Fleet Admiral Akainu did not intend to let Kizaru off the hook so easily. The heavy atmosphere inside the massive office at Marineford felt suffocating. Smoke from Akainu's cigar drifted toward the ceiling as he glared down at the nonchalant Admiral sitting across from his mahogany desk.
"Borsalino, I made it perfectly clear that a successful mission would yield substantial bonuses. But your mission failed, and the entire world is watching our every move right now. The Marines must maintain a strict system of rewards and punishments to keep order. I am deducting one month of your salary as a formal warning to the others."
Kizaru simply stared back with a completely dumbfounded expression.
He could hardly believe what he was hearing. Not only was he losing out on his promised bonus for fighting a monster like Douglas Bullet, but his actual base wages were being deducted as well. It meant he essentially worked this entire month for absolutely nothing.
At that exact moment, Kizaru recalled the mocking words Carl had spoken to him during their previous encounter. The lightning swordsman had laughed and asked why he worked so hard for a mere few million Berries a month.
When Kizaru thought about it carefully, the pirate actually made a valid point. It felt completely unreasonable to expect an Admiral to deal with absolute monsters like the Emperors of the Sea for such a meager monthly salary, only to have that same money deducted whenever a highly dangerous mission went wrong. He felt a fleeting urge to throw his Marine coat on the floor and tell Akainu to give the job to whoever else wanted to deal with these headaches.
That rebellious thought flashed through his mind, but Kizaru ultimately just sighed and leaned back into his comfortable chair. Although the job often felt like it demanded superhuman effort, the overall wages were still quite high. The position also came with excellent allowances, and the World Government provided secure arrangements and comfortable lives for his relatives. Because of those practical benefits, resigning was basically impossible for him. He was not like Aokiji, who was a free-spirited bachelor capable of simply walking away from the organization without a second thought.
"Now, let us move on to the main topic of this gathering."
Akainu continued the meeting and gestured to the scattered documents on his desk.
"We discussed the urgent need for new Seven Warlords of the Sea candidates during our previous session. You all should have submitted the lists you prepared. We will make a comprehensive summary today and see which pirate holds the most votes among us."
As soon as the Fleet Admiral finished speaking, the other high-ranking Marine officers in the room silently handed their paperwork forward.
Kizaru sat stunned for a brief moment before he remembered that the current roster for the Seven Warlords of the Sea was severely lacking in numbers. It made sense that headquarters needed to select fresh blood to fill the empty seats.
He just never expected Akainu to choose the replacements through a simple voting process. In the past, Sengoku always made those critical decisions after holding long, private consultations directly with the World Government. Putting such a massive decision to a vote felt highly unusual.
However, when Kizaru thought about the current state of the world, the new method felt somewhat natural. The pirate era was blooming wildly like a hundred flowers, placing an unprecedented amount of pressure on the Marines. The recent formation of the Six Emperors pattern in the New World had dealt a massive and humiliating blow to the overall reputation of the World Government.
Selecting a truly qualified new Warlord under such chaotic circumstances proved to be an extremely difficult task. The World Government held very high requirements for the position. The first requirement demanded overwhelming personal combat strength. The second requirement dictated that the pirate must command a powerful and influential crew. The third requirement was that the individual had to possess enough notoriety to act as a sufficient deterrent across the seas.
A candidate only really needed to meet one of those three points to be considered, but finding anyone who fit the bill right now felt nearly impossible. Aside from the infamous Supernovas from the Worst Generation, there were simply no other notable pirates left to choose from.
The high command placed the blame entirely on the Straw Hat Pirates for being far too terrifying. When compared to Luffy's crew, every other pirate group instantly looked weak and incompetent. Even the most famous Supernovas were completely overshadowed by the massive bounties and feats of the Straw Hats.
The Seven Warlords of the Sea existed to cooperate with the Marines and form a delicate tripartite balance of power against the Emperors of the Sea. Right now, there was simply no newcomer capable of taking over that heavy burden.
As Kizaru watched the papers being collected, another thought crossed his mind. He thought about his fellow Admiral, Fujitora.
Kizaru remembered clearly that Issho remained entirely committed to completely abolishing the Warlord system. The terrible tragedies caused by Crocodile in Alabasta and Doflamingo in Dressrosa already proved the deep harm the system inflicted upon innocent civilians.
By actively trying to fill the empty Warlord seats, Akainu was undoubtedly delivering a massive slap to Issho's face. To make matters even worse, Issho was currently stationed in Dressrosa, dealing with the direct aftermath of a Warlord's cruelty.
Kizaru would not feel surprised at all if Issho immediately resigned from his position as a Marine Admiral the moment he heard this news. If the blind swordsman realized that his personal brand of justice could never be achieved within the organization, he would see no reason to stay.
"Borsalino, do you have a specific candidate in mind?"
