Chapter 408

Marine Headquarters,

Marineford, Admiral's Office.

Kong, the Marine Fleet Admiral, sat in his chair, frowning as he stared at the document in his hands, lost in thought.

The information on the document filled him with deep distress.

"Bai Huzi II, Edward Weebul."

"Bounty: 170 million Berries."

"Age: 21."

"Recently, Bai Huzi II has appeared in the first half of the Grand Line…"

Quietly lowering his gaze from the document, Kong rubbed his temples in exhaustion and sighed softly.

This sea has become a breeding ground for all kinds of monsters.

It left this Marine Fleet Admiral feeling utterly powerless.

Pirates on the sea keep multiplying…

In contrast,

the Marine forces show no increase in numbers.

Bearing the immense pressure of ever-emerging pirates, Kong's shoulders bore crushing weight.

"It's all that bastard Luo Jie's fault!"

"He died, and yet he had to shout out that one sentence."

"Plunging this sea into a full-blown Age of Pirates!"

"If not for Luo Jie, this sea would never have spawned so many pirates."

Kong hated Luo Jie with a burning fury, teeth clenched in rage.

It was precisely because of Luo Jie's final words before "zero-zero-zero" death that this sea spiraled into chaos.

Countless pirates emerged one after another…

Once-peaceful waters grew even more turbulent.

Even the Marines were growing overwhelmed.

"Could it be…"

"That we truly must implement the Seven Warlords of the Sea proposal as ordered?"

"Gather seven infamous top pirates, form a faction, and use their presence to deter other pirates, briefly restoring peace to the sea?"

Kong fell into deep thought.

As Marine Fleet Admiral, he naturally refused to compromise with pirates.

But he could not ignore the World Government's orders.

Moreover,

the growing number of pirates in recent times had made him vaguely aware:

Marine strength alone could no longer keep pace with the rising tide of pirates.

Another solution must be found!

A new strategy!

Otherwise,

this chaotic sea could never be suppressed by the Marines alone.

At this moment,

Kong finally realized:

The Seven Warlords of the Sea proposal was a desperate choice.

It was the only way to resolve the current chaos.

"A pirate, said to possess the same strength as young Bai Huzi, has now appeared in the Grand Line."

Lowering his head, Kong stared at the pirate intelligence in his hands.

Bai Huzi II, Edward Weebul—he had heard whispers of him.

A notorious pirate in recent times.

Extremely powerful!

Revered as possessing the strength of young Bai Huzi.

Just this one point alone proved the man's formidable strength.

"Is he really Bai Huzi's son?"

"This remains to be verified."

"But there is no denying: this man is exceptionally strong."

"Even our own Vice Admirals may not be able to defeat him."

"His strength has almost certainly reached the threshold for an invitation to the Seven Warlords of the Sea. The only thing lacking is his fame and personal power base."

Kong's eyebrows lifted.

Pirates invited to join the Seven Warlords of the Sea must not only possess overwhelming personal strength but also sufficient renown to deter the restless pirates of this sea.

Yet Bai Huzi II clearly lacked the fame required to qualify as a Warlord.

But Kong was certain:

His strength had absolutely reached that threshold!

"This sea is becoming more chaotic by the day."

Kong sighed.

This irreversible shift in the situation was completely beyond his control, even as the Navy's supreme commander.

He could only watch and wait.

Just at that moment.

Bururuburu~

The Den Den Mushi sitting in the corner of the desk suddenly let out a sharp, distinctive cry, breaking Kong's train of thought and drawing his gaze to settle slowly upon it.

"Who would come looking for me at this hour?"

Kong's brows knit tightly; he was somewhat puzzled.

He picked up the Den Den Mushi from the corner of the desk and spoke: "This is Kong."

"Marshal Kong, it's me, Master Zefa."

A familiar voice came through the Den Den Mushi, making Kong all the more astonished.

Master Zefa?

He vaguely recalled.

Hadn't Master Zefa already personally led that batch of elite young-generation students, departing from Marine Headquarters Marineford, intending to head to the Grand Line for a graduation trial?

At this critical juncture,

why would Master Zefa suddenly contact him?

Kong racked his brains and still couldn't figure it out.

"Could it be…"

"Something unexpected happened?"

Thinking of this, Kong grew a little anxious.

The batch of students Master Zefa had led out were the most elite geniuses of this term in the Navy!

If something happened to this batch of students, Kong would naturally feel boundless heartache.

He absolutely would not allow such a thing to happen!

"Logically speaking, with Master Zefa's powerful combat strength, in this stretch of sea in the first half of the Grand Line, how could they possibly run into trouble? Master Zefa is, after all, an Admiral of Marine Headquarters!"

"Looking across this stretch of sea, who is qualified to shake an Admiral?"

Clutching his doubts, Kong drew a deep breath.

He couldn't help blurting out, "Master Zefa, is something the matter?"

"Marshal, during this voyage, we unexpectedly ran into an extremely powerful Great Pirate."

Master Zefa reported truthfully.

"A Great Pirate? In this stretch of sea, the number of people you'd call a Great Pirate is hardly many."

Kong's expression grew solemn and heavy as he asked, "Who is he? What is your current situation? No student ran into trouble, right? Should I dispatch reinforcements immediately?"

He trusted Master Zefa's strength.

But the problem was…

Master Zefa had to protect a group of students!

While also having to protect a group of students, Master Zefa's strength could very well plummet straight down by quite a lot.

Perhaps…

they really had run into trouble!

"That batch of students absolutely cannot come to any harm!"

Kong said in a solemn tone.

"Marshal Kong, you've misunderstood."

"On our end, no one has run into any trouble. On this point, you can rest easy."

Master Zefa said.