After receiving a satisfactory answer, Rowan returned to his seat with a smile. He began discussing the evening's celebration with Kong and the others, and naturally, everyone nodded in agreement. After all, they weren't like the pedantic Sengoku; their heads weren't filled only with the messy affairs of the high seas.
As for Sengoku, once Rowan stepped back, he began concluding the commissioning ceremony. Of course, beyond this meeting, Rowan's reinstatement as a Marine Headquarters Vice Admiral required Sengoku to draft a formal proclamation to announce it to the entire Marine force at Headquarters and across the globe.
When the meeting ended and everyone had filtered out of the room, Rowan reached out and brushed the two honorary medals on his chest. The corners of his mouth couldn't help but curl upward.
"Vice Admiral rank restored, Honorary Admiral title secured... next, it's time for the Old Man to put on a show."
But his thoughts quickly shifted to the upcoming challenge with the Hawkeye brat, and he let out a short sigh. "What a hassle..."
However, despite finding it troublesome, Rowan realized after his bout with young Momonga that his swordsmanship was actually a bit more formidable than he had imagined. Plus, since he had maxed out his dual-color Haki and Conqueror's Haki, bullying the Hawkeye brat shouldn't be much of a problem, right?
Thinking this, the wrinkles on Rowan's brow smoothed out. Whatever, I'll deal with it when the time comes. Rowan shrugged, lifted his pipe to his lips, and left the conference room.
Time flowed on. In the blink of an eye, the next day arrived.
Marine Headquarters, Marineford.
On this day, the Marine training grounds behind the fortress were exceptionally lively. Whether veterans or recruits, field officers or generals—anyone who didn't have urgent business was squeezed around the perimeter of the largest central training field.
The crowd included numerous elite Vice Admirals, as well as legendary Marines like Fleet Admiral Sengoku, Hero Garp, and Chief Instructor Zephyr. Even two of the "Highest Combat Powers," Admirals Aokiji and Kizaru, were in attendance.
It seemed everyone was waiting to witness something spectacular. The scale of the scene was nothing short of magnificent. Even though the area was already packed to capacity, more Marines continued to flood in from all directions. There were those stationed on Marineford who were currently off-duty, and those who had just returned from missions at sea.
"Hey, Colonel Troy! Did something happen? Why is everyone running toward the training grounds? Is today some kind of special anniversary?"
On a warship that had just entered the bay and hadn't even dropped its anchor yet, a Colonel standing at the front of the deck looked at the scene on the island with total confusion. He called out to another officer nearby, Colonel Troy, who was busy supervising sailors.
"I say, Colonel Carter, how can you not know about something this big? Commander-in-Chief Kong and Vice Admiral Rowan are at the training grounds, preparing for a massive sparring match!"
"Every Marine at Headquarters is heading there! Even Admirals Kuzan and Borsalino are on-site!"
At this point, Troy let out a heavy, aggrieved sigh. "Dammit, when I heard the news, I rushed there at dawn to grab a front-row seat just to catch a glimpse of these two legends clashing. But who would've thought? Before the match even started, I got slapped with an emergency mission."
Judging by Troy's tone, he seemed to harbor a deep hatred for this sudden assignment.
"Commander-in-Chief Kong... and Vice Admiral Rowan?" Colonel Carter's expression froze. Two aged silhouettes gradually formed in his mind. "You mean the former Fleet Admiral and current Commander-in-Chief of the World Government's military, Mr. Kong? And the mentor of Fleet Admiral Sengoku and Mr. Garp, Vice Admiral Rowan?"
Upon receiving Troy's confirmation, Carter stood dazed. "But hasn't Vice Admiral Rowan been retired for ages? He's sparring with Mr. Kong?"
While Rowan had left many legendary tales behind in the Navy, in the minds of the newer generation of Marines, no matter how legendary he was, he was still just a Vice Admiral. How was he qualified to spar with the Commander-in-Chief?
Although Rowan had stunned the upper echelon in the conference room yesterday, the officers out on missions hadn't heard the news yet.
Seeing Carter muttering to himself, Troy didn't have time to explain. He barked, "You brat, why are you still standing there in a daze?! If I were you, I'd be galloping to that training ground right now. You might still find a decent spot!"
"But—" Carter tried to ask more, but Troy snapped, "Enough! I don't have time to waste here. Just take my word for it—you won't regret it. And remember to record it for me!"
With that, Troy leaped onto his ship and commanded it to leave the pier. Even as the ship sailed away, he stared back at Marineford with longing. He had heard that in yesterday's commissioning ceremony, Old Man Rowan had displayed strength that completely intimidated every Vice Admiral and Rear Admiral present. Even an elite like Momonga couldn't withstand a single move.
Strength of that caliber... that had to be Admiral-level at the very least, right?
As for "Cyborg" Kong, he was the former Fleet Admiral and a top-tier powerhouse who had once fought a world-shaking battle against the "Red Count," Patrick Redfield. Any Marine worth their salt would give anything to see a clash between these two.
"Is that old man really that ridiculous?" Carter scratched his head, still puzzled. But remembering Troy's gritted teeth, he decided to trust him. After giving a few orders to his adjutant, Carter leaped off the ship and sprinted toward the training grounds, even using the "Soru" and "Geppo" of the Six Powers to speed up.
When Carter finally arrived and saw the mountain of people surrounding the field, he was utterly dumbstruck. "Holy crap... how are there this many people?!"
At this moment, the training grounds were "standing room only" in the most literal sense. Not just the ground, but even the surrounding trees and buildings were covered with Marines in white uniforms, clinging on like ants.
Standing at the entrance, Carter couldn't even see the ground of the central ring, let alone watch the fight.
"Is it really going to be that explosive?" Carter began to feel a twinge of regret. "Dammit, if I'd known, I would've had the ship sail at full speed. I might have actually gotten a good spot."
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