Zephyr did not react to Momonga's reminder.
After two hours and dozens of phone calls, he had relaxed his guard a bit.
So, unaware he had been exposed, Zephyr continued, "I am now the Admiral of the Neo Navy and the Chief Instructor of the Neo Navy. Momonga, do you want to come help me build the Neo Navy?"
"There are no Celestial Dragons here, and no such nonsense. With your ability, you will definitely be valued."
Zephyr's voice echoed through the conference room, and the truth was clear.
Momonga was actually very tempted when he heard Zephyr's invitation.
Zephyr was there, and many fellow disciples were going too, plus there were no Celestial Dragons to deal with.
He wanted to go.
But seeing Sengoku's face darker than the bottom of a pot, Momonga wisely said, "Zephyr-sensei, Fleet Admiral Sengoku has treated me well. I cannot go over there."
He emphasized "Fleet Admiral Sengoku," trying to remind Zephyr again.
In his heart, he planned to play it cool, then head to Dressrosa as soon as he had the chance.
Hearing this, Sengoku's expression eased a little.
He did not interrupt the Den Den Mushi call. He wanted to hear what Zephyr would say next.
"Sengoku has treated you well? Nonsense." Zephyr said disdainfully, "Just because he could not withstand the pressure and let Weevil become one of the Shichibukai, he has failed the entire Navy."
"Momonga, you are my favorite disciple. Come to the Neo Navy and show your skills."
Zephyr did not pick up on Momonga's signal and stepped on the minefield again.
This time, several minutes passed without Momonga's reply.
Zephyr could not help feeling confused. Are you going to agree or not? Just give me a clear answer.
But Caelan and Gion beside him noticed something was wrong. They seemed to have been exposed.
It did not matter if they were exposed now. Momonga was the last disciple Zephyr could contact. The message had been delivered, and it would not matter if he was blocked from contacting them later.
Sure enough, Sengoku on the other end of the Den Den Mushi finally broke down and could not hold it in any longer. "Zephyr, you old fool, I will beat the crap out of you!"
It was a shame he had trusted Zephyr so much and thought it was someone else's doing.
He had not imagined that Zephyr not only did it, but also kept bad-mouthing him.
He did not even dare think how many times Zephyr had cursed him.
Am I exposed?
Zephyr shuddered.
It was natural to feel guilty when caught speaking ill of someone behind their back.
However, he straightened up immediately.
No need to feel guilty. He was only telling the truth.
"Sengoku, if you have the guts, come to Dressrosa and see who beats the crap out of whom." Zephyr was full of confidence, then said, "Also, since Momonga is not coming, you had better treat him well. Otherwise, I will take him away next time."
With his strength restored to its peak, was he still afraid of an old man like Sengoku?
Momonga did not know whether he truly would not go. If he really did not go, Zephyr could not let him suffer grievances in the Navy.
"Argh!"
Sengoku was so angry he was about to explode.
This guy had poached so many high-ranking officers from his Navy, and even poached people during a meeting.
Now he was threatening him to his face. It was simply unbearable.
Sengoku crushed the Den Den Mushi to pieces.
On the other hand, Momonga felt embarrassed, but also a little touched.
He had not expected Zephyr to care about him so much.
With those words from Zephyr, things would end well for him whether he went or stayed.
The Neo Navy in Dressrosa?
He was determined.
Momonga swore silently and decided to stand on the same side as Zephyr.
---
In the conference room, Sengoku was panting like a bull, his braided beard pointing upward. It was obvious he was extremely agitated.
He was not only angry at his old comrade's betrayal, he was also stung by what Zephyr had said.
Lies are not sharp swords. The truth is the sharpest knife.
It was indeed dereliction of duty for him as Fleet Admiral that he failed to withstand the pressure from the Five Elders and allowed Weevil to join the Shichibukai.
He was also partly responsible for the departure of Zephyr and those senior naval officers.
Do not blame Zephyr. Do not blame those senior officers.
If they were not disappointed in the Navy, these people would have been the Navy's most loyal force and would have died without hesitation for justice.
It was not even Caelan's fault. He only took Zephyr in.
No, that damn guy still deserved blame.
"Do you have nothing better to do than keep your eyes on the Navy's talent all day?"
Sengoku wanted to grab Caelan by the collar and demand answers.
He was truly shocked that Zephyr had been recruited to the Neo Navy in less than two days after leaving.
That efficiency, that intelligence work.
It was hard not to think Caelan was so efficient because he kept an eye on the Navy 24 hours a day.
He was worthy of being the World Government's greatest enemy. Not only was his military might terrifying, he also excelled at poaching talent.
Sengoku felt deeply that Caelan was a difficult enemy to handle, even impossible to defeat.
Under Sengoku's oppressive aura, the conference room fell silent. Everyone watched him quietly, not daring to cross him.
