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

Chapter 257 Hunting the Five Elders?

After thinking for a while, Garp suddenly laughed and said, "Although everything is still just your speculation, you told me these secrets. I knew I hadn't misjudged you. You had some unclear dealings with Mary Geoise before, but at the crucial moment, you were still able to stick to your principles."

"I was able to come to the Navy because of your help, Mr. Garp. How could I possibly harm you? Besides," Bane said, his tone turning serious, "if I did such a thing, how could I face everyone? I could never do something like betraying my own people."

"I knew you were a man of honor," Garp said with a nod of admiration.

The temptations offered by the Five Elders are not something that ordinary people can resist.

Without responding to that question, Bane asked, "So what are you planning to do now?"

"I was just thinking of going to Mary Geoise and demanding our people back, or if that didn't work, causing a huge scene," Garp said through gritted teeth, his expression changing instantly.

But he quickly calmed down and shook his head, saying, "Now that I think about it, this is not a good idea. Putting aside whether this is the truth, I don't have any evidence to ask for it, and they won't admit it anyway. In the end, it might backfire."

"That's right," Bane nodded.

"I'll keep an eye on Mary Geoise, but we also need to investigate other aspects. What if it really was someone else?" Karp said first, then added, "If the final outcome is as you suspect, then Mary Geoise will have to wait for you to take action. Once you receive definite news, I'll..."

At this point, Karp hesitated again, looking at Bane and saying, "By then, you'll have really offended Mary Geoise to death because of this matter. Are you sure that's alright?"

"I've had my eye on those bastards for a long time," Bane said with a grin.

This statement didn't explicitly say anything, but it clearly indicated the speaker's attitude.

In a way, Mary Geoise did him a favor. Bane was originally thinking about how to bring that old man Garp to his side.

Before he could even start, Mary Geoise arranged this for him, and it just so happened that it fell right into his hands.

Hearing Bane's words, Garp was somewhat moved and said earnestly, "This time I owe you a huge favor. If any trouble arises, I'll take it all on myself. I'll just quit the Navy!"

"Who knows, I might even recommend a good place for you then," Bane joked with a smile.

Karp didn't take it seriously and laughed, "You're in your fifties, can't you enjoy life? Do you have to find another job?"

After exchanging a few random words, the two stopped talking about Garp's great grandson.

Soon, the topic shifted to the current situation in the new world.

"Sakazuki said that headquarters needs a little more time to prepare, so he wants me to hurry to the New World front and take full charge of frontline affairs to give headquarters some leeway," Bane said.

"I heard that Issho is already at the front lines," Garp said, stroking his chin.

"That's true. Originally, Borsalino was supposed to come to the front lines with me this time, but something happened in Egherd, and Satan Saint personally took Borsalino away just now," Bane nodded.

"Aighard?" Karp asked, slightly surprised. "What is it?"

"It seems Dr. Vegapunk has betrayed us," Bane remarked casually.

Although Garp was surprised by this, he didn't ask too many questions and quickly continued, "So, what are you planning to do in the New World?"

"The Chief of Staff and Sakazuki both hope to achieve a decisive victory in one strike, and not to drag the war out for too long, especially after Germa joined them. The longer the war drags on, the greater the losses for our navy will be," Bane said, picking up his teacup and taking a sip.

"That's true. Although we are still very confident that we can achieve the final victory, it's always better to pay a lower price. Germa is a bunch of warmongers. If we give them time to train their pirate crew, it will indeed be a bit troublesome," Garp said in agreement.

"If we want to win in one fell swoop, we need to find an opportunity to take down Kaido and Charlotte Linlin directly. So the most urgent task is to find out where these two are," Bane said.

"Not on Whole Cake Island?" Garp asked, slightly curious. "Didn't the intelligence department say that Kaido and Charlotte Linlin were both on Whole Cake Island?"

"They should be there, but they might not always be there. I went to the New World to confirm this. Fortunately, Rear Admiral Drake has infiltrated the Beasts Pirates' upper echelons and is one of the Flying Six. He can keep track of Kaido's movements at any time. Once I get to the New World, I'll stabilize the situation at the front. After Sakazuki has made arrangements, he'll probably have to come to the front lines himself. Once the headquarters' fighting force is assembled, we'll immediately find out the location of Kaido and Charlotte Linlin and find a way to launch a surprise attack." Bane said seriously.

The saying "one strike decides the outcome" is just that brutal.

From a strategic planning perspective, there was nothing profound about the concept or sophisticated about the operation.

To put it bluntly, it was a decapitation strike.

