One Piece: Starting as a Marine Lieutenant, I Slack Off and Get Stronger

If we disregard the casualties caused by Whitebeard, the number of Marines who died at the hands of Whitebeard's crew members was not many, less than 3000.

What does this mean? Karl's abilities played a crucial role. It was because of his existence that the Navy's casualties were not too high; otherwise, the number of deaths would have doubled.

.......

"Now that Lieutenant General Karl has finished speaking, I'll say a few more words. I'd like to announce something important to everyone."

The navy personnel present immediately sat up straight and pricked up their ears.

"Gentlemen, I, Sengoku, have been a member of the Navy for almost half a century. From an ordinary naval soldier to the Fleet Admiral, I have dedicated my life to the righteous cause of fighting pirates. Now, it's time for me to take a break and hand over my position to the younger generation."

A commotion erupted in the conference room as the naval officers and soldiers whispered and discussed amongst themselves.

"Marshal of the Warring States Period, why?!"

"The navy clearly won this war, so why... resign from the position of Fleet Admiral?"

"Quiet!"

"It was because I defeated the Whitebeard Pirates that I made up my mind to resign from the position of Fleet Admiral."

"Roger, Shiki, Newgate, these pirates of the old era have all fallen from grace, and it's time for me, a marine of the old era, to step down as well."

"Three days from now, I will travel to the Holy Land of Mary Geoise to resign my position as Fleet Admiral from the World Government. As for the selection of the new Fleet Admiral..."

"We will let you know in a while."

After saying that, Sengoku left without looking back, leaving the navy personnel present completely bewildered.

Even Ain couldn't help but ask, "Hey, what's with the Sengoku commander's mystery? Doesn't he think highly of Admiral Aokiji? Why doesn't he just say so?"

Karl put his arm around Ain's shoulder and said calmly, "He won't reveal any information until things settle down. Don't look at me, I don't know either. Let's leave it to fate!"

Ain nodded as if she understood, then looked around furtively, smiling at Karl with her eyes crinkling into crescents.

"Hey, no matter who becomes marshal, there'll always be a vacancy for a general, right? So, I'll have to call you General Karl, no, General White Raven then?"

Carl grinned: "Hehe, that's right. You'd better hurry up and try to curry favor with me, or I'll make things difficult for you in the future!"

"Hmph! I'm not afraid of you! I'm a lieutenant general, what can you do if I don't listen to you?"

Carl glared fiercely at Ain: "Then you're finished. I'll show you what it means to be a petty wretch!"

......

The news of the Navy's great victory in the war against the Whitebeard Pirates quickly spread throughout the world, and the war became known as the Marineford War.

This is absolutely fantastic news for anyone who hates pirates.

"Hahaha, I knew it! How could pirates possibly defeat the Navy! Now look what's happened! The Pirate King's sinful bloodline has been executed, and Whitebeard is dead. The Navy is truly formidable!"

"Who says otherwise! It's said that the Red-Haired Pirates also came to this war, but they just didn't fight with the Navy."

"Really? How did you know that?"

Of course, not everyone was so optimistic, especially the residents of the New World.

When Whitebeard was around, the Four Emperors only had minor conflicts and didn't fight each other to the point of a full-blown war, since their territories were already divided up.

With Whitebeard dead, can the remaining members of the Whitebeard Pirates still hold onto Whitebeard's territory?

I'm afraid the remaining three sea emperors will fight tooth and nail over this!

In that case, the new world will descend into chaos again.

Three days later, Mary Geoise.

"Zhan Guo, are you really going to resign? Aren't you going to reconsider?"

That's what they said, but there was absolutely no hint of trying to persuade them to stay.

"No need. I've already thought it through. The end of the Whitebeard Pirates is a perfect ending to my naval career. It's time to hand over my position to the younger generation."

The blond old man said calmly, "In that case, do you have any recommendations for the next Fleet Admiral?"

Sengoku replied without hesitation, "I recommend Kuzan. He's the most popular choice in the Navy and has many supporters..."

"If you were to ask which of the three admirals is most suitable to become the Fleet Admiral, I would say Kuzan is the best choice."

The five elders exchanged glances, then the bald elder said calmly, "Kuzan? We know, but we also have a candidate to recommend. What do you think of Sakazuki?"

