Pirates: Trainer on the Straw Hat Ship.

Chapter 373 A Smile's Bet (asking for a monthly ticket~)

"General Ku...General Kuzan, is it really necessary to be so sudden!?"

"The navy is not at its peak right now, and all the admiral positions are vacant..."

"If we lose the power of the Seven Warlords at this time, the Navy's reserves of high-end combat power will be completely wiped out!?
"What's more... we have to send troops to wipe out those Shichibukai. I don't know how many troops we will lose."

In the meeting room of the Navy Headquarters, just as the high-ranking officers of the Navy were silent and ready to accept the plan of the new Marshal Kuzan...

An inopportune, rough voice suddenly emerged from the corner of the conference room.

In an instant, everyone's eyes turned to the direction where the sound came from.

Suddenly, a vice admiral with a fierce look and "X" shaped scars all over his face stood up.

Vice Admiral Doberman is one of the Navy's elite Vice Admirals, a very powerful man, and a firm believer in Akainu's philosophy of "absolute justice".

And what is different from Akainu is...

Akainu obeys the orders of the World Government in order to allow the World Government to allocate more resources to the navy and fulfill his belief in "absolute justice."

But Vice Admiral Doberman is one of the few senior naval officers in the navy who will firmly stand on the side of the World Government.

To the World Government, he is a dog who is more loyal than Akainu, but has little ability.

"Lieutenant General Doberman..."

After recognizing the identity of the person who spoke, Aokiji, who was sitting in the marshal's seat, frowned slightly, and an intriguing look flashed in his eyes.

As the saying goes, hold small meetings for big matters and big meetings for small matters.

Although the proposer of the "Abolish the Seven Warlords Plan" was Issho, who had just joined the Navy, before this meeting, Aokiji had already found the proposer and executor of the "Seven Warlords Plan" - the former Navy Marshal Sengoku - with Issho's plan.

The fact that he was able to inform the entire navy of this plan so openly showed that it had been approved by the real power center of the navy.

Today's meeting is just a formality.

This is a fact recognized by everyone.

Lieutenant General Doberman was certainly no fool, there was no way he didn't understand this.

so……

"Are you still dissatisfied with me being the Admiral of the Navy?"

A gleam of light flashed deep in Aokiji's eyes, but it quickly disappeared.

Obviously, as a supporter of "absolute justice", Doberman looked down on Aokiji, a "weak" guy in his opinion, to lead the navy.

In addition, although no one knew about the conversation between Aokiji and the Straw Hat Pirates, Zephyr suddenly returned, and the navy and government fleets inexplicably escaped from the battlefield...

However, it makes some sensitive people can't help but have some thoughts in their minds.

It’s just that the top leaders of the World Government have already set the tone, and due to power constraints, they have neither the qualifications nor the ability to stop anything.

but……

There are some people in this world who insist on showing off their presence, as if only in this way can their lives go through the motions.

And Dauberman is such a person.

"road……"

After a flash of thought, Aokiji was about to speak and refute Doberman's opinion as a marshal.

But at this moment, someone spoke before him:
"That's wrong, Lieutenant General Doberman!"

"The navy is the navy, and pirates are pirates!"

"If it's just because of the lack of combat power, we can invite pirates at will, give them privileges, and let them become the combat power of the navy..."

"Then what's the difference between what we do and other pirates do?!"

"How can we bear the word "justice" behind us and the trust of the people of the world in us!"

Swah——

A righteous voice suddenly appeared, causing everyone at the meeting to shift their attention again.

Soon they saw Yixiao, who had just joined the navy not long ago but had directly become a vice admiral because of his strength, leaning his staff sword on the ground and refuting Doberman with a serious face.

"Um!?"

Doberman, who was focusing all his firepower on Aokiji, was suddenly stunned.

But when he saw that the person who refuted him was Yixiao, who had just joined the navy not long ago, his expression suddenly became even angrier.

"Nonsense!!!"

Dauberman suddenly shouted:
"The world is in turmoil right now, with pirates running rampant. How could the future of the Navy be decided by a guy like you who has only joined the Navy for less than a month!?"

"Lieutenant General Doberman..."

Hearing that Doberman was openly angry in such a formal occasion, Aokiji finally couldn't bear it any longer.

The temperature in the conference room dropped suddenly, and the chill pierced into the bone marrow.

Aokiji was seen examining his hands, leaning them on the table, and raising his head slightly, revealing half of his face that was blocked by light and shadow.

"All those who can attend today's meeting are the backbone of the navy. No one is unable to speak."

Swah——

Aokiji raised his head and stared directly at Doberman with his eyes that were glowing with a faint blue light, making him feel like there was a thorn in his back and a fishbone stuck in his throat, making him speechless.

At this time, Aokiji slowly put down his hand and tapped the table lightly with his fingers.

Da da……

Although the sound was slight, it felt like a knock on Doberman's heart.

