At this moment, Jimmy Myers probably couldn't have imagined in his wildest dreams that his protest would result in a total blockade by Marine Headquarters, with the Jimmy Trading Company's products being banned from all Marine departments.
This incident caused a considerable stir within the Marines. Many officers and commanders expressed their disapproval of setting such a precedent, including some who were on good terms with the Jimmy Trading Company or had accepted bribes from them. However, while there were many factions within the Marines, the majority were split into the Dovish, Hawkish, and Neutral factions.
Sengoku was one of the leaders of the Dovish faction and the only active Admiral, a future Fleet Admiral. The Dovish members naturally supported Sengoku's decision, or at the very least, remained silent.
As for the Hawkish faction, they practically had "to my liking" written all over their faces. As members of the militant faction, these guys would even kill their own subordinates on the battlefield, so something as trivial as arresting someone without evidence was nothing.Some even suggested poaching Cross from Borsalino and recruiting him into the Hawkish faction.
The Neutral faction, of course, had nothing to say. Since they were all in the same faction, stabbing each other in the back was a taboo. Although some people disagreed with Cross's actions, they would never say it openly. On the contrary, they even praised Cross's actions on the surface.
With the dominant Dovish, Hawkish, and Neutral factions all supporting Cross and Admiral Sengoku's decision, the jumping and shouting of the smaller factions had no effect on the overall situation.
Seeing the strong-willed stance of Marine Headquarters, the few World Government officials who were helping the Jimmy Trading Company were displeased but helpless. On one hand, they claimed they wouldn't let the matter go, but on the other, they stopped their actions and slowly gave up.
In this world, great power is a privilege. Money and influence without the backing of power are just castles made of sand that can easily be washed away by the tide.
Just as Cross said to Jimmy Myers, neither the World Government nor Marine Headquarters would cripple themselves by punishing a powerful, promising Marine rookie for the sake of a mere merchant.
Commercia Island.
On the top floor of the Jimmy Trading Company's headquarters, Jimmy Myers, with disheveled hair and bloodshot eyes, angrily threw the wine glass in his hand to the floor. With a loud bang, the glass shattered on the office floor, sending shards flying everywhere. The red wine inside stained the beige carpet.
"Get out! Everyone, get out!" Myers's hysterical roar scared the blonde secretary and a few high-ranking company officials, who quickly left the office, trembling.
He had just received the news that his brother had been sentenced to death by hanging at Enies Lobby and that the execution was carried out immediately. Not only that, but the Marines' blockade against the Jimmy Trading Company had also officially begun. All twenty-something Marine branches and their affiliated institutions that had contracts with the Jimmy Trading Company tore up their agreements and refused to purchase any more military supplies from them.
His brother had died tragically! His business was being crushed! This was the biggest blow Myers had ever suffered since becoming president of the Jimmy Trading Company.
He was angry at Commodore Amphitrite Cross for not playing by the rules! He was angry at the Marines for their protection and blockade! He was angry at the World Government officials who received a lot of money from the Jimmy Trading Company every year but failed him at a crucial moment!
But soon, Myers, like a deflated ball, looked defeated and collapsed powerlessly onto the sofa. He had collected some information on Amphitrite Cross and knew his past achievements. He understood that the pirates and assassins he could manipulate with money were no match for that man. The power of money is strong, but not that strong.
The highest bounty in pirate history belonged to the infamous Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, whose bounty of 5,564,800,000 Berries set a historical record for that period. However, a few billion Berries was not an astronomical sum for a large company like the Jimmy Trading Company.
Jimmy Myers's personal assets alone were enough for him to offer a reward of several billion Berries in the underworld for someone's life. However, when it came to money, the Jimmy Trading Company would definitely not be richer than the World Government.
For the World Government, if they could take care of a great pirate who could shake the world with just a few billion Berries, it would be great news. The Five Elders wouldn't even bat an eye if it cost a few hundred billion.
But the World Government didn't do that because they knew that any pirate with a bounty over 100 million Berries was not someone to be taken lightly. As for great pirates with bounties of 500 million, 1 billion, or even several billion Berries, their bounty was only a mark of how dangerous they were.
The bounty might seem to be worth a few billion Berries, but it was just a trap that would lead fools to their deaths. In fact, for the World Government, pushing the bounties of those monsters to over a billion Berries was a helpless act because a high bounty itself meant that the Marines and the World Government were powerless against those monstrous pirates. Raising it further would only make the Marines and the World Government lose more face and would be completely meaningless.
Therefore, although Myers was angry, he still had a shred of rationality. He knew that the powerful strength that Amphitrite Cross possessed was enough to rival a great pirate with a bounty of over 500 million Berries.
Furthermore, since he was in a Marine stronghold, even if he offered a reward of several billion Berries in the underworld, he would, at most, only attract some fools who couldn't see their own limitations to their deaths and cause a little bit of trouble for Cross.
"Bastard! Bastard! Bastard! Is there nothing I can do?!" Myers lowered his head and let out a beastly growl like a madman. "Damn it! I'll never let you go! You damned bastard!"
....
Meanwhile, while Jimmy Capo was being tried at Enies Lobby and sentenced to death by hanging, Cross and Borsalino were also busy at Branch G-2, cleaning out the parasites in the logistics department.
Over 300 Marines had died because of the substandard medical supplies. Such a serious matter led to the removal of logistics officers, including Commander Partt, who were guilty of negligence. They were sent to military court to be tried for their crimes of corruption and bribery.
Normally, Borsalino would turn a blind eye to these minor mistakes and wouldn't even ask any questions. But since a major incident had occurred, none of the people involved could escape, and they would all be held accountable.
Cross was busy for several days, cleaning out most of the logistics officers. Then Borsalino promoted some new people, allowing the nearly paralyzed logistics department to operate again.
This whole process improved the atmosphere of the logistics department. However, Cross knew that this was only a temporary improvement. After all, a lucrative department like logistics was the easiest place for corruption to breed. Therefore, as long as things didn't get too out of hand, Borsalino could tolerate it.
In the following days, Cross patrolled Branch G-2's internal military discipline for corruption while also going on missions with Strawberry and several other Rear Admirals to fight pirates and track down the Sun Pirates.
Just as Vice Admiral Garp's main task before the Great Pirate Era was to capture the soon-to-be Pirate King, Gol D. Roger, Borsalino and Branch G-2's main task now was to capture the "heinous" Fisher Tiger and his newly formed Sun Pirates.
However, the Sun Pirates were quite strong and cunning. They roamed the seas and fought fierce battles with the pursuing Marines and human pirates who wanted to make a name for themselves by defeating them. When they encountered a powerful enemy or a large Marine fleet, they would quickly flee, leaving the Branch G-2 fleet unable to catch them.
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