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

Chapter 266 Bane: I say the Marshal's opinion is brilliant!

A short while later, Smoker came to report: "Marshal Sakazuki just contacted me and inquired about the situation here. I managed to fool him with the same story I told him before."

"It seems he'll contact me soon," Bane said after a moment's thought.

Then he asked, "How is Egherd?"

"The fire has spread to the entire island; it's beyond saving," Smoker replied calmly.

"Even so, there will still be a lot of investigation. You guys just stay here and wait. When it's almost time, go and pretend to put out the fire. Mr. Karp and I will be leaving now." Bane nodded and said.

Even if Egherd were burned to the ground, the World Government would definitely send people to investigate.

After all, one of the Five Elders died here, so even if it's an island reduced to ashes, it's still worth investigating.

Don't worry about whether you can find out anything from the investigation, just investigate. How can you show your loyalty and dedication if you don't investigate?

How can you atone for your sins if you don't get investigated?

Sure enough, no sooner had Bane finished speaking than Fubuki walked in with a buzzing Den Den Mushi and said, "Bane, the contact from headquarters is Marshal Sakazuki."

Bane raised his hand to signal Smoker and the others to be quiet, then took the Den Den Mushi and said, "It's me, what's up?"

"Are you still in Melvure?" Sakassky asked in a deep voice.

"Of course, I'm currently making preliminary operational arrangements. What's wrong? Does headquarters have some new ideas? Are you preparing to micromanage?" Bane asked, feigning some doubt and teasing.

"Some things have changed, and I'm afraid you'll have to slow down the pace of the war for now," Sakazuki said with a hint of helplessness, ignoring Bane's teasing.

Upon hearing this, Bane immediately retorted, "Slow down? How can we just slow down like that? I just announced on live stream this morning that I would wipe out Kaido and Charlotte Linlin's pirate alliance. If I don't take some action now, where will my reputation as a Marine Admiral be?"

Sakazuki remained silent for a moment, not bothering to argue with Bane, but said with a hint of melancholy, "Polsalino is missing. The Saint of Satan has been confirmed dead by Mary Geoise!"

As soon as Sakazuki finished speaking, the Den Den Mushi fell silent, as if Bane was also too shocked to speak.

Sakazuki was not surprised by this situation; he had reacted the same way when he first received the notification from Mary Geoise.

After a long silence, Bane asked hesitantly, "What happened? Who did it? Weren't they supposed to be in Eghelm? Could it be Vegapunk?"

"Based on the current intelligence, it seems that the Revolutionary Army and Vegapunk joined forces to set some kind of trap and ambushed Satan Saint in Eghardt. But we know nothing about the specifics. As for Mary Geoise, the other Five Elders are also very shocked. Although they didn't show it, I could feel the hidden fear in their tone. This is truly rare," Sakazuki said.

After a slight pause, he continued, "Given such a major incident, Mary Geoise has requested our navy to cooperate with the CP agency to thoroughly investigate what exactly happened in Eghard. This will undoubtedly divert our forces originally deployed in the New World. And what about your side..."

"The Revolutionary Army really has that kind of capability?" Bane muttered in surprise, then said, "But even so, Borsalino's disappearance will definitely affect the deployment of that decapitation strike tactic. The sudden loss of a Marine Admiral is a huge blow to our morale. What a problem!"

"That's not the main point. According to Mary Geoise, Vegapunk may have already developed a terrifying weapon in Eghardt, possibly even involving ancient weapons. What I'm worried about is that if we go to war with the pirates on the front lines, the Revolutionary Army may use this unknown power in the rear, bringing us unbearable damage," Sakazuki said with a gloomy expression.

The Navy first wiped out a large number of silver medalists in the New World, then carried out an effective attack on Beehive Island, eliminating Wang Zhi and others. Later, they also took action against the Seven Warlords of the Sea, and were even forced to compromise with Amazon Lily. What was their purpose?

Isn't it all to minimize the impact of unexpected factors before engaging in a decisive battle with Kaido and the Big Mom Pirates?

As it turned out, just when all the preparations were in place, the Revolutionary Army suddenly reappeared, and they might even have acquired powerful weapons similar to ancient weapons, enough to influence the course of the war at a crucial moment.

What if, during a battle between the Navy and the pirate alliance, the Revolutionary Army blew up the new Navy Headquarters with a single shot, or burned down Mary Geoise and destroyed the headquarters of the World Government? How would that end?

It would be agonizing to think about a war that's halfway through, with neither side advancing nor retreating!

This is also the most difficult part for Sakazuki right now.

"So what do you mean now?" Bane asked.

"I don't have many clues right now, my mind is in turmoil, and this kind of thing requires a very high degree of secrecy. Apart from the Chief of Staff, no one else in headquarters is qualified to know this information. I haven't discussed it with the Chief of Staff yet, but I don't think we can come up with any effective solutions. The situation is bad, and what's worse is that there is no proper solution." Sakazuki said with an unusually worried tone.

As if catching his breath, Sakazuki continued, "Your mind is always sharp. That's roughly the situation. Do you have any good ideas?"

"I'm almost dumbfounded by this news, what a brilliant idea!" Bane muttered, then paused for a moment before continuing, "Just as you said, the situation is terrible, and there's not much we can do. Even if this had happened a day earlier, I could have changed the pace and delayed the war. But now that war has been declared, even if we don't make a move, can Kaido and Charlotte Linlin really hold back forever? Am I supposed to tell them that something's happened on our end and we should reschedule the fight? They'd probably be overjoyed and seize the opportunity to attack us right now!"

