103.Interlocking (part2)

The admiral continued with his statement and introduction:

"The conceptual framework of this battle formation relies on the seamless cooperation of the marines..."

Sakazuki glanced at Garp, who was sitting properly in his seat, vigorously digging his nose:

"You all are seasoned veterans of the battlefield and should be even more aware than I am. During naval battles, our forces mostly adopt a saturation firepower strategy against enemy pirates, striking and suppressing them before proceeding into boarding combat."

"Get to the point! Magma brat, isn't this just common sense?" Garp had an impatient expression on his face. Rather than listening to such a troublesome and frustrating report, he would much rather go back and hold Ace, who had just turned six months old.

Besides, wasn't this kind of thing the responsibility of Sengoku and Zephyr?

Sengoku and Zephyr sighed slightly. Did he really think Sakazuki was explaining these common-sense things for no reason?

Wasn't it just to make this reckless, headstrong guy listen more carefully?

Sakazuki, however, was in no rush. He met Garp's gaze head-on:

"The disparity in strength between high-ranking officers and mid-to-lower-ranked marines is severe. To avoid unnecessary casualties, battles are often structured so that officers fight officers and soldiers fight soldiers..."

The naval hero nodded and inserted himself into the discussion.

He himself was the best example:

"That's right. After all, individuals with high-level combat power are entirely capable of dominating an entire battlefield. No matter how many soldiers join the battle, as long as their quality is lacking, it will still end up as a one-sided slaughter, where one individual defeats a whole group without them having any chance to fight back."

Sakazuki pointed to the documents in the hands of the senior officers present:

"But when mid-to-low-ranking marines and officers rigidly apply this model, it becomes very stiff. They could have swiftly resolved enemies by relying on tight cooperation, yet it often devolves into one-on-one duels."

Zephyr and Sengoku exchanged a glance. This wasn't even the most important part in their view.

Zephyr cleared his throat twice:

"In my opinion, the function of the battle formation is only secondary. The most crucial aspect of this proposal is that soldiers and officers can follow orders and execute coordinated maneuvers under the command of the formation. Through the training of this battle formation, we can cultivate discipline among mid-to-lower-ranking marines."

Sakazuki silently praised his teacher. As expected, his mentor was exceptional.

The insight of "Black Arm" lay in his ability to see the essence through the surface.

Indeed, within the navy's ranks, there were widespread issues of personal heroism, where soldiers disregarded the orders of their superiors.

Although Garp was also someone who never played by the rules, his overwhelming combat strength allowed him to single-handedly turn the tide of battle during crises, making him a true hero.

However, when lower-ranked marines blindly imitated this behavior, the result was not only inefficiency in individual combat but also a complete lack of teamwork and coordination.

Ultimately, this led to a breakdown in military discipline and inconsistent combat effectiveness.

Even among the navy's elite soldiers stationed at headquarters, disobeying orders in the heat of battle was a common issue.

Just like in the original story, where the marines under Fujitora's command ignored Bastille and the others' attempts to stop them and still recklessly charged at the Revolutionary Army's second-in-command.

"This is a record of the past six months of battle formation trials conducted by Kuzan, Onigumo, and other officers. It includes their feedback on the strengths and weaknesses of the formation, along with proposed modifications," Sakazuki gestured behind him, signaling for his junior to bring forth the video footage recorded via visual Den Den Mushi.

"..."

"...."

For a moment, the atmosphere became somewhat awkward.

"Kuzan?"

Sakazuki suddenly turned his head, only to see that the very person who was supposed to assist in the presentation—stricken with chronic laziness—was sitting upright in his chair, wearing an eye mask, dozing off.

"You bastard!ヽ(＃`Д´)ノ Is this really the time to be sleeping?!"

Sakazuki almost choked in frustration.

Fortunately, Kuzan was at least the type who didn't slack off when it came to matters he deemed important.

Being shaken awake by his senior brother, Kuzan took up the mantle of lead speaker.

Though he usually appeared laid-back, there was no doubt that in critical moments, he was quite reliable.

"Ah la la, well, you see, although Sakazuki was the original creator and proposer of this battle formation, he's been slacking off these past six months," Kuzan opened by throwing shade at his senior brother.

"I was training!" Sakazuki coldly retorted.

Sengoku couldn't help but feel a headache coming on. These two would always start arguing the moment they met, and the topic was already beginning to veer off track.

"That's why I, along with Onigumo, Yamakaji, and others, took the lead in testing the feasibility of this battle formation," Kuzan finally steered the conversation back on course.

"The battle formation has indeed shown exceptional effectiveness among mid-to-lower-ranking marines and officers. A well-trained unit of marines can cooperate to the extent that they are capable of encircling and containing pirate officers who aren't too powerful.

This, in turn, allows the freed-up naval officers to quickly eliminate the captain of the pirate crew."

Even though Kuzan belonged to the more moderate faction among the vice admirals, he still couldn't be considered lenient when it came to dealing with pirate plundering. Using pirates to train the navy was something he did with a clear conscience.

He pointed at the content displayed on the Den Den Mushi.

