Starting with Naruto, I'll become stronger through my own efforts.

Chapter 499 The Navy's Top Warlord, Xia Zuo

For Xia Zuo, "Bridge Country" Tachilavol is the best source of soldiers.

The people here are all slaves, and they are the strong who survived the trials of being sold, tortured, lacking food and clothing, and enduring long sea voyages.

Those who can reach "Bridge Kingdom" possess the best foundation, regardless of age or gender; those with slightly worse foundations become bait halfway through the journey.

With proper nutrition and rigorous training, they can become the best marines.

The most ingenious thing is that, regardless of their original background, they were all relegated to the lowest rung of the world, and therefore harbored an irreconcilable hatred for nobles, pirates, and Celestial Dragons.

After Xia Zuo unveiled his three magic weapons, their revolutionary attitude was far stronger than that of the so-called revolutionary army, their understanding of revolution was deeper, and they were willing to follow Xia Zuo to sweep away all injustices in the world.

Although it has only been a few years, Shazor has received a steady stream of new marines.

Using the conscription and training system that had taken several years to develop, Xia Zuo placed the new marines into various branches in the East China Sea.

These marines were diligent in their work, trained hard, and were extremely obedient. The officers of each branch praised them and were very satisfied with the work of the conscription department.

As a result, more and more new marines joined the East China Sea Navy, quickly replacing the original veterans and giving the East China Sea Navy a completely new look.

Naturally, the new marines were promoted and gained real power in the grassroots navy, putting the officers of those branch bases and their confidants in check.

This is the basis of Xia Zuo's power in controlling the East China Sea, and also the root cause of his sudden arrogance and domineering behavior.

This is a completely different concept from a few years ago when Xia Zuo relied entirely on the 77th Branch to patrol the entire East Blue.

After completely sidelining the various branches and bases, he did not make the senior officers of those branches and bases uncomfortable. Instead, he used the control of the grassroots information sources to cut off the Navy and the World Government's control over the local areas.

Then, taking advantage of his tour of the East China Sea, he began to target the local minor nobles of various countries, wiping out the most wicked ones.

Instead, those slaves from the Bridge Country who were unwilling or unable to become marines were recruited.

Although all the slaves who made it to the Bridge Country alive were commendable, there are always exceptions when there are many people.

Some were seriously ill and their vitality was depleted; some accidentally lost their limbs; and many more were simply timid by nature and dared not join the army.

Ultimately, not every ethnic group can be like the Chinese, who are born a race of warriors.

Even after such a brutal selection process, half of the slaves in the pirate world are still unsuitable to be marines, but they are perfect for controlling the grassroots of various countries.

As a result, the various kingdoms of the East Sea were also rendered powerless.

Those kingdoms were all European-style kingdoms, where the king and nobles lived in the capital, and the areas outside the city walls were treated as enemy states, requiring force to collect taxes.

But aside from taxing and suppressing riots, the ruling class of the kingdom knew almost nothing about their own kingdom.

Xia Zuo found an excuse to eliminate all the henchmen responsible for collecting taxes, thus completely severing the kingdom's administrative functions.

The managers he placed there operated under the banner of the new navy.

The new navy boasts efficient management capabilities, safe and fast maritime transportation, and maintains a clean and honest work style, resulting in a hundredfold increase in revenue.

As a result, the king and nobles felt that their income was steadily increasing, completely unaware that their kingdom had changed hands and that they were merely a figurehead used to deceive the world government.

The public felt that life had become safer and more prosperous under the direct control of the new navy, and that the future was full of hope.

With rapid economic development and through extensive propaganda, Xia Zuo united the entire East China Sea under the new navy, forming a unified whole.

This was an unprecedentedly powerful warlord, possessing an independent tax system, administrative system, management system, and most importantly, formidable strength.

While not yet strong enough to defeat the World Government, it undoubtedly has the power to turn against them.

Barney Joe, who infiltrated the East Blue to prepare for an uprising in the Land of Bridges, was the most bewildered guy. He should have made contact with Robin and left the East Blue by now.

Thinking of all this, Xia Zuo couldn't help but burst into laughter.

Those bastards in the World Government, I hope you don't give me that chance.

Otherwise, I, the great one, would be the one to overturn the world.

The Marineford War has ended. Edward Newgate, the "strongest man in the world," was killed at Marineford, the Marine Headquarters.

