I am the Bandit King of the East Sea.

He raised his hand and crushed the flying rock, inside which was a letter from Fujitora.

Fujitora possesses extremely strong Observation Haki, and can even sense meteorites outside the atmosphere and drag them to the ground using his ability.

This time, the Den Den Mushi communication was interfered with by the World Government's Horned Den Den Mushi, forcing Fujitora to communicate in this way.

Zefa unfolded the letter, read it for a while, and then his furrowed brows gradually relaxed.

"So it was a trap?" he muttered to himself.

The letter essentially warned Zefa not to attempt a rescue.

The combined fleet of the World Government's new army and navy is too powerful to confront head-on; it is best to retreat. Around these NEO Navy strongholds, there are a considerable number of new recruits who have not been tested by blood and fire. If they enter this high-intensity battlefield, most of them will surely be lost.

Even abandoning the stronghold is better than fighting head-on.

The NEO Navy has seemed to be thriving in the past two years, with two admirals, Zephyr and Fujitora. However, their departure from the Navy was rather hasty, leaving only a handful of officers of the rank of admiral, such as Ain and Shuzo.

Compared to the established Four Emperors, they lack a middle layer.

Fortunately, Zephyr is good at training new recruits, and the shortage of new talent will be alleviated in a few years... But the time is too short, only two years, and the new generation has not yet grown up.

"Prepare to retreat," Zephyr decided immediately.

"But what about General Fujitora's side?" someone hesitated.

"This is Fujitora's decision," Zephyr said in a deep voice, clenching his fist.

Having been partners for many years, he was well aware of the extent of Fujitora's strength.

That is why he believed in Fujitora's advice and decision.

If even Fujitora makes such a suggestion, then the enemy on the main battlefield must be quite troublesome.

Fujitora is a user of the Gravity Fruit, which gives him the ability to fly. Although his aerial mobility is not as good as Shiki's, his ability to fly long distances alone is enough to overwhelm most strong individuals.

The ability to fly long distances is rare, and the world's technology tree is somewhat skewed; there is no air force, nor are there any large-scale aerial vehicles or air-to-air weapons.

For an ability user like Fujitora, escaping shouldn't be too difficult.

On the contrary, if Zephyr and the others come to help, they might become a burden to Fujitora.

"So, Admiral Zephyr, which route should we retreat to?" Ain brought over a nautical chart with several alternative retreat routes marked on it.

Zefa pondered for a moment, then spoke:

"Let's head towards the Kingdom of Jeston."

Ain paused slightly, realizing something.

“Teacher Zefa, the situation is urgent right now. We are preoccupied with our own problems, how can we possibly get involved in the affairs of the Kingdom of Jeston?”

The other officers also realized what was happening and nodded in agreement to persuade him.

"That's right. Getting distracted now will not only prevent us from helping others, but we might also get ourselves into trouble. We should prioritize the bigger picture."

"Thinking about it carefully, isn't the timing of that female slave's arrival a bit too coincidental...?" The officer didn't finish his sentence, but his meaning was clear.

Zefa narrowed his eyes as he looked at the officers in front of him.

"Prioritizing the overall situation?"

"That sounds familiar...it was something they used to say all the time during the Warring States period."

Chapter 1234 The Mountain Bandit King Goes to Sea (6k)

Upon hearing this, the officers surrounding Zefa were momentarily speechless.

"General Zefa, it's not that we're afraid of death, it's just that there might be something fishy about this..." someone still tried to explain.

“We are a newly formed navy,” Zephyr interrupted him, continuing on his own:

"I left the Navy to be free from the constraints of the World Government and to more easily uphold justice."

Zefa looked at his subordinates and said in a deep voice;

"Since we both consider ourselves not to be pirates as defined by the World Government, nor are we the old Navy, but the newly formed NEO Navy."

"If we can only pretend not to know about the slave trade and the abuse of power, just like we did two years ago before the emancipation of slaves in Sabaody Archipelago, and consider the bigger picture..."

"Then, what's the point of this so-called NEO Navy?"

This question was a wake-up call to everyone, especially since Zefa also mentioned the slave emancipation event two years ago.

Many of these non-commissioned officers were eyewitnesses to that incident and had a deep impression of it.

On that day, Admiral Higuma faced Celestial Dragons, Shichibukai who were also kings of affiliated countries, and various local dignitaries, not to mention the pressure from the Fleet Admiral of the Marine Headquarters. The pressure was immense.

The current dilemma is somewhat similar to that of that time.

