Half a month had passed in the blink of an eye.

  Today was a signifit day for the Navy.

  Even though it was te at night, Marineford remained brightly lit.

  The Navy, their families, civilians, and merts all joined in lively celebrations filled with singing, dang, and ughter.

  Earlier that day, the Navy held the nomination ceremony for three Admiral didates!

  Although the promotion list had been announced long ago and everyone khe news, the ceremony still brought a festive atmosphere, immersing all of Marineford in joy.

  It had been several years siering the age of pirates.

  With the surge in pirate numbers, the Navy's dominance over the seas began to wane.

  The once calm and glistening seas had tururbulent and perilous.

  on fire echoed across the os, pirate ships roamed freely, and pirate fgs fluttered in the wind, deg their so-called freedom and dreams.

  Meanwhile, the Navy faced unpreted challenges.

  They struggled with severe shes of ships, manpower, and bat strength.

  But through releraining, recruitment, and upgrading their equipment, the Navy fought back. They studied pirate tactid secured victory after victory, holding their ground against the relentless onsught.

  Still, they khis was only the beginning.

  Pirates wouldn’t give up easily. Greed and brutality ed their minds, driving them to pluo the seas again and again, searg for opportuo break through the Navy’s defenses.

  The appearance of the three Admiral didates was like a shot of adrenaline for the entire Navy.

  Being an Admiral didate required meeting exceptionally high standards.

  At the very least, one had to be capable of surviving a fight with a current Admiral.

  More importantly, all three didates possessed devastating Logia-type Devil Fruit abilities.

  Sakazuki, with the Magma-Magma Fruit, ahe most powerful offensive force. His magma attacks unleashed catastrophic destru, akin to volic eruptions, with overwhelming ford destru.

  Borsalino, with the Glint-Glint Fruit, wielded the fastest speed. He could manipute light for attacks and move at the speed of light, leaving enemies no ce to evade. Against him, escape wasn’t even an option.

  Kuzan, with the Ice-Ice Fruit, excelled in trol. He could freeze oppos instantly and shape the battlefield to his advantage. Especially at sea, he could lock dowire os, rendering pirate ships immobile.

  The three formed a perfect bance: offense, speed, and trol.

  Against the likes of Whitebeard, Kaid Mom, their threat might not surpass legends like Garp or Sengoku, who specialized in physical bat.

  But for lesser pirates, their presence was utterly terrifying.

  If Garp faced a pirate crew of a thousand, their captain might sneer, mog that even Garp couldn’t catch them all by himself.

  But against these three...

  If they were lucky, they’d all be captured.

  If unlucky, they’d be obliterated.

  If terribly unlucky, they’d be cremated on the spot.

  The Wover was thhly satisfied with these three choices.

  The current era was vastly different from when Sengoku and his peers became Admirals.

  Back then, with Rocks missing, Roger executed, Shiki defeated, and Red Bat imprisohe seas had beeively calm.

  Evero of the time, Whitebeard, was focused on finding family.

  Kaido and Big Mom, while ambitious, were merely solidating their forces.

  The remnants of the Rocks Pirates had been eliminated, with only Wang Zhi barely surviving in obscurity.

  Though pirates like Shanks and Mihawk posed challehey weren’t the type to stir up chaos.

  As for smaller groups like the Fish-Man Pirates or Kuja Pirates, they were hardly a .

  Oher hand, tless small-time pirates emerged, causing the Navy erouble as they had to repeatedly hunt them down.

  Thus, the Navy shifted its focus to these nuisances.

  Clearing them out would also cut off the roots of the major pirate groups in a way.

  The three Admiral didates were perfectly suited to hahis situation.

  While the streets of Marineford celebrated, the Fleet Admiral’s office was cloaked in darkness.

  A shadowy figure held a Den Den Mushi, deep in versation.

  Outside the window, fireworks lit up the night, briefly illuminating the face of the current Fleet Admiral, Kong.

  “Elder Stars,” Kong said, his voice calm yet firm. “Decades have passed. Is it not enough to simply maintain the current bance?”