But as the saying goes, "one trick is all you need to succeed in anything," which is the point. You don't care if this thing has no technical content or high-end level, as long as it works, that's enough.

The Navy's massive army and fleet served two purposes: firstly, to stabilize the front lines and establish a forward base; and secondly, to quickly quell the remaining pirate forces after eliminating Kaido and Charlotte Linlin, thus restoring peace and stability to the New World as rapidly as possible.

Sakazuki is currently preparing and arranging these same matters. It can be said that while the pirates are figuring out how to win, the Navy is already working on how to clean up the mess. The difference in their levels is indeed striking.

Disaster relief supplies from all sides, and so on, are the main factors currently hindering the navy's progress.

Bane was talking to Garp about these things when the Den Den Mushi that Ain was carrying rang.

"Young Master, it's General Borsalino." Upon hearing the noise, Ain immediately took out a Den Den Mushi and handed it to Bane.

"Weren't we just together? Why didn't you say so earlier?" Bane complained, but still answered the Den Den Mushi, "It's me, what's up?"

"I just met up with Satan Saint here, and we've already departed from the port," Borsalino's voice came from the Den Den Mushi.

Bane asked with slight confusion, "I'm not a marshal, why are you reporting this to me? Do you think I'm your superior? If so, I must be enjoying marshal treatment."

"You know what, you're practically a leader now," Borsalino teased, then continued, "Sakazuki has handed over command of the entire New World navy to you. I'm not entirely clear on your next plans, but Satan just requested that our navy send five more vice admirals to form a ten-ship Buster Call fleet to Eghard. Of course, I don't have time to transfer people from elsewhere, so I can only choose from the New World. But since command is in your hands, I'm letting you know so you can make the arrangements to avoid disrupting your plans."

"Five lieutenant generals, plus you as a general, and ten warships. You really think Aeghead is a den of dragons and tigers?" Bane chuckled, then said, "Alright, I'll make the arrangements for you. I'll get back to you later. You can head to Aeghead with peace of mind."

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

"Then I'll leave it to you," Borsalino said with a smile.

He certainly didn't think that Bane would cause any problems with such a trivial matter, and without the slightest concern, he immediately hung up the Den Den Mushi.

"It's like a pillow being delivered just when you're sleepy," Bane said, stroking his chin.

Hearing this, Ain looked slightly surprised and suspicious. Recalling the meaning of her young master's words before she entered the room, and considering the current situation, she could almost conclude that her young master was going to cause trouble in Egerhard.

"Young Master, that's Saint Satan, one of the Five Elders," Ain subtly reminded him.

"Of course I know." Bane nodded, then looked at Karp and said, "Interested in going to the New World together?"

Karp sensed that Bane was about to do something dangerous. He wanted to ask, but swallowed his words and said with a grin, "I don't have anything to do these days."

Without delay, Bane quickly pondered for a moment and said, "Ain, relay my general's order: instruct Lieutenant Generals Zoro, Fubuki, Dol, Smoker, and Penn to prepare for support and assemble at G-5 to await my next orders."

"Yes, young master!" Seeing that Bane had made up his mind, Ain didn't say anything more and immediately replied.

Then, Bane stood up and said to Karp beside him, "Alright, I won't bother you anymore. Pack your things today, and we'll head to G-5 together tomorrow morning."

Although Karp still didn't quite understand what Bane was going to do, he didn't hesitate at all and nodded, saying, "Alright, I'll be waiting for you at the port tomorrow morning."

Soon, Bane and Ain left the courtyard of the Karp family's house.

Walking through the quiet alley, Ain couldn't help but ask, "Young Master, what exactly do you want to do?"

"Fulfill my partner's request, and at the same time, cut off Borsalino's escape route, leaving him with no choice. Finally, let's test just how capable the highest authority really is," Bane said with a sneer.

Upon hearing this last sentence, Ain knew that Bane was about to target the Five Elders, or more precisely, the Satan Elders.

She immediately advised, "But this doesn't fit our original plan. Wasn't the plan to attack Mary Geoise only after the New World War was resolved?"

"Plans can't keep up with changes." Bane responded casually at first, then said seriously, "I've thought about it carefully, and this is our best chance to obtain real information about the Five Elders and Im."

Ultimately, although Bane knew of Im's existence and had some general information, it was all too vague.

At other times, the Five Elders stay in Mary Geoise and don't move, so it's not easy to make a move against them. But this time is different. If they can seize the opportunity this time, they might be able to unveil the mystery.

Intelligence is undoubtedly a very important thing. Whether or not there is solid intelligence can be enough to turn the tide of a war. Ain naturally understands this, so he did not try to persuade her any further.

(End of this chapter)