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Even the Marines and the World Government were their pawns! It was obvious without even guessing that these two were plotting something monumental!
Bullet had no desire to accidentally ruin their scheme. He was eager to see how Aizen Sōsuke would change this world!
With Bullet also gone, the pressure on the Marines eased significantly. Now, their enemies were reduced to just Auguro and his two companions.
Swoosh!
Kizaru (Borsalino) turned into a flash of golden light and instantly appeared behind Auguro. Crossing his arms, he pinched his index fingers and thumbs together, radiating blinding light.
"Yata no..."
Before he could utter the word Magatama, an icy voice rang out from directly behind him.
"Kizaru! Don't move!"
The sharp killing intent instantly froze Kizaru in place. He glanced at the man behind him and raised his hands high in a gesture of surrender.
"Oh, my, my! Is that Ben Beckman? How scary!"
Ben Beckman, the First Mate of the Red Hair Pirates, was sitting on the wreckage of a Marine battleship, his right hand holding a pistol pointed squarely at Kizaru.
As the recognized strongest First Mate of any Emperor crew, Ben Beckman's strength was considered comparable to Shanks himself.
Without such a capable subordinate, the Red Hair Pirates wouldn't have been qualified to maintain their small, elite crew structure!
"Now then, Lord Auguro," Shanks looked at Auguro solemnly.
"Can you give me face and call a truce now?"
Auguro gazed deeply at Shanks and slowly replied, "Give you face? Then, where does the dignity of my Holy Spirit Empire go?"
Even if Shanks was a Yonko, at the end of the day, he was still just a pirate. Asking the Holy Spirit Empire to compromise with a pirate? What kind of joke was that!
"If you insist on fighting, then I will simply have to intercept you." Shanks' expression remained unchanged, but he tightened his grip on his Meitō, Gryphon.
Sengoku, seeing the escalating tension, subtly moved back two steps without a word. If these two sides started fighting, no matter who won or lost, it would be excellent news for the Marines!
At this moment, the atmosphere was a powder keg.
"Lord Auguro, correct? If we fight here, the only ones who benefit will be others. Why don't you listen to my proposal?" Ben Beckman's voice suddenly cut in.
He subtly gestured with his eyes toward Sengoku and the others watching from the side. If the two sides clashed, regardless of the outcome, the Marines would surely reap the spoils! He would not allow the Navy to get an easy advantage!
Sengoku, whose hidden motive had been exposed, didn't seem annoyed. The war was coming to an end anyway. Concluding it now was acceptable to the Marines.
Auguro gave a cold smile. "I'm curious. What kind of good proposal could you possibly have?"
Ben Beckman was silent for a moment, then spoke in a deep voice, "We owe you a life debt! In the future, as long as you do not violate our principles, we can do one thing for you!"
"Is that alright, Shanks?"
Shanks nodded.
"Of course!"
The situation was different from the original timeline. Back then, the Red Hair Pirates were dealing with a heavily damaged Navy, and a mere threat was enough to ensure a compromise.
Now, the battlefield involved three major powers, and a state of mutual distrust reigned. Shanks knew that without offering some genuine sincerity, no one would be willing to give him "face"!
Hiss!
Sengoku couldn't help but twitch his brow. This was the life debt of a Yonko! If utilized properly, it could overthrow a minor nation without question!
Auguro slightly narrowed his eyes. He knew a little more than Sengoku. Shanks was a man who could speak directly with the Five Elders!
His favor was worth far more than anyone else imagined!
"Aizen Sōsuke, consider yourself lucky this time! You have so many people willing to protect you!"
At these words, both Shanks and Ben Beckman breathed a sigh of relief. It looked like the fight was off!
Aizen Sōsuke adjusted his glasses upon hearing this and smiled faintly.
"I also believe my luck is quite good! To meet so many excellent colleagues!"
Auguro looked at Aizen Sōsuke from afar, a cold glint in his eyes.
"But your luck won't last forever! Just make sure I don't find an opening!"
The three figures suddenly shot into the sky. Their ability to fly was something that filled Sengoku with unconcealed envy.
In the air, Auguro opened a Senkaimon (World-Shattering Gate), and the three instantly returned to the Seireitei (Soul Court). Auguro had originally wanted to use the Senkaimon to appear directly in Marineford to give the Marines a small shock.
However, realizing the World Government's nature, they would surely stop at nothing to seize this strategic ultimate weapon, so Auguro decided it was better to keep it secret for now.
In Marineford, Shanks, as in the original timeline, requested Whitebeard's body from Sengoku. Some hawkish officers objected, but Sengoku suppressed them.
Whitebeard was dead, and their strategic goal was largely achieved. There was no need to fight the remnants of the Whitebeard Pirates to the bitter end over a corpse.
Since he was definitely going to take the blame for the war anyway, one more or one less point of blame didn't matter now.
In a temporary office, Sengoku summoned Tsuru and Garp.
"The state of the seas is exceeding our imagination more and more. I believe that the previous plan of ours needs to be implemented ahead of schedule!"
Tsuru's eyes sharpened.
"Are you talking about the World Military Draft (Sekai Chōhei)?"
Sengoku nodded heavily.
"Whitebeard's dying words will only incite a new wave of pirates! Blackbeard is just the beginning!"
"The escaped Ace has a high chance of inheriting Whitebeard's mantle!"
"The number of powerhouses under Auguro of the Holy Spirit Empire is still unknown. He, too, is fiercely ambitious."
"Add to that the escaped convicts from Level Six of Impel Down. This world will only grow more chaotic!"
"If we Marines continue to passively recruit, waiting for people to sign up, our high-end combat strength will inevitably fall short."
"With this World Military Draft, our target is the absolute top-tier strongmen! If they are willing to join the Marines, they will be immediately commissioned as Flag Officers!"
"If their strength is sufficient, breaking the rules to promote them straight to Admiral (Taishō) is acceptable!"
Tsuru was taken aback by Sengoku's ambitious statement.
"Promote them to Admiral? Are you insane? Besides, do we still have Admiral positions?" An Admiral was not just a symbol of power but the very face of the Marines.
It was unthinkable to appoint someone who hadn't even served for a few days! That would be tantamount to telling the world that the Marines were desperate!
Sengoku, of course, knew this and waved his hand.
"Of course, I'm not saying we should appoint people to Admiral right now!"
"But in case of an emergency, this is a viable course of action!"
In the original timeline, Issho (Fujitora) and Ryokugyu (Green Bull) were directly promoted to Admiral via the World Military Draft, which was indeed an emergency situation.
The Admiral Candidates, Gion (Momousagi) and Tokikake (Chagake), were deemed slightly insufficient in strength. With Sengoku and Garp semi-retiring, Akainu promoted to Fleet Admiral, and Aokiji defecting, the Marines' high-end combat power was cut in half!
Leaving two Admiral positions vacant at that time would have been equivalent to announcing to the world, "The Marines are just a shell of their former selves; we can't even find a proper Admiral!"
This was far more dangerous than promoting two newcomers via an emergency draft.