The reason was actually very simple.
The dove faction's influence within the Marines had already grown far too large.
Both Kong and Sengoku, the two former Fleet Admirals, came from the dove faction.
If Aokiji took that seat next, then the dove faction would have produced three consecutive Fleet Admirals.
Without question, that would further strengthen their influence within the Marines.
By then, the dove faction's power inside the Marines might truly become deeply rooted and almost impossible to shake.
And if that happened, then who did the Marines really belong to?
The World Government?
Or the dove faction?
That question alone was enough to give the World Government a serious headache.
After all, the Marines were one of the World Government's most important armed forces.
Control over them was crucial to maintaining the World Government's rule.
If the dove faction became too powerful, the World Government might lose effective control over the Marines, and that was absolutely not a result they wanted to see.
For the World Government, the dangers they faced were not limited to the pirates in the New World, nor were they limited to the Revolutionary Army led by Dragon.
In truth, a greater threat also came from within the World Government itself.
They had to remain alert and prevent any force other than the Celestial Dragons from gradually expanding and growing powerful within the World Government, because that could seriously affect the Celestial Dragons' authority and voice inside the system.
And at present, the dove faction had already grown considerably within the World Government.
The representative figures of this faction included Commander-in-Chief Kong, Fleet Admiral Sengoku, the Marine Hero Garp, Great Staff Officer Vice Admiral Tsuru, and Marine Admiral Aokiji.
The candidate they jointly nominated was not someone even the Five Elders, the highest authority in the World Government, could casually ignore.
They had to take it seriously.
That was why the ones truly suffering a headache right now were the Five Elders.
Kong, Sengoku, Aokiji, and Akainu were all merely waiting for the final answer, while the Five Elders were the ones who had to make the key decision.
Saint Jaygarcia Saturn spoke bluntly.
"Aokiji absolutely cannot become Fleet Admiral. Otherwise, whether the Marines will continue to obey the World Government in the future will become difficult to predict."
Then, when he turned to the internal situation, his brows furrowed.
"But Kong and Sengoku jointly nominating Aokiji really is a troublesome problem…"
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro nodded in deep agreement.
That was indeed the case.
Making Akainu sit in that position was not difficult.
The real problem was how to give Kong, Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, Aokiji, and the others a reasonable explanation.
After all, while Aokiji's performance in the Summit War had not been as eye-catching as Akainu's, it absolutely could not be ignored.
Putting everything else aside, Aokiji freezing the massive tsunami caused by Whitebeard was already enough.
That tsunami had been powerful enough to destroy all of Marine Headquarters. If Aokiji had not acted in time, the consequences would have been unimaginable.
It could be said that based on that achievement alone, Aokiji had every right to sit firmly in place and wait for the decision.
Perhaps some people might say that others could have stopped that tsunami as well.
Then let them say who, exactly.
Other than Aokiji, there was probably no one else who could have done it.
No matter who it was, they could only destroy the tsunami or cut it apart.
But they could not make a tsunami that had already risen hundreds of meters high return to calm in an instant.
Whether the tsunami was destroyed or cut open, the seawater would still have flooded all of Marine Headquarters.
So no one could deny Aokiji's contribution in that war.
Even if everyone knew that afterward, Aokiji had spent most of the war slacking off.
Precisely because of that, they currently could not find a suitable reason to reject Aokiji's nomination.
This was truly an extremely troublesome problem.
The corner of Saint Topman Warcury's mouth lifted slightly, revealing a cunning smile, as though he already had a plan.
"What is so difficult about this? We only need to have someone recommend Akainu's name as well, then take the opportunity to express our support for him. Would that not solve it?"
After hearing this, Saint Marcus Mars first nodded thoughtfully, but then shook his head with a troubled expression.
"That method is indeed good, but it is not entirely workable.
"If we do that, it will only give people the impression that we are forcefully suppressing the dove faction.
"How could Kong, Sengoku, Garp, Tsuru, and Aokiji have no objections?
"After all, none of them are fools.
"And not only them. I fear the entire dove faction would become dissatisfied.
"So even if we intend to suppress them by force, we must do it in a way that leaves them with no grounds to complain.
"I truly do not wish to see the entire Marine force, or even the entire World Government, thrown into instability merely because of this matter."
At this point, Saint Marcus Mars fell silent for a moment, as though considering a more thorough plan.
After a while, he continued.
"I think we should do this instead. Building on Warcury's earlier idea, we first find someone in the Marines who possesses both strength and status to recommend Akainu.
Then, among us, we each express different opinions. For example, three of us support Akainu, while the other two support Aokiji.
That way, the situation will enter a deadlock.
In the end, after intense discussion and mutual compromise, we finally reach an important decision: let Akainu and Aokiji fight a life-and-death duel. The winner will ascend to the position of Fleet Admiral."
When Saint Topman Warcury heard those words, the eyes of Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro, Saint Jaygarcia Saturn, Saint Shepherd Ju Peter, and Saint Marcus Mars all flashed at the same time.
They exchanged glances, and each of them saw surprise and approval in the others' eyes.
Saint Ethanbaron V. Nusjuro could not suppress the excitement in his heart and was the first to praise it.
"That is an excellent idea!"
His voice carried clear approval of the proposal.
Saint Jaygarcia Saturn nodded as well, expressing agreement.
Then he began analyzing the benefits of this decision.
"First, doing this will show the dove faction that we have no intention of suppressing them. At least on the surface, we will have given Aokiji a fair chance to compete, rather than directly rejecting him. That way, even if they are dissatisfied, they will not be able to find a proper reason to cause trouble."
He paused briefly, then continued.
"Second, Akainu and Aokiji are close in strength. Whether in Devil Fruit development, physical ability, or Haki, neither side is clearly superior to the other. This duel will undoubtedly be extremely intense and will draw the attention of every Marine.
Moreover, no matter who wins in the end, that person will have proven himself the rightful candidate for Fleet Admiral.
Even if Akainu wins in the end, the dove faction will have no choice but to accept it!
However, Akainu's Magu Magu no Mi suppresses Aokiji's Hie Hie no Mi to a certain extent. In that case, Akainu's chances of victory are far higher than Aokiji's."
That reasoning was sound.