Blake's Observation Haki had reached the level of foreseeing the future.
Although he wouldn't activate it often on a normal day, being in an environment where traps could appear from who knows where, how could he not heighten his vigilance?
Blake had long seen the movements of these people and paid them no mind.
He gently pulled Stella into his arms, and with a turn of his body, instantly dodged the incoming poisoned arrow.
Blake turned his head and looked towards the entrance:
"I was wondering why you were so quiet earlier; turns out you're all 'old foxes' like me, just waiting to pick up scraps."
Outside the temple, almost all the residents of Eternal Sleep Island appeared, looking at Blake and the others with ill intent.
"This is a gift from the Bat God, whom Eternal Sleep Island has guarded for generations. You outsiders, put it down at once!"
An old woman, who appeared to be the leader, walked forward leaning on her cane, while the townspeople behind her also raised their weapons.
Blake sneered:
"If it's a gift from your god, then why didn't you take it out sooner?"
"Isn't it just because you couldn't find anyone who could read the Ancient Script?"
"I'm always the one taking advantage of others; you suicidal fools actually think you can take advantage of me?"
Before his words even finished, Conqueror's Haki, mixed with Ghost Qi, erupted.
Almost instantly, the residents of Eternal Sleep Island fell to the ground.
Blake waved his hand dismissively and instructed Mandy:
"Deal with them."
Although Blake's personality was not as brutal as other Celestial Dragons, he wasn't so naive as to let go of those who tried to attack him.
Furthermore, the information about Eternal Sleep Island was not hidden; even CP knew how to enter.
If these people were allowed to continue living on the island, the information about Blake acquiring the Vampire Fruit would eventually leak out.
It was better to use them to help Mandy practice her courage, lest she hesitate to strike hard during a life-or-death battle.
Mandy hesitated for a moment, but ultimately walked forward in silence, piercing each person's head.
Stella and Robin frowned slightly, turning their heads away.
Koala, while secretly encouraging herself, watched the scene without blinking:
"I am a combatant! I cannot be afraid!"
Perona's sense of right and wrong differed from the average person, so she didn't react much to the scene before her.
Rami was a little uncomfortable.
But having seen many people die in Flevance, she seemed relatively accustomed to it.
Once Mandy was finished, Blake waved his hand:
"Treasure acquired! Let's continue!"
...Just as the sanctuary set sail again.
Marineford, Marineford.
At dawn, tens of thousands of Marines were neatly arrayed in Marineford's plaza, their uniforms and the Justice flags above their heads fluttering in the wind.
Kong smoothed the last wrinkle of his Fleet Admiral's cloak and stood on the high platform.
Three steps behind him, Sengoku, wearing round-rimmed glasses, stood as straight as a spear.
Garp secretly wiped the food residue from his hand onto Kuzan's cloak, then pretended to poke him:
"Kuzan, your cloak is frozen."
"Garp-san..."
Kuzan gave a helpless look at the unreliable old man:
"Garp-san, your beard is frozen."
With that, he gently waved his hand, freezing Garp's beard into ice shards.
Garp clapped Kuzan's shoulder and laughed heartily.
Zephyr stood on the other side of the high platform with his new recruit training camp students, his short purple hair looking sharp and neat.
Kong raised a hand, and the entire plaza fell silent, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.
"Years ago, I stood here as well."
Kong's voice shattered the morning mist, and he threw open his cloak to reveal a hideous scar on his abdomen:
"I once said that scars are a Marine's best medal."
"But I forgot to say the second half—only blood shed for the weak deserves to be called honor!"
"Honor belongs to the collective; mistakes belong to the individual."
He slowly turned and came before Sengoku:
"Today, I hand this position to you, Sengoku."
He pressed the Fleet Admiral's seal against Sengoku's chest, then turned to face the many Marine soldiers below:
"Not because of his strength, but because he, like you and me, will always remember why we bear Justice!"
Kong patted Sengoku's shoulder:
"Go, tell them why Justice exists."
Sengoku slowly stepped forward, took the loudspeaker, and declared loudly:
"Everyone!"
"This is not a transfer of power, but the burning of will!"
The power of the Human-Human Fruit, Great Buddha Form, activated, making his figure seem enveloped in a sacred light.
"We need no monuments, for the keel of every warship is a memorial!"
"We seek no praise, for the laughter of protected children is the most beautiful sound!"
"Justice needs no echo! For the peaceful sleep of the protected is the finest anthem!"
"The Marine seeks no remembrance! For forgotten guardianship is true greatness!"
Conqueror's Haki surged from Sengoku, soaring into the sky.
His cloak billowed without wind:
"From today onwards, let pirates hear the waves and remember the war horn, and let civilians see seagulls and remember hope!"
"Justice will prevail!!!"
Below, tens of thousands of Marines shouted in unison:
"Justice will prevail!!!"
Sakazuki's cigar hung from his mouth, half-smoked by him, half by the wind.
Kuzan, for once, stood perfectly straight.
Borsalino took off his sunglasses.
Kong smiled and placed a pocket watch in Sengoku's hand.
On the inner lid, a line he had personally written was engraved: "It's your turn, next generation."
The succession ceremony for the Fleet Admiral thus concluded.
Kong was about to depart for Mary Geoise to assume the role of Commander-in-Chief of the Three Forces.
Nominally, it was certainly a promotion, but it was a promotion in name only, a demotion in reality.
The Fleet Admiral was responsible for dealing with threats on the seas, commanding hundreds of thousands of Marine soldiers, with influence spread across the ocean.
The Commander-in-Chief of the Three Forces usually resided in Mary Geoise, primarily responsible for guarding the Holy Land.
But the Holy Land rarely encountered danger, so the so-called Commander-in-Chief was merely an idle position.
Moreover, living in the Holy Land for extended periods meant dealing with the eccentricities of nineteen families.
When the warship escorting him to Mary Geoise arrived at the port, Kong looked down at the "Marine New Star Files" in his hand.
On it, the faces of Sengoku, Garp, Zephyr, and Tsuru appeared one by one.
As the warship set sail, Kong took one last look in the direction of Marineford.
Sengoku was adjusting his Fleet Admiral's hat.
Garp was patting his shoulder beside him, a playful smile on his face, seemingly teasing him.
Tsuru stood behind the two, a faint smile on her face.
Zephyr's figure was moving away, followed by a group of slightly immature new recruits.
A voice faintly carried on the wind—
"Stand tall! You represent the future of the Marine!"
"Justice will prevail!"
The shouts of the new recruits drowned out the sound of the waves, and Kong smiled as he stood at the bow, slowly sailing away.