Kuzan's face darkened.
Looking at the iceberg that had been crushed by gravity, he remembered what Issho had told him before the test, and now he finally understood what he meant.
Before it all started, Issho had warned Kuzan that he might trigger a tsunami.
At that time, he asked Kuzan to freeze the tsunami before it hit Marineford, and also mentioned that the frozen iceberg might be used to show his own strength. At the end, he had even apologized.
Now, looking at the destroyed iceberg, Kuzan finally understood why Issho had said sorry.
"A Paramecia-type, Gravity Fruit… What a powerful ability. He crushed the iceberg Kuzan froze like it was nothing."
"And that incredible Observation Haki… Now I get it—his Observation Haki is strong enough to replace his eyes." Sengoku looked toward the shore and spoke seriously.
Kuzan's face darkened again. Did he really have to bring him up like that?
"Looks like Kuzan was right. This Issho really does have the strength to become a Marine Admiral. I approve," said Commander-in-Chief Kong, clearly pleased.
Having someone this strong join the World Government was definitely something worth celebrating.
Akainu stayed calm.
It was as if he already expected everyone to agree. After all, if Kuzan brought this man back, he must have known what he was capable of.
Now, Akainu had seen it with his own eyes.
"I agree too," Akainu said plainly.
Kizaru, Vice Admiral Tsuru, and Garp stayed silent, which basically meant they also agreed. But Garp's expression was a little different.
Kuzan was his student, and Garp always believed he understood him better than anyone.
Ever since Kuzan returned from the Island of Rain after meeting Ryuen, something had changed in his eyes. He no longer looked lost—he seemed to have found the justice he truly believed in.
This time, he actually went ahead and picked a candidate for the Marine's third Admiral in such a short time. That wasn't something he should've been able to do on his own.
Plus, the Marines didn't have any intel on this.
Garp believed the only explanation was that Aokiji had teamed up with someone—and it was obvious who. The Dream Exploration Group.
The Marine high command had no objections, and Kong, who represented the World Government, fully supported the choice.
And just like that, Issho officially became a Marine Admiral.
Codename: Fujitora!
But right after Kong made the announcement, Fujitora said something that made everyone in the room turn to look at him.
"I believe there's no need to keep the Warlord system anymore. It's just a way to protect pirates. It should be scrapped. Of course, that's just my own opinion," Fujitora said calmly.
After he spoke, the Fleet Admiral's office went completely silent.
But Akainu, who had been watching him, started to feel more comfortable with him. Fujitora's sense of justice might actually line up with his own.
"Admiral Fujitora, we understand where you're coming from."
"But right now, keeping things balanced is still our top priority. Even though the Warlord system isn't in the Marines' best interest, the time to get rid of it hasn't come yet."
Vice Admiral Tsuru, the Marine's top strategist, finally broke the silence.
Everyone nodded in agreement, and once again the room went quiet.
After a moment, Sengoku added, "Tsuru's right. The Warlord system definitely has its problems, but it also helps maintain balance across the world. If we just scrap it all of a sudden, it could cause even bigger problems."
Fujitora nodded slightly to show he understood.
He had already expected this kind of answer. The Marine's internal power struggles weren't something that could be fixed overnight.
Still—
The reason he brought it up now was to show where he stood and what he believed in.
Kong then spoke. "Admiral Fujitora, I know you're unhappy with the Warlord system, but this issue affects too many things. It can't be decided just based on personal views. We have to look at the big picture—world affairs, how other forces might react, and so on."
Fujitora nodded. He got what Kong was saying.
"In that case, let's put this matter aside for now," Akainu said, standing up with a serious expression. "While Commander-in-Chief Kong is still here, we should finalize the decision to move Marine Headquarters into the New World."
"Yeah, Admiral Akainu is right," Vice Admiral Tsuru agreed. "Now that Whitebeard is dead, his pirate group has lost a lot of power, and the other crews under him are starting to waver. This is the perfect chance for the Marines to get a foothold in the New World!"
The room went quiet again.
In the end, Commander-in-Chief Kong gave the final order: approve the move of Marine Headquarters to the New World and told Akainu to come up with a detailed plan.
```
The next day.
The Marine G1 base in the New World—now officially the new Marine Headquarters—was almost fully renovated, thanks to a huge amount of manpower and supplies.
Akainu was already on his way, bringing Marinford's core personnel to the new base.
While sailing past waters not far from Punk Hazard, four people—Sengoku, Vice Admiral Tsuru, Fujitora, and Aokiji—looked off into the distance toward the island.
"I just feel like something big is going to happen," Sengoku said casually, wearing beach clothes, sandals, and snacking on rice crackers while staring toward Punk Hazard.
"Ah la la~~~"
"If I'm right, all the research files, machines, and prisoners from the Punk Hazard lab are still there…" Aokiji said with a quiet laugh.
"Oh no!"
"The World Government's human giant experiments might get exposed!" Vice Admiral Tsuru's face changed instantly.
"Ah, well…"
"This really isn't good news. But at least I'm not the Fleet Admiral anymore…" Sengoku froze for a second after Tsuru's reminder, then quickly felt relieved.
"You jerk, Sengoku!"
"Don't forget, even if you're not the Fleet Admiral, you're still the Grand Inspector of the Marines!" Tsuru shouted, standing on her toes to yell at him.
But Sengoku didn't even flinch.
Next to him, Aokiji looked completely calm. He'd already thought through what would happen once the Dream Exploration Group found out about the human giant project.
No doubt about it—this sea was about to stir up again because of that experiment.
But Fujitora looked a little confused.
Giant human experiments?
The World Government was really doing something so cruel?
And he found out this shocking secret on just his second day after joining the Marines?
---
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