Unless the World Government directly appoints someone, the position of Marine Fleet Admiral is always promoted from among the Admirals.
With Zephyr becoming unreliable and Garp refusing promotion, the only one left to count on is Sengoku.
Even without this incident, Kong's successor would still have been Sengoku. This matter merely reinforced his decision.
"Fleet Admiral Kong, look on the bright side. Although Zephyr and Garp have caused quite a bit of trouble, they have indeed been striking at pirates. The situation on the seas has improved, hasn't it?"
Roger was still sailing the seas, but many others had already been imprisoned. Byrnndi World, known as the "World Destroyer," had been captured directly with the help of a spy planted by the World Government.
In addition, many infamous pirates had met their end, such as Captain John.
This pirate, rumored to possess the greatest amount of treasures on the seas, refused to share even a single portion due to his extreme greed.
In the end, he was betrayed by his own subordinates and died miserably in some unknown corner, leaving behind only legends of his treasure.
There were also other great pirates who still roamed the seas, but their overall schemes had been thwarted. The morale of the Marines was steadily rising.
As for a certain pirate whose plans had been thwarted… he was currently in the New World catching up with an old acquaintance.
"Newgate, I don't understand. Why did those two choose the World Government?"
"Shiki, did you come all the way here just to spout nonsense?"
On the deck of the Moby Dick, two massive sake bowls sat between them. Golden Lion, who had come alone, was drinking with Whitebeard, though their conversation was far from harmonious.
Whitebeard had repeatedly stated that if Golden Lion dared to cause trouble, he would personally sink him into the sea.
Yet Golden Lion's tone was not sarcastic; instead, it carried an air of someone genuinely seeking answers.
"I heard your Flying Empire plan failed, and you suffered heavy losses? Was it Nereus? Seems like he didn't even get serious, otherwise, with your strength…"
Whitebeard narrowed his eyes, sizing up Golden Lion from head to toe. Based on his understanding, as fellow aerial fighters, Golden Lion was no match for Nereus.
"No, I never saw Nereus from beginning to end. The one who fought me was that b*stard Harald! That guy has truly become the World Government's loyal dog now!"
Seemingly full of frustration, Golden Lion drained the massive bowl of alcohol in front of him before beginning to complain.
Back then, with his ambitions swelling, Golden Lion had attempted to build his own empire. But World Government neither compromised with him nor accepted him.
On one hand, he had openly declared his goal of becoming the King of the World. On the other hand, he had not reached the same level of threat as Nereus. In the end, he suffered a crushing blow from the World Government.
Although the Flying Pirates still existed and he remained the admiral of the Golden Lion Grand Fleet, that Flying Empire was long gone.
"Gurararara! Looking at it this way, you're actually quite lucky. At least you ran into Harald."
As top-tier powerhouses of the seas, given Golden Lion's situation, his chances of survival were actually higher against Harald.
"Is that what I'm talking about? Have you not been reading the newspapers lately?!
The one attacking pirates in the Florian Triangle is Nereus, the one stirring up kingdom wars in the North Blue is Nereus, the one issuing the sea ban is Nereus, and the one who fought me was also Nereus?
The one attending meetings at Mariejois is also Nereus!
Does that guy have clones or something?! Where are all these Nereuses coming from?!"
Seeing that Whitebeard didn't grasp his point, Golden Lion finally voiced his thoughts outright. Although these events didn't happen at the same time, and some were even far apart.
But the one who had fought him was clearly Harald, yet the World Government insisted it was Nereus. This alone made Golden Lion feel that something was off.
He was certain something was fishy, but he couldn't pinpoint exactly what was wrong.
"Gurararara! Who knows? I'm not interested in that. What about you, what are your plans now? Rebuilding your empire?"
"No, it's too soon. I need someone to join forces with, someone like Roger.
If he is willing to cooperate with me, even if Harald came again, things wouldn't end up like today."
"Whitebeard! That guy called Nereus, are you familiar with him?"
As soon as the Golden Lion finished speaking, a puzzled voice came from the side. It was Kozuki Oden, another member of the ship who didn't call Whitebeard "Pops," but was instead regarded as a little brother.
A few years ago, Moby Dick had drifted to Wano Country due to a shipwreck, giving Oden, who had always longed to go out to sea, his chance.
"We sailed on the same ship for a while before. You could say we're somewhat familiar."
Because of Neptune, Nereus was rarely mentioned on Whitebeard's ship.
There weren't many people Golden Lion could complain to. Only those who understood both Harald and Nereus could grasp what he meant.
Among the few who fit that description, the only ones Golden Lion acknowledged were Whitebeard and Roger. That was why things had come to this.
"I see. Actually, a few years ago, I met him once in Wano Country.
He came to take his people home. He should be a good person, right? I felt like he was quite easy to talk to, and his daughter also seemed very capable…"
Oden recalled the past and gave his evaluation, but to Golden Lion, those words carried a completely different meaning.
"A good person? How can there still be idiots who think that guy is a good person? He's the type who never acts without benefits. Since he appeared there, something else must have drawn him over…"
It was true that Nereus had gone to bring his people home, and Golden Lion wasn't entirely wrong. Nereus did have his own motives.
However, Golden Lion's tone had already made Whitebeard extremely displeased. Before he could finish speaking, Whitebeard tossed aside the sake bowl in his hand and picked up Murakumogiri.
"Whose… family member are you calling an idiot?!"
"Tch, you just keep playing your little family game! I've got bigger things to deal with!"
The conversation between Whitebeard and the Golden Lion ended on a sour note. Seeing that Whitebeard was truly enraged this time rather than just making empty threats, Shiki quickly took to the sky and departed after shouting a couple of parting insults.
Meanwhile, on the other side of the world, at Twin Capes, an unremarkable doctor named Crocus was comparing two items in his hands.
One was a bounty poster from decades ago, the other a recent newspaper.
"The same hairstyle, the same skeletal features, the same name… Brook, is that you?"
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