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

Chapter 233 Smoker promoted to lieutenant general, starting a two-hundred-fold effort!

A sea area in the New World.

On the deck of the warship, Bane was fishing, which he described as a way to cultivate his mind and body.

Even though he was trying to cultivate his mind and character, he kept complaining.

"Those idiots from the member states, the World Conference is still four months away, why are they in such a hurry to rush to Mary Geoise? Aren't they just adding to my workload for no reason?" Bane said, swinging his fishing rod and cursing.

Not far behind, Zoro was wielding a heavy, special edition barbell for practice, using it as a sword-swinging exercise, while Issho was applying intense gravity to him from the side.

Seemingly having heard Bane's complaint, Zoro, while 'swinging' his sword, said, "The New World is a giant whirlpool right now. Anyone with the means would want to escape from here, especially since war could break out at any time."

"If I were Charlotte Linlin, I would definitely choose to start the war during the World Conference, so that we could catch our navy off guard," Fubuki said, eating ice cream and sitting on the railing, enjoying the sea breeze.

Since she wasn't on a mission, she wasn't dressed formally. She wore a light and sheer short-sleeved top, paired with a black knee-length skirt and a pair of exquisite-looking black high heels, making her look refreshing and sexy.

During the World Conference, the vast majority of the Navy's forces will be stationed around Mary Geoise, so it can indeed be considered relatively weak in the rest of the New World.

However, Yixiao immediately shook his head upon hearing this and said, "It's unlikely. The condition for victory is not that the pirates have breached several naval bases or even reached the naval headquarters. Rather, it's that the pirates can effectively annihilate our naval forces and kill as many mid- to high-ranking officers as possible. Conversely, it's the same for us. Does conquering Wano Country and Whole Cake Island count as a victory? No, only truly eliminating Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, and their entire crew can be considered a victory."

"Issou is right," Bane replied. "During the World Conference, our navy's main forces will be concentrated in Mary Geoise. As long as our elite forces don't suffer significant losses, whatever achievements they make during this period will only result in our navy's retaliation after the conference ends. This could even cause our navy's morale to reach its peak. So unless they launch a full-scale attack on Mary Geoise, it's unlikely that war will break out at this time."

"On the contrary, due to factors such as logistics, they cannot compare with our navy's mature system and need more preparation time to complete the war planning. Therefore, they should cherish this last period of time, make full preparations for war, and face our navy in a peak state," Yixiao added again.

After a slight pause, he smiled and said, "However, we can't be completely without precautions. But that's something Marshal Sakazuki should consider."

Without lingering on the topic, just as Bane pulled up another empty bar, Ichisho suddenly seemed to remember something and asked, "Speaking of which, isn't the Grand Inspector of Sengoku also in Melvure?"

"Hmm." Bane nodded and said, "Ever since we parted ways in Eregia, he's been shamelessly insisting on going to Melvure with the teacher and Kuzan, saying he wants to investigate as the Grand Inspector to see if we've embezzled military funds."

At this point, Bane said with utter disdain, "The meager military funds allocated by headquarters aren't even enough for me to help refugees, so what's the point of embezzling?"

"The Grand Inspector just wanted an excuse to go for a stroll." Fubuki took a bite of ice cream, but it seemed that she hadn't controlled the amount well, and the back of her head was throbbing from the stimulation in her mouth. She let out a soft groan and raised her hand to cover her head.

"Aren't you worried that the Grand Inspector might have seen through what's going on there?" Zoro asked, slashing down with his sword and catching his breath before raising it again.

"Since Professor Zephyr has agreed, he must have his reasons. Moreover, at this point, we should try our best to secure all the resources we can. Although the Grand Inspector has served the World Government for most of his life and was once involved in the darkness when he was young, I still think he might still be on our side. After all, don't underestimate our Navy's Fleet Admiral," Bane said with some emotion.

Was Sengoku corrupt? Of course he was. To rise from the bottom of the navy to the position of Fleet Admiral, he did a lot of dirty work for the world's government.

But this doesn't mean Sengoku can't be won over. In the entire Navy, apart from a tough guy like Garp, how many high-ranking officers dare to say they are completely clean?

Kuzan didn't dare, and Kuzan suffered greatly because of it.

In Bane's view, perhaps it is precisely because they have witnessed this darkness and have been swept up by it that they will become the most steadfast people when given the opportunity!

In Zephyr's words, Sengoku spent his whole life trying to turn things around and change the status quo while he was in the position of marshal, but unfortunately, he failed. Now that he has stepped down as marshal, he has found a new path, so why shouldn't he try it?

After a slight pause, Bane continued, "Moreover, that's Melvure, our territory, with Professor Zephyr and Kuzan in charge. Even if the Grand Inspector really makes a disappointing choice, it's unlikely to be exposed. Especially since so much time has passed and nothing has happened, which already implies something."

