In the conference room, Finn took a sip from his teacup, using the opportunity to cover up a sleepy yawn.
Then he glanced at Admiral Sengoku sitting next to him and asked softly, "Admiral, can I leave this meeting early?"
Admiral Sengoku glared at Finn. "What nonsense are you talking about? As a Marine Admiral, you want to leave early at your first World Conference?"
"It's really boring. Don't you want to leave?" Finn said helplessly.
Admiral Sengoku paused for a moment but still shook his head. "Don't do anything ridiculous. Just sit through the meeting properly."
Finn now understood why this World Conference could sometimes last for a month or two. He hadn't known what serious issues these people were supposedly discussing.
As a result, several hours had passed since the Five Elders had started speaking and the meeting had begun.
The formal agenda still hadn't been brought up. The royal families of the member nations were all accusing each other, saying that a certain country had occupied a certain amount of their land.
They said someone had borrowed a lot of money from them last year and still hadn't paid it back yet.
There was even a king with a bad temper who cursed the royal ancestors of an enemy country on the spot. The scene was extremely chaotic, and a fight had almost broken out.
Anyway, all kinds of messy problems were being aired at once.
It seemed that every country had various conflicts.
If these issues weren't resolved at this World Conference, you'd think a world war was about to break out.
Finn had never expected that countries which, in his impression, should have been considered relatively peaceful, could have such filth behind the scenes.
"Half a year ago, Lenza Island, which belongs to our country, was captured in one day. According to our investigation, it was you, you bastard, who hired the evil Germa 66 to do this. Shouldn't you give me an explanation?"
"What do you mean, your investigation? You claim you investigated, so show me the evidence! The Germa attacked your island, and you're saying it was me? Well, I'm saying that all the merchant ships looted by pirates in our waters were orchestrated by you, the pirates you hired behind the scenes!"
Such exchanges of arguments continued endlessly in the conference room.
However, Admiral Sengoku looked completely normal, as if he'd already gotten used to it.
Looking at Fleet Admiral Kong again, he was even stroking his chin and nodding from time to time. Finn wondered what he was agreeing with.
Was this all just for show?
Only Instructor Zephyr was leaning over the table, writing and drawing with pen and paper, as if he was recording this "complex" world situation.
This surprised Finn.
"I didn't expect that after you retired to the second line, you're still so concerned about the world situation. You're even recording such a mess in detail?" Finn said admiringly as he craned his neck forward to see the key points Instructor Zephyr was recording.
As a result, when he took a closer look, he found that Instructor Zephyr was drawing a comic book?!
"Ah, this..." Finn was momentarily stunned.
He'd never thought Zephyr was so versatile. What was the phrase?
Accomplished in both literature and martial arts?
Instructor Zephyr hadn't expected Finn to suddenly look over. His expression turned slightly embarrassed. "I've been bored lately, so I've been exploring some other hobbies. Hehe..."
Finn nodded first, indicating that as long as he wasn't embarrassed, Zephyr didn't need to be either.
Then he took another closer look. Wow, it was a superhero theme?
"Brave Sea Warrior Z"?
"When I was little, I always fantasized about these kinds of stories. In fact, I joined the Marines because I wanted to realize these dreams. But stories are stories after all, and reality is reality. Over the years, I haven't been able to become a brave sea warrior like Z," Instructor Zephyr said. After the initial embarrassment, he began telling his story openly.
This was much more interesting than the bickering among the member nations. Finn immediately asked with interest, "So, Instructor Zephyr, do you regret that you couldn't become a superhero like Z?"
"Superhero?" Zephyr was stunned for a moment, then smiled. "Your phrasing is quite interesting. Although I have regrets, I'll never truly regret it. Especially when I look at the Marines now and see outstanding juniors like you, Sakazuki, Kuzan, Borsalino, and Gion rapidly growing and shouldering the future and responsibilities of the Marines. I feel this is more meaningful than becoming a so-called 'superhero.' Only when there are more people like you can we protect more people."
"It's all thanks to your excellent teaching, Instructor," Finn replied with a smile.
After a brief pause, Finn asked again, "Instructor, is there some misunderstanding between you and Borsalino?"
"What misunderstanding?" Instructor Zephyr frowned.
"Do you dislike him? I don't think it's necessary. You're such a generous person. Why bother with that guy?" Finn said, trying to be helpful.
Instructor Zephyr looked at Finn with amusement, then waved his hand. "Don't try to mediate. There's no misunderstanding between me and that guy. I let it go a long time ago."
After a brief pause, Zephyr said softly, "Before you came to Headquarters, I really did dislike that guy. But in the end, I was just frustrated that he wasn't living up to his potential."
At this point, Instructor Zephyr hesitated for a moment but still said softly, "Although Kuzan and I had the best relationship at the time, of the three of them, I was actually most optimistic about Borsalino. He didn't have Kuzan's laziness or Sakazuki's hot temper. He had just the right personality and temperament. When faced with most problems, he could think very calmly. Coupled with his excellent talent and ability, I once believed that Borsalino would definitely be the best Marine in the next twenty to thirty years."
