Chương 1943: Battle of the North Sea (87)

The deep helplessness and complex emotions in Tsuru's heart did not escape the sharp, eagle-like gaze of Garp standing beside her.

He knew perfectly well that if he decided to use the extremely tempting position of Admiral to invite Issho to join the Navy, then apart from Kizaru remaining firmly in control, either Momousagi or Chaton would have to make a concession.

Judging from the current situation, it is highly likely that Momousagi will have to back down.

After all, as a woman, she is naturally in a relatively disadvantaged position!

This is definitely not something that Tsuru can easily let go of—after all, Tsuru is Momousagi's older sister.

As the older sister, she naturally hoped from the bottom of her heart that her younger sister could become a majestic and admired naval admiral!

But things have come to this point.

If we absolutely have to invite Yixiao in, then we'll probably have to ask this person with extraordinary skills and exceptional strength to temporarily lower himself and be ranked below the rank of general!

Back in the day, Yixiao became famous and renowned far and wide thanks to his outstanding skills!

To be forced to compromise and concede to others is an incredibly frustrating feeling for any true master!

After all, every strong person has a bit of innate arrogance deep down!

If you can't show enough sincerity, how can you successfully recruit Yixiao to your side?

"I think it would be best to discuss this matter with the Fleet Admiral. After all, Aokiji and Akainu have only been fighting for three days, and it's really difficult to determine a winner in such a short time! So, we don't need to rush. We can use this ample time to figure out what stance we should take and what price we should pay to recruit that mysterious 'Issou'!"

While keeping a close eye on Vice Admiral Tsuru, Garp gave his suggestion in a firm tone.

"Ok!"

Lieutenant General Tsuru nodded slightly, indicating his agreement with Garp's statement.

She quickly grabbed a stack of detailed information about "Yi Xiao" and then followed Garp, walking together toward the imposing and solemn marshal's office.

Upon entering the marshal's office, one sees Fleet Admiral Sengoku sitting upright on the marshal's throne, a symbol of supreme power, intently working on the mountain of documents piled up in his hands.

Those are all important matters related to his upcoming departure and handover of the position of Admiral of the Navy!

At this moment, Marshal Zhan Guo was methodically sorting out and classifying the various tasks under his charge, and listing out and analyzing in detail a series of major issues involving all aspects of the navy that had recently occurred.

The purpose of this is simply to provide the next successor with a clear, concise, and highly valuable reference material, so that he can take over the entire large and complex naval system more smoothly and quickly.

These practices are simply traditional practices passed down from generation to generation of naval marshals.

Just as Marshal Sengoku was fully engaged in the tense and busy naval handover affairs, a crisp and urgent knocking sound suddenly reached his ears.

The Warring States Marshal was surprised: Why would someone come looking for me in broad daylight?

At this very moment, everyone in the entire Marine Headquarters is focused, without exception, on the thrilling and terrifying life-or-death battle between Aokiji and Akainu!

Who exactly came at this crucial moment?

Despite his deep doubts, Sengoku said in a low voice with a solemn expression, "Come in!"

As soon as he finished speaking, a slight sound was heard, and the heavy, tightly closed office door slowly opened.

Immediately afterwards, Zhan Guo saw two all-too-familiar figures standing at the door.

"Oh, it's Xiaohe and Garp. What brings you here to see me?"

While keeping a close eye on the two uninvited guests, Zhan Guo casually put down the documents and writing implements he was reviewing, and then asked.

"Marshal, this is the situation... Recently, a remarkably powerful figure has suddenly appeared in the North Sea, which falls under our naval jurisdiction. According to the intelligence we have, this enigmatic and powerful individual seems to have some connection to our navy. After careful consideration, we believe that if we can successfully recruit him and bring him into our naval forces, it will undoubtedly greatly enhance our overall combat capabilities!"

After briefly recounting the events that had occurred in the North Sea region to Sengoku, Tsuru then proceeded to tell Sengoku everything about Ikkō.

After hearing these words, the entire room seemed to freeze, becoming unusually quiet, as if time had stopped flowing at that moment.

Everyone remained silent, and no one dared to break the deathly stillness.

After a long while, Zhan Guo slowly reached out and picked up the photo of Yi Xiao that was on the table again. He brought it close to his eyes and stared at it intently.

His gaze was as sharp as a hawk's, not missing a single detail.

"This man possesses extraordinary skills, having actually faced off against Caesar of the Rockefeller Kingdom and escaped unscathed, demonstrating his formidable strength. Now, he has been rescued by a naval captain, meaning the Navy has saved his life a second time. Coupled with Garp's assessment of Issho earlier, all signs indicate that this man is indeed worth our utmost efforts to recruit into the Navy!"

Sengoku put down the photo in his hand, turned to look at Garp and Tsuru, and said solemnly.

Garp nodded slightly in agreement: "The Fleet Admiral is absolutely right. I also greatly admire this man. The key question is, what conditions should we offer to entice Issho to join the Navy? You must know, he is no ordinary person; his strength is unfathomable. Even in a place like Marine Headquarters, where hidden talents abound, few are confident they can defeat him!"

At this point, Garp showed a hint of worry.

Crane nodded silently in agreement, her eyes fixed on Sengoku, trying to glean some clues from his expression.

Upon hearing this, Zhan Guo felt as if he were being propelled by an invisible force, and involuntarily leaned back, gently resting against the hard yet comfortable chair back.

At the same time, his thick eyebrows furrowed tightly, as if kneaded together by an unseen hand, forming a deep furrow that revealed he was troubled by an extremely difficult problem.