Chapter 123 New Shichibukai

As for Nico Robin, she seemed to have disappeared completely. Despite the efforts of the Marines and CP9, they couldn't find any clues. After searching for a while, they had to give up and assume that she had escaped from Alabasta.

As for the poneglyph hidden by the Alabasta royal family, Admiral Kizaru and CP9 couldn't be bothered to look at it. The treasure map that had been found before turned out to be worthless.

The arrest of Warlord Crocodile by Admiral Kizaru was widely publicized by the World Government, in an attempt to regain the reputation they had lost previously.

However, this time, people were not buying it. Some even suspected that the Marines had taken advantage of the situation and claimed credit for someone else's achievement.

But upon further thought, it seemed impossible. The Straw Hat Pirates hadn't arrived in Alabasta yet. If they were responsible, then it was likely that the Straw Hat Pirates would also have been captured.

As a result, Admiral Kizaru's reputation and prestige surpassed that of Admiral Akainu and Admiral Aokiji, making him the most renowned among the three Admirals on the surface.

Although he was a slacker, at least he was a passable Marine.

The people of the pirate world always preferred a balanced approach. For example, if you gave them someone as proactive but ruthless as Akainu, they would reject it. Likewise, if you gave them someone as lazy and abusive of authority as Aokiji, they would also reject it. But if you gave them someone like Kizaru, who followed the rules but was a bit of a slacker, they would accept it.

In contrast to the talents of Akainu and Aokiju, Kizaru stood out.

Gradually, people from all over the world began to hope that Kizaru would succeed the position of Fleet Admiral.

This was something that even Kizaru himself hadn't expected.

Even within the ranks of the Marines, no one had anticipated that things would develop in this way. However, soon enough, they unexpectedly found themselves accepting the idea.

This was because Akainu had left a terrible impression not only on the public but also on the Marines themselves. His actions had damaged the image of the Marines, and they didn't want such a man leading them.

As for Aokiji, although he was originally the most ideal candidate, his dereliction of duty and the possibility of him betraying the Marines to become a pirate gradually diminished his popularity.

In comparison, Kizaru became a more ideal choice in their eyes.

Akainu and Aokiji never imagined that things would turn out like this. They had been at odds for so long, contending for the position of Fleet Admiral, only for Kizaru, the slacker, to take advantage of the situation.

Could this be the so-called tale of the mantis stalking the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind? A similar scenario to the Summit War, but this time, it was not Blackbeard who gained the advantage, but Kizaru.

Akainu felt a deep anger in his heart. Who was Smoker to be called the King of Opportunism? It was Kizaru who was the true King of Opportunism, as he had even managed to snatch away his position of Fleet Admiral!

And this situation couldn't help but make Sengoku and the Five Elder reconsider the possibility of Kizaru becoming the successor to the position of Fleet Admiral.

...

As CP9 had indeed made significant contributions in capturing Crocodile in Alabasta, they had put in a lot of effort during the search for him. As a result, under the influence of Spandam's father, Spandine, Spandam himself ultimately did not receive a more severe punishment and remained a member of CP9.

The chief of CP9 was now Rob Lucci, who had also made achievements in the Alabasta incident. In order to appease the dissatisfaction among the lower ranks of the World Government and the Marines caused by Spandam's idiotic remarks, the news of Spandam's dismissal was immediately issued, which helped to calm the situation.

After resolving the Alabasta incident, CP9 continued their mission to obtain the Pluton blueprints in Water 7. With the Pluton falling into the hands of Luke, the World Government hoped to have a warship that could counter Pluton, at least in terms of firepower. Therefore, the Five Elder demanded that CP9 must retrieve the blueprints and bring them back intact.

Previously, the Five Elder did not attach much importance to the blueprints, as long as they didn't fall into the hands of someone with malicious intent towards the World Government. However, the situation had changed now that Luke had a completed Pluton battleship.

The importance of the Pluton blueprints had increased significantly, and their thinking was simple: since Luke had a super battleship, they must have one as well. If they obtained the blueprints, they could have one or even multiple battleships. They couldn't allow Luke to surpass the World Government in terms of warships.

The core of the World Government's control over the world lay with the Marines, and the key to the Marines was their warships. At least, the Marines couldn't be surpassed by anyone in this regard.

Thus, Alabasta finally settled down. Crocodile was captured, Nico Robin left, and the Pluton was taken away. There was nothing left in Alabasta except for the chaos caused by Crocodile. Fortunately, a civil war did not break out, and the mastermind behind it was arrested. The people could finally rebuild their homeland and live a peaceful life.

Everything was moving in a positive direction.

...

It had been some time since the last live broadcast.

The events of the live broadcast had caused a series of reactions on the seas. Firstly, the conversation between Ohara's Dr. Clover and the Five Elder confirmed the authenticity of Raftel to people worldwide. Not only that, but they also confirmed that Raftel contained the Great Treasure, ONE PIECE, which was the legacy left behind by the Ancient Kingdom and possessed the power to overthrow the World Government. Almost everyone believed this, whether out of a desire for treasure, the longing for such immense power, or the ambition to rule the world. After Roger's Great Pirate Era and the new generation's opening of the Summit War from the boardcast, the world had now entered the third Great Pirate Era, but this time, it was an era of rebellion to obtain the power to overthrow the World Government.

Those participating in this voyage included not only pirates but also civilians, and even royal nobles from allied countries who were secretly commanding and contributing their efforts.

In order to cope with the sudden increase in pirate, the Marines had to work overtime to apprehend criminals at sea while also increasing their numbers to deal with the influx. However, to their disappointment, due to the deteriorating reputation of the Marines, young people who aspired to uphold justice began to distrust the Marines. They believed that the Marines were merely dogs of the World Government, and notions of justice were nothing but deception, all serving the domination of the Tenryuubito. As a result, the number of recruits joining the Marines started to decrease, and the Marines were no longer respected or welcomed as they once were.

Furthermore, in the New World, the Four Emperors began making significant moves. They seemed to have reignited their desire for ONE PIECE and started searching for the whereabouts of Raftel in the New World. With more and more people rushing into the New World, it started to become turbulent.

The Marines were left with limited manpower. Due to Luke's presence, there were now two Admirals stationed in Mariejois, and the nearby Marines responsible for patrolling had also consumed a significant amount of manpower. This led to a shortage of personnel within the Marines.

Shichibukai were initially established to compensate for the Marines' manpower shortage. However, due to Crocodile's attempt to overthrow the Alabasta Kingdom, he had already been arrested by Fleet Admiral Akainu and was now imprisoned in Impel Down.

As a result, the Shichibukai lost another member. Another Shichibukai, Jinbe, voluntarily resigned from his position after the Summit War Broadcast Although the World Government did not make a clear statement, in reality, Jinbe had already severed ties with the Shichibukai.

The Shichibukai were down one more member.

To their surprise, another unexpected event occurred. Kuma, one of the Shichibukai who had previously reached an agreement with the Marines, suddenly terminated the agreement with the Marine Science Division. He refused to continue cooperating with them in body modifications, forcing the postponed Pacifista project to come to a halt.

Fortunately, enough data had been collected in the early stages, but the progress in further modifications could not continue.

With the Marines facing a shortage of manpower and problems arising among the Shichibukai, the World Government began seeking replacements for the Shichibukai.

The first candidate selected by the Five Elder to replace Crocodile was Edward Weevil.