"Hina is curious, what does 'new navy' mean?"

Hina whispered next to Gion, surprised by Caelan's sudden statement.

This was the first time she'd ever heard the term "new navy."

"It's just a name he came up with. He also said before that Admiral Aokiji and Chief Instructor Zephyr would be joining."

"But if it's him, he'll probably follow through."

Gion looked toward Caelan meaningfully.

If he didn't want something to happen, no one could force it. If he did, he'd make it happen—no matter what.

In fact, there was something else Gion didn't mention: Hina standing beside her was already on Caelan's list.

"Eh? How is that possible?!"

Hina covered her mouth in disbelief.

That man must be dreaming. How could Aokiji and Zephyr leave the Marines?

"I thought the same, but compared to recruiting the entire G5 branch, convincing Aokiji and Zephyr to join almost seems easier."

Gion glanced at Caelan, who was standing before the Marines making his outrageous proposal, and couldn't help but complain a little.

Caelan had mentioned wanting to recruit from the Marines before, but it had always been one by one.

Now? He was going after entire branches.

And the G5 branch wasn't just any unit.

Even within the entire Marine organization, the G5 branch held significant weight.

It was one of the few Marine branches stationed in the New World, and its overall combat strength was greater than the entire East Blue Navy.

If this continued, Marine Headquarters itself might collapse. Sengoku, Sakazuki, and the others would be left all alone.

Just thinking about it made Gion want to laugh.

Still, it wouldn't be easy to poach these Marines.

Those stationed in the New World had already set aside fear of death. They wouldn't be swayed by simple temptations.

Gion watched Caelan with great interest.

She was curious to see how he planned to win over the G5 Marines.

"Caelan-sama, what do you mean by asking us to join your new navy?"

One of the Marines asked cautiously.

They understood the words separately, but not the concept as a whole.

"Exactly what I said. I'm going to establish a new navy unit, and I want to invite you to join."

Caelan replied calmly.

"This... Can we refuse?"

The Marines looked embarrassed.

Not only was this "new navy" just a vague idea, but Caelan was also an enemy of the World Government. They were naturally wary.

"Of course you can refuse. But at least let me finish what I want to say, alright?"

Caelan smiled warmly, his hands resting gently by his sides.

"Of course, of course, go ahead!"

The Marines broke into a cold sweat and nodded quickly.

Refuse? Just moments ago, Caelan had killed Vergo. Who would dare reject him outright?

"Good."

Caelan nodded with satisfaction, then began to speak before the silent crowd.

"My fellow Marines, you're all passionate heroes who want to eliminate pirates and protect the people. But this was the commander you were given."

"Your base commander turned out to be a pirate's undercover agent. Who knows how many evil deeds he committed in secret. And from what I know, he's not the only one."

"To be honest, I too was once a young man who dreamed of joining the Marines. But I encountered a corrupt captain named Nezumi, who colluded with pirates and exploited the people. That shattered my faith in the organization."

"Later, when I became a bounty hunter, I met the brutal Captain Morgan, who also abused civilians."

"From Nezumi, to Morgan, and now to Vergo, I've realized something: corruption and infiltration run deep within the Marines. The system is rotten to the core!"

The Marines were visibly shaken. They looked at Caelan with newfound understanding and sympathy.

So the God Slayer himself had once aspired to be a Marine...

But had been disillusioned by corruption.

At the same time, they deeply agreed with what he was saying.

There were indeed many rotten figures within the Navy. Even they had grown disappointed.

So now the question remained—should they join Caelan's new navy?

The Marines wavered.

Seeing their hesitation, Caelan pushed further.

"The so-called Marines of today are nothing but guard dogs for the Celestial Dragons. You all know what those Celestial Dragons are like. Do you really want to serve people like that?"

"We're not working for the Celestial Dragons! We joined to protect civilians and punish evil pirates!"

The Marines shouted in protest.

They had enlisted out of a burning desire to serve justice and defeat piracy.

But the reality had been disappointing. The Marines worked like dogs for the scum of Mariejois, gave pirates legal cover to plunder, and allowed corruption to thrive.

Caelan nodded in agreement.

"In that case, why not come with me? I'll soon establish the purest protection force—an organization that works with various nations to provide security and oversight."

"You will be the founding members of this organization. You can shape it with your own ideals and make it into what you've always hoped for."

Caelan wasn't exaggerating. He was simply expressing his true intentions.

He would set the highest principles for the organization, while the newly recruited Marines would lay the groundwork and build the structure.

That was why he valued the Marines more than pirates.

Pirates lacked the discipline and coordination the Navy possessed.

"A new organization, shaped by our own ideals?"

The Marines were tempted by the vision Caelan painted.

No more Celestial Dragons.

No more undercover traitors in charge.

And they'd get to realize their own values.

Given everything Caelan had done so far, his words were credible.

Some of them were already leaning toward joining.

Of course, not all were convinced. Some had deep emotional ties to the Marines. Others doubted whether Caelan could ever stand against the World Government that had ruled for 800 years.

Seeing the internal conflict, Caelan said, "Those who want to join me, stay here. Those who don't, I won't force you. You're free to go. These children still need someone to look after them."

With those words, both sides made their decisions.

"We'll stay!"

More than 2,000 Marine soldiers remained.

"We'll pass."

Smoker and over 800 others chose to leave.

Caelan wasn't disappointed.

Retaining more than 2,000 was already a major victory.

After all, not everyone could be persuaded right away.

At that moment, Hina, who had been watching silently, suddenly came to her senses.

She was still the Rear Admiral of the G5 branch. And just like that, Caelan had snatched away all her subordinates!

With more than 2,000 gone in an instant, she'd be left completely alone!

Hina glared at Caelan and said angrily, "You stole all my subordinates! How am I supposed to explain this to Marine Headquarters?!"

Caelan smiled faintly and looked at the beautiful Hina.

"Why don't you come with me? I'll promote you to vice admiral."

"Eh!?"

Hina stared at him in disbelief. Was he seriously trying to poach her too?

Even Hina wasn't safe?!

Smoker's expression turned sour.

First he took more than 2,000 soldiers. Now he wanted to take Hina too?

Could Caelan show at least a little restraint?

(To be continued.)