Marine Headquarters, Marineford.

A warship slowly sailed into the harbor, as countless soldiers eagerly awaited its arrival.

Photos of the defeat of the Golden Lion's fleet had been sent back at the very first moment.

Within just a day, the news had spread across the seas.

This was the reason why the soldiers were gathered at the port.

Fleet Admiral Kong stood atop the fortress, smiling as he looked down at the scene.

There is a worthy successor.

Standing beside him were Garp and Sengoku.

Garp munched on a doughnut and laughed heartily:

"Ahahahahaha, that kid Sakazuki sure is popular."

Sengoku narrowed his eyes slightly and nodded.

He had been involved in this entire incident from beginning to end, and everything—one could say... was all just a series of coincidences...

The Fleet Admiral gave the order, he and Garp staged the fight, Sakazuki reaped the credit, and the government did the publicity.

In this entire incident, aside from commanding a few warships, none of it was arranged by Sakazuki.

Nor could it have been.

Yet somehow, everything just fell into place naturally, and Sakazuki gained a huge amount of fame.

It was... frustrating.

With the wisdom of the Great Buddha, he had thought about it over and over again during this time.

Conspiracy theories, rebellion plots, and more...

But after digging into it, it turned out the guy hadn't done anything...

It was like shadowboxing for a blind audience.

Hard not to feel annoyed.

Looking down at Sakazuki being surrounded and praised by the crowd—

Maybe... I've been too suspicious...

Sengoku temporarily set aside his doubts.

He too showed a faint smile.

After all, to have consecutively defeated Whitebeard and the Golden Lion pirate crews—

Even though the Golden Lion escaped, the blow dealt to the pirates was clear.

The world would behave itself for a while.

...

Fleet Admiral Kong gave all Headquarters soldiers a day off to celebrate.

Not just to celebrate, but also to build up momentum for Sakazuki.

There would be speeches, interviews, and more.

All of this would dominate headlines on the seas for a long time.

By the time Sakazuki finished all the socializing and returned home, it was already dusk.

He stepped into the house and casually tossed his "Justice" cloak onto the sofa.

He flopped down onto the couch, his whole body sinking into it.

"Huff—"

Sakazuki let out a long sigh.

This was even more exhausting than a major battle...

A whole day of voices buzzing in his ears from the crowd—

He was still hearing phantom sounds even now.

Click clack—

The doorknob turned.

Enel pushed the door open and rushed in as a bolt of lightning.

He reformed into his human shape on the small couch next to Sakazuki.

Landing on the cushion, he looked at Sakazuki with excitement:

"You were so cool, old man!"

"There were so many people today!!!"

He gestured with both hands to show just how massive the crowd had been.

"The academy students spent the whole day talking about your exploits."

He grinned proudly.

After all, he was so close to Sakazuki—

Naturally, he'd been the center of envious gazes all day from his classmates.

It made him feel like he was floating on air.

Sakazuki shook his head and smiled helplessly.

Then he propped himself up and stood.

Looking at the person walking in behind him:

"Vice Admiral Morris."

Morris walked over and smiled as he gently pushed Sakazuki back down onto the couch:

"You've had a long day—rest a bit more."

"How does it feel to be a hero?"

Sakazuki covered his face and replied helplessly:

"Too noisy..."

"My ears are still ringing."

Vice Admiral Morris laughed:

"Hahahahaha, that's normal."

"The Navy needs a new hero."

"To inspire naval soldiers and citizens all over the world."

"The last one to be called a hero was that guy Garp."

"But he's too carefree and irresponsible."

"Which is why the upper echelons of the Holy Land have been complaining about him in recent years."

"This time, we're using the opportunity to make you the Navy's new hero."

"I believe you'll do even better."

"This is also a chance—"

"To make you a symbol of the Navy."

"To celebrate your feats and spread your ideals."

"The impact this will have on the next generation of the Navy over the coming years—"

"Is simply immeasurable. Hahahahahahaha."

He laughed heartily after finishing, like it was destiny.

Sakazuki also smiled:

"Yeah."

"The Navy's future."

After laughing for a bit, Vice Admiral Morris remembered why he had come.

He called out toward the door.

A group of soldiers entered, carrying steaming hot food.

They placed it on the table. Morris said:

"Come eat quickly. There's a banquet later too."

Sakazuki covered his face again:

"A banquet?"

Morris chuckled:

"Yes, to build up momentum for our new hero."

"Fleet Admiral Kong even invited a number of officials from the Holy Land."

"Just to show them how strong the Navy's future is."

"Eat well so you'll be full of energy."