Sengoku frowned: "Sakazuki? No, I don't think highly of him. His personality is too radical. If he becomes the Fleet Admiral, he might lead the Navy to extremes. The Navy doesn't need an extremely radical Fleet Admiral to lead them right now."

"Because the navy is now the overlord of the seas!" Sengoku said with great confidence.

Ever since witnessing Karl's abilities during the Marineford War, he has been absolutely certain that as long as Karl is there, the Navy will be invincible, with Whitebeard serving as a cautionary tale.

"Are you so confident?"

“I have confidence in Carl. Oh, I forgot to tell you, Carl also thinks that Kuzan is more suitable to be the Fleet Admiral.”

"What do you mean by that? Are you threatening us?"

Sengoku gave a faint smile: "No, I'm just stating the facts."

After saying this, Sengoku turned and left. The Five Elders looked at each other, understanding what Sengoku meant.

Besides being a naval hero, Carl was also the world's richest man, and what he wanted made Carl unhappy...

Chapter 287 The Five Elders' Open Scheme

After Zhan Guo left, the bald old man snorted coldly.

"Sengoku is becoming more and more annoying."

"Jaygor Lucia Satan Saint," the old man in a black suit, with white curly hair, a bushy white beard, a flat cap, and a scar on his left cheek, said calmly.

"After all, he has stepped down from his post, so he can speak without any restraint. However, the Navy's reputation has indeed been soaring recently, and it is probably not just because of Karl."

"Do you think it's possible that the Navy wants to break away from the World Government?"

The blond middle-aged man frowned: "Hiss~ Now that you mention it, it does seem like that's a possibility."

"The reason why the Navy did not dare to operate independently from the World Government before was firstly because it could not afford the high military expenses, and secondly because it was wary of that person's existence."

"Now..."

The old man, with a mustache shaped like the number eight and a birthmark on his forehead, said in a deep voice, "The key is this Karl. He controls the business of Holy Light Shells, which is an industry worth nearly a trillion Berries. The money he has accumulated over the years could probably buy half the world."

"If he's willing to support naval independence, there's really nothing we can do unless we wake up that sir to put pressure on the navy."

"No, it's not the right time yet. If we awaken Lord Im, how will we explain it to him?"

"Indeed! Even Roger's appearance wasn't enough to make Lord Im take action, let alone the Navy?"

"What should we do then? We can't just let the navy shit on our heads, can we?"

Jaigolusia Satan coughed and squinted at the distance: "Now we only have one option left."

"any solution?"

“Sakazuki, as long as he becomes the Fleet Admiral, we still have room to maneuver. But if Kuzan becomes the Fleet Admiral, things will be very difficult.”

“I’ll send someone to summon Sakaski right away.”

"No! A phone call will suffice. In the current situation, we can't show any bias."

......

The first half of the Grand Line.

"Bulu Bulu~"

"I am Sakazuki, just say what you want to say!"

"Sakazuki, what have you thought about what we discussed before? If you agree, we will go against all opposition and give you the qualifications to compete for the position of Fleet Admiral. As for whether you can become Fleet Admiral, that depends on your abilities."

Sakazuki slowly closed his eyes, and after a long silence, he said, "I...agree."

"Haha, congratulations on making the right choice."

The next day.

The news of Sengoku's resignation as Fleet Admiral spread throughout the seas, causing a wave of regret among the people. However, what interested them even more was the selection of the next Fleet Admiral: would it be Admiral Aokiji or Admiral Akainu?

As for Kizaru, sorry, no such person exists.

This has nothing to do with the ape.

Marineford's situation is slightly better than it was a few days ago, but not by much, because Whitebeard has destroyed its "foundation." It will probably sink into the sea soon, and the Marine Headquarters will have to be moved sooner or later; it's just a matter of time.

Temporary meeting room.

"I've called the three of you here today, so you should know what I'm going to say, right?"

Yuanzi yawned: "I understand, Mr. Zhan Guo. Unfortunately, this matter doesn't seem to have anything to do with me! Should I take my leave?"

Sengoku shook his head helplessly, waved his hand, and signaled the ape to get lost.

Without any hesitation, the ape left.

"I have stepped down as Admiral of the Navy. Now is the time for handover. The next Admiral of the Navy will be chosen from the two of you."

"To be honest, with your abilities, you two are more than qualified to be Fleet Admirals. After all, I've watched you grow up."

"However, I also have my own considerations."