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

Chapter 310 Bane: I will become the King of Kings, the King of the World!

As the saying goes, the crazier the celebration party is, the more awkward everyone will feel afterward.

The large conference room in Pongel Castle, which had previously been used to hold world conferences, was now filled with many people.

Normally, before a meeting begins, people don't need to be so serious; they can whisper to each other and exchange their opinions that they will be expressing later.

But today is different.

Basically, all the bigwigs in the conference room were sitting upright, their expressions incredibly cold, their eyes fixed straight ahead. The atmosphere was extremely oppressive, as if if anyone opened their mouth, everyone would jump up and devour them.

Especially Sakazuki, the "most beloved commander-in-chief of the entire army" by Kuzan, sat in his chair with a gloomy face. The teacup in front of him kept bubbling, and the temperature around him was unstable, as if it could explode at any moment.

Kuzan, sitting opposite him, also had his eyes closed, leaning back in his chair, looking utterly hopeless and unwilling to live anymore.

Perhaps the others didn't want to speak, or even dared not to speak.

But there was one exception: Borsalino, the old fox.

He walked into the conference room carrying a thermos. Sensing the strange and oppressive atmosphere, a wicked grin spread across his wrinkled old face. He said, "How strange. Everyone seemed so happy yesterday, but today they all look like they've suffered a defeat. Sakazuki? As our most respected Commander-in-Chief, don't you have anything to say? At least offer some morale-boosting words?"

As soon as Borsalino said that, Sakazuki and Kuzan were both on the defensive.

Sakazuki smashed a teacup on the table with a powerful punch, and declared indignantly, "All of you are here today as witnesses. I, Sakazuki, have been so corrupted by alcohol that I have lost my mind. From this day forward, I will abstain from alcohol!"

Kuzan's expression darkened as he said, "Borsalino, you're a traitor among us! While everyone else is drinking alcohol, you're drinking tea. How can you betray the trust we placed in you? You've been drinking tea for seven days straight, doesn't your mouth taste bitter?"

"It's alright, I had sweet tea," Borsalino replied jokingly.

Just then, Bane, wearing a cloak of justice and holding his teacup, calmly walked into the venue.

He immediately sensed the strange atmosphere in the room and said with a smile, "Why does everyone look so dejected? Oh, right, Marshal Zefa is not feeling well today. He said he was too ashamed to see everyone, so I will be chairing the meeting in his place."

When Bane went to see Zephyr in the morning, Zephyr, who had been a dignified teacher his whole life, was sitting alone on the sofa in silence. He looked like he hadn't slept all night, with bloodshot eyes, an unshaven beard, and a dejected expression.

Upon seeing Bane, he felt even more ashamed and wanted to disappear, refusing to attend the meeting and choosing to avoid it.

Upon hearing this, Garp, who had been sitting in his chair trying to keep a low profile, suddenly stood up, covered his head, and tried to run out. Bane stopped him, saying, "Mr. Garp? What are you doing? Is it because there aren't any of the best senbei at the meeting? I'll arrange for someone to bring your scepter right away."

"Damn it, let me go! I have no face left either!" Garp struggled and shouted.

"Come on, you're a complete idiot. Nobody thinks you have any face left." Bane shoved Karp back at him.

The little farce before the meeting began lasted for a while. Bane quickly took his seat at the head of the table, put down his teacup, tapped the table, and said, "The victory in Mary Geoise is a magnificent victory. In this operation, we annihilated the upper echelons of the world government, led by Im and the Five Elders, and successfully eliminated the Celestial Dragon race. This is a victory that has never been seen on this sea in more than eight hundred years."

Bann, following the script, first delivered a victory declaration.

He then said with a smile, "The celebration lasted for a week, and I think everyone really let go of the pressure they had been holding in; everyone was very relaxed."

Hearing Bane's teasing and laughter, everyone present felt a little awkward. They looked at each other, but no one said a word.

"Alright, we've had our fun and the celebration is over. As for the gold, jewels, and other valuables from the victory party, as well as the remaining assets on Mary Geoise, after careful consideration, whether you think I'm being arbitrary or what, I've decided to distribute them all to all the heroes who participated in the Battle of Mary Geoise, from ordinary naval soldiers to Commander-in-Chief Sakazuki," Bane said, tapping the table.

As soon as he finished speaking, everyone looked at him with some surprise.

Don't be fooled by how much fun everyone had in the power struggles a few days ago. In reality, all that gold and luxury goods didn't belong to them. If you had to say, they were just "party props."

Although the crowd looked on with surprise, it quickly dissipated, and no one raised any objections, since a great victory followed by a great reward was only to be expected.

It's just that the rewards this time were a bit too generous. You have to understand, what they played with at the victory banquet was not even one percent, or even one-thousandth, of what they had captured in the Divine Abode.

More importantly, by that time, the vast majority of the property in the God's Abode had already been transferred to the East Sea.

Mary Geoise at that time was arguably the poorest period in its history!

"I hope the generals will remember the madness and delusion of the victory celebration, and reflect on their own embarrassing moments," Bane continued. "The amusement we caused at this banquet is actually the daily life of many Mary Geoise nobles, high-ranking officials, and other ruling classes. And it is precisely because they are indulging in this kind of madness that they have turned this giant ship, which has been sailing for over eight hundred years—the world's true government—into this state!"

"It's a good thing that you all feel ashamed now. It shows that at least after you sober up, you still have a sense of propriety and shame. You know it's shameful. And it is precisely because you know it, because you feel ashamed, that I believe you will all take this as a warning," Bane said gently.

