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Hearing Crocodile’s words, Urouge, standing nearby, asked the two with some confusion, “Captain, do you mean that when Akainu returns to Navy Headquarters, there might be upheaval?”

Ian didn’t respond verbally, but his heavy nod spoke volumes.

“That’s unlikely, isn’t it?” Law interjected. “Even if Akainu is dissatisfied, Aokiji has already become Fleet Admiral. He wouldn’t blatantly challenge his superior, would he?”

“You’re mistaken,” Ian corrected. “It’s not about defying Aokiji; it’s quite likely that Akainu will challenge him outright to reclaim the Fleet Admiral position!” Ian continued, “Sengoku probably thought like you do, believing that once the position was established, Akainu would accept it. But I think Sengoku underestimated Akainu’s ambition. Don’t forget, Akainu is a fiercely loyal guard dog with strong backing among the World Government’s upper echelons. Moreover, Sengoku’s decision to appoint Aokiji in Akainu’s absence is hardly standard procedure, which will surely lead to major trouble down the line.”

Ian speculated that if the situation were reversed—if Akainu had become Fleet Admiral while Aokiji was injured—Aokiji might have accepted it due to his personality. However, in Akainu’s case…

With a sigh, Ian predicted that the battle for the Fleet Admiral position between Akainu and Aokiji might indeed happen again. And even if Aokiji were to defeat the now-arm-less Akainu, he might still not secure the position due to the upper echelons of the World Government’s strong opposition. They might go to great lengths to obstruct him.

Regardless of whether Aokiji would actually fight Akainu, he would become the loser in this scenario! Sengoku’s final move before his retirement was indeed a misstep; he had acted too hastily.

This outcome was anticipated not just by Ian and his crew but by many others as well.

As expected, roughly two weeks after Aokiji took on the role of Fleet Admiral, Akainu returned post-surgery!

Upon his return, Akainu did not go to pay his respects to the new Fleet Admiral Aokiji but went straight to Mariejois to meet with the Five Elders.

Soon after, World Government officials, accompanied by Akainu, arrived at Navy Headquarters, Marineford, and presented Aokiji with a proposition. They used the excuse that Akainu was absent when Aokiji was appointed, thus suggesting the necessity to reselect a new Fleet Admiral. They proposed a seemingly fair solution: if Aokiji was dissatisfied with this decision, he could duel Akainu, with the victor taking command of the Navy!

One can only imagine Aokiji’s fury at that moment. This situation was even more infuriating to Aokiji than their original battle to decide the Fleet Admiral position.

The original duel between the two could still be considered a fair fight, but this time, it had turned into a massive scandal. Even Sengoku was alarmed and angrily confronted the Five Elders, protesting against their backtracking.

However, since Sengoku had completely retired after handing over his duties to Aokiji, his opinions were no longer valued by the World Government. Although the Five Elders spoke to him kindly to appease his anger, they did not change their decision.

This incident caused an uproar within the entire Navy Headquarters but left Aokiji completely disheartened.

He was no fool and could clearly see that the World Government wanted a compliant Navy that they could control. The position of Fleet Admiral, which sounded so significant, was, in the eyes of the World Government, just another department under their jurisdiction. Hence, their capricious and childish decision-making!

Before becoming Fleet Admiral, Aokiji might not have thought much of it, but now that he had already assumed the role, being pulled down by the World Government filled him with immense humiliation.

“There’s no need for a duel!” Aokiji, having calmed down, rejected the Five Elders’ suggestion with a blank expression and said, “I resign from the position of Fleet Admiral and from my role as an Admiral!”

After dropping this statement, Aokiji left Navy Headquarters without another word.

Having seen through the true nature of the World Government, how could he foolishly agree to a duel with Akainu? He understood that no matter whether he won or lost, he wouldn’t secure the position. So, he decisively walked away!

This incident had an extremely severe impact within the Navy, far worse than the duel between the two that originally determined the Fleet Admiral position. Aokiji had essentially been pulled down from his position by Akainu!

To many, this method was utterly disgraceful!

