Chương 1579: After the War (1)

"Marshal, the failure of this battle is entirely my fault!"

Akainu said with regret, his voice full of self-blame and pain.

"If I hadn't been beaten back by the enemy, the situation for the navy wouldn't have become so bad!"

Sengoku looked at Akainu and sighed in his heart.

He knew that Akainu was a very responsible general, and he must be more upset than anyone else about this failure.

"No, Akainu, don't say that."

Warring States comforted.

"You have done your best in this battle, and you are not guilty of anything. If you want to blame someone, blame the Rockefeller Kingdom. If they hadn't suddenly intervened, we could have won a great victory."

Zhan Guo's words revealed his dissatisfaction and helplessness towards the Rockefeller Kingdom.

Who could have thought that this country, which originally had nothing to do with the navy, would intervene at a critical moment and disrupt the navy's plans.

After hearing what Sengoku said, Akainu moved his lips slightly, as if he wanted to say something, but in the end he didn't say it.

He looked at Zhan Guo's exhausted figure, his heart filled with guilt.

"Marshal, don't blame yourself too much."

Akainu said.

"This failure is not your fault alone, it is ours."

Zhan Guo shook his head and said, "No, Akainu, the main responsibility for this failure is mine. As the marshal, I did not anticipate the intervention of the Rockefeller Kingdom. This is my dereliction of duty."

"Just rest and recover. The Navy can't do without you. The responsibility for the failure of this operation will be borne by me. I will take full responsibility to the end."

Akainu quickly shook his head and said, "No, Marshal, how can you bear this alone? This is not your fault!"

However, Zhan Guo patted Akainu's shoulder and said, "You should take good care of your injuries. You don't have to worry about other things."

The generals around watched this scene silently. They all knew that the Admiral and Akainu were doing this for the good of the Navy, but this failure was too much of a blow to them.

After a long while, the atmosphere in the ward became extremely solemn. No one spoke, only silence spread.

Finally, the Warring States broke the suffocating silence.

He waved to the generals around him and said in a deep voice: "You all go down first. I want to talk to Akainu alone."

When Akainu heard what Sengoku said, his pupils shrank slightly, as if he had a premonition of what was going to happen next.

The other generals also understood what he meant. They looked at Admiral Akainu, then quietly left the ward, leaving the space to the two senior naval officers.

The ward suddenly became extremely quiet, with only Akainu and Sengoku standing opposite each other.

However, neither of them spoke immediately, as if they were waiting for the other to speak first.

Time passed by minute by minute, and finally, Sengoku took a deep breath, as if he had made up his mind, and said slowly: "Akainu, in one month, I will submit my resignation letter to the World Government and step down from the position of Navy Admiral."

His eyes fell directly on Akainu's, as if to see through his true thoughts.

Akainu showed a look of surprise when he heard this, although he was just pretending, it was undeniable that Sengoku's decision did surprise him.

"Marshal, how can this be possible? The Navy absolutely cannot do without you!"

Akainu said quickly, a hint of anxiety in his tone.

Zhan Guo smiled bitterly and shook his head.

"I have brought the navy to this state. How can I continue to serve as the admiral of the navy?"

His words were full of self-mockery and helplessness.

Just when Akainu was about to speak, Sengoku suddenly reached out and pressed his shoulders hard, forcing Akainu to swallow back the words that were about to come out of his mouth.

Zhan Guo took a deep breath and said slowly: "The New World was lost during my term. The first half of the Grand Line also lost four important routes during my term. It can be said that I am the most failed naval marshal in the past 800 years. I really have no face to continue in this position!"

After saying that, Zhan Guo sighed heavily, as if a big stone in his heart had finally fallen to the ground.

Akainu sighed in his heart after hearing what Sengoku said.

Of course he knew that all this could not be blamed entirely on Sengoku alone. Factors such as changes in the world situation and the rise of pirate forces had put enormous pressure on the navy.

However, as the naval marshal, Zhan Guo does have an unshirkable responsibility.

Faced with such a situation, Akainu could only choose to remain silent, because he really didn't know what to say to comfort Sengoku.

Sengoku glanced at Akainu and continued, "According to the tradition of the Navy, after I step down as Admiral, I have the right to nominate the next Admiral of the Navy."

He stared closely into Akainu's eyes, as if trying to get some clues from Akainu's expression.

However, there was no fluctuation on Akainu's face. He just looked at Sengoku quietly without showing any special expression.

Sengoku couldn't help but sigh in his heart. He knew that what he did was a bit unfair to Akainu, but he was really optimistic about Aokiji and believed that Aokiji was the most suitable candidate to be the Navy Admiral.

"I plan to nominate Aokiji as the next Navy Admiral after I step down. I hope you can assist Aokiji with Kizaru to make the Navy great again!"

Sengoku looked at Akainu seriously and solemnly stated his purpose.

He knew very well that there had always been some conflicts between Aokiji and Akainu.

The two people have completely different ideas, and I don't know how many times they have quarreled about this.

However, for the future of the Navy, these personal grudges can be put aside for the time being.

Therefore, Sengoku came here specifically to do some ideological work on Akainu, so that he could put aside his past grudges and fully support Aokiji.

Sengoku stared at Akainu closely, trying to find some clues from his expressionless face and to understand his true thoughts.

However, to Zhan Guo's disappointment, he couldn't see anything.

Akainu is like an iceberg, cold and hard, making it difficult to glimpse into his inner turmoil.

Silence stretched between the two of them, and time seemed to stand still.

Finally, after a long time, Akainu's hoarse voice broke the silence: "Marshal, do you really think Aokiji has the ability to lead the navy to glory again?"

This time, Akainu's attitude was obviously different from before. There was no longer the respect in his words as before, but instead a kind of indifference and questioning.

Sengoku couldn't help but frown slightly. He didn't expect Akainu to express his opinion so directly.

However, Akainu did not stop there. He continued to speak like a machine gun: "Aokiji is indecisive. Can such a person really be qualified for the important position of Admiral of the Navy? Does he really have enough decisiveness and leadership to lead the Navy?"