"Six Admirals…"
Sengoku frowned slightly, his fingers gently rubbing over the newly added files for the three Admiral candidates.
His gaze finally stopped on Momousagi's evaluation report, and a trace of worry appeared in his eyes.
"I'm afraid even that may not be enough to deal with the current situation."
Outside the window, flocks of seagulls startled by Momousagi's powerful sword energy beat their wings and soared into the blue sky.
Their shadows fell across the training ground, swaying lightly with the breeze, as if even they felt uneasy about the storm that was about to come.
...
In an atmosphere filled with tension and anticipation, two days passed quietly.
Two days later, the famous Marineford, the great base that symbolized the Marines' authority and power, welcomed a highly anticipated Admiral appointment ceremony.
The sky was as dark as if it had been stained with ink, and rain poured down in torrents.
The dense raindrops looked like a curtain of pearls spilling from the heavens, smashing violently against the earth.
Black clouds pressed heavily overhead, so low they seemed almost within reach.
They brought a crushing pressure, as though they meant to grind the entire Marine Headquarters into the endless darkness and rage.
At Marineford's central plaza, everything had already been prepared.
The six towering platforms once used for executions had now been temporarily and cleverly transformed into solemn appointment stages.
Under the flashes of lightning that tore through the night sky, the platforms looked like six cold, gleaming blades pointed straight toward the heavens, giving off an awe-inspiring presence.
Every streak of lightning made their outlines clearer and more shocking, as though announcing the importance of this ceremony to the world.
On the main platform stood the imposing Fleet Admiral Sengoku.
His posture was straight, his aura extraordinary, like a towering mountain.
Behind him, the cloak embroidered with the words Absolute Justice snapped fiercely in the raging wind, the heavy fabric roaring as though speaking of the Marines' firm belief in justice and their relentless pursuit of it.
In his hands were not ordinary documents.
Instead, he held three especially striking snow-white cloaks edged with gold.
The craftsmanship of these three cloaks was extremely fine.
The lining of each had been carefully embroidered with the unique codename of a newly appointed Admiral, and the thread used was gold thread reserved for the Celestial Dragons.
Under the interwoven glow of lamps and lightning, the golden thread flashed brilliantly, adding a touch of mystery and nobility.
"Step forward."
Fleet Admiral Sengoku's voice was loud and powerful, spreading clearly across the entire plaza through advanced loudspeaker Transponder Snails.
His voice pierced through layer after layer of rain, and its strength even drowned out the rumbling thunder, echoing in everyone's ears and leaving no room for carelessness.
"Fujitora, Issho!"
At that call, the first to step onto the stairs was a blind swordsman.
Fujitora.
He held his cane sword. Though his eyes could not see, his steps were steady and firm.
His wooden sandals landed on the slippery stairs as if he were walking on level ground, without the slightest sway.
When he slowly dropped to one knee in salute, a strange sight occurred.
Within a radius of one hundred meters, the rain that had been falling rapidly suddenly seemed to be held up by an invisible force, hanging suspended in midair.
It was an unconscious leak of the Gravity-Gravity Fruit's power.
"In the name of the World Government…"
Sengoku's expression was solemn as he slowly draped the first cloak across Fujitora's shoulders and declared with gravity,
"I hereby grant you the position of Marine Admiral!"
The instant the cloak settled lightly upon him, all the suspended raindrops seemed to receive an order.
They crashed down at once.
With tremendous force, they struck the hard basalt ground and instantly punched countless tiny pits into the surface, crackling loudly like a battle song welcoming the arrival of this newly appointed Admiral.
In the viewing seats, the usually cold and mysterious CP0 agents all tensed at the sight.
Their eyes showed caution and close attention, because they understood what that moment meant.
Fujitora's precision in controlling gravity had clearly improved again.
That change undoubtedly made the entire situation even more complicated and delicate, and it also gave them a deeper understanding of the new Admiral's strength.
A loud call suddenly rang out.
"Ryokugyu, Aramaki!"
The second man to appear looked rather casual.
The uniform that symbolized status and honor had somehow been worn crookedly by him, without the slightest sense of neatness.
His collar was open, exposing a large stretch of firm, powerful chest.
What made people stare in surprise was that lively green vines were wrapped across it, their leaves winding along his skin like a unique bond between him and nature.
He casually chewed a leaf he had plucked from somewhere nearby, his attitude making it seem as if he did not care about this important occasion at all.
Yet the moment he slowly stepped onto the stairs, something miraculous happened.
Across the entire silent plaza, life seemed to be injected into the cracks in the ground.
Tender green shoots broke through the earth one after another, carrying the scent of soil and new life as they grew rapidly at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Sengoku, who was presiding over the ceremony, was about to solemnly announce his honor.
"I hereby grant you—"
But before he could finish, he was interrupted by the rustling sound of the surrounding plants growing wildly.
Under everyone's focused gaze, the signature Admiral cloak had only just touched Ryokugyu's broad shoulders when—
In the next instant, a towering tree suddenly shot up from the cracks beneath his feet.
The tree grew at terrifying speed, reaching into the clouds in the blink of an eye. Its thick trunk supported a vast canopy overhead.
What was even more astonishing was that the things blooming among the dense leaves were not ordinary flowers.
They were tiny surveillance Transponder Snails glowing with mysterious light.
The Transponder Snails trembled their antennae slightly like living creatures, as if sharply sensing every movement around them.
Every officer present sucked in a breath at the sight.
They knew this was no ordinary trick.
It was a display of Observation Haki taken to an extraordinary level.
Every seemingly harmless "flower" was actually a living reconnaissance device, capable of accurately transmitting information from the surroundings.
The perfect fusion of natural power and Haki was truly astonishing.
A clear, firm call rang out next.
"Momousagi, Gion!"
The voice carried an invisible force, piercing through the roar of the rain and echoing through the air for a long time.
At that moment, the wind howled, and raindrops the size of beans poured down from the gloomy sky like a dense storm of arrows, striking the earth with brutal force.
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