Following Aokiji’s departure, numerous high-ranking officers within the Navy surprisingly resigned simultaneously. This included fifteen lieutenant commanders, six colonels, and three rear admirals—all of whom had been directly under Aokiji. This time, they chose to leave with him!

Smoker was among them! And so was Kuina!

There was no need to say much about Smoker; he had always had the best relationship with Aokiji and had long been discontented with some of the World Government’s actions. His resignation was a way to express his dissatisfaction with the World Government.

As for Kuina, she understood that because of her actions on the battlefield, she would definitely be targeted by Akainu once he became Fleet Admiral!

Thus, a significant turning point occurred here. In the original timeline, although Aokiji also left the Navy after losing the duel, he did so alone. This time, however, several subordinates chose to follow him!

This marked the first time in Navy history that a split had occurred. Although the scale wasn’t large, the impact was severe. It caught the World Government completely off guard and even shocked Ian.

Aokiji served as Fleet Admiral for only fifteen days before being forced to resign, making him the shortest-serving Fleet Admiral in Navy history. When this explosive news spread worldwide through the newspapers, pirates mocked the situation wildly, while ordinary people were left with a sense of gloom.

They didn’t fully understand the actions of the World Government, but driving away a Navy Admiral was something everyone could see. The Navy not only lost in the war but was now seemingly self-destructing!

However, Akainu himself didn’t see it that way, and neither did the World Government. Although Aokiji left in anger, the world would keep turning without him. Moreover, his departure wasn’t without its benefits. At least within the Navy, there would now be a unified voice!

The remaining Admiral, Kizaru, although unreliable, knows how to adapt to the situation. He didn’t show any intention of competing with Akainu for the position of Fleet Admiral. With no conflicting opinions to hinder him, Akainu felt he could completely control the Navy and began implementing sweeping reforms.

Deeply feeling the lack of high-level combat power during the war, he proposed to the World Government the idea of increasing the number of Admirals to five and filling the vacant Shichibukai positions. He believed that despite the war’s failure, the Navy needed to appear even stronger at such a time.

The World Government, also concerned about the increasingly rampant pirate activities, supported this proposal. As a result, Vice Admirals Momousagi and Chaton, who had been groomed as reserve forces, smoothly ascended to the rank of Admirals. Additionally, the Navy’s global conscription plan was also initiated, with the aim of finding two powerful individuals from among civilians to complete the Admiral ranks.

Regarding Akainu’s plan, the retired Sengoku and Garp watched coldly from the sidelines. They now felt a sense of disillusionment and chose not to express any opinions.

When Ian heard the news, the Dragon Hunter Pirates had already returned to Travolta and were now sailing in the New World, searching for the enormous ship of the Golden Emperor, Tezoro. It was time to exchange the gold they had brought back from Skypia.

The completely different storyline from his memory, now gone haywire, left Ian dumbfounded. Initially, he felt it was a good thing that Aokiji didn’t duel with Akainu and thus wasn’t injured. However, the fact that Smoker and Kuina had also followed Aokiji in leaving was something Ian hadn’t anticipated. He had thought Kuina would continue to stay in the Navy.

Ian knew very well that the Navy’s plan to fill the Shichibukai positions was underway. In that case, Whitebeard’s so-called “son,” Edward Weevil, might still become one of the Shichibukai. However, his addition would dishearten Admiral Zephyr, causing him to leave in anger. At that point, Zephyr’s Marine guerrilla unit would follow him, transforming into the Neo Marines.

Does this mean that, with Zephyr’s departure, there would be two new naval forces emerging on the sea?

The fact that the Navy was expanding to five Admirals also surprised Ian. With Fujitora having joined his pirate crew, he wondered what kind of individuals the Navy’s global conscription would bring in as the new Admirals.

Ian also understood that people like Aokiji and Zephyr, even after leaving the Navy, wouldn’t stoop to becoming pirates. Nevertheless, Ian felt it was necessary to get in touch with Aokiji and Zephyr. So, he wrote a letter and sent someone to find Aokiji and deliver it, intending to invite Aokiji to have some fun at the world’s largest casino…