Naruto: Copy System#653+654: Sengoku Intends to Resign, Akainu vs. Aokiji

Not long after, news of the war spread across the entire world, delivered by the News Coo to every corner of the globe.

"DAMN THAT MORGANS."

Morgans was one of the Emperors of the Underworld—the president of the World Economic News Paper and the man responsible for crowning the Straw Hat Luffy as the Fifth Emperor in the original story.

While Luffy wasn't weak at the time, being hailed as the Fifth Emperor was clearly setting him up for a fall.

The News Coo were all essentially his underlings—he was the king of the news birds.

Sengoku had tried desperately to suppress the news of the Summit War, but it had been exposed anyway.

"Sengoku, you can't hide this," Tsuru said to the furious Fleet Admiral. With Garp absent, it was just the two of them.

"I know I can't hide it, but I was hoping to buy some time."

Sengoku was well aware that an event as monumental as the Summit War couldn't be kept under wraps forever. He had simply wanted to delay the news to give the Marines a chance to lick their wounds.

With the truth now out, pirates across the seas would undoubtedly be emboldened to stir up trouble.

"I've already prepared a conscription plan and submitted it to the Five Elders. I'm just waiting for their approval," Sengoku said.

"Will the Five Elders agree?" Tsuru asked.

For the Marines, conscription was a clear path to bolstering their strength. But for the Five Elders, it might be seen as a threat. If they were to approve it and loosen their restrictions, the Marines could swell in power to the point where they could overwhelm the pirates entirely.

But to the Five Elders, the Marines were just a subordinate organization—if they became too powerful, they would pose a threat to the World Government's absolute authority.

"They wouldn't have agreed before, but they will this time..." Sengoku was absolutely certain the Five Elders would approve.

The reason was simple: the Marines had suffered catastrophic losses and were no longer capable of maintaining order on the high seas. They had no other choice but to approve the conscription.

"What about the escapees from Impel Down?"

Sengoku asked Tsuru, still lacking any recent intelligence on them.

"They haven't surfaced yet. Their whereabouts are currently unknown."

Tsuru shook her head. She understood that the escapees wouldn't show their faces for a while. They had just broken out and hadn't recovered their strength. They wouldn't risk making a move until they were back at full power.

"I see. I'm planning to resign from my position as Fleet Admiral."

Sengoku nodded, then suddenly dropped the bombshell on Tsuru.

"..." Tsuru was stunned for a moment, but seeing the guilt on Sengoku's face, she understood. It was true that Sengoku had to bear a great deal of responsibility for what had happened.

Marineford was in ruins, and the Five Elders would surely hold him accountable.

Of course, the Five Elders wouldn't let Sengoku step down, they needed him to manage the situation.

But the guilt weighed heavily on his conscience, and he wanted to resign.

It wasn't just Sengoku—

—Garp was also planning to resign his position as Vice Admiral. The Five Elders probably wouldn't object to that.

Even though Garp hadn't been idle during the war, the Five Elders undoubtedly held his actions against him.

—————

While Sengoku and Tsuru discussed their plans, Shin had already returned to Amazon Lily, keeping a close eye on the situation at sea.

"Blackbeard returned to the New World... He's got guts," Shin remarked as he read the intelligence report. Returning to the New World meant Blackbeard would have to face the Whitebeard Pirates.

"Even if Blackbeard didn't return to the New World, Whitebeard would never have let him go," Robin said to Shin.

"You're right, Robin. The Whitebeard Pirates suffered heavy losses this time."

The Whitebeard Pirates' losses were entirely Blackbeard's fault, and the entire crew now harbored a deep-seated hatred for him.

"But Blackbeard would have been safer if he had stayed in the first half of the Grand Line," Shin said, still thinking Blackbeard would be safer in Paradise. But Blackbeard's ambition was what truly mattered to him, not safety.

He had his sights set on becoming the Pirate King, and for that, he had to return to the New World. Even without the Tremor-Tremor Fruit, he wouldn't abandon his dream.

