The natural system started off strong, but the navy finally reached its peak!

Steel Bone Kong raised his hand to signal everyone to be quiet: "It's too early to discuss these things now."

The immediate priority is to deal with the Golden Lion's retaliation.

In the Warring States period, you are responsible for coordinating the defenses of each base.

Crane, intelligence work is in your hands.

"Garp, you'll be temporarily in charge of patrolling the New World. Stop following Roger around like a shadow."

"Yes." Everyone nodded in agreement.

Chapter 54 The future seas should be dominated by the navy.

After the meeting, Zephyr, Sengoku, and Garp walked side by side down the corridor of the Marine Headquarters.

“Garp, Sengoku…” Zephyr suddenly stopped and asked, “Does Conqueror’s Haki have that kind of…”

"Hmm, so it's a method that allows you to directly lock onto and suppress enemies from a distance?"

"Huh?" Upon hearing Zephyr's words, Garp picked his nose, looking completely bewildered. "You can use Conqueror's Haki like that?!"

Isn't that just for intimidating small fry and keeping them occupied?

"Looks like that guy Gern has awakened Conqueror's Haki!" The quick-witted Sengoku pushed up his glasses, his sharp gaze fixed on Zephyr.

"But that makes sense, after all, the photos in the newspaper do indeed show Ba Chan."

The two tacitly avoided mentioning the black blade Bahuang in Gern's hands, as if it were an unspoken secret.

“However, we are indeed unfamiliar with the method you described, Zephyr,” Sengoku continued.

"After all, although many people have awakened Conqueror's Haki, each one is different in essence."

“I was just curious.” Seeing Garp and Sengoku’s confusion, Zephyr sighed, “After all, when Gern awakened his Conqueror’s Haki and slew the Golden Lion, his condition was quite magical.”

Despite this being his first awakening, he displayed an air of mastery over Conqueror's Haki.

But now that they've come to their senses... they can't even demonstrate basic deterrence.

"Alright, alright!" Garp laughed heartily, patting Zephyr on the shoulder: "Didn't Sengoku say that Conqueror's Haki is something that everyone expresses differently!"

I'll talk to that kid when I have time, but ultimately, mastering Conqueror's Haki still depends on one's own comprehension.

I can only teach him the basics of intimidation at most.

“Garp is right.” Sengoku nodded slightly: “The essence of Conqueror’s Haki is ‘the aptitude of a king’.”

It is not merely a deterrent, but a manifestation of will.

Since Gern was able to awaken, it means he possesses the aptitude; the rest depends on how he manages to control it.

"The Warring States period." Garp suddenly blurted out this thoughtless question, "You want to be the Navy King?"

As soon as Garp said that, Sengoku's expression tensed up instantly. "What nonsense are you talking about, Garp?"

"Didn't you say you had the qualities to become a king? But I've also awakened Conqueror's Haki, but I don't want to be a king." Garp said, bumping Sengoku's shoulder with a mischievous grin.

"Hey, Sengoku, tell me quietly, do you want to kill Colonel Kong and then... Waaaaah!"

Before Garp could finish speaking, Sengoku covered his mouth tightly, yelling, "You bastard, how dare you say such a thing!"

"You really don't want to be a marshal?" Garp asked, breaking free from his restraints.

"This is my dream. I must become a marshal to achieve my goal of justice!" Sengoku replied solemnly.

"No problem! We'll join forces to take down Marshal Kong, and then I'll recommend you for the job! Hahahaha!" After saying that, Garp dashed off.

"That idiot..." Sengoku was so angry he gritted his teeth.

Zefa chuckled and shook his head: "He's always been so carefree." He paused, then added meaningfully.

"However... 'King's Justice' does indeed need that position."

“Don’t mention that bastard.” Sengoku rubbed his temples and turned to stare at Zephyr. “But you, Zephyr.”

Are you sure you want to do this? The application submitted to the Marshal…”

Zephyr's eyes dimmed as the scene of his duel with the Golden Lion flashed before his eyes.

Then, touching the knife wound on his chest, he said in a hoarse voice, "My strength will definitely not catch up in a few years! Rather than occupying this position, it is better to retire honorably."

And... Lina is pregnant.

"In a few years, when the opportunity arises, I will step down from my position as Admiral and retire to the second line as Chief Naval Instructor." As he spoke, Zephyr looked towards the training ground.

"However, before that... those four guys still need to grow!"

“After what happened with Gern, the Marshal should agree to your plan from three years ago.” As he spoke, Sengoku placed his hand on Zephyr’s shoulder, and the two of them looked out the window at the same time.

"The future backbone of the Navy depends on you, Zephyr!"

They don't know, but I do. Your "not killing" isn't for the pirates, but for the kindness in your own heart.

Therefore, please inject a touch of "non-killing" mercy into the various ideologies of those new naval recruits!

Because any foundation of justice must be built upon that compassion!

Otherwise, justice would no longer be justice.

……

Just as the Warring States period had predicted, a few days later, in the Fleet Admiral's office...

Steelbone sat empty-handed at his large desk, an old, dusty plan spread out in front of him—"Proposal for a Naval Elite Training Camp."

This was a plan proposed by Zephyr a long time ago, aimed at focusing on cultivating the next generation of core combat forces in the navy.

Furthermore, top combatants were extracted from them and appointed to mid-level positions.

SteelBone Space had rejected this plan a long time ago.

Because if this were introduced, it could easily affect the existing promotion path for naval positions, but things are different now...

