Three days passed in the blink of an eye, and the long-awaited grand celebration finally arrived.
Early that morning, Video Den Den Mushi broadcasting channels were opened across the world, transmitting the ceremony live from Marineford.
This investiture ceremony had drawn global attention. Because of it, even the raging conflicts in the New World slowed slightly, creating a rare moment of calm.
The Marines were the natural enemies of pirates. No pirate force dared underestimate their power. Intelligence reports from spies could provide information, but witnessing Marine strength with one's own eyes was far more convincing. This ceremony provided the perfect opportunity.
Across the New World, great pirates and powerful figures sat before their Video Den Den Mushi screens, watching closely even though the official proceedings had not yet begun.
Then the first formation appeared.
Thirty thousand elite Marine soldiers surrounded the grand plaza.
The moment they appeared, the atmosphere across the world shifted.
These thirty thousand soldiers radiated a dense, murderous aura. Every one of them was battle-hardened, veterans forged in the flames of war. Standing together, they created an overwhelming sense of deterrence.
Many among them had survived the great battle against the Whitebeard Pirates.
And this display was only the beginning.
Soon after, representatives from various factions entered the plaza one after another.
Kings from affiliated nations.
High-ranking ministers.
Important envoys.
Secret personnel whose identities were unknown to the public.
Each appearance triggered waves of astonishment across the world. In their respective regions, these figures were all influential individuals.
Some, however, were unfamiliar to the global audience, such as the Chief Justices from Enies Lobby.
Then another figure appeared.
Spandine.
At that moment, in a crowded town square in the West Blue, a small cloaked figure stood silently among the viewers gathered before a large projection screen.
The cloak concealed their entire body, and the face beneath remained hidden in shadow.
But in those hidden eyes, hatred and fear flashed simultaneously.
For a moment, it felt as if time had reversed. As if the sky had once again turned red.
The cloaked figure was none other than Nico Robin, the infamous "Devil Child," and the sole survivor of Ohara, the Land of Scholars.
She would never forget that day.
And she would never forget the man who had pressed the button.
It was Spandine who had activated the Buster Call and destroyed Ohara.
Robin clenched her fists tightly. Her body trembled uncontrollably.
Somewhere in the world, a few surviving scholars from Ohara felt the same pain.
The Tree of Knowledge had been their faith. Its destruction and the annihilation of Ohara had left wounds that would never heal.
All they could do now was continue their mission.
To uncover the true history.
Some surviving archaeologists had already left Ohara years ago. Living under false identities, they searched for Poneglyphs, hoping to piece together the secrets of the Void Century.
Even the World Government would never imagine that so many archaeologists still lived, quietly investigating the history they had forbidden.
Among the guests, several masked figures attracted particular attention.
They were members of Cipher Pol Aigis Zero, better known as CP0.
Soon after, two members of the Seven Warlords of the Sea stepped forward.
The moment they appeared, curses erupted across the seas.
The first wore a flamboyant pink feather coat, cropped trousers, and sunglasses. With hands in his pockets and a confident smile, he walked forward as if strolling through his own home.
It was Donquixote Doflamingo.
"Fufufufu… Marineford is quite lively today."
His distinctive laugh echoed softly.
Even so, he understood the situation. At an event of this scale, even someone like him would not dare create trouble.
As he walked, Doflamingo's gaze swept slowly across the elite soldiers.
He seemed to be searching for something.
Then he found it.
His eyes lingered briefly on a familiar figure.
Cold. Emotionless.
To outsiders they were brothers. But in Doflamingo's heart, that connection had already been severed.
Though Donquixote Rosinante was still alive, Doflamingo considered him long dead.
His only family now was the Donquixote Family.
If Rosinante truly stood in front of him, he would show no mercy. Just as he had shown none to their foolish father.
Of course, Doflamingo was not stupid enough to provoke unnecessary trouble himself. Rosinante had attached himself to powerful protection. He was the adopted son of Sengoku, and soon to be the adopted son of the Marine Fleet Admiral.
Just looking at that righteous face made Doflamingo feel disgust.