Finn nodded at this. He wanted to ask, "Where did you place Dragon at that time? Who did you think was more promising, him or Borsalino?"
But he also felt that would be a bit too mean. What if Instructor Zephyr got angry and punched him? Would he dare to fight back?
So he didn't ask in the end.
"What happened after that?" Finn asked instead.
"Later, I taught Borsalino carefully, but that guy seemed to have his own ideas. I hoped he could develop in an all-around manner. A talented person like him had that potential. But that bastard valued his own abilities the most. He turned a blind eye to my expectations. Therefore, over time, the greater my expectations of him, the more disappointed I became, and naturally I was very dissatisfied with him," Instructor Zephyr said, his tone slightly regretful.
But soon, he laughed again. "But that was all in the past. After meeting you, I let it all go. Over the past two years, Borsalino has often called me to check in, and I haven't brushed him off like before. So in reality, our relationship has already improved a long time ago. It's just that he's based in the New World and doesn't come back to Headquarters very often, so it's normal that you haven't noticed. Don't worry about me, kid. There's nothing wrong."
"Haha. It seems I played a very important role in this," Finn said with a smile.
Instructor Zephyr glanced at Finn, then smiled and nodded. "I once told you to develop yourself in an all-around manner and not to leave any weaknesses. You did so initially, but now, your greatest strength is still your Devil Fruit ability, isn't it?"
Finn was silent for a moment, then nodded. "Yes."
"Yeah, so I've also been reflecting on myself. What's the point of truly all-around development? People always have to have a focus. Instinctively, unconsciously, they'll choose the option they prefer. This is a very reasonable thing. I even thought about it again: Why should I force my students to do something I can't do myself? All-around development... I'm not even a Devil Fruit user, so how can I have the nerve to say such things? So I've come to terms with it. You're all excellent people, no worse than me, your instructor. You've made your own choices in the process of continuous growth. As an instructor, I should be happy. How can I get angry and embarrassed just because my students don't develop according to my expectations? This is my fault as an instructor," Instructor Zephyr said softly.
There was both regret and relief in his tone.
"Instructor..." Finn murmured, deeply moved. He wanted to say something but couldn't find the words.
"Hahaha. Let's not talk about this anymore. I'm sorry for making you worry. Don't worry, there's nothing wrong between Borsalino and me," Instructor Zephyr said, patting Finn's shoulder.
At that moment, a member of the royal family of a member nation suddenly spoke. "A coup d'état broke out in my neighboring country, Lesk, last month. Although the coup was suppressed, we discovered traces of the Revolutionary Army. As far as I know, the Revolutionary Army already has a certain influence worldwide, and they're targeting the royal families of us member nations. They've always intended to overthrow our regimes. Regarding this matter, I hope everyone will take it seriously, and I also hope the World Government can give us an explanation. The Heavenly Tribute and taxes we pay every year should be exchanged for the World Government's support and protection, but now..."
"Yes! The Revolutionary Army has always been a thorn in our side. Sometimes I can't sleep well at night when I hear news about them!"
After that, several royal families of member nations began denouncing the Revolutionary Army.
Finn also raised his eyebrows and took a sip of tea. Finally, the main event was beginning.
After the royal families of various countries had made a commotion for a while, a high-ranking World Government official in a black suit, with a very serious expression, spoke up. "Regarding the Revolutionary Army, our World Government has always been fighting against them. I hope everyone is aware of this. Secondly, the birth and growth of the Revolutionary Army are inseparable from this chaotic era. You could even say they're the cancer born from the tide of the times, intending to use this chaos to usher in a new wave. Therefore, our general assessment of the Revolutionary Army is that we must first strive to calm the turmoil on the seas and create a relatively stable environment. Only then can we free our hands to root out these rats hiding in the shadows and eliminate them!"
"What you said makes some sense. So what are you going to do?" a king asked in a deep voice, his arms crossed over his chest.
It had to be said that the royal families of these member nations were quite assertive, and they had no qualms about confronting the World Government directly.
The World Government official glanced at the king. "In fact, we're already taking action. To quickly restore stability to the seas and the overall situation, we've launched the Seven Warlords of the Sea plan. This system can effectively split the pirate forces and pacify some of the destabilizing factors..."
But before he could finish his words, a young king suddenly spoke in a deep voice. "I object to the Seven Warlords of the Sea. How could such a thing be implemented so suddenly? Shouldn't it be discussed at the World Conference? I seriously question the legitimacy of the Seven Warlords of the Sea. My proposal for this conference is to abolish the Seven Warlords of the Sea system now, while there are no Warlords yet and before it causes too much disaster to the world."
As soon as he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent. Some kings' eyes flashed with agreement, while others simply ignored the matter. Still others had a hint of mockery in their eyes.
Finn looked at the young king with some surprise, thinking he looked familiar. He turned to Admiral Sengoku and asked, "Who is he? He's quite insightful!"
"Descendant of the twenty kings," Admiral Sengoku whispered.
"Descendant of the twenty kings?" Finn was stunned for a moment, then he laughed. "So that's it. The Nefertari royal family of Alabasta? King Cobra?"