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

Chapter 230 Sakazuki: You say you don't hit women, then how did Monet die?

After that, Sakazuki and Bane discussed how to fight the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates.

However, because it was all too hasty and the situation changed too quickly, the two of them didn't actually come up with anything substantial.

"I am aware of your thoughts and opinions. I will discuss them with the Chief of Staff later to see if the Intelligence Staff has any good ideas," Sakazuki said.

"Yes, and the generals at headquarters also need to lend a hand," Bane nodded.

After finishing that story, Sakazuki suddenly asked, "What's the date today?"

"January 12th," Bane replied casually.

"Yes, it's already 1522 without us even realizing it. Time really flies," Sakazuki said, stroking his chin.

"I actually think it's going by pretty slowly, hahaha," Bane said with a loud laugh.

Sakazuki couldn't help but laugh upon hearing this, saying, "Judging from your experience, it seems like several decades have passed."

Bane joined the Navy in the mid-to-late 1520s, which isn't a long time ago, but he has caused too much trouble, and many great pirates have fallen at his hands. No wonder Sakazuki said that.

Before Bane could respond, Sakazuki continued, "There's another important matter this year, and I'm afraid our final battle for the New World won't begin until after that."

"World Conference?" Bane thought for a moment, then seemed to realize something and said.

"That's right, the World Conference." Sakazuki nodded and said, "This is also the first World Conference since I became Fleet Admiral. We, the Navy, still need to make proper preparations. In addition, I think Issho has also mentioned to you that he plans to propose the complete abolition of the Seven Warlords of the Sea system at this conference."

"Yeah, didn't we discuss that before?" Bane replied.

"Given the current situation, I think it's almost impossible for Issho's proposal to be rejected," Sakazuki said with a hint of anticipation.

What are the Seven Warlords of the Sea used for?

When the Great Pirate Era began, the World Government believed that the Navy was powerless to stop the tide of this era and that the pirate forces were too rampant. Therefore, it introduced the Seven Warlords of the Sea Act, intending to "get a share" of the Great Pirate Era by recruiting some powerful pirates into the World Government system through amnesty.

It is a means to balance the power dynamics of the seas and weaken the pirate faction.

Regardless of whether the Seven Warlords of the Sea are ultimately unworthy of the title of one of the "Three Great Powers" compared to the Four Emperors and the Marine Headquarters, at least for the past twenty years, they have generally been regarded as one of the Three Great Powers on the high seas.

However, the balance of power on the high seas has now been broken, especially now that the sudden annihilation of the Red-Haired Pirates has played a decisive role.

The Navy has gained a complete advantage and the upper hand. Two of the Four Emperors are gone, and since 1520, the Seven Warlords of the Sea have not been able to be replaced.

Jinbe is still in jail, Crocodile and Doflamingo have already gone to the underworld to become brothers in misery, Bartholomew Kuma has been basically completely transformed, and among the entire Seven Warlords of the Sea, only Moria, Mihawk, and Hancock still look somewhat human.

Moria is a complete waste, so from this perspective, the weakest of the three major powers is actually the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and they have basically lost their meaning of existence for the World Government and the Navy.

In this situation, if Issho were to propose abolishing the Seven Warlords of the Sea Act at the World Conference, it would be virtually impossible for it to be rejected from any angle or perspective.

Anyone with eyes can see that the Seven Warlords of the Sea are like grasshoppers in autumn, their days are numbered.

"Let me make this clear first: even if the Seven Warlords of the Sea are abolished, you must not send me to fight the Kuja Pirates," Bane immediately declared.

Sakazuki paused for a moment, then asked with some confusion, "Why? I was thinking that after the World Government meeting, once the matter of the Seven Warlords of the Sea was settled, you three admirals could each take charge of one of them."

"Solving one is no problem. You hand Moria over to me, and I'll get it done in no time," Bane said without hesitation.

"Moria is hidden deep in the Devil's Triangle, which isn't too far from Marineford. I was even thinking of having Borsalino take charge of it," Sakazuki said after a moment's thought.

"Then it's not impossible for me to take charge of Mihawk," Bane thought for a moment and then compromised.

"Mihawk isn't a Devil Fruit user. It would be a bit of a loss for you to face him with your Dark-Dark Fruit ability. But if you were to face Hancock, you could gain a Devil Fruit ability, right?" Sakazuki added.

"According to the division of responsibilities, Amazon Lily is also within the Calm Belt in the first half of the Grand Line, which is Borsalino's territory. I think he's more suitable. Moria is also a Devil Fruit user. If I go and cause trouble for him, I can still get a Devil Fruit." Bane refused again.

