164: Chapter 163 Changes on Both Sides of the Navy and PiratesFor the next six months, besides his own training, Luffy also had to find time to teach Chaton and Momousagi their training.However, for Luffy to further improve his strength, he needed to find stronger opponents to fight.Fortunately, since the Marineford War, the system had been upgraded, and the training space had evolved accordingly.Now, in addition to its previous state, Luffy had the opportunity to summon previously encountered strong opponents as sparring partners every day.After careful consideration, Luffy finally decided to choose Akainu as his lucky sparring partner.
Meanwhile, in another world, Akainu, frowning and clutching his aching back, climbed out of bed, muttering to himself, "How strange, why do I keep dreaming about fighting that wretched Straw Hat Luffy?" He was perplexed, as this had been going on for some time.Every time he was about to kill Luffy, the dream would abruptly end.Luffy, currently focused on his training, was unaware of all this, attributing these phenomena to illusions created by his training space.Therefore, at crucial moments, he would unhesitatingly make this "phantom" Akainu disappear.
Time flies, and half a year has passed in the blink of an eye.Luffy has been training in seclusion on Amazon Lily, diligently improving his strength.Meanwhile, a tremendous change has taken place within the Navy.
First, former Fleet Admiral Sengoku voluntarily submitted his resignation to World Government Commander-in-Chief Kong, stating that he was no longer suitable to continue serving in this important position.Kong was quite surprised by Sengoku's decision but respected his choice and accepted his resignation.However, Kong also strongly urged Sengoku and Garp, who had also resigned, to stay and continue to cultivate the next generation of outstanding talent for the Navy.Ultimately, the two agreed to Kong's request and chose to remain.
Before leaving their posts, Sengoku and Garp jointly recommended Aokiji to succeed them as the new Fleet Admiral.However, many high-ranking officials of the World Government preferred Akainu for this crucial position.Faced with this situation, Aokiji, unable to accept Akainu's style of doing things, decisively rejected Akainu's proposal to become Fleet Admiral.Due to this disagreement, the conflict between the two gradually escalated, eventually leading to a fierce confrontation.
The outcome of this conflict was shocking—Aokiji and Akainu engaged in a fierce battle that lasted ten days and ten nights on Punk Hazard in the New World.In the end, Aokiji was no match for Akainu, but Akainu, mindful of their former camaraderie, did not kill him.After this battle, Aokiji suffered severe burns to the entire right side of his body and lost his left leg, which had to be replaced with a prosthetic made of ice.
Later, Aokiji resigned from his Marine post because he refused to align himself with Akainu, and no one knows where he went.The newly appointed Akainu personally took action, killing the remaining Blackbeard members imprisoned in Impel Down.Subsequently, the location of Marine Headquarters was swapped with that of the Marine G-1 branch on the other side of the Red Line, forming a new strategic layout.
However, shortly after Aokiji left the Navy, two powerful Marines shone brightly through a global recruitment drive and were exceptionally promoted to the rank of Admiral by Akainu.One was Fujitora Issho, a blind swordsman; the other was Green Bull, whose identity remained shrouded in mystery.Their arrival injected new vitality and strength into the Navy.
Meanwhile, Kizaru faced demotion for his previous defeat to Luffy, but due to the severe manpower shortage in the Navy, Akainu had to reassess the situation.Ultimately, he decided to let Kizaru go, hoping he could quickly capture Luffy and atone for his crime.
In this turbulent era, the Navy underwent tremendous changes.Akainu became Fleet Admiral, taking a series of tough measures to uphold justice and order.Meanwhile, Aokiji's departure, Fujitora and Green Bull's arrival, and Kizaru's redemption through meritorious service all contributed to an unprecedentedly complex situation within the Navy.
On the pirate side, Whitebeard announced his retirement after the Marineford War, and with his retirement, Luffy quickly filled the vacant position of one of the Four Emperors.Besides the Red-Haired Pirates and the Whitebeard Pirates, the other two Four Emperors are already eager to test whether this new Emperor is qualified to compete with them for the title of Pirate King.
"Mamamama, what a terrifying young man!" The old woman laughed heartily as she ate delicious pastries while looking at Luffy's latest bounty poster.Her enormous body made the entire room feel cramped, but she didn't seem to mind at all.
On Onigashima in the New World, Kaido sat on a massive throne, coldly observing Luffy's wanted poster.He remained silent, only gulping down his sake, his brow deeply furrowed.The King of Beasts seemed indifferent to this new Yonko.Shanks, meanwhile, looked at Luffy's wanted poster with a satisfied smile.He remembered the brat he'd met in the East Blue, the child who shouted he would become the Pirate King.Now, he had grown into a powerful pirate, standing at the center of the Great Pirate Era.However, Shanks knew that Luffy still had a long way to go to realize his dream."But Luffy, you still have a long way to go." Shanks murmured to himself, a hint of worry flashing in his eyes.
However, this was no longer Luffy's concern.He was now warily watching Aokiji, who was leisurely sleeping on the grass."Hey, Aokiji, what's your purpose here?" Luffy shouted, simultaneously preparing for battle.Luffy wasn't surprised that Aokiji had found his location; after all, he had once been one of the Navy Headquarters' top fighters, so it wasn't difficult for him.However, according to the original.According to the storyline, Aokiji should have joined the Blackbeard Pirates, but now that Blackbeard is dead, Aokiji's purpose in coming here is worth pondering.
"Didn't I already say that I'm no longer a Marine?And I have nowhere to go right now.Starting my own pirate crew is too much trouble, so it's much more convenient to just join one." Aokiji changed his lying position and said lazily to Luffy.
However, Luffy naturally wouldn't easily believe such an explanation.Given Aokiji's strength and status, even if he were severely injured, would the Navy really be willing to let him leave?
Luffy frowned, pondering the possibilities.On one hand, he worried that this was all a trap set by the World Government to infiltrate their pirate crew as a spy, so as to monitor their actions in the future.On the other hand, Luffy knew that they would inevitably have to fight a fierce battle with the Four Emperors in the future, and if they could get the support of a powerful force like Aokiji, it would greatly increase their chances of winning.
Just then, Aokiji seemed to see through Luffy's thoughts and said, "Don't overthink it.I just don't want to continue being a Marine anymore.Besides, I have no ill intentions towards your pirate crew." After saying that, he patted Luffy on the shoulder and showed a faint smile.
Luffy hesitated for a moment, but finally nodded, agreeing to let Aokiji join them.After all, with Aokiji's help, their strength would be greatly enhanced.However, Luffy remained cautious, secretly deciding to keep a close eye on Aokiji's every move.
Seeing this, Aokiji's lips curled into a slight smile.He then mounted his little car and slowly rode away.Before leaving, he glanced back at Luffy and said, "Don't worry, I'll be back." Then, he disappeared into the distant horizon.