"Half the attendees are officers from other forces."

"Let's give them a good shock."

Morris said, meaningfully.

Sakazuki sighed internally—Well, what could he say?

He got up and walked toward the table:

"But..."

"Come to think of it, Vice Admiral Morris..."

"Why invite so many officers from the other two military forces?"

Morris smiled:

"To flex a little—Navy isn't the only one with a new generation."

"The other two forces have theirs too, but they're just not as well-known."

"And it's also to prepare for the position of Commander-in-Chief of the World Government."

Sakazuki fell into thought:

"Commander-in-Chief, huh..."

Morris nodded and sighed:

"Yes, the Commander-in-Chief."

"Some time ago, the current Commander had a sudden internal flare-up."

"Nearly lost his life."

"Fortunately, they caught it in time and saved him."

"Rumor has it, he mentioned retirement to the Elders while still in the hospital."

"Once the news got out, the other two forces immediately started posturing and showing off strength."

"We in the Navy were caught off guard."

"But this time, our goal isn't just to flex."

He finished with a gloating laugh.

Seeing Vice Admiral Morris's mischievous smile—

Sakazuki thought of how Fleet Admiral Kong had only taken command over a decade later...

He picked up on the shift in Morris's phrasing:

"Nearly lost his life..."

"So he's fine now?"

Morris laughed:

"Yeah, those idiots heard that the Commander's organs were failing and spreading—"

"They thought he was as good as dead."

"Started campaigning early. But remember how we captured some scientists recently?"

Sakazuki understood everything now.

Good grief, artificial organs...

Talk about backfiring.

If the leader had actually died, that'd be one thing. But he didn't—

Sakazuki couldn't help but burst out laughing:

"Hahahahahahahaha!"

Even after finishing the meal, both men still had faint smiles on their lips.

It was just too...

Hahahahahahahahahaha.

In high spirits, they headed to that night's banquet hall.

...

The next day.

Grand Line, Minehi Island.

Sakazuki's warship slowly sailed into port.

The ship, temporarily led back to Headquarters by Karol, had docked for resupply.

Karol clapped his hands at the crew:

"Alright, everyone take a half-day break. Go ashore for supplies."

The soldiers cheered excitedly:

"Whooo!!!!"

Everyone eagerly rushed down the gangplank.

Karol looked at Bullet, who stood motionless with a slight smirk:

"Bullet, aren't you going to go shopping?"

Bullet shook his head:

"I'm going to train."

Karol smiled helplessly:

"Alright then, I'll head down first."

Bullet nodded and walked toward the training room.

Then from behind, Karol's voice floated lazily:

"I heard~"

"The desserts on Minehi Island are top-notch~"

Bullet stopped in his tracks. Desserts...

"Strawberry mousse~"

Bullet's throat twitched.

"Chocolate sundae~"

Bullet held his breath.

"Rainbow cotton candy~~~"

Karol's voice faded into the distance.

Bullet hesitated for one second... then turned around!

...

Minehl Island, in a secluded alley.

Karol, now cloaked, appeared carrying a box.

His long cloak obscured his face.

He followed the marked signs toward the door of a small house deep inside.

He knocked on the wooden door in a predetermined rhythm.

The person inside peeked through the gap and saw the box in Karol's hands.

Grinning greedily, he opened the door and whispered:

"Come in, quick."

Karol stepped in swiftly.

Inside the dim room—

He placed the box onto the table.

The greedy figure's eyes followed the box hungrily.

Karol chuckled:

"Nice job spreading the news."

"The Golden Lion has already caught wind of the Navy's 'weakness' and gathered his fleet yesterday."

"This is a reward from a certain master for your service."

He gave a meaningful smile.

The greedy man said:

"Win-win~ win-win~"

He hadn't left the house all day, and didn't know yet that the Golden Lion's fleet had been annihilated.

His hands eagerly reached for the box—

But he noticed it wasn't that heavy.

A sense of foreboding surged in his chest, but his greed won out over caution.

He flung the box open!

Inside, there was nothing but a single newspaper!

The headline read in bold print:

"Golden Lion Fleet Destroyed—A New Navy Hero Is Born!"

He glared at Karol in rage:

"You!!!"

Schlck.

The sound of a blade piercing flesh.

A large head flew through the air.

Karol wiped the blood from his sword—

Picked up the bloodstained newspaper and casually laid it over the severed head.

Buru buru~ Buru buru~

A Den Den Mushi began to ring in the dim room.

Karol's lips curled into a smirk.

He took out his personal Den Den Mushi:

"Moshi~ Moshi~"

---

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