Rosinante stood among the elite soldiers.
Because of his relationship with Sengoku, he had been placed within the formation of the thirty thousand elite Marines near the front.
In truth, Rosinante lacked the extraordinary talent his brother possessed. Compared to many others, his ability was somewhat ordinary. But under Sengoku's guidance, he had grown steadily stronger. Among the elite soldiers, his strength was respectable.
His reason for joining this formation was simple.
He wanted to see his brother.
He had known long ago that Doflamingo would attend the ceremony.
Even seeing him from afar would have been enough.
Sengoku and Tsuru had tried to stop him. They understood Doflamingo's cruelty better than anyone. A man who could kill his own father would hardly hesitate to kill his brother.
Furthermore, Rosinante was now a Marine.
Revealing himself would be dangerous.
Doflamingo had mastered all three types of Haki. Their strength gap was enormous.
In the end, Sengoku only agreed after Rosinante blended into the elite ranks where he would be difficult to notice.
Unfortunately, what they did not know was that Doflamingo had already discovered everything.
He even knew Rosinante's identity.
After all, Doflamingo had planted spies inside the Marines.
And those spies were now being cultivated as valuable assets.
Standing in formation, Rosinante suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
For a moment, he met Doflamingo's eyes.
That dismissive gaze made cold sweat instantly soak his back.
A terrifying realization surfaced in his mind.
Doflamingo had seen him.
Though the moment lasted only an instant, Rosinante felt as if he had been exposed completely.
When he looked again, Doflamingo had already turned away.
Only his back remained visible.
Yet that cold gaze remained burned into Rosinante's mind. His intuition told him the truth. Doflamingo already knew. He knew Rosinante's existence. He knew his identity.
Rosinante suddenly felt lost.
Originally, he had planned to infiltrate the Donquixote Family after the ceremony ended. His Marine identity would provide perfect cover.
But now…
That single look brought back memories he could never forget.
The day Doflamingo shot their father.
Fear surged from the depths of his heart.
Perhaps it had been a warning.
A message telling Rosinante that his identity was already exposed.
And another message telling him not to seek death.
For an undercover agent, exposure meant only two outcomes.
Escape. Or death.
Doflamingo's final shred of mercy was letting Rosinante stay far away from his world.
Live quietly as an insignificant Marine.
After all, Doflamingo understood his brother's limits. Without extraordinary talent, becoming a Vice Admiral was impossible. Even reaching Rear Admiral would be difficult.
At best, Rosinante might eventually become a clerk at Marineford through Sengoku's influence.
The other Warlord entered soon after.
A tall man with slicked-back hair, wearing a large coat and carrying a golden hook where his left hand once was.
Crocodile.
Compared to Doflamingo, Crocodile had once been far more famous in the New World. Many pirates recognized him immediately.
Far away in the New World, aboard the Moby Dick, a deep laugh echoed.
"Gurararara! So that brat who wanted my head is still around?"
The man laughing was Edward Newgate, the legendary Whitebeard.
He drank heavily as he watched the broadcast.
Crocodile had once challenged him directly.
Everyone knew the result.
Crocodile's crew had been annihilated. He himself lost a hand and fled the New World in humiliation.
In Whitebeard's eyes, Crocodile was still just a reckless youngster who had been crushed by reality.
Every year pirates fled the New World after discovering they could not survive there.
Crocodile was merely one of them.
Still, Whitebeard admitted the man had potential.
The New World was simply filled with monsters.
On another island, a man wearing a military uniform watched the broadcast with disdain.
"Pathetic. Crocodile is going backward as he ages."
It was Douglas Bullet, known as the Devil's Successor. He remembered Crocodile well. The two had once fought fiercely. But now the difference between them was enormous.
Bullet had already reached the level of the Emperors of the Sea in individual combat power. The only reason he lacked their status was because he had never built a pirate crew or territory.
At just twenty-four years old, he was already one of the world's strongest fighters.
Together with the rising Dark Emperor, Marshall D. Teach, he represented the most terrifying power of the younger generation.