The Whitebeard Pirates were completely defeated, with only a few scattered members escaping.

In the four great seas and along the Grand Line, the whole world sings praises to the righteous navy's eternal invincibility. People rejoice and pay tribute to the heroic navy.

Yes, only nobles of very high status can be included in the category of ordinary people.

Because news of Whitebeard's death spread, a large number of pirate crews suddenly appeared on the sea, and no one knew where they had been hiding.

Those with insight were even more pessimistic, as if they saw history repeating itself.

Just like Roger's death, people were immersed in the joy of "justice will prevail" after Whitebeard's death, but they failed to realize that the Navy's victory did not bring the peace they had imagined.

Time seemed to have turned back to that year once again, and amidst the cheers and jubilation, unease was brewing. The future began to become unpredictable at this moment, and no one could foresee where it would lead.

But one thing has already happened: Whitebeard's territory has begun to be divided up by other forces.

The first to step forward were Big Mom and Kaido, who opened their gaping maws and desperately tried to take over Whitebeard's territory.

Whitebeard's territory was so vast that even the two great pirate emperors, who were already stuffed, couldn't divide it all up.

Therefore, no conflict broke out between them, nor did they have the energy to stop those pirate crews that appeared out of nowhere from secretly occupying land and plundering profits.

The new world descended into a massive land grab, with Whitebeard's territory being ruthlessly divided up.

Meanwhile, the Whitebeard Pirates, who escaped back to the New World, have vanished without a trace, their whereabouts unknown.

The lone wolf lurked in the shadows, licking its wounds while its bloodshot eyes fixed on old and new enemies, waiting to heal and then emerge from the mountains once more.

At the level of the Four Emperors, it's difficult to associate them with pirates anymore. Each of them has a vast territory under their rule, and they are fully capable of launching wars to conquer a country.

The fall of Whitebeard is tantamount to the sudden disintegration of a powerful nation. The islands once ruled by Whitebeard will face utter disaster at this moment!

Therefore, whether in peace or war, the innocent and unfortunate are always the most numerous and powerless people.

The navy also has its own troubles.

The Whitebeard Pirates were defeated, Marineford was destroyed, and the newly appointed Shichibukai, Blackbeard, defected. The World Government blamed all of this on Fleet Admiral Sengoku.

Two weeks later, Sengoku resigned from his position as Fleet Admiral to the World Government and Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces.

Of course, the resignation letter wouldn't mention that he had committed a crime; instead, it would state that the situation at sea had changed, and the navy needed to change accordingly, no longer needing outdated old men to lead it.

As part of the entourage, Lieutenant General Karp also submitted his resignation.

Without Sengoku's protection, he, the father of the Revolutionary Army commander and the grandfather of two great pirates, could no longer hold a high position in the Navy.

Moreover, due to Koby's death, Garp and the rapidly rising Shazor had a major conflict, and the two sides were like oil and water, with fierce clashes occurring every day.

For the sake of the Navy, Garp can no longer serve as Vice Admiral.

Commander-in-Chief Kong accepted Sengoku and Garp's resignations, but then appointed them as the Chief of Naval Operations to train new recruits for the Navy.

The new Fleet Admiral will be chosen from two candidates: Admiral Kuzan, recommended by Sengoku, and Admiral Sakazuki, recommended by the Five Elders.

In order to succeed the marshal, both sides mobilized all their resources and connections, and launched a fierce struggle at headquarters.

The Navy Headquarters was paralyzed for a time, and even the relocation to the new headquarters was delayed.

Xia Zuo was very satisfied with this. After accepting the rank of vice admiral, he led the 77th Marine Division, whose entire personnel had been promoted one rank, back to the East China Sea as quickly as possible, without getting involved in the headquarters' disputes.

The Warring States Marshal originally wanted to take over the 77th branch, but after weighing the options, he had no choice but to give up.

This unit is very good, very strong.

But precisely because they were too strong, they became an insurmountable problem.

Placing Xiazu under the leadership of Sakasaki or Kuzan would be tantamount to declaring the winner of the marshal competition, a power that Sengoku simply did not possess.

Even if he were to fall under Borsalino's control, it would cause this lazy guy's power at headquarters to increase several times over, and he would be forced to participate in the marshal competition, becoming the third marshal candidate.

This is a major problem that Kizaru can avoid simply by not wanting to do it.

