Chapter 383: The Perspective of an Ordinary Soldier

East Sea, Loguetown waters.

As the Navy's most important branch in the East Sea, the Loguetown Branch holds extremely high strategic value for guarding the throat passage from the East Sea into the Grand Line.

Smoke filled the base commander's office.

Enel, the current base commander of the Loguetown Branch and a Navy Captain, looked helplessly at his good friend who was lounging in his office.

"Can you smoke a little less?"

Smoker had two cigars, one in each side of his mouth.

"You have eight lives; are you afraid of secondhand smoke?"

Having said that, Smoker lit another cigar: "I just can't figure it out. We two were the most outstanding trainees of this training camp, so why were we assigned to the East Sea?"

"Assigning me to the East Sea is one thing.

After all, the Five Elders have always believed I was a spy sent by the Four Emperors to the Navy. If not for Master Zephyr's guarantee, I would most likely be imprisoned in Impel Down right now."

"But you are different, Enel."

Smoker, with three cigars in his mouth, leaned forward.

"You are a Mythical Zoan user with the Yamata no Orochi ability. Even that scumbag Aramaki became a Navy Vice Admiral."

"The Navy actually assigned you to the East Sea as a base commander. Marshal Sengoku is truly senile."

Enel smiled, took out the map of the Four Seas, and drew four circles on the map with a pen in succession.

"Do you understand now?"

"Understand what?" Smoker looked completely bewildered.

"Look again."

"Hm?" Smoker stared at the map again for a while: "Holy crap, Marshal Sengoku is..."

Smoker only regretted his lack of education, able to use only "holy crap" to describe the shock in his heart.

Enel then explained slowly and leisurely.

"Whether it is the Loguetown Branch, or Branch 55, Branch 77, Branch 99, they are all strategic locations for entering the Grand Line from the Four Seas."

"Five months ago, the Navy assigned you and me to the Loguetown Branch as base commander and adjutant, added Kaku and Gion to Branch 55, sent Doll and Stalberry to Branch 77, and sent Longz and Kongming to Branch 99."

"Although I am still not sure why the Marshal arranged this, it is certainly not an unintentional act."

"Hiss." Smoker inhaled two breaths of secondhand smoke.

"Could it be that they are preparing to thoroughly wipe out the Revolutionary Army?"

Enel shrugged.

"A few days ago, I heard Master Zephyr say: The Marshal reported exactly this to the Five Elders, and the Five Elders even praised the Marshal for finally knowing how to do some proper work."

"Tch." Smoker rolled his eyes.

"That statement sounds like nonsense; only those five scallions, ginger, and garlic would believe it."

Having said that, Smoker stared at the map and sighed.

"The sea has been too calm recently,

too calm, which is somewhat abnormal. Didn't Kaido often attack the Navy Academy before? But in the past half year... Kaido seems to have completely vanished."

"I really miss the past few years. Back then, the Morning Star Group would often cause a major incident, and they never targeted civilians."

A flash of light passed before Enel's eyes.

It matched, everything matched.

No wonder the sea felt abnormally calm. Given the Captain's style of action, the reason he has been relatively quiet recently is probably that he is plotting something huge.

Marshal Sengoku... perhaps he sensed the Captain's plan in advance, which is why he carried out a series of personnel transfers five months ago.

What could it be?

And why only transfer personnel in the branches of the Four Seas, while ignoring the more critical Grand Line?

Enel could not figure it out.

Seeming to notice his good friend's strange expression, Smoker asked curiously.

"What's wrong? Did you discover something?"

Enel shook his head: "I just feel we are too weak. In front of those big shots, we don't even have the qualification to sit at the table."

Regarding such a major matter, not only did the Captain not tell him in advance, but Marshal Sengoku and Master Zephyr also did not explain it to them in detail.

Enel found it somewhat hard to accept.

Smoker took out his cigar box.

"Actually, it is not entirely a bad thing."

"Think about it. There are only two possible outcomes for sitting at the table."

"Either you secure your seat, becoming a guest sharing the world, holding a knife and fork to decide the dishes, or from the very beginning you are merely an ingredient placed on the dining table, gnawed to nothing by the big shots at the table, leaving not even a bone."

"Being weak has its benefits."

"Although we are not worthy to sit down and feast, we are at least not destined to become a dish in others' mouths."

Hearing this, Enel was greatly surprised.

"You... have been secretly studying recently?"

Based on Enel and Smoker's years of acquaintance, Smoker would absolutely not be able to speak such profound truths.

"Heh." Smoker chuckled softly, his smile mixed with a hint of bitterness.

"I read it in a newly released storybook from Wano."

"That book, 'The People's Name', records the God Valley Great War, the Ohara Buster Call, and the Marineford War from the perspective of an ordinary Navy soldier."

"Looking from the perspective of a Navy soldier..."

"Whether it is Pirate King Luo Jie, Navy Hero Garp, or Saint Saint Saint Saiwen, Admiral Sakazuki, in front of those big shots standing at the peak, ordinary soldiers do not even count as consumables on the battlefield."

"Precisely for this reason, I now understand just how despairingly powerful those great figures who shake the New World truly are."

"The great figures make their mark on the public stage, while the unnamed ones forever bear the burden of suffering and disaster."

"Often, a single decision made by those in power—whether for invasion or for protection—ultimately demands that countless ordinary people, fathers and sons alike, sacrifice their lives to achieve their glory."

"Sometimes I wonder, if Luo Jie had never started the Great Pirate Era..."

Smiley shook his head with a smile.

"This world is rotten to its core. Even without Luo Jie starting the Great Pirate Era, there would still be Sage, Kaiji, Baiji..."

Enel patted Smiley on the shoulder.

"Don't overthink it. Great figures have their own considerations; we only need to do what we ought to do."

"Come on, I'll treat you to a couple of drinks."

Since the annual leave ended five months ago, frequent personnel changes have occurred within the Marines.

At first, the Five Elders were somewhat suspicious, but after Sengoku used the excuse of completely eradicating the Revolutionary Army, the Five Elders didn't take it too seriously.

This was because Imu-sama was about to emerge from seclusion and sign the Abyssal Deep Contract with Saint Saint Saint Saiwen and Harald.

With the two strongest in the world now firmly on their side, what was there for the Five Elders to worry about? Could the Marines even stage a rebellion?!

However, due to the recent widespread popularity of the Inazuma novel "The People's Name," the Five Elders specifically convened a meeting to discuss it.

Inside the spacious and bright Chamber of Power, Saint Saturn rubbed his brow and placed "The People's Name" on the table before him.

"Gentlemen, Saint Saint Saint Saiwen has already departed."

"This novel is said to have been privately printed and published by a certain small author in a bid to win the Inazuma Best-Selling Author of the Year award, without Saint Saint Saint Saiwen's permission."

"Saint Saint Saint Saiwen has already warned the original author."

"Compared to the matter of signing the Abyss Contract with Imu-sama, the actions taken by Saint Saint Saint Saiwen's subordinates, though revealing a few secrets, are ultimately harmless."

The other four of the Five Elders nodded in agreement.

"Seconded."

Everything must follow Imu-sama's lead; as long as Imu-sama has not spoken, what can they do?

They couldn't possibly remove Saint Saint Saint Saiwen because of this, could they?

What a joke; setting aside whether they could even remove Saint Saint Saint Saiwen, if they dared to do so, Imu-sama would be the first to object.