(T/N: Please consider reviewing this Fanfic, Thanks and appreciate all who support me)
(T/N: Enjoy!!)
<><><><><><>
This was different from the previous role of an Admiral, which merely involved overseeing a specific department.
What Fleet Admiral Arashi was describing was the management of all affairs in an entire region.
Given the scope of these regions, their authority was no different from that of a king. This was true power in their hands!
Even the five Admirals hadn't processed it and still wore bewildered expressions, and above these five was Arashi, the Fleet Admiral, who could also be called the one Emperor!
"Secondly!" Arashi's voice soon rang out again. Everyone pricked up their ears, listening intently.
Without a doubt, every point discussed in this unprecedented meeting was utterly shocking and would overturn the entire world.
Some flag officers had already realised that the very structure of the Marines would be changed in this meeting. From this day forward, a completely new era was about to begin.
"We should be prepared to deal with the World Government," Arashi stated.
"Additionally, the Revolutionary Army has been very active recently, and they are not our friends."
Arashi's voice seemed somewhat distant, but the expressions of all the flag officers grew solemn in response.
The World Government! Before the war began, no one would have imagined they would become enemies with such a behemoth.
But at this very moment, all preparations had been made. The meeting ended, and all the officers departed quickly.
The expression on each face was different; some were shocked, some were bewildered, some were excited, and some were inspired.
Three days later, explosive news spread across the entire world. The Marines had established the first powerful Marine Empire in the New World!
Although it was not stated outright, the Marines' original five Admirals would each serve as the supreme commander of a region, their status now equivalent to that of the former Four Emperors.
Meanwhile, the former Vice Admirals Buggy, Smoker, Kuina, Rosinante, Chaton, and Gion were promoted to the rank of Admiral.
This meant that the Marines now had six more Admirals, which, including the previous five, brought the total to eleven.
However, it was clear that the original five Admirals held a higher position and status.
Below them were the newly appointed Vice Admirals: Doflamingo, Bartholomew Kuma, Gecko Moria, Kozuki Oden, and the Pirate Empress, Boa Hancock.
The individuals listed above constituted the top-tier power of the Marines at this moment!
Merely hearing their names was enough to make anyone tremble, as if facing a great mountain.
It could be said that every person from the rank of Vice Admiral upwards had their legend and possessed a formidable power that was impossible to ignore.
During this conference, young Marines such as Trafalgar Law, Capone Bege, Rob Lucci, Kaku, and Koby were also awarded flag officer ranks for their outstanding military achievements.
When the news reached the outside world, everyone was stunned by the powerful lineup of the Marines in this era.
They not only possessed terrifying top-tier combatants comparable to the former Four Emperors but also had an excellent crop of young talent.
The potential of the Marines was unimaginable.
--Time continued to pass--
A month later, a small-scale skirmish broke out between the Marines and the World Government's allied forces at Loguetown in the East Blue.
Both sides dispatched ten warships. In the end, the Marines secured victory at the cost of two ships.
Although the impact of this battle was limited, it garnered immense attention and panic throughout the world.
Everyone was proclaiming that a world war was about to begin. However, afterwards, both sides fell into a strange, tacit silence.
Rumours began to spread that members of the older generation of Marines had stepped forward to negotiate with the World Government, calming the conflict and preventing it from escalating further.
It was said that neither side was ready for a final battle and that they were still accumulating their strength.
More news emerged that the World Government was planning a cold and merciless bloody purge, intending to retaliate against the countries that had refused to send troops during the emergency conference.
Various rumours spread rapidly across the world, causing widespread panic for a time.
--Time flowed on, and another two months passed--
The world began to call the five Admirals distributed across Marineford and the New World the "General-Emperors," the emperors among the Admirals!
The Five Emperors of the Marines! They also called Fleet Admiral Arashi the "Emperor" of this vast Marine Empire!
Thus, the "One Emperor, Five Emperors" situation was formed.
At Dressrosa, the new Marine Headquarters, Arashi was lazily basking in the sun on his rocking chair one day when a towering figure strode in.
After approaching quickly, the man stood silently opposite him without a word, seemingly hesitant about whether he should speak.
After a long while, Arashi slowly opened his eyes and said faintly, "Since you're here, just say what you need, Kuma!"
