Konoha Yellow Monkey: The salary is in place, and Wukage is useless!

Kizaru did not deceive Zephyr. After the Land of Light occupied the East Blue, Tobirama and Orochimaru proposed a plan to experiment with the Impure World Reincarnation technique in the East Blue to study the soul.

This was partly a plan devised by the Land of Light's leadership in response to the large population of the pirate world in the early stages of their arrival there.

The Land of Light has a limited number of ninjas, and it would be extremely unwise to waste them on a full-scale war with the World Government.

Therefore, the undead army resurrected through Edo Tensei became the key weapon in Tobirama's eyes for destroying the World Government's massive army.

However, similarly, the number of ninjas that can be resurrected through Edo Tensei in the Naruto world is still far from meeting Tobirama's desired number.

Therefore, it is only natural that experimenting with the Impure World Reincarnation technique in the world of One Piece, and using the huge population of this place to summon a sufficient army of immortals, has become a strategic goal of the Land of Light.

However, because this plan violated normal ethics and morality, the Land of Light has been carrying out the plan in secret, and only a few high-ranking officials know the details.

This time, Kizaru revealed some information to Zephyr, promising him a huge reward. This was a trump card he had prepared specifically because he took into account Zephyr's enormous influence on the Marines.

Zephyr's reaction was exactly as Kizaru had expected. As soon as Kizaru spoke, the old man, who had just been showing signs of decline, suddenly became excited.

Seeing Zephyr's almost uncontrollable excitement, Kizaru raised his hand and pressed down repeatedly, signaling the veteran admiral to calm down.

At Kizaru's prompting, Zephyr did gradually regain some composure, but he still couldn't hide his excitement and asked in a trembling voice, "Is what you're saying true? Can you really do it?"

"In principle, the technology we have now is capable of doing it. The difficulty we are currently overcoming is how to accurately locate the soul of the deceased and fully summon it." Kizaru explained to Zephyr in relatively simple terms, and Zephyr's excited expression gradually turned into one of hesitation and unease.

"Have you solved these problems? Do you need any help?" Zepha asked cautiously.

“We’ve found a solution, so don’t worry. Overcoming these problems is just a matter of time. As for helping? Your survival and helping Aokiji rebuild the new Navy is the greatest help you can give to the Land of Light,” Kizaru reassured Zephyr.

With Kizaru's assurance, Zephyr's initial unease subsided somewhat. He glanced at Aokiji beside Kizaru, then looked back at Kizaru, gritting his teeth as he said, "As long as you can."

Before Zephyr could finish speaking, Kizaru interrupted him with a wave of his hand. He said to Zephyr, "We are not an organization like the World Government. We invite you to join the new Navy because we hope you can agree with our ideals, not just be someone who needs our help. We want like-minded partners, not yes-men who can be manipulated."

Zeff was stunned by Kizaru's words. He stood there blankly, looking at Kizaru with some surprise. At this moment, he began to truly believe that Kizaru and his Land of Light might be able to accomplish the magnificent feat he described.

Under Zephyr's gaze, Kizaru stood up from the wooden chair for the first time. He threw his half-burnt cigar at his feet, then walked to Zephyr's side, raised his hand and patted him on the shoulder, "Take your disciple and go to the East Blue to have a good look, go to the Land of Light to have a good look."

After saying that, Kizaru ignored Zephyr's reaction, put his hands in his pockets, and left the bar alone, leaving Zephyr and Aokiji alone.

After watching Kizaru disappear from sight, Aokiji turned to Zephyr. When their eyes met, he suddenly didn't know what to say. He scratched his head and then said in his usual lazy tone, "Zeff-sensei, would you like me to be your guide?"

Zephyr shook his head in refusal. Having experienced both great joy and sorrow, and having listened to Kizaru's description of the great cause and pure spirit, his feelings were extremely complex. There was excitement, a touch of unease, joy, and a lingering anger. These conflicting emotions swirled within him, requiring him more time to process the information and emotions of the day. He refused, saying, "I want to stay on the island for a few days, to properly adjust my mindset before setting off again. This time, I will personally witness the changes in the East Blue and measure the lives of ordinary people with my own footsteps."

After Zephyr finished speaking, he sat back down in his seat and waved for Aokiji to leave.

Seeing this, Aokiji stopped trying to persuade him and walked away from Zephyr, leaving the bar.

Under the shade of a tree at the entrance to the alley next to the bar, Kizaru leaned against the tree trunk, resting with his eyes closed. After Aokiji came out, Kizaru opened his eyes and said with a smile, "Now, you can focus on finding your future base!"

Aokiji sighed, tilted his head back and moved it from side to side, then walked up to Kizaru. "Isn't this your job?"

"Didn't I help you finish your work?" Kizaru retorted.

Aokiji was speechless for a moment, and could only reply, "I need the help of your men."

