"Aizen, you're leaving?"
Outside the room, Smoker and Tashigi had come together to see Sōsuke Aizen off.
"Yeah," Aizen replied with a gentle smile, the familiar warmth on his face.
"The Science Unit has been urging me pretty hard."
"Damn it! What the hell are those bastards thinking?" Smoker slammed his fist into the wall.
"You're a major war hero, and they send you off to the Science Unit for some stupid research?"
"Tashigi thinks this is completely inappropriate too!" Her pretty face was filled with indignation.
It wasn't just them.
Almost every elite Marine who had participated in the Paramount War felt dissatisfied after hearing the news.
Sōsuke Aizen's merits were undeniable, and his strength was overwhelming.
He was the perfect candidate to guard the New World.
Especially now that Sengoku was stepping down and Akainu was about to take over, the New World desperately needed top-tier combat power to hold the line.
Pulling someone like Aizen away at a time like this was basically tearing out the Navy's foundations.
Still, attention within the Navy quickly shifted away from Aizen.
Everyone was focused on something far bigger.
Aokiji had openly challenged Akainu to a duel.
In front of numerous high-ranking officers, Aokiji said bluntly,
"I don't agree with your vision for the Navy. If the Navy is handed over to you, it'll fall into an irreversible abyss and become nothing more than a cold-blooded killing machine."
"Let's duel. Winner takes the position. Loser steps aside."
There was no way Akainu would give up the Fleet Admiral position that was already within reach, so he accepted.
The duel's time and location were kept strictly confidential. Only the very top brass were allowed to watch, to prevent anyone from stirring chaos.
"Once the new Fleet Admiral takes office, the Navy's operational direction will definitely change," Aizen said thoughtfully.
"You two should prepare yourselves early."
"Hm?" Tashigi asked sharply.
"From the way you're talking, do you already know who's going to win?"
Whether it was Aokiji or Akainu, both were absolute top-tier powerhouses. Neither had guaranteed odds of victory.
Aizen smiled faintly.
"I don't know who will win… but I understand the World Government."
"Even if Akainu loses this duel, the World Government will still find a way to push him into the Fleet Admiral position."
"What?" Smoker's eyes went wide, his face full of disbelief.
"Then what the hell is the point of this duel?"
Aizen shrugged, his words carrying deeper meaning.
"Maybe that's a question the World Government itself would like to ask."
"By staging this duel, what exactly do they think their appointment letter is worth?"
At that point, even someone as dense as Smoker understood.
Right.
The World Government had already officially appointed Akainu as Fleet Admiral.
If the Navy replaced him through a duel…
Wouldn't that be a blatant slap in the World Government's face?
What, the mighty World Government can't even command its own Navy anymore?
Tashigi frowned.
"Fleet Admiral Sengoku couldn't possibly not understand this. Why would he still agree to the duel?"
Aizen shook his head.
"It's not that he agreed. It's that he had no choice."
He gestured toward the plaza outside, where officers of the Dove faction and Hawk faction were still openly mocking and provoking each other.
"The real purpose of this duel is to ease the internal conflict within the Navy."
"The tension between the Dove faction and Hawk faction has already reached its peak. If there's no outlet, the day Akainu officially takes over as Fleet Admiral could very well be the day the Navy tears itself apart."
"Damn it!" Smoker crushed the cigar in his hand.
"It's all because those World Government bastards insisted on changing the appointment! Otherwise the Navy wouldn't be in this mess!"
"Heh," Aizen chuckled softly.
"Perhaps the World Government is quite happy to see this happen."
The words were shocking.
Such an opportunity would be a waste if he didn't rub a little salt into the wound.
"What do you mean?" Smoker and Tashigi asked at the same time, staring at him.
"A Navy that can casually mobilize a hundred thousand elites, field five Admiral-level fighters, and act in perfect unity… do you really think the World Government feels safe with that?"
"What if one day this blade stops cutting pirates and turns around to cut them instead?"
Aizen's low voice was like a devil's whisper, dragging their thoughts into endless darkness.
"That's impossible!" Smoker roared, his face flushed red.
"We Marines would never do something that unjust!"
Aizen shrugged.
"You might believe that about yourselves. What if the World Government doesn't?"
"After all, people with filth in their hearts see a filthy world everywhere they look."
At the end, Aizen decided to add a little more fuel.
"Have you ever wondered why the conflict between the Hawk faction and Dove faction suddenly became so intense?"
"Don't forget what the World Government's CP agencies exist to do."
The moment those words landed, a chill ran down Smoker and Tashigi's spines.
If the World Government had been fanning the flames behind the scenes…
What exactly were they planning?
As if reading their thoughts, Aizen said calmly,
"The goal is simple. Those who obey stay. Those who don't, get out."
"To the World Government, the Navy is just a dog they keep. Obedience is what matters most."
Smoker and Tashigi left Aizen's room in a daze.
They talked about many things, yet remembered very little of it.
Only the final words remained crystal clear in their minds.
"If Akainu wins this duel, the negative impact can still be kept to a minimum."
"But if Aokiji wins…"
"Just wait and see. It'll be one hell of a show."
They didn't know what kind of "show" Aizen meant.
But they were certain of one thing.
It wouldn't be anything good.
After struggling internally for a while, Smoker decided to seek out Sengoku and try to stop this farcical duel.
They were Marines, not puppets of the World Government.
Logically speaking, someone of Smoker's rank, a mere Colonel, shouldn't have been able to meet the extremely busy Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
But as one of the rare Logia Devil Fruit users of the new generation, Smoker was given enough attention.
Sengoku met him in his office.
No one knew what the two talked about inside.
But the duel between Aokiji and Akainu was not canceled.
The location was still Punk Hazard.
Akainu and Aokiji fought for ten days and ten nights, completely altering the island's climate.
This time…
The winner was Aokiji.
"Cough… cough…"
Akainu was covered in blood, leaning against a broken wall just to keep himself upright.
"I never thought… I'd lose to you."
His eyes were filled with unwillingness.
In his view, Aokiji was so lazy it was infuriating. It would've been impressive if his strength hadn't regressed. Beating Akainu should've been impossible.
Aokiji shook his head.
"You were too impatient. During the Paramount War, you were injured one after another by Bullet and Whitebeard."
"It might've looked like you recovered, but damage of that level isn't something that heals so easily."
In a battle between top experts, even the smallest flaw could decide victory or defeat.
Akainu's injuries erupted at the final moment.
And that was what gave Aokiji the chance to turn the tables and win.
***
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