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

Chapter 96 The Five Elders finalized their decision regarding the Battle of Marineford!

The Holy Land, Mary Geoise.

On the top floor of Pongel Castle, in the office of the Five Elders, who are said to hold the highest power.

At this moment, the Five Elders were gathered together, discussing some matters.

"The Navy's overall operational plan has been submitted. In a week at most, the elite troops transferred from various bases will be in place. Furthermore, Sengoku's further militarization of the Marine Headquarters, Marineford, has been completed," Saint Satan said softly, leaning on his cane.

"I've reviewed the plan," Mas Saint nodded, then said, "Things have come to this point, there's no need to think about it anymore. Defeating the Whitebeard Pirates is imperative. Approve it, have the newspapers spread the news, forcing the Whitebeard Pirates to come and fight us!"

"However, it seems there's still some controversy within the Navy regarding the arrangements for Ace, the son of the Pirate King?" Vochuli Saint stroked his chin and suddenly spoke up.

"Oh, I know about this. That guy Garp was really too outrageous. He actually dared to harbor Roger's bloodline back then, which almost caused a disaster. Since it is Roger's sinful bloodline, he should be executed!" Nasujiro said with a frown.

"Sakazuki and the others initially suggested the same thing, but Garp strongly opposed it. Considering his influence in the Navy, we also need to take his thoughts into account. Besides, Ace was captured by him personally," Maz said with some helplessness.

The key to this matter is that Garp personally captured Ace, which is a completely different development from the original story. As a result, Garp has a great deal of influence in this matter.

In the original story, although Garp also had a great influence on the Navy, Ace was "given a gift" by Teach. As a result, Garp had no say in the Navy. After all, he was the one who harbored Roger's bloodline and mismanaged him, which led to Ace becoming a pirate and even potentially becoming the successor of the Whitebeard Pirates.

How could he possibly have the face to speak?

Now that Ace has been captured by him personally, there is some room for negotiation.

"Actually, following Garp's suggestion is indeed more in our interest than executing Ace," Vochuli said, clicking his tongue.

Garp didn't say he would pardon Ace directly, as that condition would be unacceptable to the Five Elders. So from the beginning, Garp emphasized that Ace played a very important role in the fight against the pirate camp. If they could absorb the bloodline of this Pirate King into the Navy and make him a member of the Navy, serving the World Government, the impact would indeed be more worthwhile for the World Government than executing him.

This is also why the Five Elders are still considering giving Garp some face and a chance.

"That's true, but didn't Sengoku also say that Ace had no intention of joining the Navy in exchange for this chance to live?" Nasujuro added.

"Moreover, the most important thing right now is to ensure that the Whitebeard Pirates can come to Marine Headquarters for a final battle. If we don't add Ace as a bargaining chip, we might not be able to win with just that Marshall D. Teach who appeared out of nowhere," Satan said with a hint of worry.

The Navy has made so many war preparations at headquarters that it already has the advantage of striking first, but this is on a prerequisite: that the Whitebeard Pirates will come and step into the battlefield that has been prepared for them for so long.

If Ace were offered as a bargaining chip, the Five Elders believed the Whitebeard Pirates would definitely come, because Ace held a high position in the Whitebeard Pirates, being a captain at the level of a senior officer. The Whitebeard Pirates would never give him up, otherwise his reputation would be completely ruined.

However, if it were an unknown Teach, then there would be no guarantee. On this vast ocean, the vast majority of people do not know who Teach is. If Whitebeard were to be shameless and directly say that Teach is not one of his men, many people would probably believe him. In that case, even if he does not come to the Marine Headquarters for the final battle, it will not damage his reputation much.

In that case, the navy would be put in a very awkward position.

"Sengoku has made arrangements regarding this," Massa said calmly. "The Navy has prepared two plans for this matter. The second plan is for Sengoku to invite the man who killed Thatch, the fourth division commander of the Whitebeard Pirates, to Marine Headquarters as a bargaining chip to replace Ace. Previously, the Whitebeard Pirates had been making a big fuss on the sea, saying that they would kill this guy no matter what, but they haven't been able to find his whereabouts. They've already spread these rumors, so if they don't want their reputation to be damaged, as long as we also spread the news that this guy named Bane is at Marine Headquarters, the Whitebeard Pirates will have no choice but to come."

"The Warring States period was indeed very thoughtful," Satan Saint remarked after pondering for a moment.

The Whitebeard Pirates have been issuing wanted notices and sending men to hunt down Bane, making the matter known to everyone. They seem determined to kill Bane no matter where he is, whether in the sky or on the ground, essentially putting themselves in a difficult position. If the Navy suddenly releases news that they have invited Bane to participate in the execution of members of the Whitebeard Pirates, and the location is right at Marine Headquarters, how could the Whitebeard Pirates possibly refuse?

Not coming would be like slapping yourself in the face. Newgate's once-great reputation would be ruined in one fell swoop. This kind of punishment would be no less severe than executing Ace!

"Although he didn't say anything explicitly, this arrangement can be considered a tacit expression of his attitude, that he wants to help Garp," said Sacred Vochuli after thinking for a moment.

That's true. As the Fleet Admiral, Sengoku couldn't openly support Garp or protect Ace, as that would be inappropriate. But his move was very clever. It ensured the effective operation of the battle plan, bought Garp some time and space, and conveyed his stance without saying a word.

That's right. His arrangement bought Garp time to avoid rushing to execute Ace. The matter of Ace could be discussed after the Whitebeard Pirates were dealt with!

Therefore, the Five Elders now have two options.

The first option was a plan proposed by the hawkish Navy led by Admiral Akainu Sakazuki, to include Ace in the execution.

The second plan, led by Garp and secretly supported by Fleet Admiral Sengoku, is a battle plan against the Whitebeard Pirates based on Teach and Bane.

The Five Elders must choose one of these two options before they can begin to exert pressure on the Whitebeard Pirates through public opinion.

Both plans are highly feasible, but one caters to the feelings of the hawkish navy, while the other caters to the feelings of Garp and his group.

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

This put the Five Elders in a difficult position. Garp certainly has a lot of influence, but don't Sakazuki and the others have any influence either? They are, after all, one of the three admirals of the Navy, okay?

However, the Five Elders and others prioritize their own interests. After careful consideration, they decided to try Garp's suggestion first. After all, this matter has priority, and the minimum requirement is to execute Ace. As for the Five Elders, as long as it doesn't affect their operations against the Whitebeard Pirates, it doesn't matter when Ace is executed.

We could simply follow Garp's idea first and re-educate Ace. If we could turn the son of the Pirate King into a henchman of the World Government, the benefits would be even greater, aligning with the World Government's strategic plan. If we ultimately fail and Ace remains stubborn, it would at least give Garp an explanation. It's not that we don't want to consider your feelings, it's just that your adopted grandson is disappointing. What can you say then? Executing Ace later wouldn't be a problem either.

With this in mind, the Five Elders gradually reached a consensus: to use Teach and Bane as bargaining chips in this operation to annihilate the Whitebeard Pirates!

Having made the decision, they didn't delay any longer and quickly responded and issued instructions to the Navy Headquarters, demanding that Sengoku begin to carry out his operational plan.

"Now that we've finished discussing this matter, it's time to move on to that topic," said Sacred Vochuli, his eyes darkening and his tone becoming somewhat serious.

As soon as he finished speaking, the expressions of the other five elders also became extremely serious, as if the matter they were about to discuss was even more important than dealing with the Whitebeard Pirates!

(End of this chapter)