"Blackbeard is safe for now. Even though Whitebeard wants to deal with him, he's in no position to do so," Olvia said with a smile.

Kaido had taken the opportunity to move against Whitebeard, seizing his territories and even attempting a surprise attack.

Their feud ran deep, so it was no surprise Kaido would make such a move.

However, Shanks had intercepted Kaido.

Unlike in the original story, where they had merely clashed, the two pirate crews had engaged in a full-blown battle. By the time the Summit War was over, their conflict had also ended.

With a surprise attack on Whitebeard now impossible, Kaido had gone to claim the Whitebeard Pirates' territories for himself. And Whitebeard, having returned to the New World, was now leading his crew to reclaim what was theirs.

The two pirate crews were currently locked in a massive war.

As for the Red Hair Pirates, they were staying out of it. They had already done enough by holding off the Beast Pirates for Whitebeard—they wouldn't help him any further.

"Are we not setting sail?" Nami suddenly ran over to Shin, who was sunbathing on the beach, and asked him.

"Are you that eager to set sail?" Shin lifted the hat covering his face and turned to ask her.

"Of course! My dream is to draw a map of the entire world, and I haven't finished it yet," Nami said.

Before, it had just been a dream. Nami wasn't sure if she could ever achieve it.

But now, she was certain she could.

"You're right. We've been on Amazon Lily long enough. It's time to set sail."

Shin stood up.

It had been half a month since the Summit War. The aftershocks of that event had not yet subsided. Whitebeard hadn't died, but both the Whitebeard Pirates and the Marines had suffered greatly.

The seas were in turmoil, especially with the criminals released by Blackbeard and Luffy. The impact they had on the world was immense, particularly the ferocious inmates from Level 6 of Impel Down.

"Tell Hancock and the others. We're leaving—"

Shin turned and said to Nami.

"Alright."

Nami's face lit up with joy. She had thought Shin was content to just enjoy life on Amazon Lily and had no intention of setting sail again. Hearing him say they were leaving, she happily ran off to find Hancock and the others.

<><><><><><><><>

"Hancock."

Nami arrived at the palace, shouting before she even stepped inside.

The female warriors guarding the palace paid her no mind. They all knew the relationship between Nami and their Empress. If it had been anyone else calling out Hancock's name so casually, they would have been arrested.

"What is it? Is it something about Shin?"

Hancock, initially annoyed by Nami's shouting, immediately brightened at the thought.

"You guessed it. It is about Shin. To be precise, we're leaving Amazon Lily. We're setting sail. Are you coming? If you're too busy, we won't bother you."

A sly smile appeared on Nami's face as she spoke.

"Of course I'm coming," Hancock said hurriedly, dropping everything she was doing.

"Let's go now."

"Uh, don't you think you're in a bit of a rush? You should at least delegate your tasks first," Nami said, seeing Hancock's haste. There was no need to be in such a hurry.

But Hancock ignored her and rushed off to find Shin. Nami, left behind, quickly followed.

Soon, the news that Shin was setting sail with the Kuja Pirates spread throughout the island.

Elder Nyon immediately gathered everyone to see them off.

"Elder Nyon, there's no need for such a big display," Shin said. Elder Nyon had gathered the entire population of Amazon Lily to bid him farewell.

"Of course there is," Elder Nyon said with a solemn expression.

Shin was the guardian of their island. It was only natural that they would see him off when he left.

"Elder Nyon, I'll leave the island's affairs to you for now," Hancock said. She had never wanted to handle these things in the first place, and now that she was leaving, she was the happiest of them all.

"Of course. Take care, Empress."

"Yeah, yeah," Hancock waved dismissively at Elder Nyon, then leaned against Shin as the Pluton set sail.

—————

Sailing through the Calm Belt, the Pluton had no Seastone on its hull, yet it didn't attract a single Sea King. Those massive creatures were smart enough to know who to mess with and who to leave alone.