Although Marshal Sengoku was very unwilling, he had no choice but to let Xia Zuo lead his team back to the East Sea.

Major General Faye finally snapped out of his elation at his promotion and asked, "Lieutenant General Xia Zuo, after we go back, will we return to the 77th Branch?"

Mels, who was originally directly under the Sakazuki intelligence department, also left the intelligence system, transferred to the regular navy, and was promoted to rear admiral.

His political acumen far surpassed that of Faye, and he said with a smile, "How could that be? The highest military rank in the branch is brigadier general."

"Now that Commander Xia Zuo has been promoted to Lieutenant General at headquarters, he must take on the role of base commander for a large base."

Major General Faye asked in confusion, "But there are no large bases in the East China Sea. Where will you be assigned, sir?"

Major General Mels rubbed his head and said, "Ugh, you idiot. If there isn't a large base, we'll just build one. Commander Shazo must have applied for the order to build a new base."

Xia Zuo turned around and smiled, "You're right, I applied for a new base."

Major General Faye asked excitedly, "Where is it?"

Shazo pointed to the Grand Line: "The town where the beginning and the end begin, the place closest to the Grand Line, Loguetown."

"There, at the farthest point from Mary Geoise, is where my reign over the world began."

The officers under Xia Zuo were stunned, muttering, "Rule the four seas—Upside-down Mountain—"

Marvel Universe!

The timeline of Marvel's Shazo has moved to 2015, four years after the Chitauri invasion of Earth.

During this period, many major events indeed occurred on Earth.

Thor and Malekith, the leader of the Dark Elves, fought a fierce battle on Earth. In the end, they both withdrew from Earth and disappeared to some unknown corner of the universe.

This was a big deal, but its impact was so small that Skye didn't even notice it.

By the time they found out, the person had already run away.

Xia Zuo was extremely saddened, as the Reality Gem had slipped through his fingers.

So he and Skye increased their vigilance, preferring to endure the harassment of several notifications a day.

When Tony Stark foolishly created the super-intelligent Ultron, Shasky noticed it in time and informed Shazor.

However, Shazo did not participate in this matter; he only arranged for Jordan to short Stark Industries stock, and he went all out.

While the Avengers assembled in Sokovia to fight Ultron's robot army, Shazzo was making a killing in the stock market.

Because it was an unexpected event, Shazor was able to enjoy the first wave of profits, reaping a whopping $200 billion from Stark. He hadn't had such an opportunity to double his assets since becoming a billionaire.

If it weren't for targeting a trillion-dollar asset like Stark Industries, it would be impossible to reap such profits.

After Xia Zuo and Jordan retired successfully, the other hyenas on Wall Street finally caught wind of it and pounced.

The madmen's attack became even more frenzied, completely obscuring Xia Zuo's movements.

The Avengers won the final battle in Sokovia, but at the cost of Quicksilver's life and caused incalculable economic losses, leaving countless civilians displaced.

This was a war in which all participants lost!

Of all the Avengers, besides Quicksilver who lost his life, Stark suffered the greatest loss.

He lost his all-powerful butler Jarvis, and Stark Industries' stock plummeted.

Worse still, Ultron was a scourge created by Stark, and the devastating loss of Sokovia fueled resentment among many Avengers, planting a time bomb for the Avengers.

When the disgruntled Stark pushed through the Superhero Registration Act, the Avengers' discontent with him finally erupted, igniting the Avengers' Civil War.

Because of Shazo's influence, the Hydra within S.H.I.E.L.D. was exposed ahead of time, so S.H.I.E.L.D. remained safe and sound, and the unlucky director was doing even better.

Because of the existence of S.H.I.E.L.D., Nick Fury vigorously recruited superheroes, bringing Scarlet Witch and the newly formed Vision into S.H.I.E.L.D.

With ample confidence, Nick Fury launched a massive offensive to completely destroy Hydra, achieving tremendous success.

He even managed to acquire most of the Winter Soldier squad.

What's really disgusting is that after recognizing Bucky, the leader of the Winter Soldier, this guy concealed this crucial information and continued to use his old comrade-in-arms as a tool.

After a series of successes, Nick Fury became arrogant and, together with a guilty Stark, began to push for the "Superhero Registration Act" and the "Sokovia Accords".

The Avengers were in uproar and instantly split into two factions.