On the grand conference room.
A total of over four hundred high-ranking officers of the Xuanwu Navy gathered, including Kenshiro, Gintoki Sakata, Saitama, Yelu Sijie, and Momonga. Privately, they engaged in discussions, but the topics mostly revolved around recent events.
Finally, there was the purpose for Benedict summoning them back for this meeting.
Kenshiro and others didn't say much. Towards the subordinates, they didn't deliberately assert their status, and thus conversed with everyone like friends.
The conference room door opened. Benedict walked in the front, and behind him, there was Bai Qi, dressed in the uniform of a Great General.
In the very front row of the conference room, a seat was reserved for him.
However, he did not take his seat but stood behind Benedict.
The addition of an unfamiliar Great General to the Xuanwu Navy filled the high-ranking officers with confusion.
Even Momonga was somewhat surprised.
He had rushed back today. Although he had met with Benedict and others just moments ago, Bai Qi was not present then.
Benedict, seeing the crowd below murmuring, and when the time was almost right, gently tapped the table. The entire conference room immediately fell silent, and all eyes turned towards him.
"The reason I've asked everyone to return is to introduce someone."
Upon hearing this, everyone was somewhat shocked.
New recruits joined the Xuanwu Navy daily, including those with formidable strength who were promoted ahead of schedule.
Even formidable Great Generals like Saitama did not undergo such a ceremony when joining the Xuanwu Navy.
For a moment, as their gazes fell upon Bai Qi, everyone felt a sense of envy and curiosity about what special abilities Bai Qi possessed.
"Bai Qi!" Benedict called out.
"Here!" Bai Qi responded in a deep voice.
Concurrently, Bai Qi unleashed the terrifying aura that he exuded upon his initial appearance.
Instantly, the officers in the conference room, with the exception of Saitama and Kenshiro, all changed color, and some even found it incredibly difficult to breathe.
Kenshiro, with his strength at this level and having already sensed it, was mentally prepared and remained relatively calm.
Saitama, on the other hand, glanced at Bai Qi again, his expression unchanged throughout.
"Bai Qi, codenamed 'God of Slaughter,' starting today, you will temporarily command the Xuanwu Navy to launch external wars."
"Furthermore, during wartime, Bai Qi will have the authority to mobilize the entire army to defend against enemies. Everyone, regardless of their identity or location, unless specifically requested by me, must obey his arrangements."
"Those who disobey will be dismissed from their military posts, and in severe cases, will face death!"
As Benedict finished speaking, the high-ranking officers of the Navy were immensely awestruck, their expressions grave, yet they dared not make a sound.
This matter was extremely serious and of great importance.
Although they were already subject to the constraints and command of their superiors, having someone above them, below the Marshal, who could command the entire army, compelled them to treat the situation with caution.
"Does this mean I can't slack off anymore?" Saitama rubbed his bald head, pondered for a moment, and suddenly said.
Gintoki Sakata glanced at Saitama upon hearing this.
Although they had heard about Saitama and seen footage of him, this was their first time meeting him in person.
Gintoki's impression of Saitama was that of a simple-minded person.
"If you wish to occupy this position and obtain such authority, as long as you possess sufficient talent in commanding the army, I can make you that promise."
"The prerequisite is that you must be capable of it."
"Now, the time is yours. Defeat him, and then you can take his place."
After Benedict finished speaking, he turned and walked out of the conference room, leaving it to them.
As Benedict departed, everyone exchanged bewildered glances, unsure whether to believe him.
After Benedict left, Saitama finally reacted. He stood up and said as he walked away, "You guys go for it. I'm not interested in this."
Gintoki looked at Kenshiro and Momonga beside him, thought for a moment, and decided to stay.
Bai Qi's gaze swept across everyone with a hint of sternness and he said in a deep voice, "Come then. I'll kill one, then another. It's fine even if you all come at once."
...
Noisy sounds soon filled the conference room.
Outside the conference room.
Benedict watched Saitama emerge and smiled, "Do you really want to be a salted fish that much, Saitama?"
"Not worrying about food or clothing, living a carefree life, isn't being a salted fish good?" Saitama asked, leaning precariously yet standing straight on the railing.
Benedict glanced at Saitama's posture and said, "Don't you quite enjoy being a hero?"
"Heroes, they're quite boring," Saitama replied after a moment of silence.
"Fighting and killing is tiring."
Benedict rolled his eyes at Saitama.
This guy speaks without feeling the strain.
Is fighting tiring for you?
Standing still in one spot, without moving, throwing a punch from afar, and easily resolving the situation.
Golden Lion was severely injured by your punch, and Kaido was driven away by your punch.
"The World Government has many hidden secrets. Are you interested in going to the Red Line Continent and eliminating the Celestial Dragons and the Five Elders?" Benedict said, disregarding whether this was Saitama's idea.
Saitama replied without hesitation, "No!"
"I can't even be bothered to leave this base!"
Benedict's face darkened slightly and he said, "There's a lot of delicious food outside, and there are all sorts of strange scenery. It's good to broaden your horizons."
Saitama yawned and lazily said, "There's a high-class gourmet restaurant here at the base, and I never get tired of eating it."
"No matter how beautiful the scenery is, it's not as good as one hundred squats, one hundred push-ups, and one hundred jumps every day..."
"My hair is gone, what's the use of gaining knowledge?"
...
Benedict discovered that Saitama's personality was too laid-back.
So laid-back it was almost unreasonable.
Saitama in One-Punch Man wasn't like this.
Did the summoned individuals' strength get amplified or weakened, but could their personalities also change?
Unable to deal with Saitama, Benedict could only think to himself whether to let the Five Elders attack here, and then have Saitama punch each of them once?
However, given the Five Elders' cautiousness about their own lives, this was very, very difficult.
In the conference room, Bai Qi challenged the entire high-ranking officers of the Xuanwu Navy alone, wreaking havoc and debating eloquently, with people falling one after another.
Outside the conference room, Benedict was driven to silence several times by Saitama's answers, and finally had to distance himself from the lazy Saitama, coming to the training base of the Xuanwu Navy.
"System, proceed with troop reinforcement."
By defeating Golden Lion, annihilating the Flying Pirates, and annihilating one of the Seven Warlords, the Ward Pirates, Benedict directly gained a large amount of Justice Points as rewards.
Now, he had accumulated a total of 541,350 Justice Points.
"Ding! Congratulations to the host for consuming five hundred thousand Justice Points and successfully completing troop reinforcement. Starting today, you can summon 500 Battle Power D-class, Potential C-class special forces daily."