Besides, in addition to the powerful auras of Shin and his crew, Shirahoshi was on board.

She was Poseidon—the Sea King of the entire ocean.

No Sea King would attack her.

To do so would be an act of high treason.

They left the Calm Belt peacefully. Shin didn't bother the Sea Kings either. The ship was well-stocked with meat—there was no need to hunt them.

Not long after, their ship arrived in the New World, the second half of the Grand Line. If they were going to set sail, they certainly weren't going to linger in the first half.

"I hear the Marines are about to decide on the next Fleet Admiral," Olvia said to Shin.

"Hmm, so soon?"

Shin, who had been lying on a deck chair eating fruit, sat up at the news.

It had only been half a month since the Summit War. If they were already deciding on the next Fleet Admiral—it meant Akainu and Aokiji were about to fight.

"If I'm not mistaken, the battle will take place on Punk Hazard. Let's go take a look." Shin recalled the island where they had fought.

Punk Hazard was an island in the New World, the first island Luffy and his crew had landed on after entering the New World in the original story. The Punk Hazard of that time was completely different from the current one.

Half of it was a frozen wasteland, the other half a blazing inferno.

That was because Akainu and Aokiji had fought there for ten days and ten nights, completely changing the island's climate.

But even now, Punk Hazard was not a suitable place for humans to live. Otherwise, Akainu and Aokiji wouldn't have chosen it as their battleground.

"How do you know that, Shin? Did you really just guess?" Robin looked at him, surprised.

Though the news of the two Admirals fighting for the position of Fleet Admiral had spread, the location of their duel was still a secret. The Marines would never release that information—they didn't want any trouble.

"That's not important. Let's head to Punk Hazard."

Having just arrived in the New World, Shin was close to Punk Hazard. It wouldn't take long to get there.

—————

Meanwhile, on Punk Hazard, Akainu and Aokiji stood on opposite sides, their eyes filled with hostility.

"Aokiji, as a colleague, I'll say this: YOU'RE NOT FIT TO BE FLEET ADMIRAL," Akainu said calmly, his tone laced with disdain.

Just as Aokiji couldn't stand Akainu, Akainu couldn't stand him either.

Aokiji didn't speak, but the growing fighting spirit in his eyes was his answer.

"<Great Eruption!>"

Akainu, seeing that words were useless, attacked directly, his Magma Fist flying towards Aokiji.

"<Ice Block: Pheasant Beak!>"

Aokiji's hand transformed into an ice bird, and he met Akainu's attack head-on. The two moves collided, and both were thrown back.

Fire and ice are polar opposites, and magma and ice even more so.

The trees and flowers on Punk Hazard were instantly destroyed.

—————

Outside, Sengoku and Garp were watching. From there, they couldn't see the battle, but with Observation Haki, that wasn't a problem.

"Garp, who do you think will win?" Sengoku asked Garp.

He had never expected things to come to this. He had recommended Aokiji to be the next Fleet Admiral, but the Five Elders preferred Akainu. In the end, it had come down to a battle of strength.

"Even though I don't want Akainu to win, I think he will be the one who comes out on top in the end."

Garp had a good relationship with Aokiji—they weren't in the same faction as Akainu, so their relationship was average at best. But when it came to strength, Garp still favored Akainu.

Aokiji hadn't served as long as Akainu, and in terms of ruthlessness, Aokiji couldn't compare. So, even if their strength was similar, Garp felt Akainu would be the one to win in the end.

"And this is probably what the Five Elders want as well," Garp said meaningfully to Sengoku.

The Five Elders definitely wanted Akainu to win.

After all, Akainu was closer to them now, and they felt his personality was well-suited for the current chaotic situation on the seas. They needed someone like him to bring order.

Sengoku fell silent upon hearing this.

Yes, no matter how much he wanted Aokiji to succeed him, he had to consider the circumstances. In the end, the opinion of the Five Elders was what truly mattered.