Finally, Tsuru spoke up. "Sengoku, say a few words. This problem must be solved."
"Mm."
Sengoku returned to his senses from his anger.
Anger could not solve anything. He still had a lot of mess to face.
"First of all, I want to apologize to all naval officers and soldiers."
Sengoku took a deep breath and bowed deeply.
His words and actions immediately changed the atmosphere in the room. Everyone looked at Sengoku as he spoke.
"It is because I am incompetent as Fleet Admiral that some of our comrades left the Navy out of frustration."
"I am apologizing not to gain your forgiveness, but to ask you to give the Navy another chance, to give this organization you have served for more than ten years, even decades, another chance."
"I will appeal to the Five Elders to depose Weevil and abolish the entire Shichibukai system. If that fails, I will step down as Fleet Admiral."
Sengoku spoke forcefully. He had already made up his mind.
Violent suppression could not solve the turnover of officers.
Only by addressing the root of the problem could he be responsible for this mistake.
Only by appealing to emotion could he win back the hearts of the Navy.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku!"
Everyone in the conference room was moved, looking at Sengoku in shock.
They had not expected the Fleet Admiral to make such a humble apology.
He guaranteed it with his position, standing on the same front as the entire Navy. This was their Fleet Admiral.
Thinking it over, it was not Sengoku's fault. Did the trouble not all start with the Five Elders?
All at once, everyone was touched. Thinking of the bonds forged over many years in the Navy, their resentment eased a lot.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku, we support you!"
Some dovish officers around Aokiji and hawkish officers led by Onigumo voiced their support together.
Tsuru looked at everyone's expressions and nodded inwardly. Sengoku's handling had reached the limit, and the effect was excellent.
"Alright, then I will not waste time. I will go to the Five Elders right now."
Sengoku knew that no matter how good the words were, they were useless without action.
Before going to the Five Elders, he made one last preparation.
"Kizaru, have the Marine Science Corps immediately block all of Zephyr's Den Den Mushi bands at Navy Headquarters."
Sengoku said through gritted teeth.
He could not let Zephyr shake morale again, or they would lose many more people.
"Understood, Fleet Admiral Sengoku."
Kizaru replied seriously.
"The meeting is adjourned. Everyone, return to your duties."
With that, Sengoku left the conference room and headed to the Red Line with heavy steps.
In the conference room, everyone departed one after another, clearly preoccupied.
Momonga quickly returned to the dormitory and packed his luggage.
His expression was complicated. If it had been before Sensei Zephyr made that phone call, he would have stayed because of Sengoku's words.
Now, it was impossible.
He took a lingering look at Navy Headquarters, then headed in the direction of the group that had left not long ago with Yamakaji.
"Tsk, my supporters went to Caelan?"
Aokiji thought gloomily.
Most of Zephyr's disciples were doves or leaning that way. Even though Zephyr hated pirates to the core in his later years, he had not pushed his students into the radicals under Akainu.
In other words, those who left were the ones who supported Aokiji to be the Fleet Admiral.
Together with the poached former admiral candidate Gion and Zephyr, Caelan had actually taken one third of the doves' strength.
This meant the gap between the doves who supported him and the hawks who supported Akainu had narrowed. Moreover, too many defections might cause a crisis of confidence in the World Government.
His Fleet Admiral position drifted further away.
Thinking of this, Aokiji felt the same pressure Sengoku did.
Akainu was not at the meeting, but Onigumo, a hardliner who shared Akainu's will, was not happy about the doves' weakening and felt equally uncomfortable.
No matter what, the doves were still the Navy. One third of their strength was one fifth of the Navy as a whole. This loss was heavy.
Even more terrifying, these people did not die. They defected to the World Government's most terrifying enemy, Caelan.
As one side grew stronger, the other declined. Caelan's power had expanded into a super force surpassing the Yonko, making it even harder for the Navy to deal with him.
"Will those two run away too?"
Onigumo thought of Sengoku and Aokiji and felt a little worried.
If both left, even if Admiral Akainu became Fleet Admiral, it would not be a happy thing.
"Why did Zephyr-sensei not call me?"
Kizaru looked gloomy on the surface, but he felt a bit regretful inside.
He was clearly also dissatisfied with Weevil joining the Shichibukai, and he had secretly seen Zephyr off.
Zephyr called so many people but not him. That was prejudice.
Although he was loyal to the Navy, why not test his firm belief, Zephyr-sensei?
If the pay was high enough and the benefits good enough, he might have agreed.
Could it be that Zephyr, the man with thick eyebrows and big eyes, took a cut from the benefits Caelan gave him?
Kizaru thought to himself.
On this day, many officers at Navy Headquarters were a bit absent-minded.
(To be continued.)
***
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