“Of course.” As he spoke, Kizaru tossed a Den Den Mushi to Aokiji. “This is the phone number of the head of the Land of Light’s intelligence department in the New World. You can communicate with him, and he will help you find a suitable island.”

"Your tentacles really reach far," Aokiji said, his tone a mix of praise and sarcasm.

Kizaru smiled slightly and replied with a touch of domineering arrogance: "The Land of Light's goal from the very beginning has been this sea, and our actions have always been commensurate with our vision and ambition."

"That's really scary!" Aokiji muttered, just about to continue discussing some follow-up details with Kizaru, when he realized Kizaru had disappeared. He couldn't help but repeat, "That's really terrifying!"

In the following days, with the help of the intelligence department, Aokiji began to observe the island and the activities of the people on it.

Meanwhile, after a few days of rest and recuperation, Zefa, with a completely new mindset, led his disciples back to his ship, which had been repaired and was now brand new.

This time, he is embarking on a new journey in life for himself and for a greater cause.

Zephyr wasn't the only one embarking on a new journey. In the first half of the Grand Line, after gradually mastering the power of the Momo-Momo Fruit and skillfully combining it with his clay techniques, Deidara, confident in his strength, did something big that would propel his pirate career into a new phase.

The day before Zephyr set sail, Deidara, riding a clay bird, attacked the escorting navy transporting the Celestial Gold, nearly destroying the entire navy fleet and the convoy transporting the Celestial Gold with a giant clay bomb amplified a hundredfold.

Under Deidara's attack, nearly 70% of the Celestial Gold exploded and fell into the sea, falling into the hands of Kisame and his Fishman Pirates who were already waiting underwater.

Deidara and Kisame secretly collaborated to create such a shocking case, not for the sake of the enormous wealth of the Heavenly Gold. They acted simply because they wanted to.

Kisame had long been disgusted with the World Government's oppression and plunder of fish-men and mermaids after witnessing it, while Deidara was simply looking for excitement and attention.

Having just mastered the power of the Momo-Momo Fruit, he naturally wanted to make a name for himself on the high seas.

Thus, with different purposes but the same loathing for the World Government, Deidara and Kisame secretly formed a partnership.

Deidara made his move and stole the limelight, while Kisame lurked in the sea, reaping the treasure. At the same time, they planned to send most of the treasure to the East Blue, which became the content of their cooperation.

Judging from the outcome, both of them achieved their goals. After this battle, Deidara became famous throughout the world and was known as a daring figure and the new destroyer of the world by countless forces.

With Kisame's covert cooperation, a large amount of treasure was amassed. Even though nearly 90% of this treasure was to be transported to the East Blue, the remaining less than 10% was still an astonishing fortune that could greatly improve the living conditions of the fish-people Kisame had targeted.

In Mary Geoise, the holy land where the World Government headquarters is located, the newly appointed Fleet Admiral left the Five Elders' meeting hall with a distorted and ferocious expression, his face contorted with extreme anger and resentment.

As the Fleet Admiral, Akainu naturally bears the majority of the responsibility for the attack on the Celestial Tribute. After all, the escort team composed of the Navy was responsible for transporting the Celestial Tribute, and Akainu, as the Fleet Admiral, naturally has the responsibility to ensure that the Celestial Tribute is successfully delivered to the World Government.

This time, the naval fleet escorting the Celestial Gold was almost completely wiped out, and nearly 70% of the Celestial Gold was lost in the deep sea. Such a huge loss is truly painful for the World Government and the Navy, and it has even reached the point of affecting the government's finances.

Faced with the Five Elders' scathing rebuke and the decision to cut the Navy's military budget, Akainu had no excuse to refute them. In the Five Elders' meeting room, he was scolded like a dog.

Such humiliation pushed Akainu's pent-up anger to its limit. Unable to vent his rage on the Five Elders and the World Government, he could only target Deidara, the perpetrator of this shocking incident.

This audacious bastard must face the iron fist of the Navy!
Upon leaving the Holy Land and returning to Marine Headquarters, Akainu immediately raised Deidara's bounty to 3 billion. At the same time, in order to ensure that Deidara, this threat, was completely eliminated, Akainu summoned his most trusted and valued subordinate, the newly appointed Admiral Hashirama.

"Hashirama, you should already know about the Heavenly Gold. Extremely evil individuals like Deidara, the Destroyer of Kingdoms, must be eliminated. From now on, you have only one mission: to hunt down Deidara, the Destroyer of Kingdoms. The Navy and the World Government's intelligence agencies will provide you with full assistance."

As Hashirama entered the Fleet Admiral's office, he had already anticipated this. Upon hearing Akainu's order, his outward expression was serious, but inwardly he felt somewhat helpless. He was also troubled by the extreme actions of this junior from the Land of Light! (End of Chapter)