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

Chapter 229 The decisive battle has arrived, ushering in the Great Naval Era!

After parting ways with Yixiao, Bane quickly arrived at the Marshal's office.

Before he even knocked, Sakazuki, as if he had been waiting, flung open the door and said with a bright smile, "You're here, Bane."

To be honest, Bane and Sakazuki had known each other for quite some time, but this was the first time he had ever seen Sakazuki smile so brightly. In the past, when he smiled, it always gave people a very stiff feeling, and that smile was worse than not smiling at all.

"I've never seen you smile this happily when you were promoted to marshal," Bane couldn't help but tease.

Sakazuki chuckled twice upon hearing this, and as he led Bane into the house, he said, "How can that compare to wiping out the Red-Haired Pirates?"

This simple sentence reveals Sakazuki's pure heart. Perhaps his desperate desire to become the Fleet Admiral was simply to more effectively uphold his sense of justice and annihilate the pirates.

The joy of being a marshal couldn't compare to the satisfaction of annihilating the Red-Haired Pirates.

This statement changed Bane's impression of Sakazuki once again.

Actually, compared to Kuzan, Bane didn't particularly like Sakazuki. His cold-bloodedness and ruthlessness made him seem too indifferent. Bane could even imagine that if one day he and a highly threatening pirate were trapped in a predicament, they would either escape together or die together. If Sakazuki made the decision, Bane would definitely not survive.

Ultimately, Sakazuki will give him a funeral with the highest honors.

At the same time, Bane fully understands that Sakazuki is not a hypocrite who is lenient with himself but strict with others. If he were in that predicament, Sakazuki probably wouldn't have left himself any way out either.

He too is willing to die a heroic death!

This kind of person is ruthless not only to others, but also to themselves!

That's why Bane's impression of Sakazuki was that he was indifferent, cold, ruthless, and vicious. After all, unless you're a ruthless person like Onigumo who can fully understand his style, you can only admire him to this extent. Who knows if he might suddenly have a brain fart and sacrifice you one day?

But today, looking at Sakazuki's bright smile and that casual remark, Bane suddenly realized that he still had too many preconceived notions about him.

Even Sakazuki cannot be simply described with the label of being cold and ruthless.

Some people like to use the phrase "those who achieve great things do not concern themselves with trifles" to describe Sakazuki's ruthlessness.

But now that Bane thinks about it, perhaps he didn't want to achieve great things; he simply felt that it was better for one family to cry than for the whole family to cry together.

Therefore, he was willing to make his own sacrifice, or even force a small number of people to sacrifice, in order to preserve the peace of the vast majority of people and prevent more people from crying.

"Hard to judge." Bane blurted out as he walked into the room after hearing this.

Sakazuki seemed a little confused about what he was talking about, and looked at him with some doubt, asking, "What?"

"It's nothing, I just feel that seeing your radiant smile makes the trip worthwhile," Bane laughed, making up an excuse.

Sakazuki had previously considered building a friendship with Bane and had even taken action, but due to various reasons, including Bane's absence from headquarters, their relationship was not actually very close. However, today, Sakazuki gave Bane a lot of face by inviting him to sit down and even personally brewing tea.

Bane wasn't an ungrateful person, so he naturally gave Sakazuki a very positive response.

If a reporter from the World News newspaper saw this, they would definitely believe what Sakazuki said in the newspaper—that he and Bane were "close friends"!

As a naval admiral, Bane has no chance of advancement now, unless Sakazuki suddenly dies on the spot, or has a brain fart and retires.

So even though eliminating the Red-Haired Pirates was a great achievement, in the end, it only turned into a medal in his hands.

Playing with the medal, Bane chuckled and said, "I thought it was just going to a concert, but I didn't expect to get a medal for my efforts."

Speaking of this thing, Sengoku really liked it. When he was a marshal, he wore his white suit and wherever he went, his chest was covered with all kinds of medals, as if he was afraid that others would not know that he had made great achievements.

"You deserve this." Sakazuki picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then tossed several documents onto the coffee table in front of Bane. "Although you're unlikely to be promoted, I've taken care of your subordinates."

Upon hearing this, Bane raised an eyebrow, picked up the document, opened it, and began to read. Then, a bright smile appeared on his lips as he said, "Then I thank you on their behalf, Marshal."

Sakazuki is a good leader. He doesn't just make empty promises when he becomes a marshal; he's genuinely willing to give you the benefits.

Now Bane thinks that it's actually quite good to have such a pure person as a marshal!

The documents here are about the promotion approvals for several of Benn's close subordinates.

As a naval admiral, Bane could use his authority to promote his subordinates, but wouldn't it be better to have the marshal's signature?

Just like now, Sakazuki personally signed the Marshal's order and issued personnel transfers.

Rear Admiral Roronoa Zoro of the Navy Headquarters is hereby promoted to Vice Admiral of the Navy Headquarters, effective immediately.

Rear Admiral Fubuki of the Navy Headquarters is hereby promoted to Vice Admiral of the Navy Headquarters, effective immediately.

