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

Chapter 309 A Chaotic Power Struggle: Everyone's Gone Mad!

Pongel Castle: Between Power.

This was formerly the office of the Five Elders, known as the center of world power.

Ben had been here before. The last time he visited, this incredibly spacious house was actually quite 'sparse,' with only a sofa, chairs, and a coffee table in the center. Everything else seemed empty, as if to prove the loneliness and incorruptibility of power, or the solitude and ordinariness of the pinnacle.

But things are different now.

Inside the enormous chamber of power, there was an enormous long table piled high with gourmet food and fine wines.

The room was covered with extremely luxurious carpets, a CD player in the corner played melodious music, champagne towers were placed one after another, and gold artifacts, artworks, antiques and other luxury items were hung everywhere. Some jewelry and crowns, which looked very valuable, were left in corners on the floor, ignored by everyone, and occasionally stepped on by someone.

It could be said that this house was filled with the corrupt atmosphere of high society.

Originally, only the Five Elders and a very few others were qualified to enter this power chamber, but now, it is filled with all sorts of people, clinking glasses, and laughing, treating it like a private club.

Upon closer inspection, these people were the main force members who conquered Mary Geoise, including the navy, the revolutionary army, and other powerful supporters such as Tesoro.

Wearing a form-fitting burgundy evening gown, her hair styled in an updo adorned with a jade hairpin, sapphire pendants dangling from her earlobes, and a set of top-tier jewelry around her neck, Tina held a wine glass in her hand. Looking at the other group of naval vice admirals who were going berserk, she said with a hint of helplessness, "Isn't this going a bit too far? Suddenly it feels like everyone's been corrupted, becoming the very people we once hated."

With a Five Elders-level cigar dangling from his lips, tortoiseshell sunglasses on his back, and ten fingers adorned with colorful jeweled rings that gave him a somewhat brass-knuckle look, Lieutenant General Dorl laughed upon hearing this, saying, "That's indeed excessive, utterly outrageous. But with both of us dressed like this, do we still have the right to criticize those guys?"

The "those guys" they were referring to were, of course, a group of high-ranking naval officers gathered around a card table not far away, led by Issho.

The table was piled high with gold, jewelry, and luxury goods, and the theme was, of course, 'gambling'.

Just a casual glance reveals Lieutenant General Huoshaoshan holding a bunch of random gold ornaments, which he has thrown on the "chip area" of the table, shouting, "I'm going to win big!"

Lieutenant General Onigumo tossed several gold bars onto the table and said, "No matter how much you bet, I'll bet it all!"

"Look closely! This is 'Squid and Soap', a masterpiece by Adolf Scheidelle, the great painter of Prussia four hundred years ago. Its value is immeasurable. I'm going to buy it too!" The flying squirrel tossed a famous painting onto the table and shouted.

These naval officers, each adorned with gold and silver, glittering with jewels, even wore cloaks of justice, giving off an air of wanting to trample justice to death.

Yi Xiao was even more interesting. He wore gold necklaces, gold earrings, and gold jewelry. He piled up every piece of gold and silver on his body. Even though he was blind, he wore a pair of blue crystal non-prescription glasses. He exuded an aura of "having money but nowhere to spend it".

Aside from them, another group sat at a long table laden with delicacies, eating, drinking, and singing.

For example, Garp, I don't know where this old man found a set of noble clothes. According to him, it was the formal attire of a king or royal family from six hundred years ago, which could only be worn on national holidays. It was extremely luxurious from head to toe. He found it in a collection room in the House of God.

Not only was he dressed in royal attire, but he also wore a crown on his head, held a scepter in his hand, and placed one foot on a luxurious chair inlaid with jewels and jade. Holding up the scepter, he said, "Bring me the finest senbei."

Dorag, who was known as the leader of the rebels and had always despised nobles and royalty, was now acting as if he had drunk too much. Standing on the table, he accidentally stepped on the luxury-like pastries, turning them into trash. Cream stuck to his smooth crocodile-skin shoes, looking so ironic.

"Next, I'll sing a song," Dorrag shouted, his voice slightly drunk.

Sabo, standing to the side, seemed to be supporting Dragon, scattering large amounts of Beli and gold coins all over the place, making a clattering sound.

Morgans, sitting on the other side, felt a chill run down his spine, as if he were experiencing some kind of addiction. He felt like ants were crawling all over his body, and he really wanted to take out his camera and capture the chaotic scene.

Honestly, if he takes a few photos today, the entire ocean will be set ablaze tomorrow.

The navy, the New World government, and the Revolutionary Army's long-standing image will all collapse completely.

But he knew he couldn't take pictures. Everything else was fine, but if he dared to take a picture here as a souvenir, he would definitely die a horrible death.

A drunk Sakazuki stood on the windowsill, looking like he was about to jump, arms outstretched, and roared, "OK, brothers, all eyes on me! I have a question for you all: Who am I?!"

Kuzan, who has always been at odds with Sakazuki, stood atop a champagne tower frozen in ice, swirling a bottle of champagne in his hand. As the champagne sprayed out, he shouted with boundless passion, "Sakazuki! You are our most beloved Commander-in-Chief!!!"