"Sengoku-san, please take a look. This is a pirate with a bounty of 13 million Berries. To us lower-ranked officers, he is not a particularly formidable opponent, but in the Four Seas, he is a rat capable of wreaking havoc far and wide."

To counter the pirates scattered across the world, the World Government and the Navy issued bounties for those who caused great destruction or had significant strength. While the amount of the bounty primarily reflected how much of a "danger" or "threat" a person posed to the government, it often also had a strong correlation with a pirate's actual strength.

"Normally, a pirate captain of this level requires a naval officer to handle them. However, as you can see—he was trapped in a killing formation formed by marine soldiers and then taken down by a few sergeants working together." Kuzan inserted another videotape into the machine.

"This is a battle record of other rear admirals. Rear Admiral Onigumo commanded the marines to adjust their formation according to the different types of weapons the pirates were using."

On the screen, Sengoku and the others saw a different kind of battle formation designed to counter firearms. Tower shields reinforced with iron plates blocked the pirates' gunfire.

Dozens of shield-bearing marines quickened their pace, forcing a group of pirates together. Then, the blade-wielding marines who had been following behind the sturdy shields swiftly charged in and engaged in close combat.

"Not bad. With this, the casualty rate among lower-ranked marines will drop significantly," Sengoku nodded approvingly. "The marines can fight more efficiently and gain experience in coordinated combat."

"But battle formations also have their drawbacks." Kuzan, rather than blindly praising the tactic, rationally pointed out its flaws. "While formations are powerful, they require the marines to coordinate seamlessly. If there is any lapse in execution, it could result in a significant number of our soldiers being injured. This kind of formation can only be achieved through extensive high-intensity training and strict discipline."

Sengoku narrowed his eyes. He had noticed a particular segment in one of the recordings where a formation was broken. A pirate captain had simply used brute force to crash through the marines' encirclement. Then, with a sweep of his massive axe, he knocked aside the blades of the surrounding marines, and the gaps in the formation were not immediately filled.

"It seems that battle formations still can't contain pirates with significant strength." Sengoku pointed out the limitation without hesitation.

Kuzan scratched the back of his head, looking somewhat helpless. "Ah la la, after all, these formations are made up of sergeants, corporals, and junior officers. Naturally, they wouldn't be able to handle a pirate who is stronger than a typical commander."

Hearing this, Sengoku appeared deep in thought. He suddenly spoke up. "What if we had formations composed of officers and rear admirals? Would they be able to trap stronger pirates?"

"In theory, it's possible," Sakazuki interjected. He had already figured out what Sengoku was thinking. After all, during the Marineford War, their strategy of ganging up on Whitebeard was essentially a crude version of this kind of formation-based encirclement.

"If we could assemble a fleet made up of the most elite officers and generals..." Sengoku observed the battle footage again, focusing on whether these formations could free up more of the Navy's manpower, allowing them to allocate these forces to areas where naval strength was lacking.

Garp and Sengoku had worked together for years and understood each other well. Garp suddenly laughed. "The soldiers stationed in the Four Seas can also adopt this approach. Sakazuki, Kuzan, this is not just about battle formations."

Sakazuki and Kuzan exchanged a glance. Though Garp usually acted carefree, no one dared to ignore his presence when he became serious.

Garp had a deep understanding of grand strategy, and Sakazuki hadn't forgotten how perceptive Garp was when analyzing the influence of the Four Emperors and the Seven Warlords of the Sea.

Since Kuzan was closer to Garp, he asked more directly, "Are you referring to the impact of battle formations on the Four Seas divisions?"

"Exactly. You all overlooked one thing. The place where these formations can be used to their greatest potential isn't the Grand Line, but their starting point—the Four Seas." Garp pointed at the map on the wall.

Then, he casually wiped his pinky finger on the back of Sengoku's coat, causing the Buddha-like man to glare at him angrily. "Right now, there are too many pirates across the world. Even if every marine officer was a one-man army capable of taking on a hundred foes, it wouldn't change the fact that vice admirals, rear admirals, and admirals—who form the core of our power—can't possibly be everywhere at once."

Sengoku sighed. "The Navy doesn't have the ability of the Clone-Clone Fruit. For areas where we lack sufficient officer presence, this strategy could allow us to maximize our military strength."

"...It could reduce casualties, instill discipline in marine troops, and enhance the combat capabilities of lower-ranked marines to some extent..." Sengoku nodded. "We'll discuss this in detail with Kong-san. If feasible, we should first test it in a designated sea area. If the results are promising, we can then expand it to both the Four Seas and Headquarters."

Reaching into his pocket, Sengoku took out his pocket watch. Unbeknownst to them, their discussion had already dragged on until midnight.

And now, he had to read through all the battle formation reports in detail.

Despair.

With an exasperated expression befitting a celestial being, Sengoku glared at Sakazuki, who, in turn, looked at Kuzan with a gaze full of disappointment.

At that moment, Kuzan, who had been standing there, was already dozing off while holding a cup of coffee meant to help him stay awake.

"Kuzan! Stop sleeping!"

Garp swung his fist, knocking the foolish man, who had somehow managed to fall asleep while standing, squarely on the head.

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