Ezra smiled and nodded.
"I understand. I will do my best to live up to this position."
Sengoku patted his shoulder.
"I believe in you."
Ezra then turned toward the man standing nearby.
Borsalino adjusted his sunglasses with a relaxed smile.
"Well, Ezra… or should I say Fleet Admiral Ezra. Congratulations."
"I hope the new Fleet Admiral gives me a little less work in the future."
Ezra chuckled and shook his head.
"That will not happen, Uncle Borsalino. You are one of the Navy's pillars."
Hearing that, Borsalino suddenly felt very pleased.
Being praised felt pretty good.
Ezra then stepped toward another figure.
Sakazuki stood tall, his expression as stern as ever.
"Fleet Admiral Ezra. I look forward to working with you."
Sakazuki's words were as direct as always.
Ezra nodded calmly.
"Sakazuki, the past is behind us. From now on, I will be relying on you and the others even more."
"You can always count on me, Fleet Admiral," Sakazuki replied firmly.
Ezra smiled, patting him on the shoulder before walking over to the next person.
A loud laugh erupted before he even arrived.
Monkey D. Garp crossed his arms and grinned.
"Hahaha! Kid, being Fleet Admiral means you will be busy all the time!"
To Garp, Ezra had always been like a grandson.
Seeing him reach this position filled the old Marine with pride.
Ezra laughed in response.
"I have been prepared for that for a long time, Uncle."
Garp nodded approvingly.
"Good. Just do not start complaining about the workload later."
"Do not worry," Ezra replied confidently. "I will do even better than Uncle Sengoku."
With that, Ezra turned and walked to the center of the platform.
He took a slow breath, calming the excitement that had briefly stirred in his chest.
Then he looked out over the crowd of Marines below.
Every face was filled with admiration.
Working under the strongest man in the world made them feel immensely proud.
At the same time, the entire world was watching Ezra.
In Foosha Village, Curly Dadan and the others had gathered early inside the village tavern.
They stared at the screen showing the ceremony.
"Unbelievable… Ezra really became Fleet Admiral," Dadan muttered in disbelief.
It felt just as unbelievable as the day Ezra defeated Edward Newgate.
Nearby, Makino watched with a warm smile.
Her man truly was extraordinary.
In Shimotsuki Village, inside the Isshin Dojo, Koushirou stood surrounded by dozens of children.
They were all watching the ceremony together.
"Master! Master! That is the Blazing Ember Admiral!"
"So cool!"
"I have decided! My dream is to become like him!"
Koushirou smiled gently.
"Children, that title is from the past now. You should call him Fleet Admiral."
"Okay!"
Koushirou adjusted his glasses.
Fine lines had begun to appear on his face.
Ezra… you have finally achieved your goal.
Dragon must be working even harder now.
In Cocoyasi Village, the village chief had also gathered everyone to watch the broadcast.
Several children whispered to each other.
"That is Fleet Admiral Ezra."
"The mayor said he knows him personally."
"Hmph. I bet he is exaggerating."
The mayor's face twitched.
"You little brats!"
"Quiet! We are watching for Nami!"
"That is right!"
Everyone's attention returned to the screen.
In the New World, inside a luxurious castle, Stussy stared dreamily at the screen.
"Oh my… my Lord Ezra looks so handsome."
She had not seen him in a long time.
Life as one of the Four Emperors kept her incredibly busy.
Managing such a massive territory was no easy task.
Recently, Gild Tesoro had also been trying to negotiate cooperation with her, leaving her with little time to travel.
But none of that mattered right now.
Stussy gazed at the screen with hearts practically shining in her eyes.
"My Lord Ezra… so handsome."
She had completely fallen into admiration again.
On a deserted island in the New World, the Red Hair Pirates were holding a lively banquet.
Benn Beckman placed a Den Den Mushi in front of Shanks.
"What is this, Beckman?"
"Everyone should take a look."
Beckman activated the broadcast.
The image of Ezra immediately appeared.
"Wait… is that Blazing Ember?"
"That is the Fleet Admiral ceremony!"
The pirates were stunned.
They had not gone to sea recently, so news had reached them slowly.
Shanks suddenly burst out laughing.
"Haha! This sea is becoming more interesting by the day!"
"Indeed."
Laughter echoed across the island.
Meanwhile, in the New World, the Blackbeard Pirates had temporarily stopped at an island kingdom.
They were searching for a specific Devil Fruit.
The Gura Gura no Mi.
According to recent intelligence, the fruit had reappeared somewhere in this kingdom.
At first, Marshall D. Teach had planned to simply destroy the country while searching.
But now he had halted those plans.
The crew stood on their ship, staring at the broadcast.
At the man on the screen.
Ezra D. Vale.
A figure they could never forget.
The fear buried deep inside them resurfaced.
"That Marine… really became Fleet Admiral," one pirate muttered.
Teach's usual grin had vanished.
For them, this was terrible news.
Ezra was infamous for showing pirates no mercy.
Very few who encountered him survived.
Teach clenched his teeth.
If my body had not been so resilient back then, I might have died.
He shook his head, forcing the thought away.
His expression hardened.
"We must speed up our plans."
"Find the Tremor-Tremor Fruit."
"Wherever it is!"
Elsewhere in the New World, within Wano Country, a towering figure sat drinking heavily.
Kaido was in the middle of another wild drinking session.
Suddenly, the door burst open.
King hurried in, carrying a Den Den Mushi.
"Governor-General! There is something you should see."
Kaido paused, lowering his sake jug.
His heavy gaze fell on King.
"Speak."
King quickly placed the Den Den Mushi in front of him.
The broadcast showed Ezra standing proudly on the ceremony stage.
Kaido's eyes narrowed instantly.
"Ezra D. Vale," he muttered darkly.
"What is this?"
King replied quickly.
"Governor-General, the Blazing Ember Admiral has become the new Fleet Admiral."
Boom.
An overwhelming wave of Conqueror's Haki exploded from Kaido's body.
"Damn the Marines!"
His voice thundered with fury.
"King! What is the progress on Caesar's artificial Devil Fruits?"
King answered immediately.
"We have stored one hundred so far."
"Not enough," Kaido growled.
"Nowhere near enough!"
"Tell them to increase production immediately!"
"I will crush the Marines!"
"Yes, Governor-General!"