However, most people would choose to prioritize self-preservation.

Zefa understood this as well; it was only natural. He didn't reprimand the officers, but instead spoke up:

"The retreat will then proceed in two groups."

“I will lead a warship and travel along the route of the Kingdom of Jeston.”

The other officers seemed to want to persuade him further, but Zefa waved his hand to stop them.

"Only now do I realize how difficult it was for Higuma to make that choice back then..." Zephyr sighed inwardly.

He had been pondering why General Higuma was able to make the resolute decision to liberate the slaves despite immense pressure.

None of the other generals, though upholding their own principles of justice, would have acted in this way.

Not only the Navy, but also other pirates and revolutionaries would not do this.

This was not a spur-of-the-moment act of heroism; it was clearly the result of careful planning. Even the smallest details, such as using Violet's abilities to identify slaves and how to safely send them away, had been taken into consideration.

Higuma's actions at the time were the result of careful consideration.

Righteous men acting on impulse and without considering the long term may have the opposite effect—if the rescued slaves are not properly dealt with afterward, they will hardly be able to leave the Sabaody Archipelago, and most of them will probably be recaptured by their slave owners.

Wise people are far-sighted, but they may also overthink things and thus avoid taking actions that are risky and have virtually no practical benefit.

But would anyone, after careful consideration, still be willing to take such a huge risk to do this kind of thing?

It wasn't until he heard that the Mountain Bandit King had brazenly declared war on the World Government, and until he faced a similar choice, that Zephyr understood why Higuma had made such a decision back then.

"The Navy wouldn't act like that, nor would the Revolutionary Army or the pirates."

"But his true identity... is a bandit disguised as a naval officer," Zephyr realized.

Mountain bandits are lawless people.

A lawless person who disregards rules and regulations and acts solely on their own impulses.

Higuma never held any reverence for the Celestial Dragons or the World Government, because he had already challenged the World Government long ago.

“Sig has played many roles. He can be the sea tyrant Rocks, or the admiral Sunkuma.”

"But whether it is a maritime overlord or a naval admiral, it is all just a facade."

"Therefore, he can discard this naval uniform at any time, and he can take it in stride even if his career is ruined as a result."

"He has no reverence for the world government, has far-reaching plans and thoughts, harbors good intentions, and is essentially a bandit."

"This is probably the real reason why Higuma was able to withstand enormous pressure and boldly liberate the slaves back then."

It took two years.

Only after experiencing it firsthand did Zefa finally understand the sequence of events.

"Now, I've become a... outlaw too."

Zefa's lips curled up slightly.

This feeling of freedom and exhilaration in acting without regard to rules and regulations is quite nice.

...........................................

Half an hour later.

Zefa, leading a warship alone, is about to arrive in the Kingdom of Jeston.

There were only a few people accompanying them, just enough to get the ship going, and Aion was among them.

“Aion, you’re still acting a bit impulsively. You need to be mindful of your NEO Navy identity.”

Zefa looked at his prized female disciple and spoke earnestly.

Previously, Ain, like others, opposed Zephyr's choice of the Jeston Kingdom as the route.

Having spent many years together, Zefa could naturally guess most of his disciple's thoughts.

Ain is quite strong; in the current NEO Navy, her strength is enough to easily surpass that of the former Commodore instructor, Shuzo.

Within the entire NEO naval force, he was already the third person, second only to Zephyr and Fujitora.

But she is still too young, and her understanding of justice is not yet profound.

She participated in the emancipation movement without hesitation because she was a Japanese man.

The main reason why Ain joined the NEO Navy was because Zephyr was her predecessor.

For Ain, justice was far less important than the lives of Zephyr or Sieg.

After Zefa reprimanded Ain, the warship arrived at a port in the Kingdom of Jeston.

"You and the others, stay here and wait to provide backup," Zephyr ordered.

"Military orders are absolute; do not act without authorization."

"I can act alone, which is faster and less likely to attract attention, making me more suitable for rescuing slaves."

“Yes.” Ain didn’t think much of it and simply nodded in agreement.

"Wait for me for half an hour. If I don't return in time... then there's no need to wait, evacuate immediately."

“If I don’t return within half an hour, then I’m in trouble like Fujitora. Your presence will be useless; you’ll only be a burden. You should leave immediately, understand?” Zephyr said calmly.

Ain looked up and gave Zephyr a deep look before nodding in agreement.

The NEO Navy is facing a leadership gap; the new generation has not yet matured, and there is still a lack of people who can share the burden with Fujitora and Zephyr....

..................................