Akainu's Magu Magu no Mi was already superior to Aokiji's Hie Hie no Mi in terms of raw offensive power.
After all, Aokiji's ice ability was better suited to controlling and freezing enemies.
Akainu's magma, on the other hand, naturally countered freezing abilities.
Aokiji's combat strength would inevitably be weakened by quite a bit.
His offensive power had already been slightly inferior to begin with, and now his strongest aspect was being countered.
How was Aokiji supposed to win?
It was like two people fighting, except one could swing both fists while the other had one arm bound. Using one hand to fight two fists… when both sides were originally equal in strength, was that even possible?
It was not absolute.
But under normal circumstances, it was impossible.
The Five Elders exchanged another glance, and then, together, they made their decision.
…
Before long, Saint Figarland Garling hurried over.
His steps were somewhat rushed, as though he was rather surprised by this sudden summons.
When he stepped into the room and his gaze landed on the five men before him, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.
These five men were the core of power within the Holy Land. They stood high above others and rarely took the initiative to deal with anyone personally.
Yet today, for the first time, they had actually called him, Saint Figarland Garling, here.
That was truly unexpected.
Although, with Lancelot's support, Saint Figarland Garling's status had already approached the level of these five men, and he even possessed the strength to stand as their equal, he was still slightly below them within the overall power structure of the Holy Land.
Because the one who truly held the final say was still the unfathomable Lord Imu.
As long as Lord Imu did not clearly state that one of the Five Elders should step down and allow Saint Figarland Garling to take his place, Garling would never truly stand on equal footing with them.
So in normal circumstances, while he could speak to these five as an equal, meetings like this usually would not involve him.
There should not have been a seat for him here.
Saint Figarland Garling was full of doubt, and at the same time, he was deeply curious about what these five men were planning.
He silently wondered what matter could possibly have made them invite him to a place that originally had nothing to do with him.
At that moment, the Five Elders seemed to notice Garling's arrival as well.
After exchanging glances, Saint Marcus Mars, who had a relatively better relationship with Saint Figarland Garling among the five, finally broke the silence.
"Garling, we called you here because there is something we would like you to handle."
Saint Marcus Mars looked at him with a solemn expression.
Hearing this, Saint Figarland Garling could not help feeling surprised.
He was the Supreme Commander of the God's Knights, a man of exalted status. Ordinary matters would never require him to act personally.
So what exactly was so important that it needed him to handle it?
His curiosity was fully stirred, and he was secretly shocked as well. Because this meant that something major must have happened, and that it was also extremely troublesome
. Otherwise, they would not have come to him, the commander of the God's Knights.
Saint Marcus Mars seemed to see through Garling's thoughts and quickly waved his hand, explaining, "It is not a major matter. We simply want you to speak with Lancelot and ask him to publicly support Akainu, as well as recommend Akainu as the next Fleet Admiral."
What kind of man was Saint Figarland Garling?
He was an old fox, someone who had grown shrewder with age.
The moment he heard Saint Marcus Mars's words, he immediately understood the key point.
"You do not want Aokiji to become Fleet Admiral."
The corner of Saint Figarland Garling's mouth lifted slightly as he spoke with a smile that was not quite a smile.
Saint Marcus Mars nodded, admitting Garling's guess.
Seeing this, Saint Figarland Garling thoughtfully rubbed his chin before saying, "Indeed, Aokiji cannot be allowed to sit in that position. He is one of the representative figures of the dove faction. If he becomes Fleet Admiral, then the dove faction will have produced three consecutive Fleet Admirals. If they are allowed to grow any further, the Marines may truly become the dove faction's one-man domain."
Then the corner of his mouth lifted involuntarily, revealing a faint smile.
"I will arrange it."
He understood the stakes perfectly.
Having Lancelot recommend Akainu and publicly support him was undoubtedly a brilliant move.
Once Akainu successfully became Fleet Admiral, he would certainly feel grateful toward Lancelot and return the favor.
After all, this would be an enormous debt of gratitude.
Would that not mean Lancelot had picked up a huge advantage for free?
More importantly, as a Celestial Dragon and the Supreme Commander of the God's Knights, Garling absolutely could not tolerate the Marines breaking free from the World Government's control.
If the Marines were allowed to continue growing unchecked, they might even threaten the ruling status of the Celestial Dragons.
So no matter what, he had to ensure that the Marines remained firmly under the World Government's control.
That was his duty.
Hearing his answer, the Five Elders' mouths also lifted into satisfied smiles at the same time.
If it had been anyone else, they could have simply issued an order directly.
There would have been no need to take such an indirect route.
However, Lancelot was no ordinary person.
He was a member of the Figarland family.
That family held immense weight among the Celestial Dragons of the Holy Land, and in terms of strength, it stood at the very top among the families.
Therefore, when handling matters related to Lancelot, they naturally could not bypass Saint Figarland Garling, the family head.
…
Saint Figarland Garling walked out of the meeting hall.
The moment he returned home, he immediately dialed Lancelot's Den Den Mushi.
On the other end, when Lancelot heard Saint Figarland Garling's voice, his originally relaxed expression instantly turned serious.
After listening to the details, his mouth even fell open in surprise.
"The fight between Akainu and Aokiji? How did this end up involving me?"
Lancelot found it hard to believe.
He was extremely confused by this sudden situation and had never expected himself to be dragged into this struggle.
There had not been a plot like this in the original story, right…
Perhaps his interference had caused the development of the story to change.
Still, this might not necessarily be a bad thing for him.
Countless possibilities flashed rapidly through Lancelot's mind, and he realized that the only one who could win this fight was Akainu.
Not merely because Akainu had won in the original story.
After all, their Devil Fruits had a clear elemental matchup. The two of them were also equal in strength, which meant the one being countered was bound to lose.
So why not take advantage of it?
He could not help cursing inwardly.
'The Five Elders really are sinister.'
Then, a moment later, he laughed.
Taking ten thousand steps back, even if the original plot changed this time and Akainu lost, it would still benefit him.
And the only consequence would be that Aokiji might make things a little difficult for him afterward.
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