He gazed helplessly at the massive figure standing before him, who was so large that he blocked out the sun.
Was this guy's position carefully calculated? He had managed to shroud Arashi in his shadow perfectly.
"You've handed all of headquarters' affairs over to Admiral Kizaru," Kuma said in a rumbling voice, "while you are living a life of leisure and pleasure." Arashi glanced at him.
Kuma was dressed in a large Marine uniform, his white "Justice" coat fluttering in the wind behind him.
As he spoke, his expression was somewhat dazed, as if he had something heavy on his mind.
"Why don't you state your real intentions, Kuma?" Arashi said. "Beating around the bush is not very professional for you."
Hearing this, Kuma was taken aback, then lowered his head. "I want to ask you to help me save someone!"
Arashi did not respond immediately to this sentence. Instead, he stood up, a smile touching his brow.
"What, has Bonney's illness not been cured yet? Although I don't know what method you used to extend her life for a while, it was still quite impressive!"
Bartholomew Kuma's expression changed drastically, his eyes locking onto the man before him.
He suddenly remembered that over a year ago, on the Sabaody Archipelago, this man had met Jewellery Bonney, and they had more contact during the Summit War.
But how could he possibly know about him extending Bonney's life?
"The Sapphire Scale Disease, is it?" Arashi murmured with a sigh. "It truly is a terrifying illness."
"Even an invincible man like you has no way to treat her?" Kuma asked in despair.
He had once received a glimmer of hope from Dragon that if he could find Vegapunk, Bonney might be cured.
But Vegapunk had vanished from the world for years, and there was no telling where to find him.
Later, he obtained information from the World Government that could supposedly save Bonney, only to learn it was all a scam.
The World Government's scientific laboratory lacked the means to save her.
However, the agreement with them had indeed alleviated Bonney's condition, helping her survive past the difficult threshold of age ten.
Yet, just recently, the long-lost Bonney had suddenly appeared before him to say her goodbyes. The terrifying disease was finally about to crush the young girl's body. For this, he was willing to abandon his position and rush to Arashi at top speed, hoping to get some information from the man before him.
"Oh, Kuma," Arashi said with a smile. "Although I possess invincible combat power, I cannot save others."
Kuma clenched his fists, his heart sinking deeper into despair.
"But just because I don't, doesn't mean a way to save Bonney cannot be found within the Marines," Arashi's voice came again. Kuma's head shot up, a light shining in his eyes.
"Bring the little girl to the Marines," Arashi instructed.
"Then go find Rear Admiral Trafalgar Law, and take him with you to Germa 66." At this, Arashi paused.
"Vegapunk is currently conducting research on the Lineage Factor with the Vinsmoke Family. Perhaps their cloning and stem cell transplant methods could be effective."
These words made Kuma feel as if he had been brought back to life, his entire body trembling.
Vegapunk! That's right, that man was now with the Marines. It was just that the whereabouts of such a great scientist had always been a secret, and he was heavily protected.
"But there is one condition, Kuma," Arashi said suddenly.
"Name it. Whatever the condition, whatever the price, I am willing to pay it!" Kuma said solemnly, looking as if he were ready to face death. This made Arashi laugh.
"Don't be so serious," he said. "It's not a big problem. If Vegapunk sees you and realises the unique nature of your race, he might need your DNA, your blood, and some other physical samples for his research." Kuma nodded emphatically without the slightest hesitation.
"No problem!"
"Of course, if he says anything about turning you into a robot, don't you dare agree on your own!" Arashi added.
"Just turn around and leave. I will be the one to persuade him to treat Bonney!" Kuma nodded silently, a trace of warmth flowing through his heart.
Kuma left quickly. Arashi returned to his lounge chair, closed his eyes again, and comfortably soaked up the sun.
Ever since he had assigned work to the five Admirals, his life had returned to one of leisure, only needing to make decisions on major issues.
Recalling Kuma's words and expression, he couldn't help but sigh again.
Without a doubt, Kuma was a tragic and pitiable man, yet he was also respectable, a fellow with a cold exterior but an incredibly gentle heart.
Regarding the man's history, Arashi knew some things from his previous life.