  "Even though only Sengoku is statioo guard the Celestial Dragons, if something ued happens, Garp, Zephyr, and Hina wouldn't just stand by..."

  A cold, stern voice echoed from the other end of the Den Den Mushi.

  "Silehe decisions of the Wover are not up for the Navy to question. You are nothing more than tools of the Wover!"

  The speaker's tone was sharp and anding, as if scolding a servant.

  Fleet Admiral Kong showed no trace of anger on his face, as if he accepted this treatment as natural.

  "Yes, my lords. I misspoke," Kong replied with deference.

  Oher side of the lihe Five Elders, the pinnacle of authority in the Wover.

  "Your inpetence has allowed the seas to overflow with pirates," one of them chastised. "Many allied nations have begun to protest to the Wover!"

  "Though it is only a handful of nations for now, this is a warning sign. If left unchecked, it could destabilize the authority of the Wover itself!"

  Kohe Den Den Mushi and answered calmly, "Uood."

  At the Holy Land of Mary Geoise, within the Room of Authority, the Five Elders had just eheir call with Kong and were now deliberating among themselves.

  "The Navy has reached a urning point," one remarked.

  "In the past, most high-ranking naval officers were selected from among the Wover's bureaucrats, ensuring they were pliant," another noted.

  "But Kong's geion has proven disappointing. Many died in battle or were unsuitable for leadership, leaving only him to barely hold things together."

  "The geion, however, is filled with talent," one Elder tinued.

  "There's Sengoku the Buddha, Garp the Fist, Zephyr the Bck Arm... even Hina, renowned for her strategy and intelligence. Any one of them could have been an Admiral in the previous geion!"

  "Unfortunately, their diverse backgrounds and strong-willed personalities make them nearly impossible to trol."

  "And in terms of merit, strength, aation, they are on par with Kong—or even surpass him!"

  "Worse, they are rades from the same era, united as o’s impossible to divide or manipute them."

  "Indeed," another Elder agreed. "Back then, even with just Sengoku and Zephyr as Admirals, Kong struggled to maintain trol. It was only through our intervention—f Zephyr tn his position—that Kong mao solidify his authority over the Navy."

  "We chose Sengoku as the more trolble option, but... is Sengoku really easier to trol?"

  "That damned Roger," one grumbled. "His so-called Great Pirate Era forced us tthen the Navy, even though it made them harder to manage."

  "But allowing pirates to run rampant risks the rise of another Rocks, or a repeat of the disaster at God Valley. That is something we ot permit—by the will of that individual."

  "I propose this: ohe Admiral didates plete their training, Kong is promoted to Supreme ander of all military forces uhe Wover. Sengoku bees Fleet Admiral, and the three didates are appointed Admirals."

  "If it’s the will of that individual... I sed the motion."

  "Seded."

  "Seded."

  "Seded."

  "But this will leave the Navy's power unchecked!"

  "The Wover's military forces—CP, Impel Down, and the Navy—are already imbanced, with the Navy being far too dominant."

  "The Wover must establish a new force to terbahe Navy, even if that fores from pirates."

  "Pirates are difficult to trol," one Elder argued.

  "They don’t o be trolled—just to serve as a distra for the Navy. A few ants lost in the crossfire won’t matter."

  "Indeed..."

  "Let us move on to the details of the Seven Warlords system aing suitable didates."

  "Agreed."

  "Agreed."

  "Agreed."

  "Agreed."

  In the first half of the Grand Li Mock Town.

  This was a chaotic pirate haven, pletely beyond Navy trol, where violend debauchery reigned supreme.

  In a luxurious room, Zean sipped red wine while reading the neer. Her almond-shaped eyes gleamed with delight, her mood visibly high.

  "Sakazuki has bee an Admiral didate. 'Akainu' suits him perfectly!" she mused.

  "And then there’s Borsalino and Kuzan—how fitting for them, too."

  Suddenly, a burly maered the room.

  "Captain Zean, everything is ready!"

  Zeahe neer aside, stood up gracefully, and stretched her body.

  "Well then, it’s time for me to make my move!"

  Void996