A few days later, Marineford was packed with people.
Everywhere were Navy officers and soldiers in uniforms, with varying ranks.
In addition, World Government officials and representatives from Affiliate Nations were invited to participate in this grand event.
Sengoku promoted activities to engage with the public.
By providing identification and storing weapons at designated locations, people could tour inside Marineford.
News reporters were like sharks drawn to blood. They keenly sensed that the Navy's decades-long unchanging structure would begin to shift with Sengoku's appointment.
Thus, they were also an uninvited group.
Because Raleigh's promotion to Admiral was involved, he had no choice but to return to Marineford from the Grand Line.
Upon arriving at the military port, Raleigh was stunned.
He expected a crowd but never imagined there would be so many people.
The port specially built by Navy Headquarters was filled with battleships and World Government vessels, forcing Raleigh to head to the second port under the guidance of a piloting soldier.
"This event seems to have attracted a lot of people," Raleigh remarked.
Ever since he disembarked, he felt like people were everywhere.
Many recognized Raleigh and asked for photos.
Since they knew him, Raleigh didn't refuse them, trying to take as many photos as possible within the limited time.
Gion walked beside Raleigh, proudly watching the people who admired him.
After all, Raleigh was her man.
His popularity meant she had good taste!
Raleigh wasn't in a hurry, but the messenger sent by Sengoku was growing anxious.
Through the crowd, he shouted to Raleigh:
"Vice Admiral Raleigh, Fleet Admiral Sengoku requests you go to his office as soon as you return."
Having just finished a photo with a beautiful woman, Raleigh heard the messenger.
"Alright." He turned with an apologetic expression. "Sorry everyone, I need to report to the Fleet Admiral. Let's take photos next time."
Led by the messenger, he passed through the crowd and headed toward the office building at Marineford.
The Fleet Admiral's office was crowded with people.
Originally spacious, it now felt cramped.
Kong was dressed in his uniform, adorned with precious medals and epaulets.
Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, and Zephyr, who hadn't been seen for a long time, were also present.
The four of them sat together, while across from them were representatives of the younger generation: Sakazuki in a red suit, Borsalino in a yellow-striped suit, and Kuzan in a grayish-white suit.
There was also a younger group, including Tokikake, Doberman, Momonga and others.
Through his own efforts, Momonga had made his way from the East Blue to the Grand Line.
After attending the promotion ceremony, he would lead a battleship as a Commodore to combat pirates on the Grand Line.
Everyone chatted while waiting.
They knew that person would come, if he didn't participate in this promotion, it would be a political incident.
"Where are Raleigh and the others?" Tokikake asked.
His concern for Raleigh was genuine, but what he really wanted to see was Gion.
Although he no longer held any hope of catching up to her, he still wished to see her.
Just seeing Gion was enough to motivate him.
"Zephyr, how's that kid of yours? When is he joining the Navy?"
Seeing Zephyr after such a long time, Garp showed a happy smile.
At their age, whether it was old rivals or partners, there were fewer of them left.
Before any deep grudges formed, their relationships were mostly good.
"I'm telling you, Zephyr, if your kid wants to join the Navy, just let me know. I promise I'll train him well." Garp enthusiastically wrapped his arm around Zephyr's neck.
Zephyr was speechless. He pushed Garp away with his right hand.
"My kid is still young. Although his strength has reached the level of a captain, I'm still worried. You all know what happened before, and you know he's my only child. I don't want anything to happen to him. If possible, I'll have him stay at the military academy as an instructor."
Zephyr sighed.
Such is the heart of a parent.
Especially for an old-timer like Zephyr, who had a child late in life and, due to pirates targeting him, was left with only one remaining heir.
They had gone through fire and water, crawling out of piles of corpses to become Admirals, so they knew how difficult the journey had been.
Naturally, they didn't want their children to walk the same path.
"You can't control your child based on your own ideas, Zephyr," Sengoku spoke up. "Just like my son Rosinante, as long as he doesn't break the law, he can do whatever he wants—join the Navy if he wishes, or join other organizations if he prefers."
Zephyr nodded in agreement.
His old friends weren't wrong.
His son needed rigorous training. However, he didn't want to hand his child over to Garp to raise, as that guy was reckless.
Click.
"Reporting, Fleet Admiral, Vice Admiral Raleigh has returned." The messenger stood at the door.
Upon hearing the news, the most excited were Tokikake and his group.
Most of them were around the same age as Raleigh, and they had interacted frequently during their school days.
Now that they could see their good friend again, they felt happy.
Next were Sakazuki, Borsalino, and the others.
Kuzan didn't speak.
Ever since the Ohara incident, he seemed like a changed person, shifting from Burning Justice to Lazy Justice.
Thus, he was unwilling to participate in most of these activities.
"Hmm, let him in." Kong nodded, then addressed the officers below. "Christian Raleigh is an exceptional talent. I've discussed it with others—he will have a place among the Three Admirals of the Navy."
At that moment, Raleigh was outside the office door, tidying his appearance before holding Gion's hand and pushing open the door.
"You've arrived, Raleigh."
"So, Raleigh, did you encounter anything interesting?"
"That's right, Raleigh. We could hardly contact you. Have you released any new songs recently?"
When you possess absolute strength, the voices of everyone around you become pleasant.