Then Aokiji continued:

"Also, there is one more thing that is not suitable to be told to you now..."

"But since we're talking about this, I'll say it in advance..." "After the unanimous decision of me and Navy Advisor Zhan Guo, Vice Admiral Yixiao will soon be promoted to Navy Admiral to fill the current vacancy of Admiral."

"The specific proposal has been reported to the Five Elders. I believe it won't be long before the Navy will have a new admiral."

"What!!!?"

Aokiji's words were like a stone dropped into a calm lake, instantly causing ripples among the senior naval officials.

Everyone's eyes were focused on Yixiao again.

Although I have heard a little about Yixiao's strength, and I know that his strength far exceeds that of the Navy's elite vice admiral...

But even though the Navy already has a candidate for the rank of Admiral, Aokiji still wants to promote Yixiao to the rank of Admiral...

There are only two possibilities:

First, Yixiao's strength is far beyond their imagination, enough to support the position of admiral of the navy;
Second, in order to consolidate his voice in the navy, Admiral Aokiji put his reputation aside and secretly promoted Yixiao, who supported him, to the position.

Of course, they have worked with Aokiji for so many years, and they already know exactly what kind of person Aokiji is.

Even the hardliners who support Akainu would not think there was anything wrong with Aokiji's actions.

Since he did this, it means Yixiao's strength has been recognized.

Even Dauberman himself is very clear about this.

however……

Perhaps Akainu's death was too much of a blow to him, or perhaps there were some other selfish reasons.

At this moment, in front of all the senior naval officers, Doberman suddenly asked:
"Why!?"

"Um!?"

Everyone's expression froze.

Even Vice Admiral Ghost Spider, who was sitting next to Doberman, couldn't help but secretly tug at his sleeve.

But Dauberman was completely unmoved and continued to shout excitedly:
"He is just a guy who just joined the navy. In such a short time, I am afraid we can't even find out whether he is an undercover agent of other forces..."

"Why did you make him an admiral directly?!"

"His military achievements should not even be one thousandth of mine, right?!"

Apparently, even in his extreme rage, Dauberman hadn’t lost his mind.

As one of the channels for promotion in the navy, military merit is naturally an extremely important consideration.

As a hardliner, Doberman is either killing pirates or chasing after them every day.

It can be said that except for those special ones, no one in the navy has a higher military function than him.

"Lieutenant General Dauberman... Have you forgotten the [World Recruitment Plan]?!"

At this time, Zhan Guo, who had retired but was still serving as a naval advisor, couldn't help but join in the conversation:

"The [World Recruitment Plan] proposed by former Navy Admiral Akainu details the special period when the Navy is short of manpower..."

"You can bypass factors like military merit and time in the army and give him an exceptional promotion based on his ability. I'll just laugh at him..."

Zhan Guo wanted to say something more, but at this moment, Yixiao interrupted him with his hand.

"No need to say more, Advisor Sengoku."

He stood up with a smile. Although he was blind, he looked around as if he could see everything. Finally, his "sights" fell on Doberman.

Yixiao opened his mouth slowly and said in a kind tone:

"I know that there is a lot of controversy about me being the admiral of the navy."

"But please give me a chance, and I will use practical actions to prove that I can lead the Navy to a better future."

"But Lieutenant General Doberman..."

Yixiao's expression turned serious again.

"Whether I become an admiral or not has nothing to do with the Navy's next move."

"To be in league with pirates is a risky move, and facts have proven that although the Shichibukai Plan has brought a certain degree of stability to the ocean..."

"But from a long-term perspective, it is completely detrimental to the development of the navy."

"The navy is indeed short of combat power today, but that is why the navy should cut the Gordian knot and take this opportunity to get rid of all the bloated burdens."

"After several consecutive defeats, the world's trust in the navy is at risk."

"And the clean-up operation against the Seven Warlords of the Sea is a great opportunity for the world to re-recognize the Navy!!!"

"Here, I would like to make a bet with Lieutenant General Doberman..."

Yixiao, who loves gambling, returns to his old ways at this moment.

And Dauberman's eyes were also flashing with thought.

"What's the bet?!" he asked.

A smile:
"Next, in the [Seven Warlords of the Sea Abolition Plan], I will go alone to eliminate one of the Seven Warlords of the Sea pirate groups..."

"If I cannot successfully return with the heads of the Shichibukai and their main thief, it will prove that I am not strong enough to serve as the admiral of the navy."

"At that time, I will personally ask Marshal Kuzan to revoke his order."

"But if I can successfully bring one of the Shichibukai to justice..."

He smiled and raised his head, and a surge of powerful yet non-threatening aura suddenly burst out from his body.

He smiled confidently and said:

"I hope to get the approval of Lieutenant General Dauberman and apply for Lieutenant General Dauberman to serve as my deputy after I become the general..."

"How do you think about this, Lieutenant General Doberman!?"

(End of this chapter)