"You mean to say that the Grand Inspector might have already been suppressed by Senior Zephyr and Mr. Kuzan?" Ichisho asked in surprise.

"Don't say that. If something like that had really happened, we would have received the news by now. I was just mentioning it casually," Bane laughed.

On the other side, at the New World G-5 Naval Base.

Smoker was working on his documents in his office when suddenly the door was pushed open, and then the clumsy Colonel Tashigi rushed in, carrying a neatly folded Navy Justice Cloak.

Startled, Smoker nearly mistyped a word and quickly looked up, scolding, "What's wrong with you? What are you holding? Are you here to change clothes? Is this workplace sexual harassment?"

"Mr. Smoker!" Tashigi exclaimed excitedly, "This is for you!"

At the same time, Tina strode in from outside, looking dashing, and proudly shook her cloak, saying, "Do I look any different today, Tina?"

"Even more arrogant than before," Smoker instinctively muttered, then after observing for a moment, he exclaimed in surprise, "Major General? You've been promoted to Major General?"

That's right, Tina, who was originally a brigadier general, now has major general rank epaulets on her shoulders.

Hearing Smoker's surprised voice, Tina raised her chin and said, "Hmph, from today onwards, I, Tina, am also a Rear Admiral in the Marine Headquarters. From now on, I'm qualified to participate in your high-ranking officer meetings and watch the show firsthand, hahaha."

"The power struggle at headquarters is long over. Now everyone understands that it's a situation of seeking stability. Didn't Onigumo and Momonga, who were fighting fiercely before, nod to each other when they met? You were promoted too late. The kind of excitement you're looking for is unlikely to happen anymore," Smoker complained.

"Tch, a man like you is no fun at all. Admiral Bane is much more interesting; he can cooperate with me, Tina, in my performance." Tina gave Smoker a disdainful look, and then said, "Hurry up and try it. This is a gift from the Admiral to you. From today onwards, you are officially the commander of G-5 Base and have been promoted to Vice Admiral of the Marine Headquarters."

"I knew it," Smoker said, unsurprised.

From Tashigi rushing in and saying that the cloak in her hand was his, to Tina showing it off, how could he not have realized what was going on?

After Smoker took off his major general's cloak and draped the word "Justice" on his body with the epaulettes of a lieutenant general, Tashigi and Tina carefully examined it and said in unison, "It seems to be the same as before, nothing has changed."

"Yeah, I thought Mr. Smoker would become more handsome because of this, but he's still the same as before," Tashigi complained.

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

"He's actually quite good-looking, but he just gives off a really annoying and unlikable vibe," Tina commented.

Smoker's lips twitched twice, and he said with a dark face, "Enough! I'm your superior officer, can't you show me some respect?"

"Oh my, as expected of a lieutenant general, he's already starting to put on airs?" Tina mocked from the side.

Tashigi also teased Smoker a couple of times, and then the group dropped the subject.

Tina lit a cigarette and sat down on the sofa, saying, "Speaking of which, it's been a while since we joined General Bane's ranks. We haven't done anything, yet we've caught up in the excitement of Beehive Island and even received his favor, each getting promoted a level. Don't you think we should go and pay him a visit?"

When this matter was brought up, Smoker thought about it for a moment, and then said, "I've thought about it too. It's been a long time since I've seen Bane, and I haven't seen the Admiral either. I heard that he went back to headquarters before, but we still missed him. But then I thought, doing our current work well is more important than anything else. In a few months, it will be the World Conference, and we will all be going to Mary Geoise to meet up. Why don't we wait until then to visit him?"

"Don't let me down then," Tina reminded her. "After the World Conference, a major war is inevitable. Whether you can secure a good position depends on whether the Admiral will take care of you. He has quite a few capable subordinates under him, so if you think about it carefully, the competition will be quite fierce."

"Yes, Mr. Smoker, I also want to change the epaulets on these shoulders to brigadier general's rank as soon as possible," Tashigi encouraged.

"I know, I know," Smoker waved his hand impatiently. "I've known the Admiral since we were nobody, how could he not take care of me?"

At this point, Smoker suddenly became anxious. He slammed his pen on the table and said, "Tashigi, you handle the rest. I'm going to special training."

"It's me again?" Tashigi said with a bitter expression, "I'm a colonel, doing the work of a lieutenant general base commander all day long, is that reasonable? Mr. Smoker, you've already conducted seventeen special training sessions this week!"

"Not enough!" Smoker stubbed out his cigarette in the ashtray, a serious glint in his eyes. "I've wasted too much time in the East Blue. How can I catch up if I don't work twice as hard?"

"How many times more effort would it take to make up for all the time you wasted?" Tina raised an eyebrow and teased with a smile.

"Two hundred times!" Smoker said with a righteous expression.

Without putting in two hundred times the effort, how dare you call yourself a member of the Navy?

(End of this chapter)