Back at the ceremony, the atmosphere changed again.
Now the true power of the Marines was about to appear.
One after another, officers wearing white Cloaks of Justice stepped onto the plaza.
The crowd erupted in cheers.
"Look! That's Rear Admiral Dalmatian!"
"And that's Rear Admiral Gion, the Flower of the Marines!"
"And Rear Admiral Tokikake! The man whose marriage proposals failed thirty-five times!"
These were the Marine Rear Admirals, commanders capable of leading warships and fleets.
Gion smiled gracefully as cheers rose around her.
Tokikake, however, looked slightly embarrassed by his unfortunate nickname.
Elsewhere, members of the Night Pirates watched the broadcast.
Mostima stared at the screen.
"Those two young Rear Admirals… I've seen them before."
After thinking for a moment, he remembered.
"They were at Sabaody Archipelago."
"I should have taken them more seriously back then and killed them."
He chuckled.
Marshall D. Teach shook his head.
"If you had done that, Zephyr would have hunted us to the ends of the sea."
He continued calmly.
"Gion is the daughter of a former Admiral. Tokikake is the son of a Vice Admiral. Both have deep roots in the Marines."
"They're considered monsters among the younger generation."
Teach did not look concerned. "They might reach Admiral level one day. But their potential still has limits."
To true monsters of the sea, so-called prodigies were fragile.
Just as Donquixote Doflamingo feared Kaido because of absolute strength.
Teach remembered a scene from the future.
When Monkey D. Luffy, already hailed as the Fifth Emperor, was knocked unconscious by a single strike from Kaido. That single moment explained everything.
After the Rear Admirals came the Vice Admirals. Their appearance caused an even greater uproar.
Each Vice Admiral commanded fleets, protected vital fortresses, and maintained order across the seas.
Soon the cheers grew louder.
The next group had arrived.
The four Admiral candidates.
Kuzan.
Sakazuki.
Borsalino.
And Freda.
All four stood nearly three meters tall, walking forward in perfect formation.
Finally, the veterans of the previous era appeared.
Zephyr, the Black Arm who refused to kill.
Monkey D. Garp, the Hero of the Marines.
Sengoku, the Buddha strategist.
Their arrival caused the entire world to erupt in cheers.
At the front of the plaza stood Kong, now the Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's armed forces.
The ceremony was about to begin.
After a long speech praising Marine achievements, the key moment arrived.
Kong stepped forward. "Sengoku, you will now assume the position of Fleet Admiral."
He removed Sengoku's Admiral epaulettes and replaced them with those bearing the seagull insignia of Fleet Admiral.
Then the new Admirals were appointed.
"Kurotori" Freda.
"Kizaru" Borsalino.
"Akainu" Sakazuki.
"Aokiji" Kuzan.
Four Admirals.
The entire world erupted in shock.
For centuries the Marines had maintained only three Admirals. Now there were four.
Pirates everywhere felt their courage shrink.
Even Edward Newgate simply laughed while watching.
"Gurararara… the sea has never been boring."
Marco beside him looked more serious. "Four Admirals… The World Government must be worried about the New World."
Soon after, the newly appointed Admirals delivered their speeches.
Freda spoke calmly about justice.
Then Borsalino stepped forward. "Justice is order, and order is rules. We must firmly resist violations such as theft, murder, robbery… and overtime."
Sengoku's face nearly turned purple.
Next came Sakazuki. "Justice must never retreat. All enemies of justice must be completely eliminated."
Sengoku nodded in satisfaction.
Finally, Kuzan spoke. "Justice should not go against one's heart… and the purpose of the Marines is… uh…"
He scratched his head. "Arara… I forgot what I wanted to say."
"Let's skip that part."
Sengoku felt his chest tighten.
This speech was being broadcast across the entire world. Yet strangely, the audience reacted positively.
To them, Aokiji's relaxed attitude felt natural and approachable.
Such was the power of status.
If a minor official had made such a mistake, people would mock him endlessly. But when a Marine Admiral did it, the public simply found him charming.