When the middle-aged man spoke, every vice admiral in the office looked his way.
And in their eyes, you could see a hint of fear.
Yes, even vice admirals had people they were afraid of.
The man was Ijima, chief of the World Government's Criminal Investigation Department, nicknamed "Black Horse."
He looked to be about fifty, with a stone-cold expression and an intimidating presence.
The World Government had given him immense power, putting him on par with—or even above—a Navy Admiral.
If this man decided you were a problem, he could make your life hell, even if you were a vice admiral who had done nothing wrong.
Brannew glanced at Fleet Admiral Akainu.
Seeing his boss remain silent, he answered.
"Yes. The Red Hair Pirates lost several key members, all taken down by Fleet Admiral Sakazuki. That includes Ben Beckman, Limejuice and Bonk Punch. However, if you count the Buggy Pirates who just joined them, their overall strength has actually gone up, not down. Plus, the old members of the Roger Pirates will almost certainly side with Shanks, since they were on the same crew."
Black Horse nodded, his face was unreadable.
"So, the Red Hair crew's top fighters are Shanks, Rayleigh, and Gaban. If Hawkeye is still alive, he counts too. And they have over 40,000 pirates under their command. What about the Beast God Pirates?"
Brannew continued, "Their strongest are Caesar, Kaido, Charlotte Linlin, Katakuri, and Ganzui. They have less than 100,000 pirates under them."
"And Blackbeard?" Black Horse asked.
"Blackbeard lost some of his strongest captains: Vasco Shot, Catarina Devon, Shiryu of the Rain, Lafitte, and Avalo Pizarro are all dead. He's still got Van Augur, Doc Q, and Sanjuan Wolf. He also controls two large fleets and about 20,000 pirates."
"Shiryu is dead? Hmph, good riddance," Black Horse sneered.
"If he hadn't died out there, I would have dragged that traitor back to Mary Geoise myself and let Vegapunk tear him apart."
A flicker of killing intent crossed his face before he continued.
"So, the power in the New World has shifted. The Four Emperors are now the Three Emperors. It looks like the Red Hair and Beast God pirates have the advantage, while Blackbeard is much weaker. Is this good or bad? Should we try to prop up a new Emperor to get things back to how they were?"
"There's no need!"
Fujitora, who had been silent the whole time, suddenly spoke up, his firm voice surprising Black Horse.
He was covered in bandages from the wounds Ganzui's sword had given him.
A patch of his scalp had been sliced clean off, staining the gauze red.
"Three emperors, four, six—it doesn't matter," Fujitora said gravely. "As long as one crew doesn't completely dominate the New World, a new balance will form on its own. Right now, we shouldn't just be focused on pirates. The Revolutionary Army's rebellion has spread to over forty countries. During the World Conference, eight more nations used the chaos to rebel and fall under the Revolutionary Army's control. They're chipping away at the World Government's territory, and that's not good."
Black Horse raised an eyebrow, as he spoke with a mocking tone in his voice.
"Fujitora, I thought you hated the World Government. Why do you suddenly care so much? That doesn't sound like you."
The words hung in the air, and the entire office went quiet.
Everyone knew the Navy had its issues with the World Government.
Even Fleet Admirals and Admirals had to answer to them and follow their rules.
The Seven Warlords system had made that tension worse than ever, so bad that Fujitora and Akainu had openly argued about it in Dressrosa.
Still, hearing Black Horse say it so bluntly put everyone on edge.
"I'm not worried about the World Government."
Fujitora's response hit like a thunderclap, making the vice admirals turn pale.
Black Horse's expression didn't change.
"I'm thinking about the people in those war-torn countries, the civilians who are suffering," Fujitora went on.
"I don't care about history or who did what in the past. I only care about now. As long as the World Government's rules can keep some kind of peace in the world, then that 'peace at a cost' is better than a glorious war that leaves everyone dead!"
Black Horse was silent for a long moment before a slow smile spread across his face, breaking the heavy tension in the room.
The vice admirals let out a quiet sigh of relief.
"'Peace at a cost.' Well said, Fujitora. Very well. Let the Three Emperors fight it out. The Navy can go a little easier on the Blackbeard Pirates while putting pressure on Shanks and Caesar. Keep the three of them balanced until we deal with the Revolutionary Army."
With that, Black Horse stood up and clapped his hands once.
As the sound died down, the office door swung open, and four men in different masks walked in.
Akainu loudly lit a thick cigar and took a deep drag.
"What's the meaning of this?"
Black Horse smiled. "With the loss of Sengoku and Garp, the higher-ups have decided to send four of their best CP0 agents to help you deal with the pirates in the New World."
"We don't need them."
Black Horse had expected them to be grateful, but Akainu shut him down instantly.
'Is he serious?' Akainu thought.
'Does he think I'm an idiot? Sending CP0 agents now is just a move to take control of the Navy.'
He knew exactly what the men at the top were trying to do.
Now that the Warlord system was gone, the Navy finally had a chance to push back against the World Government.
Black Horse's smile vanished. "Akainu," he said, his voice cold as ice.
"Do you think this is a discussion? It's an order. You will accept it. Look at the state of you all! One by one, injured and beaten. You look like refugees, not the Navy's strongest fighters. You're in no shape to handle the New World right now!"
BANG!
The deafening crash made everyone jump.
Akainu had slammed his fist on the table, shooting to his feet to glare at Black Horse.
"You think a few worthless crooks can handle the New World? You think a monster like Caesar is a clown like Buggy? Stop hiding behind your 'orders' and tell me what you really want!"
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