Bane had no intention of stopping the war, which is why he chose this particular day to declare war.

Because once war is declared, the subsequent events cannot be stopped by anyone shouting "brakes."

Can the Five Elders just stop things whenever they want? Even if Sakazuki can't withstand the pressure and listens to them, can pirates listen to them?

As Bane said, the Navy couldn't very well tell the pirates the truth and say that something unexpected had happened on their side and that they should wait before fighting, could they?

If we can't say, what does it mean for the pirate alliance if the navy remains stagnant?

They'll definitely suspect that the navy is holding back a big secret, preparing to wipe them out in one fell swoop.

Can they just sit and wait to die? Perhaps they will hesitate for a short time, but given enough time, no matter what they think or consider, they will definitely launch an attack.

If the navy doesn't respond, it will be attacked and will have to continuously give up the advantages it has gained in the New World.

If we accept this challenge, war will be inevitable!

So from the very beginning, this problem was unsolvable. Sakazuki is now in a state of utter confusion because he is well aware that this situation is beyond his control.

"A dead end?" Sakazuki sighed softly.

"I know you must be under a lot of pressure right now, but it really is a dead end. Think about it from another perspective. The Revolutionary Army has only just won a 'victory'. They need to prepare before launching the next offensive, right? If we delay for too long and fail to eliminate this threat, we will have wasted our time. In that case, our situation will definitely be even more difficult, with enemies on both sides, making it impossible for us to do anything," Bane analyzed.

Sakazuki thought that what Bane said made sense. Now that the incident had just happened, the Revolutionary Army should make some preparations before proceeding with their plans.

"So you mean, to take advantage of a time difference?" Sakazuki asked hesitantly after thinking for a moment.

"Yes, we should try every possible method, quickly and ruthlessly, to eliminate the pirate alliance in the shortest possible time. Then things might take a turn for the better. Once the pressure from one side is gone, we can be much more relaxed, right?" Bane said immediately.

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

"As for the Blade Force, Major General Drake secretly passed on some intelligence. Kaido and Charlotte Linlin are not currently together. Kaido is in Wano Country, and Charlotte Linlin is most likely still on Whole Cake Island. If we want to strike hard, we need to at least get them to reunite in one place to facilitate the execution of the decapitation plan," Sakazuki said in a deep voice.

They were all high-ranking naval officers. Although Bane had not served as an admiral for long, he had been trained and had already thoroughly analyzed the plan.

How can we get Kaido and Charlotte Linlin together again in one place?

We must strike hard enough to break their frontline troops and force them to collapse. The pressure of war will leave them breathless, and there is always the possibility that one side will be annihilated or defeated. Only by creating this kind of pressure will they be forced to "stick together for warmth" again, or get together to discuss countermeasures.

When they gather in one place, it will be the opportunity for the Navy to launch a decapitation strike!

"Although losing Borsalino will mean losing an important combat force, I will find a way to make up for it. If you can hold on, I will launch a fierce attack on the front line tomorrow. Those rotten potatoes and stinking birds of the pirate alliance are no match for our strong ships, powerful cannons, and battle-hardened elites. I am confident that I can destroy their front line within a month!" Bane said in a very cold tone.

This is not bragging. The Navy currently has a large number of elites on the front lines, from vice admirals to ordinary sailors, each one of them is highly capable. When Bane said it would take a month, he was still taking into account the operational range.

With both Admirals Bane and Issho present, what can the Big Mom Pirates and the Beasts Pirates do to stop them?

Unless Kaido and Charlotte Linlin personally intervene, it's impossible to stop them.

But who will come? They're talking about an alliance, but as pirates, who wouldn't want to devour their own teammates?

If they could truly be inseparable, work together without any reservations to fight against the Navy, could they still be called pirates?

Therefore, it is impossible for Charlotte Linlin or Kaido to personally go to the front line and risk their lives to withstand the overwhelming war pressure from the Navy.

Moreover, with two admirals, Bane and Issho, in command, even one of you wouldn't be enough! And since they don't know Borsalino is 'missing,' they might suspect that the Navy is hiding another admiral, making it even less likely that they would take the risk.

If they're going to come, it must have been arranged by both sides so they can lend a hand and look out for each other.

If they all come together, it will play right into the Navy's hands. What difference does it make where they behead them? You've delivered them, why should we be polite?

Ultimately, this war was won because the navy held an absolute advantage and initiative, which allowed it to pressure them, continuously shrink their strategic space, and even begin to prepare for the aftermath of victory from the very beginning.

As long as the navy continues its fair and square tactics, there is little chance of losing.

At the same time, precisely because they were so upright and honorable, Charlotte Linlin and Kaido didn't have many other options.

Either be constantly compressed and slowly die, or show the spirit of a great pirate and gamble with the Navy in a decisive battle!

After making that boastful statement, Bane then asked in a deep voice, "So, can you handle it?"

On the other end of the Den Den Mushi, Sakazuki's eyes flickered, then after a moment, his gaze hardened, and he coldly snorted, "Don't underestimate a Marine Admiral!"

The pressure from Mary Geoise? What can't I, Sakazuki, withstand?!

"Hahaha, Marshal, your insight is brilliant!" Bane laughed and praised.

(End of this chapter)