After becoming the Fleet Admiral of the Marines, the Marine intelligence system naturally provided him with a large amount of information.
The current Marine intelligence network was by no means weak. Even the whereabouts of Jewellery Bonney were within the Marines' grasp.
A week ago, an intelligence agent found Bonney unconscious in a small town and passed the news to Bartholomew Kuma through a special channel.
It was because of this that Kuma had come to find him today.
"Research, education, weapons, economy!" Arashi murmured.
The development of any power was undoubtedly inseparable from these crucial points, especially when a military organisation was evolving into a national body, an empire.
Arashi had no intention of establishing any democratic or liberal system; instead, he wanted to build a vast empire.
The scope of this empire would radiate across the entire world. Time continued to pass.
--In the blink of an eye, two months had gone by--
Something that shook the world occurred, and when the news reached Marine Headquarters, even Arashi was left silent for a long moment.
"The Sorbet Kingdom!"
"The Tynian Kingdom."
"The Drum Kingdom."
"The three kingdoms listed above were annihilated on the same day!"
Yes, three kingdoms had completely vanished from the face of the earth, leaving not a single trace behind.
This momentous news left countless people speechless, shocked, and utterly terrified.
Some people almost instantly made the connection that during the recent emergency World Conference, the kings of these three kingdoms had publicly announced that they would not be dispatching troops.
"It was the World Government! The World Government used an unknown, mysterious weapon to destroy these three kingdoms!"
"Someone went to see it. The entire island has disappeared, leaving a bottomless abyss in its place, with a massive amount of seawater falling into it like a giant well!"
The world was in an uproar.
No one had expected Mary Geoise's methods to be so ruthless, to destroy nations that would not submit to them instantly, and to do so with such heartlessness and insanity.
"That's the lives of tens of thousands of people! Not even a speck of dust was left behind, it's too cruel!"
"Such a World Government, such Celestial Dragons!" Some people were terrified, feeling both anger and trembling fear at Mary Geoise's actions.
"What magnificent, incredible power! It's simply a miracle!"
"The Twenty Kings of the past conquered this world, and now they wield power like that of gods!"
"This is the kind of god worth following!" But in others, a fanatical faith ignited, mesmerised by the World Government's immense power.
At the same time, many people also considered a question.
"If the World Government possesses such overwhelming power, why haven't they used it against the Marines?"
Yes, this was a point of doubt. Given the cruelty of those at the top, they would never forsake using such a decisive method to erase Arashi.
"The only possibility is this! They have already used this mysterious weapon, but it had no effect!"
"In other words, the Marines also possess an equivalent power to counter it!" This argument undoubtedly left many people feeling excited and shocked.
Even many of the kings who had escaped this wave of disaster and were feeling fortunate began to harbour new ideas.
Since the Marines had the means to counterbalance the World Government, could their nations, dissatisfied with Mary Geoise, choose to side with the Marines?
This was certainly a new thought, but it was almost immediately dismissed from the minds of these kings.
It was too dangerous! If the World Government found out, the consequences would undoubtedly be more than they could bear!
Moreover, the inertial thinking of the past eight hundred years was very difficult to change.
This world, just as the Four Elders had said that day in Mary Geoise, was still the same!
At Dressrosa, the new Marine Headquarters, Kizaru sat in his office, frowning at the high stack of documents before him.
"That fellow Arashi has escaped to a life of leisure, but he's left an old man like me here to deal with so much work!"
His face was a bit grim, and he struggled to feel happy. Ever since that meeting where Arashi had established the "One Emperor, Five Kings" structure, his happiness had vanished with a pop.
From then on, he had been living a life of hard work and busyness, with no end in sight. Speaking of which, he had once fantasised about becoming the Fleet Admiral.
Well, now it had come true. His current authority was truly indistinguishable from that of the Fleet Admiral, managing the entirety of Dressrosa and the endless expanse of the Marines.
But he regretted it deeply! His previous life had been so leisurely, happy, and relaxed!
Although he grumbled, his expression suddenly changed as he flipped through the documents on his desk.
"Wait, why are there suddenly so many countries secretly sending envoys to contact us?" He looked up at Sentomaru opposite him.
"It's because of the World Government's destruction of those three kingdoms recently."