"Commander-in-Chief!"

"Red General is mighty!"

Sakazuki, already drunk and acting erratically, became even more confused by the constant praise, waving his hands and shouting, "Long live victory!!!"

In the women's section on the other side, Tina and Dor, who were just complaining, have already started to join the dance battle.

Along with a group of beautiful female Marines including Nami, Fubuki, Gion, Peacock, and Ain, she swayed her figure and occasionally let out a coquettish laugh, attracting the attention of many old perverts.

When the Pirate Empress appeared, she captivated a huge crowd, with drums and firecrackers exploding and crowds thronging the streets.

Tesoro stood at another window, looking at this hellish picture of power struggles. Even as the head of the Golden City, he seemed completely naive.

Even if Golden City was extremely extravagant, he had never seen such a chaotic scene. It wasn't a matter of wealth, but a matter of people. Every one of these big shots present was someone who could shake the ocean with a stomp of their foot.

Especially in recent years, their presence can always be found in any major event.

They already represented the highest status in the world, and now, this group of people, like madmen, were here indulging in all their desires, neither human nor ghost, something that Tesoro had never seen before. Not to mention seeing it, Tesoro had never even dared to imagine it.

"Terrible, absolutely terrifying," Tesoro said, shaking his head with a smile.

Beside him, Baccarat, sexy and alluring, held a glass of red wine and said, "Singer Tezzolo, aren't you going to go up and perform for everyone?"

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

"Let's wait until the singer from Dragon finishes singing. Although from a professional point of view, I think his singing is like a pile of dog shit, but..." Tezzolo said, glancing at the chaotic venue, then smiled and said, "But the essence of singing is to bring joy to everyone, and at least from that point of view, the singer from Dragon is top-notch."

In another corner, Bane and Borsalino sat together, watching Zeff and Garp have a dance-off. The two old men were practically twisting their backs to the bone, but they still refused to admit defeat. It was truly something else.

Compared to those crazy guys, Bane and Borsalino were rare exceptions who didn't drink.

The two sat undisturbed in the corner, with a pot of hot tea on a small square table in the middle. They chatted and drank tea, seemingly out of place in the environment.

"The seven-day celebration has finally gotten so crazy that I can't even bear to watch anymore," Bane said, taking a sip of tea and shaking his head with a sigh.

"That's fine too. It's a celebration party, after all. Everyone should be carefree. It's only since the day before yesterday that everyone has gradually let loose," Borsalino said with a smile.

After a slight pause, Borsalino continued, "These seemingly extravagant things are actually just the tip of the iceberg of Mary Geoise. Much of the wealth and assets here have already been transferred to the East Blue. Speaking of which, the East Blue issued a joint statement a few days ago, hoping to discuss things with us."

"Talk?" Bane laughed out loud upon hearing this. "I think those nobles of the East Sea have been fooled by the peaceful environment. Don't they realize they have no right to talk to us? They're all insects. After things are over in Mary Geoise, the East Sea will definitely be completely swept away. Not a single one of these princes and nobles can be spared. They will all be held accountable. In the past, the World Government regarded them as a 'model sea area.' We should inherit this fine tradition and treat this sweep of the East Sea as a 'model' for other sea areas. After the East Sea is pacified, it will become a sea area directly ruled by the New World Government."

The New World Government inherited many of the systems of the original World Government, but there were also some areas that needed to be changed. Apart from a few directly administered islands, the original World Government had almost no directly ruled areas, although their rule was still quite strong, especially in the East China Sea.

Ultimately, however, it is the lack of a true foundation. This is a legacy of the Celestial Dragons system. It was only because the twenty kings relinquished their rule over the four seas that the Celestial Dragons, these "descendants of gods" who transcend social classes, were able to continue and exist.

Now, since Bane and his group have no intention of creating any world nobles or heavenly gold, why do they still put themselves on the pedestal of Mary Geoise?

They need a base of support to serve as the center of their rule and to suppress the fundamental forces in the rest of the seas.

This central base also needs to be distinguished from the Melvure Navy. The Melvure Navy Headquarters will completely dominate the New World as its base, while the New World government will take over the East Blue as its base.

Due to its harsh climate and environment, coupled with years of turmoil caused by pirates and wars, the New World has a fierce and rugged culture. It is the world's best source of manpower. Entrusting it to the Navy's control can both suppress the emergence of new violent armed organizations and absorb the best manpower nearby, thus reducing violence in the sea.

The East Blue, having enjoyed peace for a long time, can be said to be a sea area 'tamed' by the world's ruling government. No matter how you try to whitewash it, it cannot escape the label of 'obedient and weak'. This is a mark that the world's ruling government has been constantly imprinting on the East Blue for hundreds of years, even though the East Blue has produced a series of great pirates such as Roger.

In reality, compared to other sea areas, the people of the East China Sea were indeed more cooperative with the ruling class.

The New World Government should face little pressure in unifying the East China Sea and building its base; many new ideas and policies can be gradually tried in the East China Sea.

(End of this chapter)