Commodore Webber of the Navy Headquarters is hereby promoted to Rear Admiral of the Navy Headquarters, effective immediately.

Nami, a captain in the Navy Headquarters, is hereby promoted to commodore in the Navy Headquarters, effective immediately.

Rear Admiral Ain, Bane's adjutant, is hereby promoted to Vice Admiral of the Navy Headquarters, effective immediately.

"I also know that you've been recruiting young naval officers to form a new generation of naval factions. People like Smoker and Dol have already accepted your invitation, right?" Sakazuki suddenly asked.

"Yes, that's true." Bane didn't try to hide it and admitted it directly.

After all, it's not like it's anything shady. Which general doesn't have his own loyal followers?

"I haven't touched those people's promotions. Although some of them don't have enough merit or seniority, since you made the selections, I certainly won't object. I'll have the personnel department cooperate with your orders later," Sakazuki said with a smile.

Sakazuki promoted Bane's close associates on his own initiative, which didn't bother him, because these people were Bane's staunch supporters. Sakazuki had no ulterior motives, and Bane absolutely understood that it was all out of his good intentions.

But for those generals who had just chosen to follow Bane, Sakazuki couldn't overstep his bounds, as that might cause some misunderstandings. However, Sakazuki was quite considerate; he directly told Bane to speak to the personnel department.

Although even if he didn't greet him, given his status as General Bane, he wouldn't feel any pressure at all, but his attitude was indeed friendly!

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

In other words, as long as Bane doesn't go too far and promote young people like colonels to lieutenant generals all at once, Sakazuki is willing to endorse these transfers as a marshal.

"You're too kind," Bane quickly replied.

Given Sakazuki's personality, this was already his limit, so the enthusiastic atmosphere quickly faded, and their conversation shifted from these trivial matters to more important issues.

"The Red-Haired Pirates incident was indeed quite sudden, so much so that our headquarters was not prepared at all. All the plans we were discussing were suddenly disrupted," Sakazuki said softly.

That's true. Before Bane went to G-6 from Marine Headquarters, they were discussing using Beehive Island to break the deadlock with the Four Emperors. After annihilating Wang Zhi, they planned to find an opportunity to take down a Four Emperor-level pirate crew. But things turned out differently.

The Red-Haired Pirates were suddenly eliminated, rendering many of their original strategic plans meaningless.

"That's true, but isn't this a more advantageous situation for us?" Bane had already grasped Sakazuki's implication, smiled, and nodded.

"Yes, it's definitely a more favorable situation. The potential threats that were originally on our side have suddenly disappeared. Now, the Beast Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates are practically right in front of us. The opportunity for a decisive battle that we thought we would have to plan for a long time has finally arrived," Sakazuki said with a slightly excited tone.

Why was the headquarters always so hesitant and cautious about the Four Emperors, unable to easily start a war with them?

The reason for this is that the situation is not clear enough. It is not appropriate to attack anyone, as there is a concern that others might benefit from the situation or even interfere, causing the navy to suffer a great loss.

For example, if you want to take action against the Big Mom Pirates, you would consider whether the Beasts Pirates would respond in response, and whether they would join forces.

This is actually not too difficult to deal with. Even if they form a pirate alliance, it will only increase the pressure on the main battlefield for the Navy. However, based on their strength, it is not unacceptable.

But the real danger is that assassins like the Red-Haired Pirates, who leave no trace, might launch a surprise attack at a crucial moment after the war has begun, causing the Navy to fail at the last minute or even suffer irreparable losses.

Now that the Red-Haired Pirates have suddenly disappeared, the situation has suddenly changed.

The Navy's forceful elimination of the Red-Haired Pirates was enough to deter third-rate pirates in the New World for a period of time. Among the stronger silver medalists, Shiki and Wang Zhi, who were the most representative and influential, were already gone.

This also prevented these silver medalists from posing an effective threat to the Navy.

At this moment, the situation in the New World is completely clear: the Beasts Pirates and the Big Mom Pirates are facing each other, with no other obstacles.

In this situation, the Navy doesn't need to consider so many trivial matters. Even if the two sides join forces, it doesn't matter. In fact, it can be said that as long as Charlotte Linlin and Kaido are not mortal enemies who want to kill each other, they must have already begun to seek cooperation!

The navy's forces are already at their doorstep, and none of them can stand against the entire Navy Headquarters on their own. What else can they do but not cooperate?

While Bane was having a private meeting with Sakazuki here, Kaido and Charlotte Linlin were probably drinking together too!

In a short time, it's impossible for the Navy to stop their alliance so hastily. In fact, even if given enough time, it's unlikely they could achieve this. The alliance between the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates has become an established fact.

For Admiral Sakazuki, for Ben, and for the Navy as a whole, wasn't the decisive battle just around the corner?

Next, we will defeat them squarely and squarely on this ancient battlefield of the New World, with the invincible force of the navy. There is no need to consider anything else!

After this battle, the pirate forces will not pose a significant threat for at least twenty years.

This is the age of the great navy!

(End of this chapter)