Karp scratched his head awkwardly.
"Uh… I hope I am not interrupting you two."
From inside the house, Gion's voice drifted over.
"Ezra, who is it?"
Ezra replied, "It's Uncle Karp. He thinks he might be disturbing us, so he does not want to come in."
Hearing that, Gion hurried over to the door.
"Uncle Karp, what are you saying? Please come in."
"Haha! Then I will take you up on that."
With permission granted, Karp no longer hesitated and followed Ezra inside.
"Have you eaten yet, Uncle Karp?" Ezra asked.
Karp waved his hand.
"I just got back to headquarters myself. I have not eaten yet."
"Perfect timing. Gion made dinner. Join us."
Karp nodded and accepted the invitation.
Soon the three of them were seated around the table, enjoying the meal together.
After dinner, Gion quietly left the room, giving Ezra and Karp some space.
After all, someone who visited this late at night probably had more to say than just congratulations.
Ezra poured a cup of hot tea and set it in front of Karp.
"You should drink less alcohol at your age."
"I know, Ezra," Karp replied with a small nod.
Ezra leaned back slightly.
"So tell me. What did you really come here for?"
Karp's face showed a trace of embarrassment.
"Haha… you saw through me already?"
Ezra rolled his eyes.
"Uncle Karp, we have known each other for how many years now? I have never seen you act so hesitant."
Karp scratched his head again.
"Was it that obvious?"
He cleared his throat before speaking more seriously.
"I do have something I want to ask you."
Ezra's mouth twitched slightly.
The last time Karp asked him for help, things had not exactly ended well.
"Go ahead. What could make you come here in the middle of the night?"
Karp took a breath.
"I want you to help me capture someone."
Ezra raised an eyebrow. Several guesses already formed in his mind.
"Who?"
"My useless son."
He paused.
"Monkey D. Dragon."
Ezra silently thought, Just as I expected.
Compared to Monkey D. Luffy, Dragon's actions were far more radical.
Over the past decade alone, Dragon had already helped overthrow the governments of dozens of nations.
Ezra had spent most of his time hunting pirates.
Because of that, he had largely ignored Dragon's activities.
"Uncle Karp," Ezra said calmly, "even if you had not asked, I would eventually go after him."
"But I am curious. Why suddenly ask me to capture Dragon now?"
Karp sighed softly.
"Sengoku told me you will become Fleet Admiral in six months."
"I am afraid that by then, there will be no one left who can stop him."
Karp's concern was not unreasonable.
Dragon's strength was not weaker than that of the Admirals.
In fact, his ability was terrifying.
A Paramecia type Storm Fruit, or at least that was Ezra's best guess.
Its destructive power was enormous.
Hurricanes, thunder, violent tempests. None of those were exaggerations.
Karp looked at Ezra with hopeful eyes.
Ezra nodded slowly.
"Even if you had not asked, I would still go after him."
"But not now."
"I will do it after I officially take office."
Karp blinked in surprise.
"Do you really have to wait until then?"
"Yes."
Karp nodded thoughtfully.
"I understand."
"I trust you, Ezra."
The two of them chatted for quite a while longer before Karp finally stood up to leave.
Ezra watched the aging figure disappear into the night.
He sighed quietly.
"Even heroes grow old."
The next morning arrived quickly.
Ezra woke up early and dressed in a black robe before heading toward the home of Tsuru.
Today was the first day of his training.
And considering the close relationship between Tsuru and Gion, Ezra had no choice but to take it very seriously.
Before long, he arrived at a quiet villa.
After adjusting his clothes, he knocked on the door.
Knock. Knock.
The door opened slowly.
Vice Admiral Tsuru stood there, her silver hair neatly tied back.
"Ezra. You are here. Come inside."
"Vice Admiral Tsuru, it has been a while. Gion asked me to bring you some tea leaves."
"That child spends money too freely," Tsuru said.
Despite her words, the smile on her face was impossible to hide.
Inside the living room, the two sat across from each other on opposite sofas.
"Ezra," Tsuru said calmly, "Sengoku gave me a task."
"He asked me to train you properly."
Ezra nodded.
"I appreciate your guidance."
Six months passed in the blink of an eye.
On the beach of the G1 Marine base, two figures were locked in combat.
Kuzan, dressed in a white suit, exhaled a cloud of cold air while staring seriously at Ezra.
"Ice Age… Pheasant Beak!"
A massive bird of ice shot forward at incredible speed.
Ezra raised an eyebrow.
"Kuzan, creating distance from me is the right choice."
"But a single ice bird is not nearly enough."
As he spoke, Ezra casually swung the wooden sword in his hand.
A simple slash cut through the air.
The ice bird shattered instantly.
Before Kuzan could react, Ezra had already appeared beside him.
The wooden blade rested lightly against Kuzan's neck.
Kuzan sighed helplessly and raised both hands.
"Alright. I surrender."
Ezra smiled faintly and lowered the wooden sword.
Kuzan collapsed onto the sand, completely exhausted.
"You have improved quite a lot recently, Kuzan," Ezra said.
Kuzan scratched his head.
"I have not been slacking off lately."
"Oh? What made you work so hard?"
Kuzan's mouth twitched.
"The Admiral seat is about to open up. Do you really need to ask?"
Ezra chuckled but said nothing more.
After a moment, Kuzan spoke again.
"So… Admiral Ezra, has the date been decided?"
Ezra nodded.
"There are still some responsibilities I am not completely familiar with yet."
"But overall, I am ready to take over the position of Fleet Admiral."
Kuzan sighed.
"You are about to become Fleet Admiral."
"And I am still fighting for a chance to become an Admiral."
"I guess I still have a long way to go."
Ezra smiled.
"If there is something you want to achieve, you should give it everything you have."
Kuzan scratched his head.
"You have told me that many times already."
"But I still appreciate it."
Ezra raised an eyebrow.
"Somehow it feels like you are secretly insulting me."
Kuzan quickly waved his hands.
"No, no. You are imagining things."
Ezra stretched his arms and looked toward the distant sunset.
A faint sense of emotion stirred in his heart.
Six full months had passed.
During that time, he had reviewed and organized countless documents.
His lessons with Tsuru had reached their intended goal.
And Sengoku had already prepared to step down.
Everything was ready.
Now all that remained was the right day.
On that day, Ezra D. Vale would officially become the new Fleet Admiral of the Navy.