“Hmph!” Upon hearing the Five Elders’ question, Akainu let out a cold sneer.

He spread his hands, flexing his iron fists. As they opened and closed, the metallic fists emitted cracking sounds accompanied by a harsh grinding noise. He said, “What do I think? What can I think?”

After speaking, he leaned back, his entire body resting against the chair behind him, displaying a couldn’t-care-less attitude.

“Akainu! What is this attitude?!” His demeanor naturally made the Five Elders displeased, so one of them couldn’t help but reprimand him.

“What attitude?!” Akainu abruptly straightened up, tilting his head with a cigar in his mouth, sneering, “Hmph! Back when you issued an order for Arest to go to Gran Tesoro to protect the Celestial Dragons, did you ever consult me? When Arest chased Ian to Whole Cake Island, why did no one ever tell me that there were CP agents lurking around a Yonko?”

The more he spoke, the angrier he became. Akainu couldn’t help but smash his iron fist onto the table in front of him, roaring, “Who approved that woman Stussy to contact Arest on her own and take action?! Now look, your intelligence agents are exposed, and even the Marine Admiral I just recruited has been killed! Instead of holding CP accountable, you come to ask me what I think! Do you even regard me, the Fleet Admiral, as anything at all?!”

Akainu was truly furious this time. Ever since he became Fleet Admiral, he found that the World Government frequently interfered in Marine affairs. Perhaps they thought Akainu only rose to power with the World Government’s support, so they constantly bypassed him to issue orders directly to the Marines.

Although many in the Marines supported Akainu’s Absolute Justice philosophy, there were also those who disagreed with his ideals. Moreover, since he didn’t have the original historical achievements of defeating the Whitebeard Pirates and killing Ace, this led to his insufficient prestige as Fleet Admiral, making it impossible for him to fully control the Marines. The World Government was issuing orders that could direct the Marines without his approval.

Faced with this situation, Akainu was naturally furious, so he used this meeting to vent his frustrations directly…

The Five Elders didn’t expect Akainu to suddenly explode, and they looked at each other speechlessly. Indeed, the World Government was aware of Arest going to Whole Cake Island and even actively cooperated with him, temporarily suppressing the news of his recruitment as an Admiral. They originally thought that Arest could stir up trouble between Big Mom and Ian on Whole Cake Island, using Big Mom to eliminate Ian. But in the end, they tried to steal a chicken only to lose the rice used to lure it; Arest died, and instead, they facilitated Ian’s ascent to the position of a Yonko.

Originally, Ian replacing Big Mom to become a Yonko wasn’t a big deal, but the problem is that compared to the other Yonko, Ian’s hostility toward the World Government is very apparent!

The other Yonko, no matter how strong or powerful, have never set their sights on the Holy Land of Mary Geoise. Only Ian once set Mary Geoise on fire, making him the nightmare of the Celestial Dragons.

This time, the photos in the news—with that demonic figure—who knows how many Celestial Dragons will become even more terrified of him…

For the Celestial Dragons, who pride themselves as creators, isn’t the nemesis of gods the devil?

Who knows what Ian’s full name is; does it also contain a “D”?…

Seeing the Five Elders rendered silent by his retort, Akainu felt a certain satisfaction. These old geezers of the Five Elders really think they can rule the world by sitting in their 50,000-square-meter mansion in Mary Geoise without stepping out?

Have you ever witnessed the storms at sea? Have you ever seen the rampant pirates?

This time, meddling in Marine affairs has given you a lesson; in that sense, Ian has done me a favor!

Thinking of this, Akainu stood up and left directly. He wouldn’t care about so much; Arest’s identity was exposed by the newspapers, and now the Marines’ morale was in turmoil. He hadn’t even pacified his own ranks yet; how could he be bothered to clean up the Five Elders’ mess?

So in the end, only the Five Elders were left in the conference room. After a heated discussion, the decision they finally made was somewhat surprising.

Because their decision was to hold the World Economic News Paper responsible!

They had no choice; they couldn’t control Ian, but the World Economic News Paper, without their permission, had revealed Arest’s identity as a Marine Admiral, making it impossible for the World Government to conceal or suppress the matter. Moreover, the news also mentioned CP0, which the Five Elders couldn’t tolerate, because in the eyes of the public, the World Government’s intelligence agency was only known as Cipher Pol; there was no mention of CP0. Even though there were rumors about this organization, none had been confirmed. Now, to openly publish it in the newspaper was equivalent to letting the whole world know about this secret intelligence organization…

—

As time passed, the sky gradually brightened. With the arrival of a new day, the News Coo’s flight distances grew longer, spreading the newspaper to more distant corners.

On the Moby Dick, the flagship of the Whitebeard Pirates, Whitebeard held the newspaper that appeared small in his hands, curling his lips and snorting coldly, “That brat actually stands on equal footing with me now…”

The noise from the deck kept coming up, making Whitebeard feel irritated. He shouted loudly, “Marco! What kind of banquet are you holding so early in the morning!?”

“Haha! Pops!” Marco raised his wine glass, laughing, “It’s a celebration, a celebration!”

Then he turned around, looking at the ship full of Whitebeard Pirates members, and shouted loudly, “Isn’t that right!?”

“Yes!!!” The members of the Whitebeard Pirates answered in unison.

Marco raised his wine glass: “Then! For our family, Ian! For our pride, Ian! For the birth of a new Yonko! Cheers!!!”

“Cheers!!!”

Clang! Clang! Clang! The sounds echoed as the members of the Whitebeard Pirates used all their strength, almost wanting to smash each other’s glasses, then drank heartily in unison!

“Hmph! A bunch of idiot sons!” Whitebeard snorted proudly, “Holding a banquet without inviting me!? Bring me my barrel of sake!”

The Whitebeard Pirates were truly happy for Ian’s achievement, so a group of people got drunk early in the morning. And when they were drunk and hazy, someone finally brought up the key issue.

“Flower Sword” Vista, drunk, held a newspaper, staring at the photo for a long time. He wiped the wine stains from his lips and mustache, winking and saying, “Actually, I’m very curious. Why is Big Mom naked, with all her clothes gone? What on earth did that kid Ian do to Big Mom?”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by Aunomay Read