"Your behavior is strange," Sakazuki asked Bane, puzzled. "Why are you unwilling to confront Boa Hancock?"

"Because I'm afraid I'll be caught off guard and unable to win," Bane admitted helplessly when Sakazuki insisted on getting to the bottom of things.

Sakazuki?

Sakazuki looked at Bane with surprise and said, "You even dared to fight Kaido, how could you have such a thought? Do you think Hancock is stronger than Kaido?"

It's important to know that Kaido is the undisputed strongest living being and the best in one-on-one combat. Although Bane has fought Kaido to a draw, he couldn't defeat him and therefore couldn't claim the title of the strongest.

"To be honest, I have almost no resistance to beauty. Boa Hancock is known as the most beautiful woman in the world. I've seen her photos, and as an honest man, I must admit that even in photos, I admire her beauty. I could never ignore that beauty. So, under that premise, her Love-Love Fruit ability has the potential to kill me instantly. Besides, I'm soft-hearted and don't hit women," Bane explained.

Upon hearing this, Sakazuki immediately retorted, "How dare you say such a thing? When I reviewed the operation report last time, I discovered that you attacked the Donquixote Family executives on Punk Hazard, the abandoned island where I fought Kuzan. There was a woman named Monet among them, who was quite beautiful. Without saying a word, you smashed her head in and stole her Snow-Snow Fruit power. Now you're telling me you don't hit women?"

"I won't hit pretty women, is that alright?" Bane retorted.

"Didn't I just say that the woman in the photo named Monet is also very beautiful?" Sakazuki retorted, picking a fight.

"I have face blindness, so I can't tell if she's pretty or not," Bane said without batting an eye.

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

Sakazuki?

"You're face-blind and you still care about this? What about Hancock?" Sakazuki continued.

"Don't you understand? Boa Hancock is so beautiful that even someone like me who has face blindness can't resist her charm, so I'm not going. You go yourself!" Bane said shamelessly.

After a slight pause, Bane continued, "Of course, if possible, it would be best to capture her alive. I'll interrogate her personally then. You know, the Sweet-Sweet Fruit is definitely powerful, and I can maximize its value."

At this point, Bane added unnecessarily, "Don't worry, I'm definitely not after her, I'm after the Devil Fruit power, you understand?"

"You're not going, yet you're still asking for so much," Sakazuki couldn't help but mutter.

For some reason, although their interactions had been quite close and friendly before, Sakazuki felt that his relationship with Bane had actually grown much closer after Bane confessed that he absolutely could not resist Hancock's beauty and insisted on refusing to go to Amazon Lily.

Seeing that Bane was completely unfazed and refused to go to Amazon Lily, Sakazuki was helpless and finally shook his head and said, "Since that's the case, then forget it. You will be in charge of dealing with Moria. As for Ikki, give Mihawk a try. As for Boa Hancock, whom you're trying to avoid, let Borsalino go."

"That's more like it. I can even work with Yixiao. After all, Moria isn't a formidable opponent. After we take care of him, we can go and cause trouble for Mihawk together without any problem," Bane said happily.

"I don't even know how to describe you, that you'd rather face the world's greatest swordsman than the world's most beautiful woman," Sakazuki said, shaking his head with a sigh.

When he came to his senses, Sakazuki realized that Bane had steered the conversation astray.

He quickly steered the conversation back to the main topic: "Continuing with the World Conference I mentioned earlier, I've already inquired with Borsalino, and he didn't have any proposals in mind. That leaves only you and me among the three admirals. Are there any proposals at this World Conference that require our Navy's full support?"

Bane didn't even bother to think about it, immediately shaking his head and saying, "No, speaking of which, can I ask for leave from the World Conference? I have absolutely no interest in it, so can I skip it?"

"Huh?" Sakazuki was taken aback for a moment, then shook his head and said, "No, the World Conference is the highest meeting of the world's governments, and its authority is even higher than those five. It is held every four years, and you cannot be absent unless there is an extremely special reason."

Sakazuki is right. Although the Five Elders are called the "supreme authority," that is only an evaluation of their individual status.

In reality, from a legal perspective, the World Conference holds the highest authority over the world's governments. However, that is only in principle. It is somewhat ironic to allow a group of ordinary kings to lead such a supreme conference.

"Alright then." Bane didn't dwell on the matter with Sakazuki any further, and agreed, "I'll attend the meeting on time, but I don't have anything to propose."

What a load of rubbish! In Bane's view, what cannot be obtained by force is even less likely to be obtained at the negotiating table.

World Conference, haha. Once he's plowed Mary Geoise flat, there'll be no need for this pointless meeting; he can get everything he wants here anyway.

(End of this chapter)