"Sakazuki, I think you should know how to choose."
Saint Saturn spoke calmly at the bedside.
His meaning was clear. If Akainu didn't agree, both he and his daughter would die.
After witnessing the betrayals of Sengoku, Kuzan, and Borsalino, he now understood completely.
For those on their side, the only two options were absolute loyalty or death.
If they allowed Akainu to leave, who knew if he would defect to Caelan's side?
Even if he didn't, they didn't want to see a former dog of the World Government living happily while the Celestial Dragons were facing destruction.
Akainu thought for a while, then said seriously, "I agree to become Fleet Admiral, but my daughter and I don't need to become Celestial Dragons."
The beast Saturn had hit the mark.
He didn't want Hibari to die, and deep down, he had always desired the position of Fleet Admiral.
He would rather die on the battlefield than be killed in a hospital bed by Saturn.
Then so be it. Let him fight Caelan once more, even if it meant certain death.
Saturn smiled. "Fleet Admiral Akainu, becoming a Celestial Dragon is essential. It represents our utmost sincerity."
"So what do you want me to do next?"
Akainu knew he couldn't back out now, so he chose not to resist further.
"That depends on you. Gather every force you can." Saturn conveyed Imu's order. "Before Caelan makes a move, make the best possible preparations."
"But Sengoku, Kuzan, Borsalino... the Fleet Admiral, Admirals, and Vice Admirals have all defected!" Akainu said angrily. "How am I supposed to gather forces? I might as well go fight Caelan now and die quickly!"
In the past, he had ideological differences with Sengoku and Kuzan's factions and was completely opposed to them.
But even he had to admit that Sengoku's faction had controlled over half of the Navy's strength.
And although Borsalino had always been lazy, his power was unquestionable.
Now they had all joined Caelan, and even many of his own hardline generals were slipping away.
He was the only one left. What was the point?
"If no one is left, then we'll recruit globally." Saturn quickly came up with an idea. "The World Government has stood for 800 years. There will always be those willing to join us. Besides, Caelan has many enemies. Not everyone supports him."
"These people will all join us," Saint Nusjuro continued. "We've also been searching for strong individuals among the general populace and have already found two people at admiral-level strength."
Saturn said, "Akainu, once you've recovered, assume the role of Fleet Admiral immediately and begin global conscription. Since it will be difficult for you to manage everything alone, Commander-in-Chief Kong will assist you."
With that, the two left the ward side by side.
Outside the hospital, Nusjuro said to Saturn, "You're really clever to use Akainu's daughter to pressure him. But now, we'll need to send someone to bring her back."
Saturn shook his head. "Don't send anyone to retrieve her. Send someone to kill her, then say Caelan did it. Not everyone is worthy of becoming a Celestial Dragon. Hatred will make Akainu more loyal."
Nusjuro was stunned, then gave a thumbs up. "Brilliant! Should we have the Knights of God handle it?"
Although there were only twelve Knights of God, each one had strength equivalent to an admiral.
Killing a little girl like Hibari would be effortless.
"Perfect. Fast and clean."
As they conversed, the two slowly walked away…
Akainu, still lying in the ward, had no idea about the plans Saturn and Nusjuro had made.
He was still thinking about Hibari's safety and how to clean up the Navy's mess.
"World Conscription," Akainu murmured.
…
"World Conscription!"
Caelan was personally presiding over a high-level meeting in the Neo Navy Headquarters' conference room.
The attendees included all the senior officials of the Neo Navy, along with new members like Sengoku.
"Regarding the Neo Navy's next plan," Caelan said seriously, "we'll launch a massive recruitment campaign to address the shortage of basic personnel and increase protection in remote areas."
"While recruiting, we must continue expanding our influence. We should show results in the Four Seas and the Grand Line as well."
Even though he had been paying the public grain tax until dawn last night, Caelan remained full of energy and presence at the meeting.
Gion, Zephyr, Sengoku, Kuzan, Borsalino, Tsuru, and dozens of vice admirals sat attentively.
"First, about World Conscription."
Caelan cleared his throat. "Our high-end combat power already leads the world. Our mid-level forces are quickly catching up, thanks to the supply of 256 Devil Fruits."
"But we still have a large gap in the most basic ranks of non-commissioned officers and soldiers. If we want to reap the full rewards of the coming victory, we must fill this gap immediately."
"Starting today, we will begin global recruitment. Twenty fleets led by vice admirals will escort new recruits to report across various regions."
"We will also establish three new training bases in each of the thirty Illuminati member nations. Each base will train at least 50,000 soldiers."
"Additionally, prepare for mass defections from the original Navy."
"That concludes the general plan for World Conscription. I'll leave the details to you all. Any questions?"
As Caelan scanned the room, he was met with rows of elite officers and powerful commanders. It was a satisfying sight.
"I think Commander Caelan's plan is excellent. No objections at all!"
Zephyr clapped, setting the tone and boosting morale.
This world conscription initiative resonated deeply with him.
Truthfully, the current strength structure of the Neo Navy was highly unbalanced.
There were many elites at the mid and high levels, but far too few soldiers at the lower levels.
Of course, that was a good problem to have. It meant the Neo Navy had a strong foundation.
Most forces suffered the opposite, lacking top officers but overflowing with soldiers.
"World Conscription is definitely a great move!" Sengoku added, not wanting to fall behind. "With the Neo Navy's current reputation, we'll attract massive numbers. Soon we'll have close to a million troops."
Zephyr added smartly, "Sengoku is being modest. The recruits from the conscription won't just be fresh soldiers. Many defectors from the old Navy will come over too. With both groups, reaching a million will be easy."
The meeting room was filled with excitement as more voices joined in.
No one could resist praising such a bright future.
Caelan raised a hand, and the room instantly quieted.
Seeing that everyone's focus had returned, he spoke in a deep tone, "Since we're all agreed on the World Conscription plan, let's move to the next operation."
"Don't be overconfident. Let's set a small goal first."
"Take full control of the North Blue, and use it as the recruitment propaganda for the Neo Navy."
(To be continued.)
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◇ One bonus chapter will be released for every 200 Power Stones.
◇ You can read the ahead chapter on Pat if you're interested: p-atreon.c-om/Blownleaves (Just remove the hyphen to access normally.)