Akainu looked down at the submitted lists of pirates and clearly felt very dissatisfied with the meager options. He had no choice but to ask the yellow-suited Admiral for his input.
Kizaru simply shrugged his shoulders and looked back at the Fleet Admiral.
"I do not have anyone in mind. But tell me, Sakazuki, do you plan on explaining this decision to Issho?"
For a long moment, the entire office fell terribly quiet. The only sound was the faint crackle of Akainu's burning cigar. Everyone in the room turned to look at Kizaru in shock, and then they slowly turned their heads to look at Akainu, silently waiting for the Fleet Admiral's answer.
Kizaru had just voiced the exact question that many of the other officers desperately wanted to ask.
Many people at headquarters knew exactly how persistent Issho was regarding the total abolition of the Warlord system. Now that the organization was already half-empty, and no suitable replacements could be found anywhere on the Grand Line, it seemed like the perfect opportunity to finally dismantle it. However, neither the Marines nor the upper echelons of the World Government actually wanted to abolish it. Instead, they wanted to complete the roster once again. What would Issho think when he learned about this? Would he conclude that the Marines were hopelessly corrupt and decide it was no longer worth staying?
"I will explain this matter to Issho personally when the time is right. If you do not have a candidate to offer, then keep your mouth shut."
Akainu's complexion darkened significantly.
Kizaru's casual words had directly poked Akainu in a very sore spot. The truth was that Akainu also wanted to abolish the Warlord system. He hated relying on criminal scum just as much as Issho did.
However, the Five Elders and the World Government strictly refused to agree to such a drastic change. The Marines were under immense global pressure due to the new Six Emperors structure, so Akainu could not act recklessly. The Warlord system had to remain strictly in place until the day the World Government finally decided it was obsolete.
Kizaru just shrugged again and stopped talking.
The lengthy meeting ultimately failed to select a single suitable candidate. The officers felt that choosing the current crop of weak pirates would be even more unreliable than trusting Crocodile had been, which was a terrible standard to set. Feeling completely helpless, headquarters decided the matter had to be postponed until a truly qualified candidate finally appeared on the sea.
Meanwhile, deep in the treacherous waters of the New World, the Straw Hat Pirates sailed steadily toward their next destination.
Luffy had cheerfully chosen the needle on the Log Pose that wobbled the most violently. Even though almost everyone else on the crew wanted to object to heading toward obvious danger, they knew they could not change his mind. When the captain decided to mess around and seek out an adventure, it became an absolute order that the crew had to follow.
Fortunately, Luffy and Carl had almost fully recovered from their severe battle injuries over the past few days. Because their two strongest fighters were back in top form, the rest of the crew did not worry too much about facing sudden danger.
On this particular afternoon, the Thousand Sunny and the accompanying submarine finally arrived in a very strange sea area.
The bright sky and the sparkling ocean suddenly became pitch black. A heavy, dangerous aura began to permeate the surrounding air. The thick pressure made the more timid people aboard the ship tremble uncontrollably.
"Hey guys, there is an island straight ahead!"
Usopp yelled as he rapidly slid down from the crow's nest. He landed heavily on the grassy deck, and his eyes were wide with pure terror.
"It is an absolutely terrifying island! We need to turn around right now!"
Luffy immediately jumped up and down with a massive grin on his face.
"A scary island? That sounds amazing! I wonder what kind of awesome adventures are waiting for us in a place like that. Franky, push the Sunny to full speed!"
Nami completely ignored the noisy and excited captain. She quickly grabbed Usopp by the arm and pulled him aside. She could not help but feel a deep sense of dread when she saw how badly the sniper was trembling.
"Usopp, what exactly did you see up there? Why do you look so incredibly scared?"
"You will understand as soon as you see it for yourself."
Usopp shook his head rapidly and refused to offer any further explanation.
Seeing Usopp acting so unusually cryptic, Nami decided to give up on asking questions. After all, Usopp frequently claimed that he caught a mysterious disease that would kill him if he landed on whatever island they were approaching. Just as he promised, she knew she would understand the truth in a few short minutes.
Not long after the Thousand Sunny and the submarine moved further into the darkness, a brilliant, flashing light appeared in the distance.
Everyone on the deck widened their eyes in absolute shock. Their pale faces were illuminated by the harsh, continuous flashes of bright light. At that exact moment, the entire crew finally understood what Usopp meant.
They saw an island where thick, dense bolts of lightning fell rapidly from the black sky. It looked exactly like a torrential rainstorm, but instead of water, the sky poured down pure electricity.
It was an island of endless lightning.
Even practically indestructible monsters like Kaido would never dare to casually set foot on such a terrifying and deadly landscape. It was no wonder Usopp looked so completely terrified.
As Carl stared at the falling lightning, a specific memory surfaced in his mind. He remembered from his past knowledge that the strange monk, Urouge, seemed to arrive at this exact same location right after he first entered the New World. Carl just did not know what actually happened to the island after that point.