia to investigate their "embezzlement case of public funds for travel," but ended up bumping into the Red-Haired Pirates, Sakazuki really wanted to mourn for Shanks for three minutes.

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

Sakazuki, like Shanks, was also marveling at how this was no longer Eregia; except for the absence of his position as Fleet Admiral, it was practically the new Marine Headquarters!

"This is truly unexpected, but the result is gratifying. In that case, our headquarters doesn't need to be so hasty. Although I'm somewhat sorry, as the Fleet Admiral, I have to end your vacation here. After handling the aftermath of the Eregia incident, you need to rendezvous with Admiral Fujitora. After that, you must keep a close watch on the Red-Haired Pirates' prisoners and make sure they are all escorted to Impel Down for imprisonment. After that, return to headquarters to report for duty," Sakazuki instructed.

"Received," Bane replied with a smile.

After hanging up the Den Den Mushi with Bane, Sakazuki looked at everyone in the room, cleared his throat twice, and said, "Ahem, well, let's change the subject. Let's discuss how to conduct the publicity work after annihilating the Red-Haired Pirates. How should we announce this incident to the public?"

"Aegia is in a complicated and lively time due to the concert and other events, so it's probably impossible to cover up the truth. Fortunately, this isn't anything negative, so reporting it truthfully is fine," Lieutenant General Keisha said with a smile, a cigarette dangling from her lips.

At this moment, all the generals in this unit had very happy expressions, as if it were New Year's Day.

After all, they just abruptly took down a so-called Yonko-level pirate crew. How could they not be happy? Unhappy? Then you definitely have a problem, and they'll investigate you later!

"I think that although this incident is very dramatic, it is precisely this drama that can weaken the prestige of the pirate camp. Before, everyone on the high seas said how powerful the Red-Haired Pirates were, how high their bounties were, how skilled they were, and how they were known as an iron wall, saying that our Navy was helpless against them. It was simply absurd. But this dramatic incident can wash away these past opinions and let them know that the Red-Haired Pirates are nothing special. The reason why our Navy couldn't deal with them before was because they were too fast and had no fixed abode, making it impossible to track them accurately. This incident proves that as long as we encounter them, we can take them down in twenty minutes!" Vice Admiral Steeles said excitedly, slapping the coffee table.

His words opened everyone's minds. Yes, this kind of propaganda is not wrong. It has knocked the Red-Haired Pirates, who were hyped up to be amazing, into a quagmire. In this sudden confrontation, with both sides in a daze, the Navy wiped out the pirates in 20 minutes. Doesn't that prove the strength of the Navy?

Once this is publicized, it will definitely weaken the pirates' power.

In addition, the Navy's recent efforts to control public opinion at sea in order to coordinate with the Beehive Island operation, such as the "Naval New World Strategy," have undoubtedly yielded remarkable results.

They elected a marshal, then appointed an admiral, moved headquarters to the New World, and then wiped out the Four Emperors' crew.

Tell me, is our navy efficient enough?

Thus, amidst the lively discussion among the numerous naval commanders, the tone for the subsequent public opinion campaign was quickly set.

After the meeting ended and the vice admirals left the office, this great news spread like wildfire throughout the entire Naval Headquarters, and Admiral Bane's prestige began to rise steadily within the Naval Headquarters as a result!

(End of this chapter)