Especially with the appearance of guys like Gern who came from the Four Seas branch.

The existence of Gern has proven that relying solely on the meager number of places in the Naval Academy will cause the Navy to lose, waste, or let many talented individuals perish.

Thinking of this, Kong's fingers tapped the table lightly as usual, his gaze deep.

"Sengoku will take over as Fleet Admiral in the future... Garp and Zephyr will be the visible fighting force..." he muttered to himself.

"But Zefa's strength... sigh, but thankfully, he has the idea of ​​nurturing the next generation."

Then, Kong's gaze swept over another document on the table, which listed the outstanding young members of the Navy.

Kuzan, Borsalino, Sakazuki, and... Guern.

Originally, given his relatively short tenure, his background in the West Sea, and the fact that he didn't graduate from a naval academy, Gern should have been ranked after the other three.

But now, his record of severely injuring the Golden Lion with a single blow makes him fully qualified to be considered a "monster".

"Four young naval monsters..." Kong's lips curled slightly upwards.

"In that case, let's use the success of the four of you to set a good example for the training camp."

"Besides, the future ocean can't just be dominated by four great pirates, can it?"

After thinking about this and hesitating for a moment, Gang Gu Kong still decided to pick up the pen and solemnly sign his name on the document.

The Naval Elite Training Camp has officially commenced.

This marks a major reform for the Naval Headquarters.

It not only retains the traditional training system of the main naval academy, but also opens up a brand-new promotion channel for branch naval personnel from all over the world.

Under the new selection mechanism, any branch navy member who demonstrates outstanding performance and exceptional abilities will have the opportunity to directly enter the elite training camp for further study.

This means that regardless of one's background, as long as one has enough talent and ability, one can use this channel to advance in rank and eventually obtain an important position at headquarters.

Instead of the previous system where one needed to accumulate outstanding achievements to be promoted to headquarters.

And they might even be looked down upon because they didn't graduate from a naval academy.

Zefa's current merit-based promotion system has completely broken down the previous promotion barriers between headquarters and branches.

This gives naval talents from all over the world a stage to compete with the elites of the headquarters.

After signing his name, Steelbone stood by the window, gazing at the harbor of Marineford.

"The oceans of the future should be dominated by the navy."

Chapter 55 The Little Girl Who Loves Picking Mushrooms in the Mountains

Two months later, on the shore of an island

"Elite Hero Training Camp?" Kuzan, who had just finished a mission, glanced at the document brought by the messenger and frowned.

"Isn't it just asking me to go back and play an exhibition match for the new recruits? I'm very busy..."

Before he could finish speaking, Kuzan raised an eyebrow when he saw the name "Gern" on the document. "Oh ho, looks like it wasn't just a boring performance after all!"

Inside a high-end restaurant in the Sabaody Archipelago, Borsalino, wearing a hat, slowly cuts his steak with a playful smile on his lips.

"Oh~ how terrifying~" He glanced at the summons on the table, his tone flippant.

"Is he going to make me fight someone who can even cut down the Golden Lion? Teacher Zephyr is so cruel!"

In the new world, the ruins of G-3 base have not yet been fully restored. Sakazuki stands on a high place, gazing at the distant sea.

"Boring things only waste time."

Meanwhile, at Naval Headquarters, the abandoned shipyard

Under the blazing sun, the Black Blade Eight Desolations in Gern's hand transformed into a black lightning bolt, its sharp light slicing through the air with a piercing whistle.

Sweat dripped down his taut muscles, leaving dark marks on the ground.

“Training camp?” Gern sheathed his sword, took the documents handed to him, and his brows gradually furrowed.

The list prominently featured: Kuzan, Borsalino, Sakazuki... and himself.

"Let us play an exhibition match for the elite training camp?" Gern tapped the document lightly with his knuckles, a playful smile playing on his lips.

He wasn't stupid; the deeper intention revealed in the document was quite obvious.

This opportunity was used to promote the four of them to the rank of general.

After all, since Sengoku and Zephyr were promoted to admirals, there has indeed been a power vacuum at the vice admiral level in the navy.

You can't expect a general to do the work of a lieutenant general, can you?!

As for Garp, although he holds the rank of lieutenant general, he does the work of an admiral and doesn't count at all.

Thinking of this, Gern's gaze continued to sweep downwards, and when he came to the match arrangements, his brows furrowed slightly.

"What Aokiji said to Akainu..." Gern tapped the document heavily with his finger.

"Does that mean I'll have to... fight Kizaru, that lazy bum?"

Gern stared at the match schedule on the document, his lips twitching slightly.

"Fight Kizaru?" Gern subconsciously rubbed his temples, looking utterly hopeless.

"That guy's Glint-Glint Fruit... is a bit troublesome."

I did manage to develop my Devil Fruit ability by imitating Kizaru.

Therefore, Gern was very clear about the scenarios he might face.

Just imagining Borsalino's slow, leisurely tone...

"How terrifying~", coupled with the afterimage of the light-speed kick, Gern felt a headache coming on.

"Forget it, it's just an exhibition match anyway, and Kizaru is just a guy who doesn't really put in the effort."

"I'll just slack off myself and that'll be fine..." With that thought, Gern was just about to continue trying to figure out how to cultivate Conqueror's Haki.

As a result, his Observation Haki gave him an instant warning, and Gern instinctively looked up sharply.

Sure enough, a loud voice boomed from afar.

"Hey, Gern, kid!!!"

Immediately afterwards, a dark figure descended from the sky, its enormous fist slamming down with a terrifying force!