Kizaru was startled for a moment, then quickly understood.
"Of course, this is what I heard from Lucci and the others," Sentomaru said.
"I am the man with the tightest lips in the world. I promised Kaku I wouldn't tell anyone else about this!" Kizaru raised an eyebrow, not caring about the man's rambling.
"Rob Lucci, you say? That man from the Marines' younger generation who is currently in the spotlight!"
Sentomaru nodded. "Lucci is quite amazing. He leads the Marines' special operations team and manages the intelligence department. I hear his strength is already comparable to that of an Admiral!"
Kizaru was a bit surprised. "Really? That's quite terrifying."
"Yes, Lucci has mastered all three types of Haki and has recently trained his Devil Fruit to the Awakening stage!" Sentomaru nodded eagerly.
"The young people nowadays are all monsters!" Kizaru lamented. "That pirate swordsman who once served under Arashi seems to be quite remarkable now, too!"
Then, he continued to leaf through the documents on his desk. But the more he read, the more serious and grim his expression became.
"Why are there so many kings?" He had initially thought it would only be one or two countries.
After all, he had received similar letters of goodwill before; the prince of the Lulusia Kingdom had once openly arrived in Dressrosa, and he had personally met with him at that time.
But this time, the stack of documents contained over a dozen. In other words, there were letters of goodwill from more than ten kingdoms.
This was of extraordinary significance, as more than ten countries pledged their allegiance and showed goodwill to the Marines.
"I have to tell Arashi! So many countries are not necessarily a good thing!" Kizaru muttered.
Speaking of which, it was indeed time to find something for the Fleet Admiral to do. Recently, the man had even been so idle as to go fishing.
The news quickly reached Arashi's ears, and it surprised him as well. "They don't think the Marines have a destructive power identical to the World Government's mysterious weapon, do they?"
Hearing this, Kizaru subconsciously retorted, "Don't we?"
Arashi bared his teeth. "If you're referring to Pluton, that weapon hasn't been repaired yet!"
"But the outside world is already buzzing with rumours that the Marines have mastered the Ancient Weapon Pluton and have used it to form a counterbalance against the World Government," Kizaru said playfully.
"If Pluton's power were truly restored and under my control, where do you think I would fire the first shot?" Arashi let out a cold, mischievous laugh.
Kizaru stopped smiling, and sweat began to bead on his forehead.
He almost instinctively imagined that, given the man's firm, domineering, and bold nature, the world would likely be thrown into chaos in an instant.
It was better to hope that Vegapunk and his team would not repair Pluton.
"So many kings showing goodwill to the Marines," Arashi said, his expression flickering as he finished reading the documents Kizaru had brought.
"This marks a different direction for the world." This was not just a matter of simple goodwill letters; their contents were even more serious than that.
Several of the kings within them unabashedly expressed their desire to follow the Marines but stated that they needed the Marines' protection.
Without a doubt, this meant that these kings had been pushed to the brink of terror by the World Government's tyrannical actions.
They were unwilling to submit to the World Government but feared its ruthless retribution.
"What are your thoughts?" Kizaru asked.
"Find a good place, on a nice day, and let's meet them," Arashi said with a faint smile.
"If we want to expand the influence of the Marines further, contacting these kingdoms is something that has to happen sooner or later!"
Kizaru's eyes narrowed, and he then slowly nodded. It was a seemingly casual decision, but to some extent, it influenced the course of the world and was later hailed by posterity as the turning point for the vast empire.
It could be said that it was from this conference of kings that the empire took its first toddling step, allowing the empire to begin its rapid growth.
In the eighteenth month of Arashi's tenure, the Marines held the first Kings' Conference on Risky Red Island.
This island was the first one pointed to by the Log Pose after entering the New World from Fish-Man Island. It was now affiliated with the Marines.
On this day, a large number of Marines gathered on the island.
From the coastal port to the newly built grand palace in the centre of town, the roads were lined with elite Marines standing neatly in their crisp uniforms.
(T/N: Please give me some power stone, I hope it can at least reach top 100)
If you want to support me, join my patr**on. Have 10 advanced Chapters for you guys.
patr**n.com/saitamablast > OP:COI NOVEL TIER