To be honest, corruption is an unavoidable problem. No matter what kind of regime it is, it may be able to maintain a glamorous facade at the beginning, but power will always erode the will. I believe in the will of the people here, but I will not believe in it forever.

Not to mention them, Bane himself was the same.

It's quite possible that one day, you might be subtly influenced by these things and gradually become addicted to pleasure.

"Therefore, we must take Mary Geoise as a warning and establish a relatively complete self-purification and supervision mechanism. If we allow power to spread without limit, the end result will be that they become Celestial Dragons and become the targets we want to defeat." Bane tapped the table and glanced at everyone.

At this moment, everyone had forgotten their previous shame and listened attentively.

It's not some grand principle, but at least we should give Bane enough respect.

Bane didn't continue with this "nonsense" and quickly moved on to the next topic: "Afterwards, a group of people will accompany me to Melvure to participate in the April Joint Conference convened by the Grand Strategist of the Warring States in Melvure. This conference is very important; it will be a true meeting with all sectors of society and the kings of the four seas to establish and perfect the organizational structure and power division of our New World Government."

The naval commanders were clearly not interested in this matter, and they probably wouldn't get too deeply involved in the process of establishing the new world government. Everyone knew this and was aware of it.

That is, the real high-level figures, such as Sakazuki, Kuzan, Borsalino, Garp, and Zeff, are considering the follow-up matters.

Smoker, Zoro, Onigumo, Momonga, and other vice admirals don't need to go any deeper.

They will remain rooted in the naval system, adapting to the new changes within the navy rather than becoming overly involved in politics.

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

Compared to the Navy personnel, the Revolutionary Army, Golden City, World News, Amazon Lily, and other related personnel were quite interested in the topic that Bane was currently discussing.

"According to the pre-war agreement, our Revolutionary Army will also be fully integrated into the New World government system, and after making relative reforms to the current Revolutionary Army system, an oversight department will be established immediately. Is this pre-war promise still valid?" Sabo raised his hand and asked.

"It worked. At least we in the Navy will support it, but the final outcome will have to wait for the General Assembly to confirm," Bane nodded immediately.

Sabo understood that Bane's words were simply an attempt to further enhance the authority of the General Assembly. In reality, any proposal that the Navy approved would not be rejected, at least not in this first assembly, or even in the previous ones.

Otherwise, those royal families from various countries, influential figures from all walks of life, or representatives of various organizations who came to the meeting would really be unable to distinguish between the two kings.

Giving you the opportunity to speak is to demonstrate our magnanimity and breadth of vision, not to let you put on airs or act like an elephant.

Borsalino then asked, "After the war, the Navy will unite with the newly established New World Government, but there will also be a separation of some powers. What exactly is the intention behind this?"

"Broadly speaking, it's about clearly defining military spending, functions, and related elements. We need to further clarify what the Navy's main responsibilities are and protect them through legislation to prevent the Navy from becoming a purely violent institution, while also preventing it from becoming a subordinate of certain powers. The specifics are too complicated for me to explain clearly, so let's leave it for the meeting to discuss," Bane said.

Just then, Gloriosa, the representative of Amazon Lily, arrived. Yes, Hancock didn't come to the meeting; she was probably too ashamed.

The old woman, Gloriaosa, raised her hand and asked, "Regarding the proposal by the New World and the South Sea nations to establish a King of Kings and a World King, namely the supreme commander of the New World's government..."

At this point, Gloria paused slightly before continuing, "Admiral Bane, if I may be so bold, everyone present is truly one of us. Perhaps the Navy and the Revolutionary Army already understand your will, but we Amazon Lily have not yet received a clear signal. I would like to know, what are your intentions regarding this? And how do you require our cooperation?"

"Full support." Bane grinned and said without hesitation.

Before Gloria could speak again, Bane addressed the crowd, saying, "Although everyone already knows my ambitions, I'll emphasize it again: I need this power and position. This isn't just a display of my personal ambitions; some of the higher-ups also know that after the chaos in the world's government ends, we will face a major challenge that will sweep the entire world. This challenge requires us to concentrate all our strength and will. For this, the world needs a true leader, a true king!"

As soon as Bane finished speaking, everyone in the meeting room couldn't help but look at the revolutionary leader, Dragon.

As the true leader of the Mervian Navy, the naval elites will certainly support Bane. Putting aside Bane's personal interests, from the perspective of the Navy as a whole, Bane, who comes from the Navy, becoming the highest authority is a return favor to the Navy, which will undoubtedly further enhance the Navy's status and influence.

For organizations and countries like the Golden City and Amazon Lily, this matter doesn't have any fundamental impact. After all, whether or not there is a king, their limitations are already there, and it's simply not their place to take power.

Only the revolutionary army was somewhat of an anomaly.

However, Dragon had already reached a consensus with Bane. This was also a completely new attempt at the world system. They were all feeling their way across the river by feeling for stones. As he said, they had to try it to see if it was good or bad. If it was really unacceptable, regardless of whether it could be successful or not, Dragon would not mind going through the old path again.

It's nothing more than being the leader of a rebel again.

Moreover, Dragon knew perfectly well that a catastrophe that could sweep the entire world could break out at any moment. Bane was willing to take on the responsibility of saving the world as a king, so it was only reasonable to crown him with glory!

Therefore, when everyone's eyes turned to Dragon, Dragon's expression turned serious, and he said, "Our Revolutionary Army will fully support this proposal!"

(End of this chapter)