They will try every possible way to interact with you and respect the strong.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, Christian Raleigh reporting to you." Raleigh walked to the center of the office, took out a document, and handed it to Kong.
After glancing at it briefly, Kong felt a bit bewildered.
For some reason, every time Raleigh went to sea, he brought back unexpected surprises and immense influence.
"Raleigh, you've finally arrived. I've been waiting for you for a long time. I thought you were delayed fighting pirates."
Kong was unusually lenient now and didn't criticize Raleigh for any shortcomings.
Starting today, Kong would step down from his position as Fleet Admiral.
However, since the old Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces was ill and set to retire this year, Kong's authority hadn't diminished much.
Kong smiled teasingly at Raleigh but didn't waste too much time. He waved his hand, signaling Raleigh to reconnect with his comrades.
"Raleigh-san." "Vice Admiral Raleigh." "Long time no see, Raleigh."
Raleigh deeply felt the hardships of Navy life.
Apart from the soldiers on his own battleship, almost no one ever left that ship.
"Raleigh, Sakazuki, Borsalino, Kuzan, come over here," Sengoku spoke up, ready to carry out what had been planned.
Raleigh knew what it was about.
Before any leader takes office, they need to demonstrate the extent of their authority.
"Raleigh, we've discussed this for several days, and in the end, we've decided to maintain the number of Three Admirals unchanged," Sengoku nodded as he spoke. "However, I must inform you in advance—you are young yet possess extraordinary strength, with both power and prestige at a high level. Therefore, one of the Admiral positions is yours."
"No problem," Raleigh replied with a smile.
"Alright, all matters have been settled. The rest will be handled tomorrow. Let's celebrate tonight, but don't stay up too late."
"Hooray!"
...
On Onigashima in Wano Country, Kaido was enjoying everything that came with being the victor.
Since he used deceitful tactics to defeat Kozuki Oden, his life had become simple.
It was nothing more than commanding his Pirate Crew to expand his sphere of influence.
"Kaido-san, take a look at this information."
A man in a trench coat appeared beside Kaido, handing over intelligence purchased from the Black Market.
Slightly tipsy, Kaido took the note and examined it.
"Hmm, the Navy's new Fleet Admiral is Sengoku—no big surprise there. What I didn't expect, though, is that these three guys managed to become Admirals."
Kaido pointed unhappily at the three names on the report.
He disliked everyone in the Navy equally, but strangely, Kaido never spoke ill of Raleigh behind his back.
"Sakazuki and Borsalino have strong Fruit Abilities, but it's unclear how skilled they really are. Still, neither of them has any notable achievements to their name, so they don't seem strong."
"But this guy—if they chose him as Admiral, it's well-deserved."
Kaido knew he couldn't defeat Raleigh, so to preserve his own dignity, he could only elevate Raleigh's status and reputation.
After all, the stronger the person who defeats you is, the more impressive you appear.
Besides, Raleigh's strength isn't fake—he's a true monster!
"Kaido-san, that red-haired brat who used to be on Roger's ship, just led his crew into our territory. It looks like they plan to continue deeper into the New World."
Kaido's eyes sharpened, lost in thought. "Send someone to keep a close eye on their movements. I'll head over there now."
For the other pirates in the New World, the still-active members of the Roger Pirates were far more significant than anyone else.
After all, instead of finding a place to hide, they were heading straight into the most crowded areas.
...
North Blue, Polar North Country.
In the Revolutionary Army's stronghold, significant changes had taken place.
Their development was rapid, but after Dragon had Robin read the Poneglyph, his perspective shifted.
Now, mechanization had reached the Polar North Country.
Through the joint efforts of the Revolutionary Army, machinery was being used skillfully, and Dragon even allocated Berries to build factories.
Dragon believed the Poneglyph was genuine, so he firmly followed the answers it provided.
However, external propaganda wasn't as urgent, so most countries in the North Blue remained unaware of the Polar North Country and the Revolutionary Army.
"Have their locations been confirmed?"
Aside from altering the current identities of the Revolutionary Army, Dragon had other matters to attend to.
Just a few days earlier, their members Ivankov and Inazuma had been betrayed while operating within a non-affiliated country.
Several pirates, driven by money, reported this information to the World Government.
The World Government happened to have Cipher Pol agents operating in that area, so they negotiated.
In the end, Ivankov and Inazuma were not sentenced to death by the World Government, but the final outcome was their imprisonment in Impel Down.
Dragon was troubled.
That was Impel Down, a place the World Government regarded as of utmost importance.
It couldn't be said that not even a fly could get in, but it was practically an impregnable fortress.
Having worked in the Navy for many years, Dragon knew that with the Revolutionary Army's current strength, it was impossible to rescue anyone from Impel Down.
However, Dragon discreetly conveyed a message to Ivankov through his old connections.
He would bribe the guards of Impel Down as soon as possible to help Ivankov escape.
Just then, an intelligence officer suddenly stood up. "Leader, there is an important piece of information here that requires your attention."
The intelligence officer wrote the information on a small piece of paper and handed it to Dragon.
Upon seeing the names on the list, Dragon, who had been calm, showed a flicker of shock in his eyes.
He wasn't surprised that Sengoku had become the Fleet Admiral, as no one else was fit to hold the position.
However, Raleigh, Sakazuki, and Borsalino becoming Admirals still astonished him.
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